Lice Dream Superstition
Dreaming of lice has no single traditional meaning. Recorded folk beliefs assign sharply different omens to the same dream, ranging from coming wealth and escape…
Beliefs
Folk Beliefs & Superstitions
Browse canonical folk beliefs and follow their documented variants across countries, themes, topics, and contexts.
Browse by Topic
Browse by Theme
Fly Dream Superstition
Dream Omen In recorded dream lore, seeing flies has been interpreted in sharply different ways. Older dream books often connect them with enemies, illness, trouble,…
Thistledown Wish Superstition
In a documented thistledown wishing custom, a person catches the light floating down, makes a wish or thinks of someone far away, then releases it…
First Evening Star Wish Superstition
Wishing Custom The first evening star wish is a folk practice in which the first star noticed after dusk becomes the occasion for making a…
Falling Star Wish Superstition
Wish Belief A familiar folk belief says that seeing a falling or shooting star creates a brief chance to make a wish. In many recorded…
First Snowflake Wish Superstition
The first snowflake wish is a seasonal folk belief in which a person makes a wish when noticing the first snowflake of winter. A documented…
Wishbone Superstition
Food Folklore and Luck The wishbone superstition turns the forked breast bone of a bird into a small contest of luck. Two people pull opposite…
Baby and Mirror Superstition
Infancy Folklore The baby and mirror superstition warns against letting an infant see its reflection too early. The forbidden period is not fixed: some versions…
Stepping Over a Child Superstition
Childhood Folk Belief The superstition against stepping over a child says that crossing over a young child’s body may stop the child from growing or…
First Outdoor Carrying Superstition
Infant Folk Belief A recorded Georgia superstition holds that a child will develop a nature and disposition resembling the person who first carries the baby…