Current superstitions : $b collected from the oral tradition of English speaking folk
General
Current superstitions : $b collected from the oral tradition of English speaking folk
Folklore -- England; Folklore -- United States
No. 334.--I happen to know that in 1895 one bride, in a Boston suburb,
wore seven yellow garters, at the request of seven girl friends. Probably
the fashion of wearing yellow garters owes its present currency to the
repute in which they are held as love-amulets.
CHAPTER VIII.--Some notion of the prevalence of a popular belief in the
omens to be derived from dreams may be obtained from the fact that dream
books are still enough in demand to warrant their publication. I have
seen but one such volume. That was more than thirty years ago. A dream
book is now published by a New York firm, and I find, from inquiries in
Boston, that it sells at a moderate rate.
No. 626.--See Shoe Omens in Brand's _Popular Antiquities_ (Bohn's ed.),
iii. 166.
Nos. 785-789.--The curious reader will find an excellent summary of the
beliefs in regard to sneezing in Brand's _Popular Antiquities_, vol. iii.
Nos. 796-800.--In New Hampshire it was formerly usual for young people to
purchase gold beads, one at a time, with their earnings. When a
sufficient number of beads was obtained the necklace was made, and after
it had once been put on was never taken off by night or day. It is
difficult to induce the elderly people who still retain these necklaces
to part with them, there being a superstitious feeling in regard to the
consequences.
Nos. 831, 832.--These cures and a few other superstitions have been taken
from a very interesting paper, "Notes on the Folk-Lore of Newfoundland,"
in the _Journal of American Folk-Lore_, vol. viii. No. XXXI. Almost all
of the other folk-lore from Newfoundland and Labrador has been given me
by Rev. A.C. Waghorne. It is interesting to notice how among these
seafaring people weather-lore predominates over all other kinds.
Nos. 845-848.--These devices for suppressing hiccoughs are scarcely
superstitions in reality, as they doubtless often do relieve the nervous,
spasmodic action of the respiratory muscles, by fixing the attention upon
the cure. But in the popular mind some charm, I take it, is attributed to
the counting, repeating, or what not.
CHAPTER XIII.--Several remedies for warts are here introduced which
belong with the collection of animal and plant lore for which the writer
has much material accumulated. In general such topics, including a very
large number of saliva charms and cures, have been omitted from the
present list.
Nos. 872, 880-882.--It is interesting to notice this illustration of the
doctrine of signatures. Excrescences of such varied character, whether
animal or vegetable, are supposed by contact to cause warts, doubtless
simply because of the accidental resemblance.
Nos. 889-896.--It seems that any juices of peculiar or marked color are
popularly credited with curative power. The plants whose juices are
thought to cure warts are, it will be noticed, of wide botanical range.
In all probability there is no similarity in the effects to be obtained
from the application of their sap.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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