The Importance Of Superstitions In History

Superstitio is made up of the prefix super, meaning above, and the verb stare, which means to stand or be firm; literally translated, supersitio means a belief in something that is above what is clear or concrete. The english word that we derive from superstitio, superstition, can usually be defined as “irrational faith in supernatural powers”, but according to Dale B. Martin,

The Elizabethans were a very superstitious bunch. In fact most of our silly seeming superstitions come from them. All of our superstitions from knocking on wood for good luck to black cats crossing your path being a bad omen. They also believed in everything from ghosts, to magic, to fairies, to the influence of the stars and planets alignment.

Clashes over religion were a never-ending battle with England. The church was being used for corruption and power, and citizens had the Catholicism religion forced upon them. They had no choice but to accept this religion because going against the church meant going against the king. So many people dealt with the situation and conformed to Catholicism. However, there was a vast majority that didn’t. These rebels would start something that would forever be a major part of history. It may seem as though these non-conformists did good, but they actually did not. Puritans did not set a good example for England to learn from, the Quakers did.

Superstition is a belief based on past experiences and not facts. In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the Puritans were living in Salem, Massachusetts but are very superstitious. Part of the reason why is because they are avid believers in two different worlds: the natural world and the invisible world. There are also strong believers in the idea that God gives signs, good or bad, to express how he feels about them during certain times. For example, a natural disaster may signify that the Puritans are doing something wrong. The Puritans were superstitious because they are paranoid people.

Life is full of superstition, whether you like it or not everybody has some sort of superstition in them. Some people don’t let some things go to their head like others do. Some people can get really stubborn if something suspicious happens. I am one of them people, it is really hard to get suspicion out of your head, it is one of them things that once you do it, it is hard to not have those thoughts in your head. And in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn you will see the cause and effects of the use of suspicion. The main character, Huck Finn, used superstition as a means to keep him going in search of his true self and find interesting ways to live life the only way he knew.

One common superstition that some people believed was that the weather was an expression of God’s feelings (The Religious History of America, page 56). If God was furious there might be a hurricane or an earthquake and if God was happy there might sunshine. A similar superstition suggested that God would express his feeling through people. If people were nice toward someone God was happy with them. If people were rude to one another, God was mad at someone. This superstition is different because instead of God showing feelings at a group of people, God would show his feelings to an individual. (Colonial Religion, page 12). Another popular superstition was that people had to act a certain way in order to receive good luck. For example someone made sure that they would never run into a black cat or else they would have bad luck (The Religious History of America, page 54). Superstitions have diminished in popularity over time but are still present

Superstitions were not taken so seriously by educated people as plain people did, but both types of people were thoughtful moon watchers. Farmers did each of their tasks based on the the phases of the moon. They had superstitions that if they work on the right tasks during their corresponding moon phase, then they will have successful

Someone can use the fear to creat the superstition because the fear will become more and more afraid that someone will take it as the true thing, but the most afraid thing is the heart. Arthur Miller who wrote 《The Crucible》told us that human hearts are the most terrible fear because the human hearts are incomprehensible and are not what they were in old days so that there appears superstition and the superstition confuses the human hearts. There is not originally any fear and the superstition in the world, but there fear and superstition

The City of Troyes in the Middle Ages Although Scholars and doctors contributed to medieval society, it was medieval women who contributed the most. All three groups: doctors, scholars, and women contributed to medieval society in one way or another. Doctors provided to society mostly negative ideas to about the human anatomy, they also provided to the people of the medieval ages with treatments and surgeries that ended unsuccessfully (Gies, 100-101). Scholars contributed by giving an education to people who later went on to pursue careers as doctors, lawyers and copyists (Gies, 161). Women ultimately contributed the most by having children, raising said children, being the subjects of superstitions regarding childbirth, running the household, shopping, pursuing influential roles in church and in politics, and occupying jobs males also had (Gies, 47-58).

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! A superstition, like the one given, is accepted into certain cultures as being a belief that bad or good luck is brought forth through certain events. These superstitions can sometimes cause fear or distress in a person’s life, like they did in the time of Julius Caesar. Superstitions during this time can best be explained through types of Roman superstitions, superstitions’ effects on the Romans, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

There are a numerous instances where superstition plays an important role throughout the book. For instance, superstition is the only aid the protagonists have in the way of information. Van Helsing quotes: “‘All we have to go upon are traditions and superstitions’” (Stoker 257). They know nothing about vampires, but what is mentioned in superstitions, and without such, they would not have been able to keep Dracula at bay. One example, is when they put a piece of the host in Dracula’s boxes to force him out of hiding and corner him. “Once the Crew of Light locate Dracula’s homes in Piccadilly, Mile End, and Bermondsey and (for Dracula’s purposes at least) destroy the boxes of sacred easts, Dracula is forced to make a speedy retreat to Transylvania” (Johnson 83). They successfully use their knowledge of the supernatural to corner Dracula and force him home, where they must follow him to finish the fight. Another instance is realizing that Dracula is trying to convert Mina. Had the characters not known how conversions worked, they never would have discovered that Mina was in any danger, or what she was becoming. Moreover, they also would not have known about Mina’s connection to the Count and would have been unable to hypnotize her to discover his

Myths, tall tales, and strange stories inhabit our world. Strange beliefs are held to be verifiable everywhere, causing superstition to emerge out of this mess.Superstition is a widely held, but not accountable belief of the supernatural, such as the number 13, which is thought to be bad luck, or that walking under a ladder is also a misfortune. However, superstition does not only exist now, but also has been around since ancient times, such as the Middle Ages,  as shown in The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman.

Me and my friends thought that bad stuff happening on Friday the 13th was just a superstition. We thought today would be ordinary and the same as every Friday. We were wrong.

Due to lack of diversity taught to students involving various cultures, Asian mythology and beliefs are very unfamiliar to the majority of the globe. Knowing different cultural views is necessary because it opens new perspectives on different civilizations, it stops the public from being oblivious to the rest of the world, and also allows the public to respect and understand different cultures more profoundly. In order to know more about Asian culture, China and India’s mythology and beliefs will be reflected upon, and facts towards these views will be brought to attention, as well as their known religious landmarks and the significance of the landmarks to the region’s practitioners.

Some examples of common, everyday superstition include the belief that the number 13 is unlucky, that walking under a ladder will bring bad luck, and that a black cat crossing your path can affect your luck. Belief that black cats affect your luck goes far back in time. One king of England, Charles I, owned a black cat. His fear of losing it was so great that he had it guarded. The day after it fell ill and died, he was arrested. Black cats were often witches in disguise or witches' familiars. There were also many cat charms relating to ships and the sea. Fishermen's wives would keep a black cat at home to prevent disaster at sea, consequently the cats became very valuable and were often stolen. If a cat ran ahead of a sailor to the pier that would bring good luck, but if the cat crossed his path it means bad luck. For luck, cats were often kept on board ships. If a sailor was approached by the ship's cat it meant good luck, but if the cat only came halfway and went away again it meant bad luck. The worst possible cat-related act, guaranteed to raise a storm and bring bad luck of all sorts, was to throw the cat overboard. Cat superstitions were also common in medicine. Fur and blood drawn from various parts of the cat's anatomy cured everything from shingles to St. Anthony's Fire.