Category Archives: Magic

Ritual actions engaged in to effect changes in the outside world.

No Hitter Jinx

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Residence: San Diego, CA

Text:

When a pitcher is throwing a no hitter or a perfect game, nobody in the dugout is allowed to talk to the pitcher and nobody at all (including teammates, fans, broadcasters, and anyone else watching) is allowed to say the words “no-hitter” or “perfect game”. If you talk to the pitcher or if you say no-hitter you will jinx the pitcher and they will give up a hit.

Context:

Both of these rules are common practice across baseball, and my friend has experienced both of them first hand. In high school, one of his teammates had a perfect game going through 6 innings; when he was not on the mound the pitcher sat by himself at the far end of the dugout and nobody, including the coaches would talk to him. Normally coaches would ask how a pitcher is feeling after every inning and give them advice, but the coach stayed far away. The pitcher successfully finished the perfect game. As a fan, my friend was in attendance when the Mets pitched a no-hitter in 2022. Everybody knew that the Mets had a no-hitter going, and the crowd became more and more excited as they got closer to closing out the game, but nobody ever said the words “no-hitter”. People would count down the number of outs left, or ask each other questions like “do you think they’ll pull it off” but everyone carefully avoided the words “no-hitter”.

Analysis:

Both of these rules are in line with Frazers principles of sympathetic magic. The refusal to talk to a pitcher can be seen as wanting to avoid contact with the pitcher along the lines of the Law of Contact. If a pitcher has a perfect game going and you come into contact with him, then your imperfections could influence the pitcher and ruin his perfect game. The refusal to say the words “no-hitter” or “perfect game” follows a similar idea, but here you are not interacting with the pitcher but rather with the perfect game itself. By saying “perfect game”, a person is indirectly contacting the perfect game (if the perfect game is to be thought of as an object), and by contacting the perfect game the person risks magically ruining the game. Beyond the magical beliefs of a perfect game, there is major societal pressure involved with these rules. If you break one of these rules and a pitcher gives up a hit, people will blame you for it. To avoid the risk of being blamed, people follow these rules whether they believe in magic or not.

Family Hamsa

Nationality: Algerian, American
Occupation: Student
Residence: Champaign, Illinois
Language: English

TE has a family heirloom in his pendant necklace, which he says is a hamsa. This necklace was given to him by his father last year. When not wearing it, he keeps it by his front door. The necklace is said to prevent evil spirits and bad luck from harming its wearer.

TE is unsure of the origins of the hamsa, saying its either a part of his culture as either north African or from Islamic roots. This necklace came from his father, who was born and raised in Algeria, and TE is pretty sure that it was passed down from generations upon receiving it last year. As a piece of his cluture, TE is very proud of his hamsa and wears it almost every day.

This necklace is a piece of tradition from either North Africa or Islam, and helps TE connect with parts of their heritage they come from. As part North African, he feels a responsibility to honor his familial roots, especially seeing how this necklace has been directly passed down to him from his father. The ancestral connection to this necklace may be why it is said to ward off evil spirits, as the spirits of his ancestors are protecting him as they did his father before him. While speaking to TE, it was clear that in the year since receiving the pendant, he cared deeply about it and made sure to take care of it. The deep respect for his past was solidified in his hamsa, and thefolkloric tradition of passing it down makes its significance personal for TE. As a piece of protection, TE didn’t seem to necessarily believe that it would ward off evil spirits, but was of the impression that it was far better safe than sorry in regards to its spiritual powers. The notion that it wasn’t belief of spirits, but rather lack of evidence to disprove spirits, is an interesting as it shows the trust in their heritage, drawing upon the beliefs of those before him as indication of its efficacy. This necklace is a strong piece of contagious magic, requiring the user to physically wear it to appreciate its effects, or to hang it up by the front door when protecting the home from spirits entering.

Pregame Ritual

Nationality: American
Occupation: Student
Residence: Bristol, Rhode Island
Language: English

Whenever TC plays soccer, they have a very specific pregame ritual that they have to perform every game, or else they will not play as well. He wears the exact same base layer of socks with his cleats every single game. While the top layer of longer socks are cut out to fit the shin guards, the base sock layer was the exact same pair for 2 years straight. After TC finishes warming up, the next time they step onto the field, whether it be walking out with the starting lineup or subbing in, he makes sure that his left foot is the foot stepping past the line onto the field every single time.

TC first mentioned the reason why he wore the same pair of socks was due to his trouble finding socks that fit in his cleats well, with them sliding in his boots too much for his liking. One game, he decided to try a cut pair of socks with a base pair of socks, which saw him play exceptionally that game. Ever since then, he wore those same socks for every game to replicate the success he saw there. Additionally, the left foot out first when stepping onto the field is a good luck charm he says helps him play better. If he notices that he’s stepped onto the field with the wrong foot, he’ll go back and redo his entrance to prevent bad luck.

This ritual is highly repetitive, requiring the exact same set of circumstances every single time he plays soccer. TC does not call himself a very superstitious person, but holds this ritual to be very important to his success on the field. By limiting the variance before he plays the game, it gives him the same exact mentality as every other day, letting him focus on the game at hand. The emphasis on putting the literal best foot forward, which can be interpreted as homeopathic magic while stepping onto the field creates a barrier between the game and the world outside of it. By putting his best foot forward, TC can also be confident of his footwork in the game. No matter what is going on outside the game, once TC has stepped onto the field game ready, he can switch to competition right away. The placebo effect is extremely important, because even i changing socks or the walk-on ritual doesn’t have any major effect on TC’s physical being, mentally the pressure that he’s cast bad luck on himself can create a downward spiral leading to a poor performance .

Mommy’s Magic Medicine

Text: “Growing up a little ritual we had when we were younger kids was that every time we got injured my mom would put Neosporin on our little cut or scrape and call it Mommy’s magic medicine. And so every single time I got hurt as a kid I remember my mom putting the Neosporin on my cut and at the time I didn’t know it was Neosporin, I always only knew it as Mommy’s magic medicine. And so I always felt relieved when that happened and it’s something that has resonated with me my whole life.”

Context: This story was shared by the informant, a law school student, who reflected on a childhood ritual involving minor injuries and the comforting presence of their mother. The informant recalls that whenever they got a cut or scrape, their mother would apply Neosporin while calling it “Mommy’s magic medicine.” At the time, the informant didn’t recognize it as a commercial product—they only understood it as something their mother used to make them feel better. This phrase, repeated over many years, became a deeply ingrained part of their childhood experience and remains a memorable, emotionally significant ritual that they continue to associate with safety, love, and maternal care.

Analysis: This is a great example of folk medicine in a family setting. Even though Neosporin is a store-bought product, the way the mom framed it as “Mommy’s magic medicine” gave it a kind of homemade, personal meaning. It wasn’t just about the ointment—it became a small ritual that the informant associated with healing and comfort. Calling it “magic” added a sense of wonder, and also helped make the pain feel less serious or scary.

This kind of thing is really common in folk medicine, where the emotional support is just as important as the treatment itself. Parents often use little sayings, routines, or made-up names to soothe their kids, and those moments become part of how children learn to handle pain or fear. In this case, the ritual shows how folk practices can exist right alongside modern medicine—what matters is the meaning attached to it. For the informant, that meaning stuck with them, even long after they found out what Neosporin actually was.

Informant Info

Race/Ethnicity: White

Age: 23

Occupation: Student

Residence: Oak Park, CA

Date of Performance: April 22, 2025

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Relationship: Brother

Nigerian Superstition

Nationality: Nigerian
Age: 21
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Superstition:

“There’s a Nigerian Superstition that telling people about your good fortune will mean that it can be taken away.”

Context:

My informant told me that this superstition is similar to the “Evil Eye” or the idea of being “jinxed” because of the idea that once someone identifies the positive things/success they are having in their lives, there is the possibility of their fortune changing or being “taken away.” Once the fortune becomes a reality, it changes, and usually for the worse. He told me, “I guess I somewhat practice that superstition.”

Analysis:

The idea of keeping “your good fortune” seems to be a cross-cultural idea. It seems that whenever someone boasts about their accomplishments or talks about the positive things happening in their life, there is always a possibility that their fortune could quickly turn sour. I find this superstition interesting in particular, because instead of performing an action to prevent your fortune from be taken away, your only solution is to never talk about your fortune in the first place. In my opinion, the act of not performing an action is still a type of action, and therefore I would put this superstition under the category of homeopathic superstition.