Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Knock on Wood

Nationality: American
Age: 55
Occupation: World Oil Leader
Residence: United States
Language: English

Text:

“Knocking on wood, this is believed to ward off bad luck or ensure good fortune. You knock on wood when you’re talking about something good but don’t want to jinx it so you knock on wood but if no wood is around you knock on your head. I usually use my head and knock 3 times.”

Context:

The Informant says they learned this from their grandma, but also recounts that people at work say it all the time during their meetings. They’ve had experience with this before of having bad luck if they don’t ‘knock on wood’ and really has a connection to the idea of three. They believe in this idea of bad luck in threes because it continues to happen in their life with accidents, sickness, and deaths.

Analysis:

This is represented as superstition, but more specifically, magical superstition. Magical superstition focuses on the idea of influencing an outcome with an action rather than predicting it. The idea is that if you knock on wood or your head it might influence or ward off misfortune or a ‘jinx,’ but doesn’t exactly predict it. In Frazer’s belief, this can be seen as sympathetic magic, where an action is taken to influence an outcome. Knocking on wood is apotropaic magic, a type of sympathetic magic, where the action of knocking on wood or your head will ward off evil influences or ‘bad luck.’ It’s a protective ritual with the hope of protecting one’s self from negative outcomes by knocking on wood. It’s also a very social aspect, where even the informant states that they use it with their coworkers during meetings, connecting them together with a familiar action which even becomes automatic. People might partake in this action in order to relieve anxiety and stress over possible negative future outcomes and prevent the opposite of whatever they said from coming true. The idea of knocking three times also is significant as its seen in many other cultures as well as this idea of bad luck comes in three, where knocking on wood prevents this three times.

Walking Under A Ladder

Nationality: American
Age: 55
Occupation: World Oil Leader
Residence: United States
Language: English

Text:

“There’s this belief of walking under a ladder being bad luck. One common explanation ties the superstition to medieval times when ladders were thought to resemble gallows, implying a fate of death by hanging.”

Context:

The informant says that their superstitions come from their grandma and also hears it from coworkers. They really do believe this even if it’s not true because they don’t want to test their luck, but also sees it happen a lot in their life with bad luck.

Analysis:

This represents an American superstition, where an action that we take results in this idea of ‘bad luck’ or where bad events will ensue. Specifically, this acts as sign superstition, where an action can predict an outcome It creates a sense of ritual avoidance, where people will actively avoid the action of walking under a ladder to prevent bad things from happening. ‘Bad luck’ also seems very vague and broad, meaning that this action can be attached to anything that the individual deems as ‘bad’ and use it to explain why horrible things might happen to them. From the informant, it roots back to medieval times as symbolic to gallows, where both might represent the overall idea of death. Gallows aren’t seen as often anymore so this sense of death progresses and connects to something more relevant: ladders. Unlike gallows, ladders are seen more as invitation of bad luck if one purposefully takes the action of walking under one, not necessarily that it is certain that ‘death’ or ‘misfortune’ will immediately ensue. Psychologically speaking, it acts as a way for people to be on the lookout for unfortunate events and then immediately tie it to their action that may have caused it rather than the thought of it being random. It becomes a warning to everyone to avoid walking under ladders without knowing what exactly might happen.

Lucky Cat

Nationality: American
Age: 43
Occupation: Realtor
Residence: Orange County, CA
Language: English

TEXT:

“When Butterscotch sleeps with me it means I am going to have a good day, and when she sleeps with ___, it means she’ll do good on her nursing tests”

CONTEXT:

Butterscotch is a cat owned by the informant and her family. She holds folk beliefs about the power of the cat as on several occasions, after the cat has slept with her or her daughter, they have had good luck the next day.

ANALYSIS:

In this scenario, the cat is acting as a sign. A sign is an object, or animal in this case, that helps viewers interpret the world around them. Here, if the cat decides to sleep next to the informant or her daughter, they interpret that to mean they will get a good grade on an exam or have a good day at work. This sign emerged due to personal experiences; they took note of many occasions where they had a good day and the cat had slept with them the night before. This reinforced to them that the cat was a sign of good luck. This sign is also a source of motivation for them. Although the cat is not going to help the informant’s daughter study, or assist the informant in work, it may give them confidence. Just by believing that their day will go well, they will feel more assured in their decision making abilities, which may lead to them getting a good grade or having a good day at work. This demonstrates how signs can have psychological impacts on those who are looking for them. It could also be representative of the affection they have for the cat. Since they love the cat, they cannot associate it with negative energy or influence.

Throwing Pennies in a Fountain

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Occupation: Waitress
Residence: Orange County, CA
Language: English

TEXT:

“Well, I’m one of those people who throw coins into fountains. If I have some loose change on me, and there’s a fountain nearby, I’ll throw in a penny or something for good luck.”

CONTEXT:

The informant stated that she took up this ritual due to her dad. Her dad would throw pennies into fountains as she was growing up, and she adopted the habit into her own life. The informant says that she is aware that the ritual may not have any effect on her life, but she does it anyway.

ANALYSIS:

This is an example of a magic folk belief. This means, the participant believes that they can change the world around them by enacting a ritual. This particular one is fairly common, and it appeals to a sense of karma. By putting a coin into a fountain, the person is surrendering something with monetary value, and in the future they will be rewarded with good luck. It is a demonstration of someone’s lack of greed; they are not fixated on hoarding money as they willingly toss it into a fountain. Then, the universe or some divine being blesses them for it. Another component to this is the impact water may have. Water is typically associated with cleansing power, so by throwing a coin in a fountain, the person may be symbolically cleansing themselves of their wrongdoings. Then, they are free to be rewarded as they no longer hold the toxic energy associated with impure actions.

Minor Genre: Gesture – The Moutza

  1. Text: Gesture of someone thrusting their open hand forward at someone else, all five fingers spread out. Used in Greek culture.
  2. Informants Context: I come from a family of Greek immigrants who haven’t necessarily chosen to teach me about this gesture, but I’ve inevitably learned it from them. The moutza is the Greek equivalent of the middle finger, for better or worse. It’s definitely less offensive than the middle finger and can be used more playfully. It’s ultimately a confrontational gesture though, meant to be displayed as a form of disagreement. The sign also has some superstitious connotations as technically the person giving the moutza is sending a curse to whoever is receiving it. This curse generally just means bad luck. The place I most often learned and observed this from was with my Papou (grandfather). He’s an entrepreneur, completely self-made from the villages and may rank among the smartest, most boss guys I’lve ever known in my whole life. That said, sometimes he has been known to blow the fuse a little bit, and when he does, it’s the moutza that he whips out (laughter). If he wants to double insult someone, he might throw his other hand behind the one that is already thrust open, layering the two of them like pancakes. That’s the ultimate disrespect. This gesture is recognized by Greeks globally but rarely in other cultures. An open hand like the moutza might even be misunderstood as a friendly gesture by certain cultures, including in America where it could be seen as something like a high-five. I personally use the moutza in a mostly fun way, in the kinds of spaces where I could get away with that kind of offensive joke. For example, when I’m with some Greek friends and we’re having a laugh, I might throw it one of their faces to get a reaction. They’ll understand I’m being funny and play along.
  3. Collectors Interpretation: The moutza is firstly a demonstration of power by Greek people. When used in a non-playful context, the gesture is clearly rooted in a show of force or intention to shame people. This might reflect a greater value on the part of Greek people about personal pride and their eagerness to defend it. Moreover, as a potential way to “curse people”, the practice could be seen as a form of contagious magic. It functions on multiple levels as a demonstration of folklore. The fact that the gesture is not universally understood, reflecting different contexts in different parts of the world, continues to demonstrate its folklore roots. It is a practice specific to Greek people, inside the country and abroad, but nonetheless specific to culturally attuned Greeks. This might also reflect a broader culture within Greece surrounding how its people perceive confrontation. If the purpose of the moutza is to pass shame onto someone who has done you wrong, perhaps this reflects a value towards honor. Shame cannot be of value without dignity simultaneously being a high-priority as well.

Fields

AGE: 21

Date_of_performance: May 9, 2025

Language: English

Nationality: American/Greek

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States of America