Superstitions & Myths: What Are They And Where Did They Come From?

     "The encyclopedia defines superstition as 'belief, half-belief, or practice for which there appears no rational substance'."("Superstitions & myths:," 2011). People have been creating and passing on superstitions for hundreds if not thousands of years, however each one has its own history and belief behind it. For example, the belief that breaking a mirror brings bad luck when broken comes from the ancient belief that a person's soul was in a mirror (thus breaking it unintentionally would damage the soul). The superstitions about cats (seeing cats, dreaming about cats) come from the Egyptian civilization where cats were sacred.

     This article does have some information explaining several superstitions, but more importantly it shows that superstition in itself does not have a history. New superstitions come from new civilizations and beliefs, which are closely associated with religion. Thus, it can be said that superstition has not only been around since the earliest civilizations (perhaps even earlier), but it has also been persistent throughout all civilizations. It can also be said that superstition is a form of magic since it involves several supernatural beliefs and rituals (for example, when spilling salt one is to throw salt to their left, thus removing the bad luck).

    How many other superstitions are there? What is their history (where did they come from)? Is superstition something that is strong today? 

Citation:

Superstitions & myths: What are they and where did they come from?. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.essortment.com/superstitions-myths-did-come-from-64790.html