Superstitions and Omens: Meanings, Origins and Beliefs

Superstitions are the little rules you follow even when you’re not completely sure you believe them.

You knock on wood after saying something hopeful, avoid walking under a ladder or feel a brief flicker of concern when a mirror breaks. You might laugh at yourself while you’re doing it, but there can still be that thought in the back of your mind that says it’s probably better not to take the chance.

Omens work slightly differently. Instead of doing something to attract luck or keep trouble away, you notice something that feels as though it could be pointing towards what comes next. A bird appears at an unusual moment, your palm starts itching or something falls without warning and suddenly an ordinary event feels much more important.

This collection looks at where those beliefs came from, how their meanings change between countries and communities, and which familiar origin stories actually hold up when you start looking for evidence. Some traditions are centuries old. Others are surprisingly recent, and plenty have several different versions depending on who taught you the rule.

Start Here

If you’re new to the subject, these three pages are the best place to begin.

Browse Superstitions and Omens

Looking for a particular belief? The collection is grouped below so you don’t have to work through one enormous list.

What Is the Difference Between a Superstition and an Omen?

A superstition is the belief or rule connecting something with an outcome it can’t actually be shown to cause. Carrying a lucky charm is supposed to improve your chances. Breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella indoors or putting shoes on a table is supposed to invite trouble.

An omen is something you notice and interpret as a clue about what comes next. A bird entering the house, an object falling unexpectedly or an animal crossing your path can become an omen when a particular tradition gives that event a future meaning.

The two overlap constantly. A black cat being associated with bad luck is the superstition. Seeing one cross your path and deciding it means something about the journey ahead turns that particular encounter into an omen.

The Same Superstition Can Mean Something Completely Different Somewhere Else

One of the most interesting things about superstition is how quickly a rule falls apart once you move beyond the place where you learned it.

A black cat can be feared as unlucky or welcomed as a sign of good fortune. Some people hang a horseshoe with the ends pointing upwards so the luck stays inside, while others turn it down so the luck pours over anyone passing beneath it. Even an itching palm can mean money is arriving or leaving depending on which hand it is and which version of the folklore you were taught.

That’s why the guides here look at where a belief was actually recorded rather than giving you one supposedly universal meaning. A tradition found in one village, family or historical collection doesn’t automatically represent an entire country.

Why Do We Keep Following Superstitions?

Superstitions are particularly good at surviving when the rule is easy to follow. Walking around the ladder takes a few seconds. Knocking on wood costs nothing. Keeping one particular coin in your wallet is hardly a major inconvenience.

They also become stronger when something important feels uncertain. Athletes repeat routines before games, performers carry lucky objects onto stages and travellers develop little rituals before leaving home. You can prepare as much as possible, but eventually the outcome moves beyond what you can control.

If a ritual was there when things went well, it becomes very easy to want it there next time. The ordinary occasions when you followed the same rule and nothing happened are much easier to forget.

Folklore Doesn’t Have to Be True to Be Interesting

There’s no evidence that a broken mirror controls the next seven years, a magpie knows what kind of day you’re about to have or forgetting to cross your fingers changes the result you were hoping for.

What these beliefs can tell you is what people worried about, hoped for and tried to protect. Money, marriage, children, travel, food, weather and death appear again and again because they’re the parts of life people have always wanted a little more certainty about.

You can enjoy the stories, follow a harmless family tradition or keep a lucky object without treating an ordinary event as proof that your future has already been decided.