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Folklore & Superstitions: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
Unlucky Numbers
Thirteen is unlucky in many Western countries, so some buildings skip the 13th floor. In China and Japan, 4 is avoided because it sounds like “death”.
Key fact
In Italy, the unlucky number is 17.
Black Cats
In the US and much of Europe, a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. But in Britain and Japan, black cats are often thought to bring good luck.
Key fact
Scottish folklore says a black cat on your porch brings prosperity.
Knock on Wood
People knock on wood to avoid tempting fate, and fear that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. Many say “bless you” after a sneeze.
Key fact
The seven years may come from a Roman belief that life renews every seven years.
Folk Creatures
Folklore is full of creatures: Irish leprechauns, Japanese kitsune foxes, and the will-o’-the-wisp, ghostly lights leading travellers into marshes.
Key fact
Will-o’-the-wisps may be marsh gas catching fire.
Fairy Tales
The Brothers Grimm collected German folk tales in 1812. Their versions were darker than today’s. Cinderella-like tales exist worldwide, like China’s Ye Xian.
Key fact
Ye Xian was written down in China over 1,000 years ago.
Lucky Charms
Four-leaf clovers, horseshoes over doors and Japan’s waving cat, the maneki-neko, are all said to bring luck.
Key fact
Only about 1 in 10,000 clovers has four leaves.
Why We Believe
Superstitions give a sense of control when things are uncertain. That’s why athletes, actors and students often have lucky rituals.
Key fact
Actors say “break a leg” because wishing “good luck” is said to be unlucky.
Fun facts
In Spain and Latin America, the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th, not Friday.
Some British sailors’ wives kept black cats, believing they would bring their husbands home safely.
The fear of the number 13 has its own name: triskaidekaphobia.
In Iceland, roads have sometimes been rerouted to avoid rocks said to be home to elves.
In the Grimms’ first edition, it’s Snow White’s own mother, not a stepmother, who wants her dead.
A maneki-neko with its left paw raised is said to beckon customers; with the right paw raised, money.
Many top athletes keep lucky socks or pre-match routines.
Story: Softer, but Also Bloodier
Softer, but Also Bloodier
1812. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm publish German folk tales gathered from friends and storytellers. The book is meant for scholars.
Critics find it too crude for children. So, over seven editions, Wilhelm polishes the tales for families, cutting out anything too grown-up.
Oddly, he added violence too. In later versions of Cinderella, doves peck out the stepsisters’ eyes at the wedding.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
Some buildings skip the 13th floor.
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True. Superstition shapes lift buttons.
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Question 2 of 10
In parts of Britain, black cats are lucky.
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True. Soda approves.
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Question 3 of 10
Many people say “bless you” after a sneeze.
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True. An old custom.
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Question 4 of 10
Kitsune are foxes in Japanese folklore.
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True. Clever shape-shifters.
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Question 5 of 10
Cinderella-like stories exist in many cultures.
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True. From China to Egypt.
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Question 6 of 10
A horseshoe over a door is said to bring luck.
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True. A classic lucky charm.
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Question 7 of 10
Superstitions can make people feel more in control.
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True. Especially when stakes are high.
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Question 8 of 10
Four is a lucky number in Japan.
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False. It’s avoided: it sounds like “death”.
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Question 9 of 10
Scottish folklore says a black cat on your porch brings poverty.
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False. It brings prosperity.
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Question 10 of 10
Knocking on wood is meant to bring bad luck.
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False. It’s meant to avoid it.
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Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — superstition, will-o’-the-wisp, Brothers Grimm, Cinderella
- Opie & Tatem, A Dictionary of Superstitions (Oxford University Press, 1989)
- Damisch, Stoberock & Mussweiler (2010), lucky charms and performance, Psychological Science 21(7)
- Smithsonian Magazine — Maneki-neko, the beckoning cat
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — werewolf, vampire, evil eye, Baba Yaga
- Brunvand (1981), The Vanishing Hitchhiker (W. W. Norton)
- NOAA — Groundhog Day forecasts and climate history
