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Pet & Animal Superstitions
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- Albatross
In the days of sail, an albatross flying round a ship in mid-ocean was an omen of wind and bad weather to come. It was considered very unlucky to kill the albatross as it was thought to embody the restless soul of some dead mariner. An example of this were heard in July 1959 when the cargo liner, Calpean Star, docked at Liverpool with engine trouble, after a voyage from the Antarctic that had been dogged by many misfortunes. The crew blamed these on the presence on board of an albatross destined for a zoo. Fifty of the crew staged a sit-down strike because they were unwilling to continue their unlucky voyage. The captain is reported as saying that it had required some courage on his part to bring the albatross on board in the first place. And most of his crew still believed that the bird would bring bad weather or misfortune, or that it was connected with the souls of the dead.
- Bats
A bat means long life and happiness, a good omen, to the Chinese and Poles. If a bat lands on your head, you should hope the Cricket sees rain coming because the bat won't get off until it hears thunder. When you see a bat, you might also be seeing the Devil, a witch, a ghost, or Dracula.
Bats have always had a connection with witches, and can have good or bad connotations, depending on the tradition. One particular tradition is that if a bat flies three times around a house, it is a death omen. Also, when bats come out early and fly about playfully, it is a sign of good weather to come.
- Bees
There are many superstitions abou the bee such as if a bee enters your home, it's a sign that you will soon have a visitor. If you kill the bee, you will have bad luck, or the visitor will be unpleasant.
The Bee has often been regarded as wise or even holy, having previous knowledge as well as knowledge of many secret matters.
In foremore times they were sometimes divine messengers, and their constant humming was believed to be a hymn of praise. Because of their status it is still considered unlucky in some places to kill a bee. If a bee flies into the house it is a sign of good luck, or of the arrival of a stranger; however, the luck will only hold if the bee is allowed to either stay or to fly out of the house of its own accord. A bee landing on someone's hand is believed to foretell money to come, while if the bee settles on someone's head it means that person will rise to greatness.
They were once considered to deliberately sting those who swore in front of them, and also to attack those who were considered unfaithful or untrue; it was once held to be a sure sign that a girl was a virgin if she could walk through a swarm of bees without being stung.
Bee-stings were once thought to prevent rheumatism, and in some places a bee-sting was also thought to cure it.
- Birds
A bird that flies into a house, foretells an important message. A white bird foretells death.
A bird call from the north means tragedy; from the south is good for crops; from the west is good luck; from the east, good love.
- Butterfly
If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.
Pet & Animal Superstitions Page 2
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