|
To prevent an unwelcome guest from
returning, sweep out the room they
stayed in immediately after they leave.
Put salt on the doorstep of a new
house so that no evil can enter.
Any house that is inhabited by a frog will be lucky.
Grow ivy on the outside of your house to protect the inhabitants from
witchcraft and evil.
Hang a horse shoe in the bedroom to keep nightmares away.
Sleep with your head to the North and your feet to the South for deeper sleep.
A strange black cat on your door step will bring you prosperity.
Catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn and you will not catch a cold
the following winter.
If you bite your tongue while eating it is because you have recently told a lie.
If you drop a fork and a spoon and they land across each other, expect a storm.
To identify a murderer, get a shoe worn by a young baby who is the same gender
as the victim. After the victim has been buried, dig as deeply into the grave as
you can near the heart of the victim. Don’t touch the coffin or vault. Take a
handful of dirt and put it inside the baby’s shoe. At midnight burn the shoe and
call upon the spirit of the victim to bring the murderer back. Then carry the
ashes back to the grave and bury them in another hole in the middle of the
grave, above the coffin or vault. In a matter of days, the murderer will be
identified.
If a candle falls and breaks in two, double trouble will come to you.
The full moon can bring on moods of rage and madness.
If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be spending money.
The number of X’s in the palm of your right hand is the
number of children you will have.
To make a lover come to you, stick two pins in the middle of a red candle at
midnight and when the candle burns down to the pins, the lover will arrive.
If your nose itches you will soon be kissed by a fool.
The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.
To see your future husband’s face, go to a local spring of water at night
carrying a lantern. Peer into the water and see the reflection of his face.
The petals of the pansy are heart-shaped and can cure a broken heart.
A bride’s veil protects her of evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.
If you are married one or two days after a full moon your marriage life
will be filled with good luck.
Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning and can cure many
diseases. It is an antidote to poison and brings good luck and fertility.
Wear an amber necklace to protect against colds and cure illnesses.
Place a knife under the bed during childbirth and it will cut the pain of labour.
Put a ring on a string and place it over the pregnant women’s abdomen. If the
ring swings to and fro, it’s a boy; if it swings in a circle, it’s a girl.
Put olive oil and pepper on a piece of cotton ball
and insert it in your ear to get rid of an earache.
Lemon and whiskey take away a cough.
All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.
When you hear of one death, you will soon hear of two more.
It is unlucky to kill a sparrow because they carry the souls of the dead.
Married in white, you have chosen all right.
Married in red, you’d better be dead.
Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow.
Married in blue, your lover is true.
Married in green, ashamed to be seen.
Married in black, you’ll ride in a hack.
Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl.
Married in brown, you’ll live out of town.
[Irish folk wisdom]
. . .
^
|
