Hi everyone. I received a fantastic email From Sarah R. about a number of traditions she remembered from a book called The Fortune Telling Book, by Gillian Kemp. I thought I’d share a few of the wonderful tidbits she sent me, along with some other signs and omens we didn’t get to in the podcast.
Marriage Omens (from Sarah R.)
1. It is considered unlucky to be married in a church where there is an open grave.
2. A solitaire cut engagement ring indicates a solitary existence.
3. If three women sitting together at a dinner table possess the same initial to their Christian name, one of the three women will soon marry.
4. It is considered lucky to have an even number of guests at the wedding and unlucky to have an odd number.
5. Wedding Dress Omen:
Married in white you will have chosen alright,
Married in green ashamed to be seen,
Married in grey you will go far away,
Married in blue you will always be true,
Married in yellow you’re ashamed of your fellow,
Married in black you will wish yourself back,
Married in pink of you he will think.
6. To see a flock of birds in flight on your wedding day is a sign of fidelity and a long and happy marriage blessed by heaven.
Here are some signs from Richard Dorson’s Buying the Wind, from the “Illinois Egyptians” section. The “Egyptians” he refers to occupy the southern “triangle” of Illinois, beginning “when the flat prairie lands of grain-rich central Illinois turn to foothills” (p.289). The culture here is influenced by several ethnic groups, including the Irish, the French, and African-Americans.
A Death Omen
“The McConall Banshee
Before anyone of the McConnal family died, a banshee [sic] would scream, and it would take the route that the family would go to the cemetery. The neighbors along the route would hear it.
When old lady Brown died—she was a McConnall—the banshee came into the house and got in bed. It looked like a little old woman about a foot high, with a rag tied around its head. John Gentry was going to kill it, but Mrs. Brown said, ‘Don’t bother that. That’s my baby.’
Some folks said that the banshee was a curse sent by the church, for the McConnalls had once burned a church.
When Walter Fraley’s baby died, the banshee cried all over the place, but no one could see it” (p.313)
Birth and Infancy Signs
“A baby speaks with angels when it smiles”
“An ugly baby makes a pretty adult.”
“It is bad luck to name a first child after its parents.”
“You should not cut a baby’s hair before it is a year old.”
“A baby will be a prophet if it is born with a veil over its face.”*
*This veil is known as a caul, and is somewhat common in births. I’ve got more about it in Blog Post 8 – Seaside Sorcery
Dream Signs and Omens
“Dream of a funeral and attend a wedding.”
“It is bad luck to tell a dream before breakfast.”
“It is bad luck to dream of muddy water.”
“It is good luck to dream of clear water.”
“You will have enemies if you dream of snakes.”
“Count seven stars for seven nights, and you will dream of the man you will marry”
“You will be successful if you dream of being dead.”
“Marry soon if you dream of a corpse.”
“You will make true friends if you dream of ivy.”
“Dream of letters and receive good news.”
(all preceding quotations from Dorson, pp. 338-340)
That’s plenty of prophetic phraseology for today, so I’ll wrap it up. But I still have many more tokens to tell of, so I’ll likely do another post on them later this week. If you have any folklore regarding forecasting future events (or even current or past ones) via dreams, signs, etc., we’d love to hear them! Feel free to add them as a comment to this post, or send us an email.
Thanks for reading!
-Cory
New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft 