Dictionary of Superstitions

Description

Словарь суеверий.Preface superstition flourishes even today, I have paid special attention to curious beliefsthat have sprung up in relatively recent times: there are articles discussing the taboosand talismans of astronauts, car drivers, photographers and sports players, to namebut a few.In defining the boundaries of what deserved a place and what did not, I havemade a distinction between true superstition and those beliefs that might be moreaccurately described as folklore, mythology or religion. Sometimes these boundariesare very confused, and when in doubt I have tended to include topics thatextend beyond the straightforward old wives' tale if they have seemed of relevanceand likely to interest the reader. Thus, many superstitions included here evoke therituals and ceremonial of the Christian Church, while others are derived apparentlyfrom classical legend or from the rites of witchcraft and black magic, subjects thatdeserve volumes of their own.Sources consulted have included a large number of reference books on the subjectpublished on both sides of the Atlantic over the past fifty years or so, as well aspersonal knowledge. Where the authorities have conflicted on the details of superstitionsdiscussed I have tried to include all versions, sometimes indicating the moreplausible alternatives and sometimes leaving conclusions on the matter to thereader's discretion. As it is clearly impossible to list every regional variation of someof the most widely known superstitions, I have mostly confined myself to the moreuniversally recognised versions, and my apologies go to those who fail to find alocal favourite of their own.My thanks go, as always, to members of my family and to my friends for theirpatience, suggestions and assistance while this book was in preparation, and also tothe editors and production and design staff"at Cassell for their co-operation.David Pickering