| Unsure, but a lot of superstitions come from _post hoc ergo propter
hoc_ reasoning ("this followed that, therefore that caused this")
[the classical, though not exactly superstitious, example of thios
is that the ancient Chinese used to make loud noises (banging kettles,
cymbals, etc) during eclipses and the sun always came out of the
eclipse. Therefore, "logic" dictated, making loud noises was
responasible for the sun's return.].
_Post hoc.._ reasoning makes an easy path to a personal superstition.
This later can be generalized.
Some superstitions have had a sound basis. For instance that walking
under ladders is considered unlucky probably came from people walking
under ladders having had things (occasionally even the ladder) drop
on them. "Three on a match," is considered unlucky, probably because
during World War I, the amount of time it took three soldiers to
light cigarettes from a single match was long enough for a marksman
to draw a bead on them, from across the trenches.
Rabbits' feet, though, might come from a symbolic relationship.
Rabbits are relatively innoffensive to anything outside a garden,
but they are remarkably fertile, and when necessary, fairly swift.
It could be that someone started carrying a rabbit foot as a fertility
or escape charm, and that broadened to just being lucky.
Steve Kallis, Jr.
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| According to _A Dictionary of Superstitions_ (by Sophie Lasne and
Andr� Pascal Gaultier; translated by Amy Reynolds and published
by Prentice-Hall):
the luckiness of a rabbits foot comes from several characteristics
of rabbits:
1) Young rabbits are born with their eyes open and thus have
the ability to keep the Devil away.
2) Since they are nocternal they are allied with the lunar gods.
3) Since they are prolific they promise prosperity and success.
"When it is suspended over a cradle or placed on a newborn's skin,
it will protect the child from all sorcery. Gamblers and thieves
also make great use of it."
Not in the book: I agree with Steve that a rabbit's fleetness "of
foot" is also plausibly a source of talismatic power. I have also
seen rabbit's feet (or is that rabbits' feet?) attached to purses
or wallets to encourage increase -- with ties in with 3 and less
directly with 2 (since lunar forces are traditionally forces of
change [whoops, no pun intended]).
Topher
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