#artama

This is such a good question, I’m yelling!!! I hadn’t thought about superstitions before, but just for you, I came up with a bunch, and I separated them by culture, because I’m nothing if not organized:

Cross-culture superstitions:

Don’t grow more than three types of plant in the same garden bed, it irritates the rain goddess

Never step or jump over toadstools, or else lose a friend

Chase mice from the home but never kill them, or risk being the enemy of all mice

Destroying a spiderweb outside the home is bad luck, but it can be counteracted by taking two steps backward and spitting on the ground

Balancing coins on a pregnant person’s stomach will ensure a healthy birth

Spilling bath water or breaking dishes damages your chances of marriage

Eliopian superstitions:

Never give out the recipe for your family spice blend, it brings bad luck for three generations

Don’t look an owl in the eyes; bad luck

Fallen pine cones are good luck and used in blessings for children

Red in a sunset is a good omen

Artama superstitions:

Always clip loose threads, never pull, or you’ll be cursed with thin clothes all winter

Try to always give scraps to stray dogs, they’ll protect your family and bring you good fortune

Itchy palms means one of the demons is trying to take you, but it can be warded off by sticking your hands into a bag of uncooked rice

Every Artama family has a shrine to the moon goddess on their back porch. Family members are expected to feed it bits of their bodily fluid (blood, saliva, tears, or sweat) to keep the shrine alive and in contact with the goddess.

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Thinktober #22