Children's booksChildren's books This article is more than 8 years oldTop 10 superstitions: ever worn a wasp nest in your hair?
This article is more than 8 years oldFrom salt throwing to spitting on planes to wearing red ribbons or wasp nests, here are Jandy Nelson’s 10 favourite superstitions
It’s amazing how people across cultures try to exert control over a seemingly indifferent/random/chaotic universe by doing absurd things and no character is as devoted to the cause as Jude Sweetwine in Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun, this month’s teen book focus
- Also see How to draw a self portrait by the book’s illustrator Sophie Heywood
- Read the first chapter of I’ll Give you the Sun here
I come from a superstitious lot, with a grandmother and mother who not only did the standards – knocking wood, throwing salt, gathering four-leaf clovers, U-turning if a black cat crossed their paths – but also practiced a more homespun lunacy that included wrapping red ribbons around our wrists, stowing sugar in drawers, and assorted bizarre rituals to counter The Evil Eye. In addition, my grandmother read palms and talked to the dead in her dreams (her long-deceased father always arrived in the dreams by train).
So it’s no wonder several characters in my novels also have this bent. At one point Gram in The Sky Is Everywhere attempts to empty the whole house of the family’s belongings trying to figure out what’s causing the bad luck. Still, no character of mine is as devoted to the cause as Jude Sweetwine in I’ll Give You the Sun, who carries around her grandmother’s leather-bound “bible” of superstitions, and who, at any time, might have an onion in one pocket to ward off illness and a mirror in another to deflect unwanted attention.
In truth, I’m a big fan of superstitious thought, of how people across cultures try to exert control over a seemingly indifferent/random/chaotic universe by doing absurd things. Myself included. I did a lot of research on superstition for I’ll Give You the Sun. Here are some favorites from that research and from my own nutty family:
1.The magic of spit
I hate to fly on airplanes, spend the whole time in mortal terror, and am quite certain each flight I take is my last. Therefore I do everything in my power to prevent the 30,000-foot plummet, which means carrying various life-saving charms, of course, but more importantly, it means that I get my spit on the outside of that aircraft when I board. Every time. You probably have no idea how powerful your own spit is. Throughout history people have used saliva to anoint, to charm, to protect. They spit on money before they place bets. Spit on their own fingertips to block The Evil Eye. Spit between Satan’s horns so he’ll disappear. Even Jesus was in on it, using his saliva to give a blind man sight. However, spitting on an airplane while boarding is not easy to do without getting arrested or upsetting fellow travellers. Here’s the lowdown: You very stealthily lick your finger and then subtly press the anointed finger into the outside of the plane as you board and voila: safe and sound. (Caveat: If you’re flying with others, you must convince each and every travelling companion to do this as well.)
2. Throwing salt
At the instruction of my relatives, I’ve been throwing salt over my left shoulder my whole life without knowing why I’m doing it. This is why: The devil – who apparently hates salt as much as God loves it – is behind me ready to snatch me and take me away to hell. And so, for all these years I’ve been trying to blind him by throwing salt into his eyes! Who knew? (Note: In Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, it’s Judas who knocks over the salt.)
3. The left side
Further, the reason we throw the salt over the left shoulder is because the left side, in general, is the sinister side. It’s full of terrible luck and dark energy and so is the province of the devil, who will always come at you from the left. This is also why left-handed people were thought to be in alliance with demons, why Jesus sits on the right side of God, and why superstitious card players only pick up cards with their right hands.
4. Knocking wood
I am a zealous knocker of wood. I knock on the table at dinner parties, alone in front of the television, whenever anything is said that could be deemed exceptionally good or bad luck, and hence curse- or jinx-inducing. In a pinch I’ll knock on paper (once from wood) and have even been known to get out of a car to give a tree a few taps. Why I do this, except to appease the fates, I had no idea, until now: a very long time ago, gods lived in trees. These tree gods would grant wishes and good luck to those who came to them in a kindly manner, i.e. knocking on the tree trunk to get their attention.
5. Beware the empty chair
Empty chairs are spooky. I was told as a child it forebodes death to have an empty chair at a formal dinner. I’ve now learned it also invites sinister spirits to your gathering. In addition, if a woman tips one over, her marriage will be postponed. If you turn one around, arguments will ensue. If a chair falls over when someone gets out of it, it means they’ve been lying. On the bright side, you can always change your betting luck by circling your chair three times.
6. Red ribbons
Growing up there was not a bed in our home that didn’t have a red ribbon secreted under the mattress. There were also red ribbons tucked into picture frames all over the house. In dire circumstances, red ribbons were tied around wrists. Although I still don’t know the why of it, it seems this one comes from a Jewish tradition where tying a red ribbon around a crib was believed to protect a baby from The Evil Eye. (Note: The Evil Eye is a most equal-opportunity belief, crossing countless cultures and religions around the globe. It comes down to this: People who look at you with envy or malice or even admiration may be purposefully or inadvertently cursing you with their regard.)
7. Sneezes
In my family, if someone sneezed the response was not “God bless you” but “Aha! She sneezed on the truth!” Sneezing was proof that the words said at the moment of the sneeze were true. It was quite convenient then if someone happened to sneeze when you were trying to prove a point. You’d just raise your eyebrows in a “case closed” kind of fashion. I couldn’t find the origin of this belief except that, like red ribbons, it’s most common in Jewish households. Elsewhere, it was believed that the soul escapes through the mouth during a sneeze and so a blessing from God was needed to compel the soul back into the body.
8. Hats on/under beds
Hats on beds were always a big no-no in our house and I’ve since learned stowing a hat under the bed is even worse. My favorite explanation of this one is that evil spirits live in the hair and spill out of the hat when it’s taken off and obviously evil spirits make for some treacherous bedmates.
9. Wearing a wasp nest on your head
Speaking of hats: Of all the superstitions I came across in my research, this one was not only the funniest but stood out for its fail-proofness. It’s simple enough. If you want to turn the heart of a suitor away, show up on a date with a wasp nest on your head.
10. The aphrodisiacal orange
I made up a lot of the superstitions for Grandma Sweetwine’s “bible” in I’ll Give You the Sun – most all of them, in fact – and one of mine seems to be gaining some traction! I’ve received letters from both boys and girls already who swear to its efficacy. If you want to give it try, here it is direct from Grandma Sweetwine’s “bible”: If a boy gives a girl an orange, her love for him will multiply.
Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun is April’s Teen book club read.
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