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BELIEFS and SUPERSTITIONS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA GERMANS
EDWIN MILLER FOGEL, Ph.D.
AMERICAN GERMANICA PRESS
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< .■ . ; •",• '• *• .' \ '. » COPYUGHT 1915
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EDWIN M. FOGEL,
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Printed by
J. J. Nungesser
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PREFACE.
Part of the material of the following pages was origin- ally collected and presented in partial fulfillment of the re- quirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Pennsylvania. Since then the treatise has been revised throughout and much new material added. These additions consist, in the main, of parallels or cor- relates which were found in various European libraries or gathered by word of mouth in those districts of Germany from which most of the ancestors of the Pennsylvania Ger- mans emigrated to America.
The aim of the present volume is two-fold. It is in- tended primarily as a contribution not only to American Folklore but more especially as a chapter in the larger field of German American relations, the pioneer exponent of which is the present Professor of the Germanic Languages and Literatures in the University of Pennsylvania. Other considerations, secondly, have made it imperative that the general public should be interested in the book. It has therefore been deemed advisable to adopt a simpler phonetic notation in reproducing the vernacular than might other- wise have been permissible.
It should be emphasized that the contents of the present volume are to be regarded as a serious attempt at putting into permanent form a phase of folk-life which will soon disappear into the background and thus be irretrievably lost. This book is therefore not intended as a source of supply for those whose aim in speaking and writing about the Pennsylvania Germans seems to be to exaggerate and misrepresent.
Special acknowledgment must be given to the following : to Professor Marion D. Learned for most valuable sug- gestions in the inception of the collection and for that en- couragement which alone comes from an inspiring leader;
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to Professor Daniel B. Shumway whose success in transla- tion has made his suggestions and corrections in the trans- lation of the dialect material invaluable; to Professors Friedrich Pfaff, of Freiburg, i. B., Karl Bohnenberger, of Tubingen, and Paul Hintzelmann, of Heidelberg, for special favors in the respective University libraries; to Professor Theodor Zink, of Kaiserslautern, and Mr. H. Bauer, of Freiburg, i. B., for kindly assistance in indicating where many of the superstitions were to be found; to Professor Philip H. Fogel, of Princeton University; and finally to friends and acquaintances in Pennsylvania who made the collection of material possible. Philadelphia, 1915.
CONTENTS.
Preface
Introduction 03
Bibliography and Abbreviations
Childhood • §g
Future Husband gg
Marriage ^4
Dreams gQ
Omens and Wishes 9g
Luck and Omens of Luck ^
Omens of Death 126
Death Omens Concerning Death
Superstitions Connected with Death J *
Witches
Dogs and Cats ^'g
Moving
Homesickness ^
Servants • .;. -.
Stockraising and Veterinary Medical Superstitions ivo
Milk and Butter f 11
Cooking and Baking 190
Vinegar 104
Planting, Sowing and Reaping ±jg
Wreea 216
Bees 219
Snakes 221
Weather 242
.Moon 045
Signs of the Zodiac *JJ
Special Days and Seasons ^
Horseshoe • 2gK
Hunting and Fishing ~ _
Folk Medicine and Medical Superstitions g»
£re+ckles :::::::::: 309
Teeth gi6
Warts 097
Rheumatism ^0
Croup 032
Convulsions q„fi
Whooping Cough jg
?dr 345
Miscellaneous ■
INTRODUCTION.
German colonization in the western hemisphere is al- most coeval with the discovery of America by Columbus. Under the aegis of the great German merchant princes, the Welsers and the Fuggers, attempts at colonization were made, before the third decade of the sixteenth century, on both coasts of South America. Welser's attempt resulted in the founding of "Klein Venedig," Venezuela, between 1528 and 1535; Fugger's along the west coast, being a failure. There were German Protestants among the settlers at Port Royal (1562) and at Jamestown (1607). The first German of importance mentioned in connection with the Dutch settle- ments in New York was Peter Minnewit, although there were Germans among both the Dutch in New Netherlands and New Sweden on the Delaware (1638-1655). The Cre- felders came to Philadelphia on the sixth of October 1683, the most important date in the history of German emigra- tion to America. It is estimated that more than five millions of Germans have settled on our shores, and they constitute one of the most important factors in American history.
The second decade of the nineteenth century seems to divide these German immigrants into two great classes, the former of whom came to escape religious persecution or be- cause of the devastations in the Rhenish Palatinate by the French ; the latter came as a result of political upheavals in the fatherland. It is obvious that those who have come since 3818, and more especially those who followed in the wake of the 48-ers are drawn from quite different strata of society. The former settled in the country, the latter in the cities. It is those who came before 1818 who are the forebears of the Pennsylvania Germans. The immigrants settled in prac- tically every county in Pennsylvania, there being twenty- eight counties with distinctively Pennsylvania German settlements before 1850. Many of them migrated from Penn-
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PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
sylvania to almost every state of the Union north of 36° 30', as well as Canada.
The Pennsylvania Germans, as a whole, are the result of the great Pfalzereinwanderung which began in 1709-10. With these Palatines came also some Swiss, and their presence is still felt dialectally in Lancaster and York coun- ties. However, the dialect of the superstitions given in the following pages is strikingly similar to that spoken in the Rhenish Palatinate at the present time. In order to ascer- tain whether the superstitions were extant in various sec- tions of Germany, the author read them in their native dia- lect to those who spoke allied dialects. It was exceedingly interesting to note the ease with which the dialect was understood throughout Baden and the Rhenish Palatinate, whereas in Swabia it was only with difficulty that the import of the material read was understood. After hear- ing probably a third of the superstitions of the present collection one of the Gymnasialprofessoren in Kaisers- lautern who has devoted considerable time to dialect study remarked: ■ 'Die ganz charakteristischen Ausdriicke des Pfalzers sind in der pennsylvanischdeutschen Mundart zu f inden. ' ' This statement is quoted here only for the pur- pose of contradicting those who say that "Pennsylvania German is nothing but a mixture of bad English and worse German." The most striking features of the dialect as shown by the text of the superstitions are : a purely German word order; the use of prepositions with the proper case, the absence of the imperfect tense except in tense auxiliar- ies, and the use of tun as an additional auxiliary of tense. The dialect student will therefore agree that Pennsylvania German takes rank with the most important dialects of Ger- many and that the presence of English words does not in any way militate against such position, for, after all, the vocabulary of a people is conditioned to a great extent by environment and other potent social influences.
In the present study only the more distinctive Penn- sylvania German counties were taken into consideration,
J.
INTRODUCTION. 0
viz: Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lan- caster, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumber- land, Schuylkill, Snyder and York. They cover an area of more than 8000 square miles and have a population of more than one and one quarter millions. It is very much to be regretted that the directors of the United States Census have not seen fit to take cognizance of the dialectal pecul- iarities of our population, and therefore the census does not shed any light on the probable number of those who can speak a language other than English. It would seem a con- servative estimate to say that more than 500,000 people in Pennsylvania alone understand Pennsylvania German and that 300,000 speak the dialect.
Almost all the Christian denominations are represented in the Pennsylvania population, with, however, few Presby- terians and Episcopalians ; for the Kef ormed Church in the United States is the German counterpart of the British Presbyterians. In this territory there are, so far as can be ascertained, only two Catholic settlements, one in Berks and the other in York county. Schafferstown, Lebanon county, was the oldest Jewish settlement in Pennsylvania, but with the exception of the cemetery there, there are no traces left of the Jewish community. The German Reformed (Refor- mtrte) and Lutherans (Luteraner) were among the first settlers and are at the present time numerically stronger than any other of the denominations or sects. The Menno- nites (Monischte), to be sure, came earlier, but there are not very many of them except in Lancaster county. The Amish (Amische), also called "hooker" Mennonites are one of the dozen branches of the Mennonites. The Schwenk- feldians (Schwenkf elder) and Moravians (Haerrnhuter) came before 1741. The Methodists (Medodiste) are not numerous but there are many Evangelicals (Efangelische) and the United Brethren (Fereinigte Brider or Schtrabler). Chief among the sectaries are the Dunkards (Dunker), Sev- enth Day Adventists (Efretenser or Sibe Deger), River
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4 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Brethren (Reber Brider), Baptists, [?] (Widerdeifer), Weinbrennarians (Weinbrenner) and Brinsers or United Zion Children. Many of these wear "plain clothes" and some of them have no church buildings and worship in pri- vate houses. The Pennsylvania Germans have, in many re- spects, clung to the customs and beliefs which their ances- tors brought with them from the fatherland. In their devo- tions they still use their Arndt's Wahres Christentum and Stark's Gebetbuch, the German Bible and Catechism and Hymnbook. And there are still traces of the mysticism of Tauler, Bohme and Spener.
Most of the denominations and sectaries are non- liturgical and have a free service, even though they may have an episcopal government. Many of them are close- communionists and forbid intermarriage. In many of the churches the sexes are still segregated after the fashion in the Stiftskirche in Tubingen. Where German is the pulpit language it is not the lumbering style of the present day Ger- man so often heard in German pulpits, but rather a simple modified Luther German without, in many instances, any serious effort at correctness in inflectional endings. In many sections of the Pennsylvania German territory Eng- lish is rapidly supplanting Pennsylvania German or Ger- man as the pulpit language under the influence of the public schools and a consequent apparent disregard for German.
The Pennsylvania German takes considerable interest in education, as is shown by the number of so-called smaller colleges and other schools in this territory. Many of them were founded with the express purpose of preparing young men for the Christian ministry. Some of the schools in this >' territory were however not due to any German impulse. The principal schools and colleges in the Pennsylvania Ger- man district are : Keystone State Normal School in Berks ; Lebanon Valley College (United Brethren) and Albright College (United Evangelical) in Lebanon; Muhlenberg Col- lege (Lutheran) and Allentown College for Women (Ger- man Reformed) in Lehigh; Franklin and Marshall College
INTRODUCTION.
5
(German Reformed), Linden Hall Seminary (Moravian) and Millersville State Normal School in Lancaster ; Strouds- burg State Normal School in Monroe; Ursinus College (German Reformed) and Perkiomen Seminary (Schwenk- feldian) in Montgomery; Lehigh University (non-sectar- ian), Lafayette College (originally Presbyterian), Mora- vian College and Theological Seminary, Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies and Nazareth Hall (Moravian) in North- ampton; Freeburg College of Music and Susquehanna University (Lutheran) in Snyder; York Collegiate Institute in York. Besides these, Pennsylvania College (Lutheran) in Gettysburg and Dickinson College (Methodist) in Carlisle draw many students from the Pennsylvania German field.
But there is another phase to this picture which is equally important culturally— the traditions, beliefs and superstitions of the people.
The material of the following pages was collected en- tirely by the author by word of mouth. No printed collec- tions, of which there are probably a score, were taken into consideration, as they are all small, the largest of them con- taining less than 150 superstitions. (Among these may be mentioned: several collections in the American Journal of Folklore; History of Lehigh and Carbon Counties; Folklore and Superstitious Beliefs of Lebanon County, by E. Grum- bine; Local Superstitions, in Proceedings of Lancaster County Historical Society; Phoebe Gibbons: The Pennsyl- vania Germans; etc. etc.) The author therefore had to begin collecting by asking his friends and acquaintances in his home county for any superstitions which they might know or have heard. These were immediately written down and read to the next person interviewed, for, "that reminds me" applies to superstitions as well as to stories. By this meth- od variants and new superstitions were gathered until the collection numbered about 500, after which the other Penn- sylvania German counties were canvassed in the same way. All material was written down just as it was given, for it
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PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
was the author's purpose to get a permanent record of the spoken vernacular with all its dialectal peculiarities. This accounts for the variations in spelling and word usage and is the main reason for publishing the superstitions in the original, since by this method it is made possible to have a permanent record of a distinctive German dialect on foreign soil and in the beginning of the twentieth century.
To prove that virtually all the superstitions of the pres- ent collection are importations and in that sense survivals of German and British superstitions the use of correlates was decided upon. This was done wherever such correlates could be found in the voluminous literature in the field of folklore in the libraries of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University ; in the Eoyal Library in Berlin, tihe University libraries at Heidelberg, Tubingen and Freiburg; and in the British Museum in London. After this bibliog- raphy as well as unpublished manuscript material of Pro- fessors Pfaif, of Freiburg, and Bohnenberger, of Tubingen, had been exhausted, the author resorted to the same meth- ods to find correlates in South Germany as had been suc- cessfully used in the Pennsylvania German field. Whenever a superstition was found to have a correlate, it was noted and is to be found immediately after the name of the coun- ties in which the respective superstition occurs here. In this way the author has added several hundred supersti- tions to the German collections.
Eesearch in the British Museum was undertaken with the express purpose of trying to ascertain how many of the superstitions in the present collection had a British, or German, or common origin. Unfortunately, the British have never paid much attention to superstitions and in this field are far outclassed by their German cousins. In al- most all the British collections we read this sentence : ' ' and many more superstitions of the same kind. " It is therefore impossible to even approximate the probable influence of British superstition, including, of course, the Irish and Scotch-Irish, on the Pennsylvania Germans. In the present
INTRODUCTION.
7
collection less than a hundred are of purely British origin, and only 269 additional superstitions are common to both Great Britain and Germany, whereas over 1400 have Ger- man correlates. That this disparity is entirely too great is obvious and it shows only too plainly that the British Folklore Society has not done for Great Britain what the friends of Volkskunde have done for Germany in collecting and publishing every bit of folklore material. And more is the pity since much very valuable material will soon be ir- retrievably lost. Again, in the present collection 65 per cent, of the superstitions have German correlates, less than 5 per cent, purely British, 19 per cent. British and German, and about 20 per cent, seem to be indigenous to Pennsylvania German soil, an apparently very large percentage, which is however easily accounted for by the large number of variants, many of them occurring in only a single county. The word correlate as here used has two meanings: (1) that a Pennsylvania German superstition is a literal and exact survival or importation, e. g. wammer alles esst as uf em disch is sakt mer &ls, es gebt gut wetter: wenn die auf den tisch gebrachten speisen rein aufgegessen werden, gibts am andern tag gut wetter (BS 33. 135) ; (2) that the under- lying thought is of similar import, e. g., mer soil aranzwibel ins essichfass du f er guter essich : Orant ist gut fur gespenst oder zauberei angehangt. (Z f D M 4. 42). Of these two classes the latter is best represented, and it does not seem difficult to explain why this should be so, when we stop to think that most of these superstitions and beliefs have been handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth and very few have been transmitted in book form, as is shown by the variants of the same superstition in dif- ferent localities.
Almost every phase of activity is represented in the superstitions of the following pages. It is quite natural that childhood, marriage, death, luck, medicine and the
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PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
weather should be so well represented. That Saints' Days are comparatively poorly represented is to be accounted for from the fact that Catholicism has never had any ap- preciable influence among the Pennsylvania Germans and that the early German settlers came from Protestant terri- tory. A few of the superstitions can be traced back to Ger- manic heathendom. In tracing these survivals much valu- able information has been derived from Golther's Hand- buck der Germanischen Mythologie, Grimm's Deutsche My- thologie, Meyer's Germanische Mythologie, Meyer's Mytho- logie der Germanen, and Wuttke's Der deutsche VolJcsaber- glaube der Gegenwart. These books are mentioned here so as not to necessitate the constant repetition of citations.
Tuesday, named for Tiw, Ziu, Tyr, and Thursday, named for Thor, Donar, are the favorite wedding days in most of the Pennsylvania German counties, although cus- tom varies in this respect in different localities.- Donar 's hammer, mjolnir, is reflected in the superstition "for in- somnia put a rukschte under your pillow." The rukschte" is a roundish stone found lying on fenceposts and is the Pennsylvania German interpretation of the Donarheil or belemnite. Eed objects such as the houseleek, the mountain ash, rowan-berries, the oak with its red bark, animals hav- ing a red color, even red objects, such as stockings, bands, garters, coats, wax tapers, etc., were sacred to him. Collar- gall may thus be prevented or cured by putting the skin of a weasel or oppossum under the collar. It is probably for the same reason that red flannel underwear is worn to pre- vent rheumatism. Since Donar was the god of marriage and since everything red was sacred to him, the tying of a piece of red flannel around the leg to stop puerperal hem- orrhage is a direct survival of the old paganism. "In Brit- ish superstition a piece of red tape was tied round one of the thighs of a woman in childbed, as it was supposed to mitigate the labor pains and to prevent mishap." (C F 7 76). The tying of a piece of red wool or string about the finger to stop nosebleed, and the passing of red cord over
INTRODUCTION.
9
the parts afflicted with erysipelas belong to the same cate- gory, notwithstanding the claim of those who maintain that they are based solely on the old similia similibus curantur. Because Donar was the god of the hearth and the family, the kettlehook was sacred to him. Herein lies the source of the superstition of looking into the chimney to prevent homesickness.
The Anglo-Saxons picked the herbs which they used for medicinal purposes on Thursday, and in all the Penn- sylvania German counties it is customary to eat some greens, such as spinach, dandelion, etc., on Maundy Thurs- day to prevent fevers For "livergrown" creep under a vine or bramble that has taken second root, or pass the "livergrown" child through a horse collar or through a rent or hole in a tree. In pagan times sick children were passed through a hole in an oak tree, or ash tree, or hip tree (Rosa canina) on three successive Thursdays. The reference to the horse collar is interesting because the horse was sacred to Wodan.
Thor's image was put on the prow of the boat, the sailors in this manner imploring Thor for favorable winds. After the introduction of Christianity the image of Thor was supplanted by the crucifix and now the crucifix is re- placed by allegorical figures, in other words, a return to paganism.
In early times cattle were driven to pasture for the first time on Thursdays, and in most Pennsylvania German counties you will not find a moving on Monday, "Wednesday or Friday, and the place taken by cattle in the moving is likewise interesting.
Eating something green on Maundy Thursday to pro- tect one 's health or using an egg laid on Maundy Thursday to reduce hernia, combine in them pagan and Christian ele- ments, for in superstition Maundy Thursday is an exceed- ingly lucky day. On Ascension Day, likewise a Thursday, you may always expect a thunderstorm; you should never
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PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
sew on this day or frame a house, for lightning will strike anything which is made on this day. Curiously enough, this is the day to go fishing, whereas in Germany rivers are sup- posed to demand and receive a sacrifice on this day. Pick- ing one's teeth with a splinter from a tree struck by light- ning and never using such wood for building purposes or fuel, all reflect the Donar cult, just as do the tooth of the boar and the mouse, for they are the symbols of the flash of lightning. Shrove Tuesday has taken over some of the features of the festival in honor of Donar, for, at this time, the heathen Germans celebrated a preliminary festival in honor of the coming spring and the end of winter. The cakes which were eaten at this time are closely related to the Easter cakes in honor of Ostara, the goddess of the light of spring. This explains why one should eat a doughnut on Shrove Tuesday in order to live a year longer. Nor should any work be done on this day.
In the entire heathen calendar no day was more sacred than May 1, for it was dedicated to Donar. The night pre- ceding is Walpurgis night, the time when all spirits are freed. Both day and night are the time for charms and spells, and one can now understand why one should wash with dew on the first of May without, however, speaking a word, to get rid of freckles. Under the influence of Chris- tianity, many of the characteristics of the gods were trans- ferred to the devil.. Thus, one frequently says of a red headed person : ' ' rote hor uf em kopp, der deibel im leib, ' ' or one says that ' ' either a sorrel horse is tricky or his mas- ter is." So also, Judas, the man of Kerioth, is represented as having red hair and therefore he betrayed Christ. The fiery dragon, which disappears as soon as one speaks, and the cuckoo are also to be referred to Donar.
The last of the major gods is Wodan, and it is for him that Wednesday is named.. The Saxons, Frisians and lower Franks adopted the name Wuotanestac, but in High Ger- man territory the name Mittwoch remained, and it is prob- able that the High German tribes did not know of a god
INTRODUCTION.
11
Wodan, which corresponded to Mercurius, at the time of the introduction of Roman names for the days of the week. North Germany seems to have been the home of the Wodan cult and it is not until rather late, probably the seventh cen- tury, that this Wodan cult reached High German territory. At all events, we can understand why "Mittwoch is ken dak," because, not being named for a god, it is a day of bad luck. Nothing of importance must be done on this day and it is extremely rare that a funeral is held on a Wednes- day. Wodan had a raven which he sent out each day to gather news for him, and he also summonded his heroes to Walhalla, therefore when a crow crosses one's path it is an omen of bad luck or death. It is also the Wodan cult that is responsible for the superstitions of the horse shoe and horseshoe nail. The horse was sacred to Wodan, as was also the horse head. It is probable that the use of a found bone in curing diseases is closely related to the Wodan cult because bones of horses were used in curing various dis- eases.
The broom which plays so great a role in witchcraft as well as in cleaning house and barn on Good Friday was sacred to Donar and Wodan because of its relation to light- ning. The most important remnant of the Wodan myth is to be found in "Der wilde Jager," the "Wild Huntsman,'* which survives in "der ewich jeger" with some non-essen- tial additions and variations. It is quite natural that the period between Christmas and Epiphany (Jan. 6) should be so well represented in superstition. The "Wild Hunts- man" is supposed to cause storms during this period. Therefore if it is windy between Christmas and New Year, there will be much fruit the coming year. St. Niklas, called "Belznikel" by the Pennsylvania Germans, can be traced back to Wodan. He usually wears a long white beard and distributes nuts, apples, etc., among the children. It is a question also whether the "Mummers" do not hark back to the Wodan cult
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PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
The Germanic Venus is Frigg, and dies Veneris is translated into Freitag, Friday. She is known by many names and is hard to delineate in Germanic mythology. As the wife of Wodan she drives in a chariot drawn by cats, as the cat is sacred to her. She is a fructifying goddess and therefore sowing should be begun and finished on Friday. Many of the characteristics of Hel are transferred to her, and, as such, the owl is her messenger, and the hooting of the owl is an omen of death.
It will be seen, then, that the days named for the sev- eral Germanic divinities play an important role in the everyday life of the people. As is to be expected, these gods were worshipped in many forms, and it is to these pagan rites that we can trace some of our present day superstitions.
When sacrifice was made to the gods much attention was paid to the viscera and blood of sacrifices, on the basis of which the priests prophesied. The horse was the most important sacrificial animal — more so even than human beings, for when human beings were sacrificed it was usually criminals — and thus much significance attached to the neighing of horses. So, the neighing of horses at a funeral is the sign of another funeral soon.
If a child was named for a god it was under the especial protection of that god. So there are compounds of As, Regin, Os, etc., as in Oscar, Reginald, Oswald, etc. It is likely that the same thought is expressed in names like Gott- hold, Gottfried, Gottlieb, Gottlob, and Godfrey and in giv- ing a saint's name to a child born on a saint's day.
The Germanic people naturally gave presents to their gods, and they were usually simple in kind, being prin- cipally food, milk, honey, fruits and flowers. When the far- mer puts hay out of doors on Christmas eve, so that the dews of night might fall on it, and feeds the hay on Christ- mas day to horses and cattle, so that they may be healthy all the year; or if when one sets out bread into the open air on Christmas day to freeze arid later eats such bread to
INTRODUCTION.
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prevent fevers, these practices may be regarded as survivals of the sacrifice offered by the Germanic peoples at the most important period in the entire pagan Germanic calendar, twelfthtide. Here should be mentioned also the Christmas tree with its symbolic decorations, and the general custom among all peoples of Germanic extraction of having a sump- tuous dinner on Christmas day, for they are survivals of the solemn sacrificial feasts about the time of the winter solstice. The belief in the speaking of animals on Christ- mas eve between eleven and twelve o 'clock comes from Ger- manic mythology, as does also the belief that a child born on Christmas day is extraordinarily lucky. The old super- stition of water in wells turning into wine for a space of three minutes during Christmas night is likewise pagan in X its origin.
The Germanic peoples held four great sacrifices during the year : when they drove their cattle to pasture in spring, about May; when they rounded them up in fall after har- vest, about September; about the time of the summer sol- stice to secure themselves against damage from hail and thunderstorm, as well as plagues ; in winter, for the coming year's crops. In the case of plague among the domestic animals the finest specimen of the flock or herd which was being devastated was selected for sacrifice, and the sex of the animal to be sacrificed was determined by the sex of the larger number of animals that had died. In such cases the sacrifice consisted in either burying the animal thus selected alive or beheading it. There is an echo of this sacrificial act in the Pennsylvania German superstition of , burying the stillborn calf under the sill of the stable door.
For our present purpose it is necessary to give some details of the ceremonies connected with Germanic sacrifice. Every one who wished to participate in the blessings of the v / sacrifice was required to contribute something to the sacri- I ^\ ficial pyre, before virgin fire was applied to it. After the fire had died down, the herds were driven through the burn-
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PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
ing embers: first pigs, then cows and horses, and finally geese. Men and women also ran through the flames, black- ening each other's faces with the sacred, healthgiving ashes. Fruit trees, meadows and fields were smoked with the burning embers. Some of the embers were taken home to rekindle the hearth fires which had been extinguished before the beginning of the sacrifice. The extinguished embers were placed in the manger to assure the health of the cattle. When, therefore, in all the Pennsylvania German counties, charcoal is fed to pigs to keep them healthy, we are dealing not with a scientifically attested hygienic fact but with a survival of a pagan sacrificial rite. The ashes of the noU feuer were spread over fields as a preventive against cater- pillars and failure of crops. These ashes were also mixed with the fodder and fed to the cattle. The Christian Easter has supplanted many of the pagan rites of spring, and, therefore, when ashes obtained from fire on Good Friday are spread over trees and animals to prevent lice, and when ashes are thrown into trees on Ash Wednesday; when a twig is cut from every fruit tree on Ash Wednes- day, or when fruit trees are whipped on Good Friday, or nails driven into them for the same purpose, these super- stitions may likewise be regarded as survivals of old heathen practices.
In another of the sacrifices, particularly that in July, which was more propitiatory in character, the animals se- lected for the sacrifice were beaten with whips from a sacred tree or bush, intertwined with wild flowers. These twigs and flowers were tied into a sort of brooms which were then tied to the tails of the animals, so that the dew of midsummer night might be collected in their fasces and they thus be endued with greater power. With such a broom the chief herdsman struck the cattle thrice, at the same time reciting a charm. It was thought that in this way all witch- es and disease-bringing spirits could be driven out. At the conclusion of the feasts these brooms were given to the far- mers and with them they swept their buildings to rid them
INTRODUCTION.
15
of all harmful spirits. In Pennsylvania German supersti- tion house and barn are swept on Good Friday to rid them of lice and insure health to the occupants of both. Here the dates do not agree, but the similarity is close enough to warrant us in regarding the superstitions as a survival. The broom plays a very important role here, for, while it is on brooms that witches ride through the air, the broom is used as a charm against witches, because of its relation to light- ning and thus to Wodan and Donar. The broom is used to thrash bewitched milk and also to discover witches, as no witch will step over a broom.
The holy water of the non-Catholic Pennsylvania Ger- man is obtained from the first snow in fall or the last snow in March, and it is good for sore eyes. There is a close con- nection between March snow water and the celebration in honor of spring. The pagan Germans also had holy water which was taken from the sacred spring after the pro- cession following the sacrificial feast had dropped cakes adorned with flowers into it. This water not only had cura- tive powers but it was used to drive out witches and evil spirits. After the fire had died down everyone rushed into it to search for remains of the sacrificial animals! In their search they had a special predilection for horns and the genitalia of the animals, which were used as charms. This explains why the genitalia of the cow are nailed into the horse stable to keep out witches.
The simulacra consparsa farinae, mentioned in Indicu- lus Super stitionum 26, have reference to the cakes baked in the forms of various animals. At the several sacrifices, and particularly the Norse jolfest, it was the duty of every one to contribute something, and thus, not having animals to offer, the baked cakes were allowed as substitutes. Here then is the source of the. Pennsylvania German Christmas cakes and the Christmas candies, for it is only at Christmas that these distinctive candies can be obtained. That they are usually red is also significant, for red and yellow are the colors of the sun. Nor do the images of lions and other
16 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
animals in any way militate against or disprove the pagan source of the custom. The presence of the five-pointed star among the cakes and the shepherd's crook among the can- dies illustrates the oft recurring attempt at injecting into a heathen custom a Christian symbolism, and it furthermore . i striking instance of the union of heathen and
Christian elements. To this category belong also the colored Easter egg and the Easter rabbit. The Easter egg wu. red or yellow color — all sorts of colors are now common — is the emblem of life, or, as Wuttke puts it, "das sinnbild des neu beginnenden naturlebens. " The rabbit, which is supposed to lay these eggs, is the symbol of fer- tility and as such is sacred both to Ostara, the goddess of spring, and to Hulda or Harke. We can thus see the double significance of the Easter egg. This helps us to un- derstand the superstition that the Easter egg does not rot, why it is used to reduce hernia and, incidentally, also, why so many eggs are eaten on Easter, notwithstanding the price of this staple article of food at Easter time.
In early German times boundary stones were sacred to the gods, and any one who removed such a stone incurred the anger of the gods and could not be received by them. Herein lies the source of the superstition concerning the re- moval of the boundary stone.
In ancient times the willow was used instead of rope in hanging certain malefactors and in the early Christian church the willow was used to punish those who did not at- tend early mass on Easter, so that the willow was, and still is, in disrepute, as we may infer from such formulae as these : whipping a child with a willow causes white swelling, or thrashing animals with willows causes oedema.
In early times the implements used by the living were interred with the corpse. The free man was equipped as though going to war ; the wife, on the other hand, as though she was going to start married life anew, and therefore she was adorned as a bride. This conception still holds in the custom of clothing a wife in her wedding dress instead of a
INTRODUCTION.
17
shroud, and thus it has, in the folk mind, some remarkable properties, as it is placed under the child's head to cure it of convulsions.
The superstitions concerning spitting in the fire and pointing the finger at a rainbow probably both have their origin in the veneration which the ancient Germans had for the nature elements as manifestations of the gods.
Among the trees sacred to the gods was the elder, con- sequently it still plays a role in superstitions, particularly those concerning medicine.
t/ The superstitions connected with certain days of the week can be traced to the influence which the various Ger- manic divinities exercised on the popular mind. Thus, a child born on Sunday is lucky because Sunday is named for the sun, the celestial body, which plays the greatest role in every primitive religion. The Friday superstitions show greater contrasts than those of any other weekday. Where the pagan conception predominates, Friday is the luckiest of days, because it is the day of Frigg, the Germanic Venus. Therefore it is one of the most favored wedding days, as well as the day on which to begin sowing grain. Where, on the other hand, the Christian influence predominates, Fri- day is the unluckiest of days, and nothing of importance must be done on the day, not even travelling.
These, then, are a few survivals of Germanic heathen- dom in Pennsylvania German superstitions, although the list is by no means exhaustive. It might also be interesting to call attention to the content of the superstitions and to show, for example, how custom differs in the several coun- ties in regard to the wedding day or the place of cattle in the moving; or to state that the negation of many of the superstitions is to be found in the same or adjacent coun- ties. Belief in witches has not died out here any more than in Great Britain or Germany, and pow'wowing is still prac- ticed to a greater or less extent. The "himmelsbrief " and its most recent successor, the endless chain of prayer are discussed elsewhere, (cf. Bibliography sub Fogel.)
18
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Another curious survival of a former period is to be seen in the use of socalled "bese bicher," such as Albertus Magnus, Egyptische Geheimnisse ; Das Sechste und Sie- bente Buck Moses; Das Achte und Nennte Buck Mosis; and Homann's Der lang verborgene Freund. The last named book, the subject of a very inaccurate article in the Journal of American Folklore, has gone through many editions and is to be found in both English and German versions on the shelves of several bookstores. While these books are con- sulted by many they are feared by others.
The casual reader will conclude from what has been said in the preceding pages and from the superstitions con- tained in this volume that the Pennsylvania Germans are extremely superstitious. This assumption is hardly cor- rect. Their superstition has simply not taken a form sanc- tioned by other strata of society, for, in the last analysis, consulting palmists, fortune tellers and gypsies, spiritual- ism and Christian Science are no better than superstition.
The problem of translation in the present volume was difficult by reason of the varied tastes and requirements of the reader. The Germanist would probably prefer a trans- lation more nearly literal than that usually given. As the language of the Pennsylvania German is direct, forceful, blunt, and at times coarse, the aim was to reproduce the content of the text rather than its grammar. Very fre- quently the translations have been toned down to meet the demands of those whose sensibilities might be shocked even in a scientific treatise. This is especially the case with the superstitions dealing with sex and medicine. In the latter case, the flavor of the original is sacrificed for technical cor- rectness, since accuracy of terminology is absolutely essen- tial.
While almost every lexicographer and phonetician has his own system of phonetic notation, the author regrets to have to add another to the already far too numerous sys-
INTRODUCTION.
19
terns. It is remarkable that Germany with its many dialects and dialect dictionaries has no uniform system of phonetic notation. It is obvious that the presence of so many English words in the Pennsylvania German dialect precludes using any of the German systems, and the fact that the dialect of the present volume is German makes the use of any British or American system impossible, including even the attempt at a system prepared by the American Dialect Society. The systems of Passy, Vietor, Heilig, and Langenscheidt are likewise excluded because they are barely intelligible to a large number of readers of the present volume and are therefore impracticable.
The dialect of this volume is distinctively German and it is essential that German tradition should be followed in the spelling. The English words in the text are spelled according to the same system, however awkward such words may at first appear. The law of assimilation of consonants has been observed and in most cases the etymology of the word has determined its spelling although a few devia- tions have been deemed advisable, e. g., sin for sind, k final for ck, k, initial for ge (kgt = N. H. G. gehabt). Variations in spelling occur because of variation in the usage of indi- vidual words. On the whole, consistency has been striven for and in the instances where it has not been attained, the reader will remember that absolute consistency is not pos- sible in any living language. The following characters will be used :
ae Short open e, approximating English a in carry; P. G. daerre, waerre.
ee Long open e, as in English bar; P. G. bier, wsere, fserschte.
e Short close e when used initially or medially, as in English met, bed; N. H. G. fett, bett; P. G. fett, bett. Final e is open, approximating English short a, as in P. G. gebe. e is also used to indicate the obscure vowel in vocalic consonants, as in P. G. drifter.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
short open o, as in English what, hot; P. G. hab"e, was.
Long broad English a, as in English law, broad; P. G. hane, fare.
English short a as in English
Long close e as in non-diphthongized English a in hale, mate; N. H. G. seftr, gegen; P. G. ser, gege.
Short i as in English pin; N. H. G. siwd, licht; P. G. sin, lichtel.
i in English machine; N. H. G. long i as in mir; P. G. schir.
Short u as in English hut; short o in N. H. G. horn- men; P. G. hot, gsoffe.
Long o as in English home; N. H. G. boden, holen; P. G. hor, hole.
Short oo in English cook; short w as in N. H. G. hund, kunst; P. G. hund, kunscht.
Long oo as in English pool; long u as in N. H. G.
schule, uhr; P. G. schiil ur.
as in Englislv7?0M<se; N. H. G. haus; P. G. haus. English long i in wine; N. H. G. ei in wein; P. G. it;ei. as in English toy; M. H. G. heu; P. G. /ioi.
Bilabial stop when initial, surd lenis when final. P.
G. butze, schtub.
Voiced labiodental spirant with same value as Eng- lish v. P. G. gebe.
Dental stop when initial or medial, as in English dare; N. H. G. darf; P. G. daerf, bode. Surd lenis when final, as in N. H. G. tod; P. G. dot.
Voiceless labiodental spirant, as in English finger; N. H. G. finger; P. G. finger.
INTRODUCTION. 21
g Voiced stop, as in English gift; N. H. G. geben; P. G. gebe. When final it is a surd lenis k.
g Palatal and used only medially, approximating Eng- lish velar consonantal i, and found only in words of German origin containing a medial g, as in P. G. aer- gel, rege.
j Voiced front palatal approximating English y in year; as in N. H. G. jahr; P. G. jor.
k Voiceless guttural stop as in English kin, kill; N. H. G. kater; P. G. kater.
1 Liquid as in English long; N. H. G. lang; P. G. lang.
m Labial nasal, as in English must; N. H. G. musst, muscht.
n Dental nasal, as in English nut; N. H. G. nusse; P. G. niss.
ng Guttural nasal, as in English ringer; N. H. G. finger; P. G. finger.
p Voiceless bilabial stop, as in English pain; N. H. G. pein; P. G. pern.
r Cerebral r with slighter trill than is customary in German speech. When final it is almost silent.
s Surd dental spirant, as in English sit; N. H. G. was; P. G. was.
s Sonant dental spirant, as in English risen; N. H. G.
lesen; In the P. G. there is no consistency in the use
of surd and sonant s. sch The thickened sound for N. H. G. initial s consonant :
N. H. G. sprache; P. G. schprocJi.
t Voiceless dental stop, as in English hat; N. H. G. hut ; P. G. hut.
w Bilabial spirant, as in English water; P. G. wonse. The labiodental spirant also occurs, the bilabial how- ever predominating.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Written for N. H. G. chs, as in N. H. G. wachsen; P. G. waxe.
tz Africate dental pronounced ts.
it is written tz, as in N. H. G. zehn; P. G. zU, N. M.
G. setzen; P. G. setze. i spirant, front or velar, as in N. H. G. ich, ach; P. G.
ich, ach.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ABBREVIATIONS
A A Allerlei Aberglauben. Erfurt.
Af AU of the fourteen Pennsylvania German counties of
Pennsylvania.
A J Alois John. Sitte, Branch und Volksglaabe im Deut-
schen Westbdhmen. Prag 1905.
A J F journal of American Folklore. Boston 1888.
A J H S Publications of American Jewish Historical Society. Vol. 9. 1901.
Alem Alemannia. Zeitschrift fur Alemannische und Fran-
kische Geschichte, Volkskunde, usw. Freiburg 1873.
A M (Albertus Magnus. Bewdhrte und approbirte sympa-
thetische und natiirliche Egyptische Geheimnisse fur Menschen und Vieh. Zwanzigste vermehrte und ver- besserte Auflage. Toledo.
A S Anton Birlinger. Am Schwaben. 2 vols. Wiesbaden
1874.
Be Berks County.
B D V M. Busch. Deutscher Volksaberglaube. Leipzig 1877.
B F jWilliam George Black. Folk-Medicine; a Chapter in
the History of Culture. London 1883.
Bl N R Richard Blakeborough. Wit, Character, Folklore and Customs of the North Riding of Yorkshire, with a Glossary of over 4000 Words and Idioms now in Use. London 1898.
B M Karl Bohnenberger. Mitteilungen iiber Volkstumliche
Ueberlieferungen in Wiirttemberg. Stuttgart 1904.
Br Popular Antiquities of Great Britian Comprising No-
tices of the Moveable and Immoveable Feasts, Customs, Superstitions and Amusements, Past and Present. Edited from materials collected by John Brand, F.S. 23
24 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
A., with very Voluminous Corrections and Additions by W. Carew Hazlet. London 1870.
Bro C. F. Brown. Hohman's Long lost Friend. Journal
of American Folklore. 17, 89-152.
B S Baltische Studien. Vol. 33. Stettin 1883.
Bu Bucks County.
C Carbon County.
C F County Folk-Lore. London 1895.
C F Gl E. S. Hartland. Gloucestershire Folk-Lore. London 1892.
C F L & R C.J. Billson. Leicestershire and Rutland Folk-Lore. London 1895.
C F Nu ML C. Balfour. County Folk-Lore Concerning North- umberland. Edited by N. W. Thomas. London 1904.
C F Suf Lady E. C. Gurdon. County Folk-Lore of Suffolk. London 1893.
C F Y E. Gutch. Folk-Lore Concerning the North Riding of
Yorkshire, York and the Ainsty. London 1901.
Corn M. A. Courtney. Cornish Feasts. Penzance 1890.
C P & P Credulities Past and Present.
C S A F. D. Bergen. Current Superstitions collected from the oral Tradition of English speaking Folk. Boston 1896.
D Dauphin County.
Da ' W. F. Dawson. Christmas: Its Origin and Associa-
tions. London 1902.
DEC P. H. Ditchfield. Old English Customs Extant at the Present Time. An Account of Local Observances, Festival Customs and Ancient Ceremonies yet Sur- viving in Great Britain. London 1896.
INTRODUCTION.
25
The Denham Tracts. A collection of Folklore by M. A. Denham, and Reprinted from the original Tracts and Pamphlets printed by Mr. Denham between 1846 and 1859. Edited by Dr. James Hardy. London 1892; 1895.
T. F. T. Dyer. English Folk-Lore, 2nd edition, re- vised. London 1880.
Zeitschrift fur Deutsche Mythologie, Gottingen 1853.
Paul Drechslei*. Sitte, Brauch und Volksglaube in Schlesien, Leipzig 1905.
John Graham Dalyell. The Darker Superstitions of Scotland. Illustrated from History and Practice. Edinburgh 1834.
T. F. T. Dyer. Domestic Folk-Lore. London 1881.
Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore and the Oc- cult Sciences of the World. Edited by Cora Luise Daniels and Prof. C. M. Stevans. 3 vols. Chicago and Milwaukee 1903.
Ettenheim. Ettlingen.
John Nicholson. Folk-Lore of East Yorkshire. Lon- don 1890.
A. B. Faust. The German Element in the United States With Special Reference to its Political, Moral, Social and Educational Influence. Boston and New York 1909.
Folk-Lore. A Quarterly Review of Myth, Tradition, Superstition and Custom. London 1883-1889.
E. M. Fogel. The Himmelsbrief . German American Annals. N. S. 6. 286 ff.
Folk-Lore Record. London 1878-1882. Freiburg i. B.
Jakob Grimm. Deutsche Mythologie. 4. Ausgabe. Berlin 1878.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Germanistische Abhandlungen herausgegeben von Karl Meinhold. Breslau 1882.
Daniel Deeney. Peasant Lore from Gaelic Ireland. London 1900.
W. Golther. Handbuch der germanischen Mythologies
Leipzig 1895.
Gbppingen.
Die gestriegelte Rockenphilosophie, oder aufrichtige Untersuchung derer von vielen superklugen Weibern hochgehaltenen Aberglauben, Chemnitz 1759.
Walter Gregor. Notes on the Folk-Lore of the North- East of Scotland, London 1881.
Sarah Hewett. Nummits and Crummits. Devonshire Customs, Characteristics and Folk-Lore. London 1900.
Heidelberg.
Hans Meyer. Das deutsche Volkstwm. 2. Ausgabe. Leipzig 1903.
William Henderson. Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Cotmties of England and the Borders. London 1879.
Die Land- und Haus-Apotheke, oder getreuer und griindlicher Unterricht fur den Bauer und Stadtmann, enthaltend die allerbesten Mittel, sowohl fur die Men- schen als fur das Vieh besonders fur die Pferde. Nebst einem grossen Anhang von der Aechten Farbe- rey, urn Tiirkisch-Both, Blau, Satin-Roth, Patent-Griin und viele andere Farben mehr zu Fdrben, Erste Amerikanische Auflage. Herausgegeben von Johan- nes Georg Homan, in Elsasz Taunschip. Berks Caunty, Pennsylvanien. Reading: Gedruckt bey Carl A. Bruckmann, 1818.
M. Hofler. Volksmedizin und Aberglaube in Ober- bayern. Neue Auflage. Miinehen 1893.
Der lange Verborgene Freuud, oder: Getreuer und
INTRODUCTION.
27
christlicher Unterricht fiir jedermann, enthaltend wunderbare und probmdszige Mittel und Kiinste, so- wohl fiir die Menschen als das Vieh. Mit viele7i Zeu- gen bewiesen in diesem Buck und wovon das mehrste nock wenig bekannt ist, und sum allerersten Mai in Amerika im Druck erscheint. Herausgegeben von Jo- hann Georg Hohmann, Nahe bey Reading, in Elsasz Taunschip, Berks Caunty, Pennsylvanien. Reading: Gedruckt fiir den Verfasser. 1820.
It Lady Wilde. Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and
Superstitions of Ireland. With Sketches of the Irish Past. London 1887.
J G A Ulrieh Jahn. Die deutschen Opfergebrduche bei Ackerbau und Viehzucht. Breslau 1884.
Jo Amandus Johnson. The Swedish Settlements on the
Delaware. Their History and Relation to the Indians, Dutch and English, 1638-1664. 2 vols. Philadelphia 1911.
Kl Kaiserslautern.
L Felix Liebreeht. Zur Volkskunde. Alte und neue
Aufsatze. Heilbronn 1870.
Lb Lebanon County.
Lh Lehigh County.
Lnc Lancaster County.
Lust Lustnau.
L V G. Lammert. Volksmedizin und medizinischer Aber-
glaube in Bayern. Wurzburg 1869.
M D L M. D. Learned. Pennsylvania German Dialect. Bal- timore 1889. The American Ethnographical Survey. Americana Germanica, vol. 12.
M D V E. H. Meyer. Deutsche Volkskunde. Strasburg 1 898.
Mr Monroe County.
Mt Montgomery County.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Northampton County. Neustadt a. d. H.
James Napier. Folk-Lore: or Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within this Century. Paisley 1879.
Northumberland County. Niirtingen.
Richard Andree. Braunschweiger Volkskunde. Braun- schweig 1896.
Schuylkill County.
Strange and Curious Superstitions and Customs. London 1891.
0. Seidensticker. Die erste deutsche Einwanderung in Amerika. Philadelphia 1883.
J. G. Campbell. Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Glasgow 1900.
Snyder County.
Stuttgart.
Mitteilungen der schlesischen Gesellschaft fur Volks- kunde. Leipzig 1901.
Swabian.
Anton Birlinger. Volkstiimliches aus Schwaben. 2 vols. Freiburg 1862.
Vincent Stuckey Lean. Lean's Collectanea. Collec- tions of Vroverbs, Folk-Lore and Superstitions, also Compilations towards Dictionaries of Proverbial Phrases and Words Old and Disused. 4 vols. Bristol 1902-1904.
H. von Wlislocki. Volksglauben und religiSser Ge- branch der Magyaren. Minister i. W. 1893.
INTRODUCTION.
29
W Ir
W Sus Wu
Y
Z
Zf DM Z f V
Lady Wilde. Ancient Cures, Charms and Usages of Ireland. Contributions to Irish Lore. London 1890.
West Sussex.
A. Wuttke. Der deutsche Volksaberglaube der Gegen- wart. Dritte Bearbeitung von Elard Hugo Meyer. Berlin 1900.
York County.
Ignaz v. Zingerle. Sitten, Brduche und Meinungen des tiroler Volkes. Zweite vermehrte Auflage. Inns- bruck 1891.
Zeitschrift fur deutsche Mythologie. Gottingen
Zeitschrift des Vereins fiir Volkskunde. Berlin 1891.
CHILDHOOD
1. Mer sakt als schlechte kinner ware ime schlechte zeche
gebore. (C, D. Lb, Lnc. Mr, Na, Sc, Y) . It is said of bad children that they were born under an evil star.
Von bbsen kindern sagt man, sie seien unter einem schlechten sterne, in einem bosen zeichen geboren. Z 5
2. Wair im Jener gebore is kann geschpuker sene. (C)
A person born in January can see ghosts.
3. En kind wft uf der erscht Abril gebore is lebt net lang.
(Lb)
A child born on April 1 will not live long. Aprilkinder sind ungliickskinder. Wu 85.
4. Wair im Moi gebore is waert net §lt. (Nu)
A child born in May will not live long. Kinder, die am 1. Mai zur welt kommen, gehoren den hexen. Dr 184.
5. En kind in der Wok gebore grikt hautgrankete.
(Lnc, Y)
A child born in Libra will have skin diseases.
ist ein waghals, probiert alles und hat gluck da-
bei. Illbg.
6. En kind im Leb gebore waert schtaerik. {C, D, Lb,
Lnc, Mr, Sc, Sny, Y)
A child born in the sign of Leo will become strong. Wenn ein kind im zeichen des Lowen geboren ist, wird es sehr stark. Z 3
7. En kind in der Jungfrau gebore is gliklich. (D, Lnc,
Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg)
Lucky the child that is born in Virgo.
8. En kind im Grebs gebore kummt net gut a" in der welt
(Lnc, Sc) oder get zurik'zns. (C, D, Lb, Mr, Sn, Y)
31
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
A child born in the sign of the Crab will not prosper, or it will decline.
Kinder, im zeichen des Krebses oder des Skorpions, "der rauhen dinger" geboren, sind ungliicklich und kommen in der welt nie recht fort. Wu 87.
A child born under the Crab will not do well in life. D Y 143.
Waar im Schtir gebore is gebt en schtaerkopp. (Af) Any one born in the sign of Taurus will be stubborn. Im Stier geboren wird das kind halsstarrig und ein dick- kopf . Wu 88.
Wrer im Fisch gebore is is immer daerschtich. (Bu) A man who was born in the sign of Pisces is always thirsty.
"Wer im zeichen der Fische geboren ist, wird ein trinker. Wu 88.
Kinner uf der Gwgtem'ber gebore kenne gschpuker sene. (Be, C, Lnc, Mr, Na, Y) Persons born on Emberdays can see ghosts. Kinder, die im Quatember geboren sind, sehen geister. Z 4
En Smmdakskind waert schtolz. (Af) A child born on Sunday will become proud. Wer an einem Sonntag geboren worden, ist ein gliickskind.
Z f DM 1. 235 Born on Sunday, you will never want. C P & P 499
En Smmdakskind waert batzich. (C, Y) A child born on Sunday will become saucy. Es hot immer bissel en hochmut. Hlbg.
En Mittwochskind hat ken giiter kopp fer laerne. (C, Mr)
Any one born on "Wednesday will be stupid. Born on Wednesday, sour and sad. C F & P 499
En Mittwochskind lebt net lang. (Be, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, 8c, Y)
A child born on Wednesday will not live long.
CHILDHOOD.
33
16. En Samschdakskind wsert en schlapp un muss immer
schaffe. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Nu, Y)
A child born on Saturday will be slovenly and must work
for a livelihood. Saturday's child works hard for his living. D Y 2; C P
& P 499
17. En kind as Sa'mschdaks uf di welt kummt eb di ae'rbet
gschafft is gebt en schlapp. (Y) A child born on Saturday before the daily routine work is done will be slovenly.
18. En kind as der dreizet gebore is hot ken glik. (Af)
Unlucky the child that is born on the thirteenth of the month.
19. Kinner wu uf der siBnunzwan'zigscht September ge-
bore sin gleiche di weibsleit un schtaerik drinke. (D)
Children born on September 27 will be fond of women and strong drink.
Der 27. September ist ein ungluckstag. Hlbg.
He was born in August, a periphrasis for a liquorish per- son. V S L 2, 111.
20. Wann en kind uf di welt kummt wann en gewitter am
himmel schtet waerts dod gschl§ge fume gewitter. (Be, Lh; Heidelberg)
A person born during a thunderstorm will be killed by lightning.
21. En kind muss 's erscht mol an der mutter ire rechte
bruscht drinke, no wa?rts net links. (Mt)
A child must receive its first nursing at the right breast
so that it will not become lefthanded. Wird das kind zuerst an die linke brust gelegt, so wird es
linkshandig. B M 18
22. En kind mit zwe horwaertel oder ki'schlek gebore waert
gscheid. (C, D. Lnc, Y) \ A child that is born with two cowlicks will be bright. Hat das kind zwei haarwirbel, wird es ein kluger menseb. Z 13
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Zwe hor'waerfiel uf me kind seim kopp bedeite as es gscheit wfert. (C, D, Lnc)
Two cowlicks on a child's head are a sign of brightness. Hat das kind zwei haarwirbel, wird es ein kluger mensch. Z 13
En kind mit zwe horwaerbel kumuit weit rum in der welt. (Lnc)
A child with two cowlicks lives in two kingdoms. C S A 12 Hat das kind zwei haarwirbel, wird es ein kluger mensch. Z 13
If a child had two "crowns" on his head, it was a sign that he would eat his bread in two kingdoms. F B 12, 75
En hor'wrerbel uf me kind seim kopp bedeit as es en schtofrricher mensch gebt. (Bu, C, D, Lnc, Mt, Mr, Na, Nu; Heidelberg)
A cowlick on a child's head is a sign of a stubborn dispo- sition.
En hor'wterfeel uf me kind seim kopp bedeit en schtae'ri- ger mensch. (Bu)
A child born with a cowlick will become very strong.
Wann en kind gedaft waert gebt merm par leffel foil dafwasser, no kanns leicht laerne un gebt en aBriger singer. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lb, Lnc, Na, Sc, Sn) When a child is baptized it is given a few teaspoon Ms of
baptismal water, so that it may be bright and a good
singer.
Soli ein kind schnell lesen lernen, so gibt man ihm von seinem ersten badewasser zu trinken. Z f d M 4. 2
Wann en kind gedaft wart gebt em di mutter alsemol' fum dafwasser, so as es ken heilschpells grikt. (Be, C, D, Lh, Mr, Nu, Sc, Sn)
The water used in baptism is sometimes given as a cure for
crying spells in children. Das gebrauchte taufwasser gilt als heilkraftig. B M 24 Water that has been used at the baptismal rite was re- garded as a preservative against witchcraft and was employed for various disorders. Dy 20
CHILDHOOD.
35
29. Wann en kind gedaf t wsert gebt di mutter 'm alseniol'
en leffel foil dafwasser, so as es kind net hsert zant. (C, Lb, Sc, Sn)
After baptism the mother sometimes gives the child a
teaspoonful of the baptismal water to help it teethe. Die hebamme taucht heimlieh den fmger ins taufwasser
und reibt damit das zahnfleiseh des kindes, so zahnt es
leicht. Wu 390 Wash out the mouth of the recently regenerated infant
with the remaining sanctified water as a safeguard
against toothache. C F Glou 1. 53.
30. En kind as der reclit name net grikt wanns gedaf t wsert
lebt net lang. (Be, Lb, Lh, Mt)
If in baptism the child does not receive the name intended for it, it will not live long.
If a child is not given the name which was decided on by the parents before the birth of the child, the child will not live long. Bl N R 114
Wenn das kind nieht richtig getauft, d. h. wenn in den taufformeln ein versehen gemacht wird, so muss der mensch zeitlebens als plagegeist umherirren, besonders als alp die menschen in der nacht plagen. W 390.
31. En grank kind wsert grad besser wanns mol gedaf t is.
(Be, Bu, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Sc, Y)
A sick child will improve immediately after its baptism.
Ein krankes kind kann man oft durch die taufe vom tode
retten. Z f d M 4. 2 A child never thrives until after baptism. H N C 15
32. Wammer gfrokt wsert en kind iber daf zu hebe un
sakts ab sakt mers glik ab. (Lh) To decline to act as sponsor at a baptism will bring mis- fortune.
I 33. Me kind dserf mer net der name gebe fun leit as sehun aus der familie gschtaerbe sin, oder es wsert net alt. (4/)
A child must not be named after a deceased member of the family, or it will not live to be old.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Kindern darf man nicht die vornamen von bereits ver- storbenen personen der familie geben, sonst werden sie nicht alt. B S 33. 115.
En kind as E'fa gidaft wsert lebt net lang. (Lh) If a child is christined Eve, it will not live long. Sollen kinder lange leben, lasse man die sohne Adam, die tochter Eva nennen. G 3. 26
Wammern kind seim fader oder mutter nonamt is es's ietscht as kummt. (Bu, Lb, Mr, Mt, Na, Sn, Y) There will be no more children in a family after one of them has been named for its father or mother.
Wammern kind seim fader oder mutter nonamt lebts net lang. (C)
A child named for its parents will not live long. Wenn die kinder der eltern namen bekommen, sterben sie eher als die eltern. G R 45
Wesch en kind mit dafwasser uns grikt en scheni haut. (Be, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn; Heidelberg) Wash a child with the water of baptism and it will have a beautiful complexion.
Wammer en wik zu zwet scho'kelt, waxts kind k~. (Af) If two persons rock a cradle the child will be livergrown.
Wammern leri wik schokelt waxts kind h~. (Af) If you rock an empty cradle, the child will be livergrown. Zwei sollen nicht an einem kinde wiegen, es kommt da- durch aus seiner ruhe. G 3. 267
Wammern leri wik scho'kelt schtelt merm kind der schlof. (Lnc, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y)
If you rock an empty cradle, you will rob a child of its sleep.
Wenn man eine leere wiege schaukelt, stiehlt man dem kinde dem schlaf. Z 26
Wammern leri wik schokelt grikts kind bauchwS. (D, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc, Sn, Y)
CHILDHOOD.
37
If the empty cradle be rocked, the baby will have colic. C 8 A 50
Wenn man eine leere wiege schaukelt, bekommt das kind, welches sonst darin liegt, bauchweh. Z 25
42. Wammern le'ri wlk schokelt nemmt merm kind di ru.
(Lb, Mr, Sn, Y)
If you rock an empty cradle, a child cannot rest. Eine ledige wiege soli niemand wiegen, sonst wiegt man dem kind die ruhe weg. G 3. 22
43. Mer dasrf net ifo'ern kind schritte wanns uf em bo'dein
oder grand left, oders waxt net. (Af)
Stepping over a child which is lying on the floor or ground
will retard its growth. "Wenn kinder auf der erde liegen und man schreitet iiber.
sie hinweg, so bleiben sie sofort im wachstum stehen.
B S 33. 115
44. Di mutter muss inn kind 's erscht pres'ent gebe. (Bu,
Mt)
' The mother should give her child its first present,
45. Me kind sei~peter muss ems erscht pres'ent ge^e. ( Be,
Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sn; Heidelberg)
The godfather should give the first present to his godchild.
46. Di gdd un der peter solle me kind 's erscht buch k&fe,
no ternts gut. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Sn; Heidel- berg)
A child will be a bright pupil in school if the sponsors buy its first book.
47. Wann en kind en jor alt waert gebt merm en buch, no
warts gscheit. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, Nu, Sn, Y ; Heidelberg)
If a child is given a book when it is a year old it will be bright.
48. En jung bobl lekt mer net uf di links seit schunscht
waerts links. (Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Sn)
A child will be left handed if it is laid on the left side.
38 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Ein neugeborenes kind darf man nicht auf die linke seite zuerst legen, sonst wird es linkshandig. B S 33. 116
49. En kind soil net schmake ebs en jor alt is oders
schmakt ni net. (Lb)
A child should not smell at anything before it is a year old or it will never have a sense of smell.
Riecht ein kind vor dem ersten jahr an etwas, so lernt es hernach nicht riechen. G o. 277
50. Kinner in bruns wesche macht si sche". (Be, Lnc, Mt,
Na, Y; Neustadt)
Washing children with urine makes them handsome.
51 Kinner soil mer di schtek nuf gradle losse, n5 gebe si grosse leit in der welt. (Bu, Lb, Mt, Sn; Heidel- berg)
Permit children to crawl upstairs and they will be illus- trious.
52. En kind muss mer nunnernemme eb mers nuf nemmt,
no waerts reich. (D)
A child will become rich if it is carried down stairs be- fore being carried up stairs.
53. Mer muss en kind der erscht dak as es gebore is uf
der eb'erscht schpeicher nemme un zum fenschter nausguke losse, no gebts en a'gsen'ener mensch. (D; Kaiser slant em)
A child should be carried to the garret on the day of its birth and allowed to look out of the garret window, then it will become a respected citizen.
54 Mer muss schnell mit me junge kind di schtek uf un ab schpringe, no waerts flink. (Be, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, 8c) Run up and down the stairs with an infant and it will become spry.
Der jiingste pate nimmt das kind an der haustiir und lautt damit schnell naeh der stube zur mutter, so wird das kind schnell. Wu 390 55. En kind as net 's erscht di schtek nuf gedrage wsert
CHILDHOOD. , 3$
kummt net noch em himmel. (Lb, Lh, Lnc., Mi, Sn, Y)
If a child is not carried upstairs before being carried down stairs it will not go to heaven. * ■",
56. En kind as net 's erscht di schtek nuf gedrage wart
emaunt' zu nix. (Bu)
If a child is not carried up stairs first it will never amount to anything.
57. En kind waert net alt wanns net 's erscht di schtek nuf-
gedrage waert. (C, Na)
A child will not live long unless it is carried upstairs be- fore being carried down. Es stirbt. Elbg.
58. Mer muss en kind en schtok hecher nufnemme ob mers
nunner nemmt so as es in di he kummt. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Na, Sc)
Carry a child up stairs before carrying it down stairs so that it may rise in the world.
A child should go up in the world before it goes down, else it will never rise in after-life either to riches or dis- tinction. D Y 8
59. Mer muss en kind en schtok hecher nuf nemme eb
mers nunner nemmt so as es hoch singt. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sc)
In order that a child may be able to sing high notes it should be carried up stairs before it is carried down stairs.
60. Wammers erscht en kind en schtok hecher nuf nemmt
waerts gscheit. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Na, Sc) If a child is carried up stairs first it will become quick- witted.
61. Wammern kind 's erscht en schtok hecher nufnemmt
waerts ei~'bildisch. (D, Lb, Lnc)
If a child is first carried up stairs it will become con- ceited and vain. .
i
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
En kind wsert schtolz waniruer 's erscht en schtok hecher drecht. (C)
A child will become proud if it is first carried up stairs.
Waimnern kind net 's erscht nufnemmt muss mers erscht nunner nemme. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Na) A child will die in infancy if it is not immediately after birth carried upstairs.
En kind dserf mer net aus em haus nemme bis es gedaft is. (Af)
fc Never take a child from home before it is baptized. Ein ungetauftes kind darf nicht aus dem hause getragen werden. Dr 188
Mer soil en kind net in der schpigel guke losse ebs en jor alt is oders waert schtolz. (Af) If a child is permitted to look into a mirror before it is a
year old it will become proud. Lasst man das kind unter einem jahr in den spiegel sehen.
so wird es eitel und stolz. G 3. 29
Wann fil leit en kind a'guke wanns gedaft wsert is es leicht verhext. {Bu, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Sn) If many look at a child while it is being baptized, it is
easily bewitched. Wenn viele leute das kind bei der taufe ansehen, wird es
leicht vermeint. Z 14
Mer muss me kind.recht tschul'eri a'henke, so as es en hocher gescht grikt, (Lh, Na, 8c) A child must be decked with jewelry, so that it may be- come highminded.
Me kind muss mer recht tschu'elri a'henka gs es zu eb- bes kummt in der welt. (Lh, Na, Sc) A child must be decked with jewelry, if it is to amount
to anything in the world. In den ersten bad des kindes wird ein goldstiick getan, da- mit es dem kind nie im leben an geld fehle. H M 1. 277
CHILDHOOD.
41
69. Henk me kind recht tscku'elri a" so as es reich waert.
(Be, Lb, Lh, Mt, Na, 8 c)
Adorn a child with jewelry and it will become rich. Das kind darf vor der taufe kein geld sehen oder gold- schmuck tragen, sonst wird es habgierig. Wu 391
70. En kind gebdre mit der nab'elschnur um der hals gebt
en grosser pap'laerer mann. (C)
If a child is born with the umbilical cord about its neck, it will become great and popular.
71. En kind wu en guter singer is gebt en engel, s' waert
net alt. (Bu; Heidelberg)
A child that sings very well will become an angel, it will not live to be old.
72. Mer daerf en kind net dafe losse uf der dak as en leicht
in der grne is. (Na, Y)
A child should not be baptized on a day when there is a
funeral in the congregation. Unmittelbar nach einer leichenbestattung soil man nicht
taufen lassen, sonst folgt das kind dem to ten nach.
G3.p 489
73. Me kind wanns uf di welt kummt muss mern alti windel
a~'du~ oders gebt en dib. (Bu; Heidelberg) If an old diaper is not put on a newborn child, it will become a thief.
74. Me kind sei" erschti windel soil mer ferbrenne fer glik.
(Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, T; Kaiser slautern) Bum the first diaper of a child for luck.
75. Wann en mutter ir kind net zu sene grikt uf der dak
wus uf di welt kummt libt sis net. (Lnc)
A mother will never love the child she is not permitted
to see on the day it was born. Wenn eine mutter das neugeborene kind am ersten tage
nicht zu gesiehte bekommt, wird sie es nie lieben. Z 9
74. Wann granke kinner mit gold schpile waern si wider gsund. (Lnc)
4
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
If sick children play with money they will recover. Wenn kranke kinder mit geld spielen, genesen sie. Z 62
Me kind da?rf mer nix schtaerges zu drinke gebe ebs en jor alt is oders waxt nimmi. (Bu) Giving a child strong drink before it is a year old will
stop its growth. Kindern und jungen hunden soil man keinen schnapps
zu trinken geben, weil sie nachher nicht mehr wachsen.
V A 8 1. 487
Wann en kind ebber nogenamt waert muss sell em en frakkafe. (Be,Lh)
The person for whom a child is named must buy it a dress. Die gotte hat in friiheren jahren ihrem taufling am Klo- sentag ein "hemdle" geschenkt. A S 1. 391 Wammern kind kitzelt ebs en jor alt is waerts schtot'- tericli. (Af; Heidelberg)
A child will stammer if it is tickled before it is a year old. Di erscht laus wu maer uf me kind seim kopp finnt fer- drikt mer uf em gsangbuch, no gebts en guter singer. (D, Lh, Lnc, Nu); uf der Mbel, no wasrts gscheid. (Lh)
The first louse found on a child's head should be crushed on the hymnbook and the child will become a good singer.
Die erste laus an einem kinde muss man auf dem gesang- buch knicken. Dann lernt das kind recht singen. Alem 27. 229
Me kind soli mer di lior net schneide ebs en jor alt is oder si falle aus. (Bu)
A child's hair will fall out if cut before it is a year old. Sie wachsen schlecht und sind immer diinn. Elbg.
En kind waert net alt wammers schert ebs en jor alt is. (Be, Bu, C, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, 8c, Y) If a child's hair is cut before it is a year old it will die young.
De ldnner solle di hor net abgschnitte wsere eb si en j5r
CHILDHOOD.
43
< sin oder si waere schwach. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Y)
Children will be weaklings if their hair is cut before they
are a year old. Sehneidet man einem kinde vor dem siebenten altersjahr
die haare ab, so kann es nie zu vollkommenen kraften
kommen. Z f d M 4. 3
84. En weibsinensch as ufgebindelt is daerf en kind net
schere oders lebt net lang. (D, Lh, Lnc; Heidel- berg)
A child will not live long if its hair is cut by a pregnant woman.
85. Mer soil en kind bei ni'rnand jjltes schlSfe losse,
schunscht schtaerbts zee jor jinger. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, Sc, Y)
Permitting a child to sleep with an old person shortens
its life by ten years. Es ist eine fast allgemeine meinung, dass kinder nicht von
alten leuten geliebkost werden und nicht mit ihnen zu-
sammen schlafen sollen. Wii 386
86. Wgmmern kind schlecht ebs en jor §lt is wserts schtot-
terich. (Be, Na)
A child that is whipped before it is a year old will stam- mer.
87. En kind djerf mer net hake ebs en j5r alt is oder di
schlek b$t nochbser nix. (Af)
If a child is whipped before it is a year old later punish- ment will be futile.
Kinder unter einem jahre schlage man nicht, sonst werden sie hartschlagig. Alem. 27. 229
88. Wammer ausfinne will was f aern handwserik oder gschef t
as en kind sich mol welt lekt mer en schtik geld, en btBel, en schtik handwaBrksgschser un en bottel hi~. Des wu's deno' langt gebt sei'handwaerik. "Wgnns §Ber noch der bottel langt gebts en sifer. (Be, Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Y)
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
To ascertain the occupation of the future man place be- fore the child a coin, a bible, a tool and a bottle. Whichever the child takes up first will be its future oc- cupation. If it however reaches for the bottle it will become a drunkard.
Wonach das kind zuerst greift, das zeigt seine kiinftige lieblingsbeschaftigung an. 0 3. p 488
Wammern kind zum f enschter aus un nei~ gradle losst gebts en dib. (Af; Heidelberg)
If a child is permitted to crawl in and out through a window it will become a thief. Wammern kind zum fenschter naus'gradle losst waits nimmi. (Af)
If a child is permitted to crawl out of a window" it will stop growing.
Man soil ein kind nicht zum fenster hinausheben, sonst wachst es nicht. Alem. 27. 229
En kind as sich fil brecht waxt gut. (D, Lnc, Y) If a child vomits frequently, it will grow rapidly. Speikindel, gedeihkindel. Dr. 210
Wann der dokter 's kind a~'dut wanns uf di welt kummt muss er &cht gebe as er nummejo' 's kind mit em rechte arm 's erscht ins hemmli schluppe losst. (Bu; Heidelberg)
When dressing a newborn infant the doctor should take care to put the child's right arm into the sleeve first.
Mit wellre hand as en bobbel 's erscht mol 's erscht in di gleder schluppt weisst ebs rechts oder links wfert. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lnc, Mt, 8c; Heidelberg) The hand with which a child that is being dressed for the first time slips into its clothing shows whether it will be right handed or left handed. , En kind sott mit em rechtse arm 's erscht in der hemm- Eermel schluppe. (Bu, C; Heidelberg)
Put a child's right arm into the sleeve of its gown before the left.
CHILDHOOD. 45
95. Mer soils net fter me jor uf en kind reg'ere losse, es
grikt sunnefleke. (Lb)
If it rains on a child less than a year old, it will be freckled.
"Wird ein kind, ehe es ein jahr alt ist, beregnet, so be- kommt es sommersprossen. V A 8 1. 486
96. Mer soils net uf kinner reg'ere losse oder si grige sum-
merfleke. (Af)
If it rains on a child the child will be freckled.
97. En a~'gewaxe kind schmirt mer mit gensfett. (Be)
A livergrown child should be rubbed with goosegrease.
98. En a~'gewaxe kind lekt mer uf di dire schwell un
messts. Wanns mol iber sell mos naus gewaxe is, waxts nimmi a". (Lnc, Mr, Y)
Lay a livergrown child on the door sill and measure it. As soon as it has outgrown this measure, the complaint will cease.
99. En kind as unner me rigel, schtrik oder so ebbes dserich
schluppt waxt net. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Y) If a child crawls under a rope, bar, etc., it will not grow. Man soil das kind nicht unter etwas durchschlupfen las- sen sonst wachst es nicht. Alem 27. 229
100. Mer soil me kind gefie fun allem was mer selber esst,
schunscht macht merm sei" haerz blute. (C, Lnc, Sn, Y)
Refusing to share with your child everything you eat will make the child grieve.
Einem kleinen kind soil man von allem, was man in sei- ner gegenwart isst, etwas geben, sonst blutet ihm das herz. Z 60
101. En hufeise wu all di negel noch drin sin me kind in di
schokel gelekt halts kind gsund. (D) Place a horseshoe with all the nails in it into a child's
cradle, and the child will always be hale and hearty. Auch den kindern wird ein gefundenes hufeisen in die
wiege gelegt. Wu 130
46
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
102. Wammern Sunndakskind an der schpigel hebt waerts
schtolz. (Lb, Lnc, Y; Heidelberg) Let a child born on Sunday look into a mirror and it will become proud.
103. Der erscht frak as en kind a'grikt daerf ken alter sei~
schunscht warts en sehlapp. (Be, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr; Heidelberg)
If the first dress put on a child is not a new one, it will become a slattern.
104. En kind as zwe jor alt is is halb so lang as es waert.
(Bu)
A child at the age of two has attained half its height. Drei jahre Hlbg.
105. Wammerme kind 's erschtmol di schtrimpelcher a~
dut, muss merm 's reclits 's erscht a'du", oders waert links. (Bu,C,D,Lb,Lh,Lnc,8n; Heidelberg) When putting stockings on a child for the first time, the
child will become lefthanded unless the right stocking is
put on first.
106. Kinner wierre net gros wammer si summers abge-
went. (Sc)
If children are weaned in summer time they will die young.
107. En kind as mer abgewent, wann di bem blie wa^rt glei
gro. (Be,D,Sc) If a child is weaned when the trees are in blossom, its hair
will turn gray early. In der baumbliite ist kein kind zu entwohnen, sonst be-
kommt es graue haare. G 3. 767.
108. Mer soil en kind net abgewene so lang as schne leit,
schunscht wairts jung gro ; a net wanns lab fun de bem fallt, schunscht wa?rts jung blot (Lb, Lh, Sc, Sn)
A child should not be weaned as long as there is snow on the ground, else its hair will soon turn gray ; nor when the leaves fall, else it will soon become bald.
CHILDHOOD. 47
Entwdhnen darf die mutter das kind nicht, so lange schnee liegt, sonst bekommt es zeitig weisse haare; auch nicht wenn das laub von den baumen fallt, sonst verliert es dieselben zeitig. B S 33. 116
109. 'S ersckt wasser as mern kind drin wescht muss mer
zimi euerscht-schpeicher fenschter naus uf en bam sehitte, no grikts kind en hocher gescht. (D, Lnc, Mr, Sri)
A person will become bighminded if the water in which it
was washed immediately after its birth is thrown out of
the garret window and on a tree. Das badwasser ist unter einen griinen baum zu giessen, so
bleiben die kinder stets frisch. G 3. 738 ; cf. also M D V
103
110. Dafwasser schitt mer ffiern rose schtok, no grikts
rote bake. (Be, C, Lh, Lnc, Sn) $ A child will have red cheeks if the water used in baptism is poured over a rosebush. Das taufwasser muss man nach der taufe in einen rosen- strauch schiitten, so bekommt das kind rote wangen. Wu 391
111. En kind muss grad heile wanns uf di welt kummt. Wanns net dut, bletscht mers bis es dut. (Bu, C, Lb, Lh, Mt, Na, 8c)
A child should cry immediately after its birth, and it
should be slapped until it does. Das kind gilt erst dann wirklich lebendig und lebensfahig, wenn es die vier wande beschrieen hat. Daher gibt man ihm wohl gleich nach cler^geburt einen klaps an den hintern, damit es sich ins leben schreie. M D V 107
En kind waxt net bis es bezalt is. (Lh, Lnc, 8c) A child will not grow until the doctor's fee is paid.
Der dak as en kind gebore is solle mann im fra net fil zamme schwetze. (Mt; Heidelberg) Husband and wife should not talk much to each other on the day when a child is born.
112. 113.
48 ^ PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
114. En kind dserf mer net ding, dingel, dingelche oder
grot hese, schunscht waxts net. (Be, Bu, C, Lh, Sc)
If you call a child "thing" or "toad" it will not grow. Kinder darf man nicht ding, krot oder aas nennen, sonst verkommen sie. B S 33. 115.
115. Hes en kind seili oder wutzli, no waxts. (Bu, D, Lnc,
Mt, Sn)
Call a child "piggy" and it will grow.
116. En kind bosst mer net ufs maul bis es gezant hot
oders zant hsert. (Lb, Lh, Na, Sc, Y; Lustmann) A child should not be kissed on its mouth before it has cut its teeth or it will teethe hard.
117. En kind art seim peter oder gedel no. (Be, C, D, Lh
Sc, Sn, Y)
A child will take after its godfather or godmother. Der taufling nimmt geistige eigenschaften von paten an. B A 210
118. 'S erscbt mol as mern kind aus em liaus nemmt, dterf
mers net zu junge keierte leit nemme, schunscht grige si a ens. (Be, C, D, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Y) The first time a child is taken out of doors it must not be
taken to the home of a newly wedded couple, or else they
too will soon have a child of their own. Verkehrt eine junge verheiratete frau mit anderen frauen,
die in gesegneten umstanden sind, so wird auch sie bald
kinder bekommen. A A 35
119. Me kind sei" nabelschnur hebt mer nf, n5 waerts
gscheid. (D, Lnc, Sc)
A child will become clever and bright if you preserve its umbilical cord.
Von der nabelschnur des kindes muss ein stiickchen aufbe- wahrt werden, so hat das kind so lange gliick, so lange man dasselbe sorgsam verwahrt. A A 34
120. En kind wii mit lange h5r uf di welt kummt wsert net
CHILDHOOD.
alt wann selli hor net glei ausgene. (Be, C, Lh Mr, Na, Sc, Y)
A child bom with long hair will not live long unless it soon falls out.
Kinder, welehe mit langen haaren zur welt kommen, ster- ben friih. Wu 217
121. Wann en kind mit ze~ uf di welt kummt, lebts net
lang. (Af) A child born with teeth won't live long. Kinder, die die zahne mit auf die welt bringen, verlieren sie
und bekommen keine neue, d. h. sie leben nicht lange
Wu 217 ; A A 30 It is ill luck to be born with teeth in the head. V S L 2. 115
122. Wann en kind im schlof lacht hots bauchwe. (Bu Mt
Sc)
If a child smiles in its sleep, it has colic.
123. En kind as im schlof lacht waert glei gridlich waker.
(Be, Bu, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Sc, Sn) A child that smiles in its sleep will soon wake up fretful.
124. Wann en kind im schlof lacht, sakt mer di engel dede
mit im schpile. (Be, Bu, C, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Sc, Sn) If a child smiles in its sleep the angels are playing with it. Lachelt ein kind im schlaf, pflegt man zu sagen : jetzt schertzt sein schutzengelein mit ihm. V A S 1 492
125. En kind gewent mer ab im Fisch. (C, D, Lnc, Sc;
Freiburg) Wean a child in the sign of Pisces.
126. Mer soli en kind net im Leb abgewene schunscht
greischts wischt. (Be, C, Lh, Mr, Sc; Heidelberg) If a child is weaned in the sign of Leo it will yell like a lion
< 127. En kind gewent mer net ab wann di bem blie schunscht waerts jung grokeppich. (Sc) If a child is weaned while fruit trees are in blossom its hair will turn prematurely gray. Cf. 107
50 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
128. Zserniche kiimer hokt mer uf en kalter schte". (Bu, C, Lnc, Mr, Mt)
Seat a peevish child on a cold stone.
Zornige kinder scoll man anf einen kalten stem setzen. Z 230
1 9Q Wammerme kind sei~ gleder flike muss ebs en jor git is, "warts en schlapp. (Be, C, S, Lh, Mr, Me, Y; Hei- delberg) . . If a child's clothing must be mended before it is a year old
it will become slovenly. 130 Wammern kind kitzelt ebs en jor alt is waxts a~. (C) If a child is tickled before it is a year old it will be liver- grown.
131. En kind as fil im gringel rum schpringt wsert dumm.
(Bu, C, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Nu, 8c, Sn)
A child that whirls much will become stupid.
Es wird dumm und dappig (tappisch). Hlbg.
132. Der esel hots kind aus der wand gschlage. (Be, Bu,
C, Sc) . ,
The donkey kicked the child out of the wall (it is a bastard)
133. Di kiimer kumme aus de hole bem. (Be, C, Mr, Mt,
8c)
Children come from hollow trees.
134. Der schtorich bringt di kinner. (Be, Mr, Sc)
The stork brings the children.
This is common in Germany and England.
135. Der dokter holt di kinner aus re grik oder aus flisend
wasser un bringt em si. (Af)
The physician fetches children from a creek or flowing water.
Der bach bringt die kinder. Z f D M 2. 345
136. Mer soil en kind net 16 leie losse in re schtub, schunscht
schtele di hexe es. (Lnc) Never let a child lie alone in the room, the witches will
steal it.
CHILDHOOD.
Hat man das fenster offen stehen lasseu, und ist niemand als das wiegekind in der stube, kommt gern eine hexe zum fenster herein und stiehlt das kind V A 8 1. 313
137. Wammern kind schpot Sbeds aus em haus nemmt,
waerts leicht ferhext. (Be, Lnc)
If a child is taken out of doors late at night, it is easily bewitched.
"Wenn man spat abends ein kind aus dem hause tragt, wird es leicht ferhext. Z 31
138. Me kind sei" nachgeburt em im gsicht rum geribe
maeht em en scheni haut. (Be, D, Y)
Rub the child's face with its placenta to make it fair of complexion.
Das muttermal kann die hebamme gleich bei der entbin- dung vertilgen; sie muss die stelle, noch ehe es sonst jemand gesehen hat, mit der nachgeburt bedriicken oder bestreichen. Kn 155
139. Wammern fra im kindbett bsucht soil mer sich nimmi
setze wammers kind mol gsene hot kat. (Mr) If you call on a woman in confinement, do not sit down after you have seen the newborn child.
1 -tO. Wammer sergets hi~get wu en gle bobel is soli mer sich 's ffirscht setze eb mers bobli a'gukt, oder mer nemmt em di ru. (Be, D, Lb, Lnc, Nu, 8c, Sn, Y) If you make a call at a home where a child has just been bom take a seat before you look at the baby or you will cast a spell over it.
Geht ein fremdes in die stube, so soli es niedersitzen, dass es den kindern die ruhe nicht mitnehme. O 3. 15
141. En kind gebore mit me Bel il3ers gsicht is gliklich. (Y)
It is an omen of good luck to be born with a caul.
Var. 1. Son kind wsert schtolz. (Be, D, Lb, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sa, Su, Y) Such a child will be proud.
52 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Var. 2. un kann dSrich en Srdschpigel sene. (Y) And can see through a seniaphora.
Kommt das kind in der embryonenhaut auf die welt, so wird es ausserordentlich viel gliick haben. M D V 103
I believe you were born with a caul on your head, you are such a favorite among the ladies. V S L 2. 124
142. En nei gebore kind muss mer wige, no waxts erscht
recht. (Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Mt, Sc) A newborn infant, to grow rapidly, must be weighed. It is bad luck not to weigh a baby before it is dressed. C S A 38
143. En nei gebore kind dserf mer net wige, schunscht
waxts net. (Be, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y; Freiburg)
A newborn infant will not grow if it is weighed. If a new born child is weighed, it will die or not thrive. By 9 ; G 8 A 39 , .
■ 144. So as en kind gschwind schwetze laernt soli di got oder der peter em kind der leffel kafe wus alle dak mit esst, di got fers medel, der peter fer der bu. (Be, Lh, Mt, Sc, Sn, Y) A child will learn to talk more quickly if the sponsors buy for it the spoon which it uses every day in eating. The godmother should buy the spoon for a girl and the god- father for a boy. Die paten sollen dem kind ein loffelchen kaufen, sonst lernt
es geifern. O 3. 48 Lernt das kind das sprechen lange nicht, so kauft ihm der
gote einen loffel, womit man dem kinde zu essen gibt;
fangt es bald zu sprechen an. A S 1. 392 It was formerly the custom for the sponsors at baptism to
present the children with spoons. D Eng 180
145. Fil leit gebe ire kinner der name as im kalenner schtet uf der dak wu si gebore sin. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc, Sn) A child born on a saint's day, often bears the saint's name.
CHILDHOOD.
53
En kind erhalt haufig (iru katholischen Deutschland) den namen des kalenderheiligen, an dessen tag es geboren ist. M D V 113
In many county parishes a child is invariably called by the name of the saint on whose day it may happen to have been born. D Eng 178; C S A 5
146. Wainmern bobbel an der bottel ufzikt soil mers ni di
milicli all aus der bottel drinke losse. Selli gebt
nier der katz, no grikt di katz 's abnemmes un nets
kind. (Be, Lh, Lnc; Heidelberg)
To prevent a child from having marasmus a small quan- tity of milk should be left in the bottle from which it is nursed. This milk should be given to the cat, which will then have marasmus.
147. Wann en kind ferhext is nernm fum kind seim wasser,
dus in en bottel un sex nodle dezu', no mach di bottel teit zu un ferschtekel si. (Lb, Lnc, Y)
If a child is bewitched put some of its urine and six new needles into a bottle, cork it tightly and hide the bottle.
A bit of steel, such as a needle, protects one from witches. CS A 1417
Several fetid and stinking matters, such as old urine, are excellent means for keeping away all evil intentioned spirits and ghosts. V 8 L 2. 1, 460
Comment est bonne contre le rheume l'urine des petits enfans? V S L 2. 2. 489
148. Wanndme kind as juscht kumme is net en alti windel
a~duscht, kanns ken schtulgang mache. (Bu; Hei- delberg)
Unless a newborn child is clothed with an old diaper it cannot stool.
149. Wammerme kind as juscht uf di welt kumme is net en
alti windel a"dut grikts en weer arsch. (Bu; Hei- delberg)
Put an old diaper on the newborn child to prevent sore buttocks.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
0 Glei ze~, glei me. (Be, D, Lh, Lnc, Sc, Y; Heidelberg) If a child cuts its teeth very early, there will soon be an- other child in the family. Soon teeth, soon toes, i. e., another baby. E N C 19
1. En kind as mer in der schpigel guke losst ebs en jor alt waert waert schtolz. (Af) A~ child that is permitted to look into a mirror before it. is a year old will be vain, ar. Der dritt dak losst mers nei'guke. (Be, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Sn, Y)
Permit it to look into the mirror when three days old. It is unlucky to allow a baby to see itself in a mirror before it is a year old. E Y 43 52 En fra as en bebi hot soil irm kind wasser ime finger- hut hole, no schlaberts net. (Lb, Lh, Mr, Y; Hei- delberg)
A child will not drool if it is given water to drink out ot a thimble.
The first time after childbirth the mother went to fetch water, she did so, not in a pail but in her thimble or in a vessel of very small content, to prevent the child s mouth from continually running saliva. G Scot 6 153 'S erscht jor schneit mer me kind di negel net ab, mer beisst si ab, schunscht wserts en dib un hernt
schtele. (Af) Do not cut an infant's nails before it is a year old or it
will become a thief. Das erste jahr soil man die nagel des kindes abbeissen, nicht abschneiden, sonst kriegt es lange finger. Alem
27. 229 ; G 3. 23 Never cut an infant's nails until it is a twelvemonth old or it will be lightfingered and addicted to stealing. W lr 68 ; C S A 55 154. Wammern kind messt waxts nimmi. (Af) Measure a child and it will cease to grow. Misst man die lange eines kindes, dann wachst es nicht mehr. Z 32
CHILDHOOD.
55
To measure a child is to measure it for its coffin. B F 181
155. Wammern kind engel hest lebts net lang. (Lh)
Call a child "angel" and it will not live long.
156. En kind as mer mit weide wipt wa?rt daerr (Y), oder
grikt di auszering (C), oder die weitscb welling.
(Lnc, Sc, Sn) A child whipped with willows will emaciate or develop
tuberculosis or synovitis. Man darf das kind nicht mit einer weidenrute strafen
sonst bekommt es abzehrung. Wu 393 ; G 3. 416
157. En kind &s uf di welt krnnmt nochdem as sei" fader gschtaBrbe is kann far enich ebbes brauclie (Bu), fer blomlschte (Be, Y), fars besding/ (Be, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Sn, Y)
A posthumous child can cure whooping cough, felons or
anything else by poAvwowing. Naeh des vaters tod geborene kinder haben die kraft, felle, die auf den augen wachsen, drei Freitage hinter einan- der abzublasen. G 3. 1009 A posthumous child was said to possess the gift of curing almost any disease simply by looking at the patient. G Scot 37
Wann en kind katzehor ins maul grikt schtaerbts an der aus'zering. (Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Y) If a child swallows a cat 's hair it will die of tuberculosis. Wenn jemand ein katzenhaar schluckt, bekommt er die ab- zehrung. Z 800 You will die if you get a cat's hair into your stomach. V S L 2. 1 401
En grexich kind lekt mer in en sei nescht bis es warm is, no ferget em sei" grexe. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Mr, Na, Nu, 8c, Sn, Y; Heidelberg)
Lay a grunting child into a pig's lair to cure it of its grunting.
'S kind wu dem no krnnmt as uf der erscht dak fume zeche gebSre is is wider en bu (bezw. en medel).
158.
159.
160.
56
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Warm sick der zeche aber der nekscht dak wexelt is 's necksckt wu kummt net fun der seme saert. (D, Lh)
If a child is born on the first day of a zodiacal sign, the next child to be born will be of the same sex. If how- ever the sign of the zodiac changes, the sex of the child following will also change.
Wenn ein frau an einera tage gebiert, auf welchem im Kalender noch mehrere tage mit demselben himmels- zeichen des tierkreises folgen, so folgen noch ebensoviel kinder desselben gesehlechts. B 8 33. 114.
When a birth takes place on the growing of the moon, the next child will be of the same sex, but if on the waning moon the sex will change. Com 157
161. 'S dreizent kind gebt en schpilinann. (Mt)
The thirteenth child will be a musician, i. e. no good.
162. Der sib"et su~ gebt en grosser mann. (D, Lnc, Y)
The seventh son will be a famous man.
Der siebente wird schon und gescheid. Hlbg
163. Der sibet su" gebt en paerre odern dokter. (Be, D, Na)
The seventh son will be a clergyman or a physician.
Der siebente sohn ist gliickselig etwas zu heilen, pflanzen
oder sonst auszurichten. O 3. 180 The seventh son will cure diseases. H 45
164. Wann en mann sex kinner hot fun enre ssert is 's sibet
sckur fun der anre. (Lh, Mr; Heidelberg) There are never seven children of the same sex in succession in a family.
165. Mer schtekt en kind as juscht uf di welt kumme is
grad in kalt wasser, no waerts haert. (Be, D, Mt, Sn, Y)
Dip the newborn child into cold water immediately after birth to harden it.
166. Gscheite kinner waerre net alt. (Af)
Precocious children will not live long. Gescheite kinder werden nicht alt. Z 43
V
CHILDHOOD. 57
Children prematurely wise are said not to be long-lived. D Eng 176
167. Wann en kind schtasrbt as noch am drinke war soil
nier sei~ hemm der mutter an di bruscht lege, no grikt si ken drubel mit der milich. (Lh; Heidel- berg)
If a child dies before it is weaned lay its chemise on its mother's breasts to prevent them from becoming sore.
168. Wann en kind aerik heilt hot di mutter hunger kat
faer ebbes as si net grikt hot. (C ; Heidelberg) If a child cries constantly its mother was hungry during pregnancy for something which she never got.
)69. Wann en kind mit ze~ uf di welt kummt is es en schlechti sein. (Be, Bu, D, Lnc, Mt, Sn, Y ; Heidel- berg)
It is a bad sign to have a child born with teeth.
170. 'S sibet kind gebt en grosser mann. (D, Lnc, Y;
Heidelberg) The seventh child will be a prominent man.
171. Wammern jung kind drakt mi hot selbert kens Eerbts.
(Bu, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Sn; Heidelberg) If you carry a young child and have none of your own you will soon have one too.
5
FUTURE HUSBAND
172. Wannd kaffi ausschittscht, wannd bsueli grikscht,
kannscht 's pikter fume mann oder fra sene. (Na; Heidelberg)
When you pour the coffee from the cup you can see from the picture in the cup whether your visitor will be a man or a woman.
173. Wamme weibsmensch der frak hinne nufgedret is laft
re en widmann no. (D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu)
A woman whose skirt turns up in the back has a widower
as a suitor. * Schliigt sich der saum des kleides urn, so wird man von ei-
nem witwer geliebt. A A 20
174 Wanmie weibsmensch der frak hinne nufgedret is, hot
si en bo (Be, C, D, Lh, Mr, Mt) ; oder si wa?rt dis- appoint seller dak (Sri); oder si grikt seller dak noch geld, aber si muss uf der frak schpaue. (Sn) If a woman's dress turns up in the back she has a lover; or it is an omen of disappointment that day ; or she will re- ceive some money, but she must spit on her dress.
175 Wann en weibsmensch en daern oder hek noschleft laft
re en bo no. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Y)
A bramble in a woman !s skirt indicates a lover. Hangt sich ein dornenzweig an dich. so will dich ein witwer zur frau haben. A A 20
176. Schpell en fir blettrich gleblat obich di dir un der erscht mannskairl as zu der dir nei~ kummt gebt dei" mann. (Af) Pin a four-leafed clover over the door and the first man
to enter by that door will become your husband. Vierblattrigen klee soli man unter die sohlen legen. urn eine person zu gewinnen. L V 152
58
FUTURE HUSBAND. 59
177. Henk en ninkelgnoche ob"ich di dir un der erseht
m^nskasrl as rei~ kuinnit gebt dei~ mann. (Sn) / Hang a wishbone above your door and the first man to en- ter will become your husband.
178. Mer soil en firblettrich gleblat schluke un an sei~ bo
denke, no grikt mern. (Be, Lh, Na, Y)
You will marry the man whom you think of while swallow- ing a four-leafed clover.
"Wer vierblatterigen klee findet, soil ihn wert halten; so- lang er ihn hat, wird er gliickselig sein. G 3. 119
A four leaved clover is a beneficent attractor of the op- posite sex. H 25
179. Kuf di Sent Agnes a~ uf der Sent Agnes dak (21.
Jenner) si sott dich dei~ mann sene losse, un sak: "St. Agnes, sei" en freind zu mir, loss mich di nacht mei" man (oder fra) sene. (Lh) On St. Agnes' day call upon St. Agnes beseeching her to show you your future spouse, saying: "St. Agnes be a friend of mine. Permit me this night to see my future spouse. ' '
Am Andreasabend, vor dem schlafengehen, am besten in der mitternach, spricht das heiratslustige madchen: "0 heiliger Andreas, ich bitte dich, du mogest lassen er- scheinen den herzallerliebsten meinen, wie er geht und wie er steht, wie er mit mir zur kirche geht, im namen usw. Wu 249
Sweet St. Agnes work thy fast,
If ever I be to marry man,
Or man be to marry me,
I hope him this night to see. H N C 91
180. Di med in re familie grige ken menner w§mmer po-
hane fedre im liaus hot. (Lh, Lnc, Y) Your daughters will not marry if there are any peacock's
feathers in your house. Pfauenfedern bedeuten uberhaupt ungluck. Hlbg. If peacock feathers are kept in a house for ornament, the
60
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
young ladies in the house need never expect to be mar- ried, a FY -2.-16
181. Wammer pohane fedre im haus hot grige di med in
der familie menner. (Bu, Mt) Your daughters will get married if you have peacock's feathers in the house.
182. Qbeds fer neijor soil en medl di schtub auskere, no
kann si ir niann im schpigl sene. (Be, Lnc, Nu, Sn) Sweep your room (or parlor?) backwards, on New Year's eve, and you will see your future husband in the mirror. In der Neujahrsnacht kann ein madchen ihren zukiinftigen auf diese weise erkennen : sie kehre nachts urn 12 uhr nackt und riicklings die stube aus, dann erscheint im spiegel oder fenster das bild des brautigams. V A S 1. 469.
183. Wammer nein 5l5ed nein schtserne zelt, der erscht as
mer hands schekt mit, hot der name fnm mann as mer grikt. (Nu) Count nine stars on nine successive nights, and the first man with whom you shake hands bears the name of your future husband. Count nine stars on nine nights in succession, and the first young gentleman with whom you shake hands is to be your future husband. C S A 270
184. Wammer fir zwible namt un lekt si 5b"eds miners bett
"oder unich der ofe, selli wii mtergets ansgewaxe is hot der name fum mann as mer grikt. (Be, Lh, Mr, Sn)
Take four onions, name them and place them under the bed or the stove in the evening. The one which has sprouted next morning bears the name- of your future husband.
Die Gasteiner dirnen nehmen vier zwiebeln, stellen sie in die vier winkel der stube und geben ihnen namen von junggesellen ; die zwiebeln lassen sie stehen von "Weih- nacbten bis auf Dreikonigstag. Wessen zwiebel nun keimt, der wird sich als freier melden. G 3. 956
i
FUTURE HUSBAND.
(»1
185. Wammer middaks zwischich elf un zwelfe east d©r
was kummt gebt em sei" mann. (Be, Lh) The man who comes to your house between eleven aif?. twelve while you are at dinner will be your future hus- band.
aber nur am Neujahrstag. Hlbg.
186. Wann di mad di drebbe nuf fallt, grikt si en neier ho
(Y)
If a servant girl falls upstairs she will have a new beau.
187. Wann di mad di drebbe nuf fallt grikt si site jor ken
mann. (Y ; Heidelberg) If the servant girl falls up stairs she will not marry for seven years.
188. Wann di mad di drebbe nuf fallt, so ffl drebbe as noch
faer re sin, so fil jor muss si warte, bis si en mann grikt. (Be, Lb, Lh, Mr, Mt, Na, Sn, Y) If a servant girl falls up stairs, the number of steps to the top of the stairs indicates the number of years which will elapse before she marries.
189. Wammer neie schu grikt, soil mer si a~losse fer ins
bett. Nachts kummt ener fer em si ausdu". Seller gebt em sei" mann. (Lh) When going to bed, keep on the new shoes which you have
just bought, and the man who comes to take them off
will be your future husband.
190. Wars erscht zu re dir nei~ kummt wii en bruschtknoche
fume hinkel obich der dir henkt gebt sellem medl wu en M~kenkt hot sei~ mann. (Be, Bu, C, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Su, Y)
The first man to enter a room by a door over which a
wishbone is placed, will become the husband of the girl
who put it there. Put the breastbone of a fowl over the front door and the
first one of the opposite sex that enters is to be your
future companion. C S A 220
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
- An re hochzich soil mer sick kuche mit hem nemme un obeds eb mer ins bett get en schtik defun' umchs koppekissi lege. Des was mer nachts dramt defun wa?rt em sei" mann (oder fra). (Af) Take home with you a piece of wedding cake. Before re- tiring put it under your pillow and the person you dream of will become your future spouse. Am Andreastage nehmen oft die madchen ihre kleider mi- ter das kopfkissen urn von ihrem zukiinftigen mann m traumen. Alem. 25, 52 Place tiny scraps of bridecake under the pillow at night to dream of "him". E 9
192. Wann en medel bossckt wann en datteldaubehserz im
maul hoscht muss sell medel dich gleiche. (D, Y) Kissing a girl, with the heart of a turtledove in your mouth,
acts as a love charm. Dass dich eine lieben muss, nimm eine turteltaubenzung ins maul, rede mit ihr lieblich, kiisse sie darnach auf den mund. so hat sie dich so lieb, dass sie dich nicht mehr lassen kann, oder sie kann dir nichts versagen. A M 2, 9
193. En medl dserf net an bube denke eb si en mannshemm
mache kann un en bofdek rund ausrolle. (Be, Lnc; Freiburg)
A girl must not think of marrying until she can make a man's shirt or roll a round pie crust.
194. DSr wu mer dra" denkt wammern hinkelhferzel ro
schlukt gebt em sei" mann. (C, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, Nu, Sn)
Swallow a raw chicken heart and the one you are thinking of while doing it will be your future husband.
195. Drak en eilehferzel im sak n5 wannde fil a~gsene sei"
witt bei de med. (D, Lb, Mr, Na, Y) If you would have the admiration of the opposite sex, carry the heart of an owl on your person.
196. finer as fil a'gsene sei" will bei de med muss finf-
fingergraut im sak nodrage. (Be, Lh, Mr, Y)
FUTURE HUSBAND.
63
To gain the admiration of girls carry cinquefoil ypotentilla canadensis) in your pocket.
Die wurzel des fiinffingerkrauts Johannis vor sonnenauf- gang gegraben hilft zu raancherlei mid erwirbt dem, der sie bei sich tragt, die zimeigimg andrer. G 3. 850
197. En droppe blut aus em linke glene finger me niedl ins
wasser gedu~ niacht sell medl em mann wus dut no- lafe. {Lnc)
A drop of blood taken from the little finger of a man's left hand and put into the water which a girl is about to drink, will cause her to fall in love with him.
Wollte man jemanden sich geneigt maehen, so musste man einen tropfen schweiss von sich ins essen or in den trunk fallen lassen, den die geliebte person zu sich nahm, und sie war gezwungen zu lieben. Z f D M 1. 242
198. Wann en weibsmensch sich ferschlappt iBerm wesche
grikt si en sifer. (Be, Lh, Lnc, Nu)
If a woman wet her apron in washing her husband will be a drunkard.
Weibsbilder oder frauennamen, so beim wasehen nasse schiirze bekommen, kriegen einen trinker zum mann. A 8 1. 415
If a maid gets her clothes very wet when she is washing, she will have a drunken husband. C F L & B 1. 66; G 8 A 368
199. Wannd zum medl witt un si will dich net, nemm zuker,
du~ den unich der arm bis er warm is un ire no ins drinke, no losst si dich. (Na, Y) Sugar which is held in the armpit until warm acts as an i aphrodisiac if put into the drink of a girl who spurns your advances.
Man tragt obst, besonders einen apfel, oder weissbrot, oder ein stiick zucker so lange auf der blossen haut unter dem arme bis er vom schweiss durchdrungen ist und gibt es dem anderen (d. h. dem madchen) zu essen. Wu 366
64 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
200. Schel en abbel so as di schal ganz bleibt un schmeis selli schal no iber di links schulter. Der buschtabe wus macht fangt em seim bo sei" name a". (Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu)
Pare an apple and then throw the whole paring on the floor over your left shoulder. The letter formed will be the initial of your beau's name.
Wenn man einen apfel vom butzen zum stiel schalt, und zwar alles an einem stuck, diese sehale sodann riickwarts iiber sich wirft, dann kommt der anfangsbuehstabe des kiinftigen mannes zum vorschein. V A S 1. 478
October 28th is the most propitious day for the dis- covery of the future one's initials. Take a fine round - . apple, peel it in one whole length. Take the paring. .
in the right hand, .drop it over the left shoulder and it will form the initial of your future husband's name; if it breaks in pieces, you will die an old maid. H 70
201. Mer soil en schlissel in di bibel lege an der schtell Hohelied 8. 7. Wammer an der buschdabe kummt wii em seim bo sei" name a'fangt mit, dret sich der schlissel in der bibel. {Be, Bu)
Take a key and place it in a bible on the seventh verse of the eighth chapter of the Song of Solomon. When you reach the initial letter of your sweetheart's name the key will turn in the bible.
Die schliisselprobe geschieht folgendermassen : in ein ge- sangbuch wird ein schlussel gesteckt, urn das buch ein band gebunden, dann der ring des eingesteckten schliis- sels auf die finger gesetzt, so dass er darauf umlauft, und nun geschehen fragen. G 3. 932.
Divinations also by Bible and key. cf . H N C 235-7
If two persons wish to marry, they must take the churchkey and place it over Song of Solomon 8, 6-7. C F Suf 1. 95
202. Mer muss blei schmelze un no dserich en loch ime schlissel in en glas wasser du~ un waseb'er di mottle sin, sell handwserk hot der mann as mer grikt. (Be, D, Lb,Lh, Na, 8c, Y)
FUTURE HUSBAND. 05
Pour molten lead into a glass of water through the hole of a key. The figures thus formed represent the occupa- tion of your future husband.
Giesst eine ledige in der Christnacht heiss blei in kaltes wasser, so bildet sich das handwerksgerat ihres kunftigen brautigams. G 3. 97 ; G 3. 579 ; B S 33 p 124 ; 6. und 7. Buck Moses p. 400; C S A 288; H 5
203. Koch en oi haert, schneits in der mitt daerick un fill
e~ helft mit sals. Ess selli une wasser gedrunke un ge~ no hinnerschich di schtek nuf fer ins bett. Der mannskaerl as dir nachts wasser bringt gebt dei" mann. (Be, Lh)
Boil an egg hard, cut it in halves and fill one of them with salt. Eat this without drinking water, going back- ward up the stairs to bed. The man who will bring you water during the night will become your husband.
Boil an egg hard, take out the yolk, and fill its place with salt. Eat it before going to bed. The one you dream of as bringing you water is your future husband. To be done by two girls in silence, going backward as they re- tire. C S A 228; Dy 33
If the dumbcake be eaten, strict silence must be observed from the moment the slice is cut. The person walks back- ward from the room, up the stairs, and after undressing goes to bed, still backwards. It is presumed that happy dreams of "the loved one" will occupy the hours of slum- ber. H 12
204. Wanns gschserrwasser koeht grikt mer sibe jor ken
mann. (Af ; Neustadt)
A boiling tea kettle is a sign of not getting married for seven years.
MAEKIAGE
205. Es heiere fil Dimnerschdakmsergets fri. (D, Nu, Sn)
There are many weddings early on Thursday mornings.
206. Dinschdak nn Dunnerschdak sin di hoch'zichdak. (Be,
Bu, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y) Tuesday and Thursday are favorite wedding days. Zum heiraten ist der Dienstag gut. A 8 1. 390; Donners- tags heirat, gliiekheirat. Wu 60.
207. Es gebt a del hochziche Sunndaks. (Y)
There are some weddings on Sunday. Sunday is an exceptionally fortunate day upon which to enter the holy state. H 22
208. Samschdaks is der hochzichdak unich de steilische
leit un de niger. {Lnc)
Saturday is the wedding day among society folk and negroes.
Hochzeiten werden gewohnlich am Samstag gehalten. Z 116
209. Es heiern a fil Mittwoclis. (Z>)
Many Aveddings are held on Wednesday.
21,0. Samsehdak un Sunndak sin di beschte hochzich dak. "(Be, C, Lb. Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, Sc) Saturday and Sunday are the best wedding days. Sunday is an exceptionally fortunate day on Avhich to enter the holy state. E 22
211. Mer soil heire wann di zoier fun re ur eber'schich gene, also noch de sex ur. (D, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Y) Marry when the hands of the clock are moving upward,
that is, after six o'clock. Das ehepaar bekommt viele kinder, wenn es sich zwischen
llund 12 uhr, also den hochsten stundenzahlen trauen
lasst. B M 20
66
■
MARRIAGE.
67
212. Mer soil in ebbes gilentes heiere fer glik. (Be, D,
Lnc, Mt, Na, Sn, Y; Freiburg) Marry in something borrowed.
213. Wann zwe in enre familie heire inie jor hen si ken
glik. (Af; Heidelberg)
Two weddings in one family and within a year are unlucky.
214. Wann zwe par minanner heire heiert 's ent em annere
's glik wek. (Af; Heidelberg)
If two couples are married at the same time by the same clergyman, one of them will be unhappy.
215. W§minern schwaerzi katz a~'drefft uf em wek zum
pserre fer heire bedeits as mer schlecht glik hot.
(Be, C, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, 8c, Y; Heidelberg)
It is a bad omen to meet a black cat when on one's way to
the clergyman to get married. To meet a priest, hare, cat. dog, lizard or serpent ou
goirg to church to get married was considered unlucky.
C P & P 489
216. Wann en weibsmensch heire will soil si di katz aus
irm schu fidre fer glik. (Lh, Sn) When a girl is anxious to marry, she should feed the cat from her shoe.
Wenn madchen heiraten wollen. sollen sie der katze schmeicheln und sie gut fiittern. Z 88
217. Des was sei~ hochzich gleder 's letscht auswert is der
bas. (Lnc)
Of a married couple the one who wears out the wedding clothes last will be boss in the family.
218. Der erscht ma?rge as en par keiert hen daerf der mann
seinre fra di hose net a'bite schunscht muss er sich sei" lebdak fun ire base losse.
If a man offer his trousers to his wife the first morning of
wedded life he will be henpecked. . . . .dann hat die frau die hosen und zum mann sagt man,
du steckst unter dem pantoffel. Hlbg.
68
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
219. En medl as fil lacht uf der dak as si heiert muss in
ire lebenszeit ftl heile. (Af)
A laughing bride becomes a weeping wife.
Eine lachende braut wird eine weinende braut. Z 128
220. Wi der dak as mer heiert, so di familie. Wanns
regert hot mern schtrublichi familie (di fra muss fil heile) ; wanns schtaermt, fechte di leit fil (Af) ; is der dei'henker los. (Sc) ) As the weather on the weddingday, so the married life. Rain foreshadows trouble and sorrow; storm: quarrel or
the devil is to pay. Grosser sturm am hoehzeitstage oder bei der brautwasehe
bedeutet eine stiirmische ehe. B S 33 p 118
221. Wammer heiert ime schneschtaerm wsert mer reich.
(Lh)
• Marry in a snowstorm and you will become rich.
Am hoehzeitstage bedeutet schnee eine gluckliche ehe. G 3. 1051
222. Wanns me par uf die reder schnet uf der hochzichdak
bleibe si net lang beinanner. (Mt) If it snows on the carriage containing the bridal couple, they will soon separate.
223. Di gleder as mer a'hot an seinre hochzich daerf mer
net ausdu~ fer nacht, schunscht hot mer ken glik. (Lh; Heidelberg)
Changing one's wedding clothes before night brings bad luck.
224. Wanns regert wann en par heiert gebts rotziche
kinner. (C, Na; Heidelberg)
If it rains while a couple is being married, they will have snivelling children.
225. Wanns schtsermich is der dak fser der hochzich be-
deits drubel fser di fra; uf der hochzichdak faer der mann. (Be, D, Y; Freiburg)
Stormy weather on the day before the wedding forebodes trouble for the bride ; on the wedding day, for the groom.
MARRIAGE.
69
Drei dak faer re Amische hochzich muss der mann as heire will seinre zukinftiche fr& helfe 's sach fer di hochzich zurecht grige. (Lnc) t Three days before an Amisli wedding the groom-to-be goes to the home of his prospective bride to aid in preparing for the wedding. Die brautleute diirfen an den letzten drei naehten vor der trauung nieht unter einem daehe schlafen. Z 111
Wammer di hochzichgleder grad auswert waert iner
reich. (Nu; Freiburg) I Wear out your wedding garments quickly and you will be wealthy.
Leit as zu nix eniaunte grige di deitsch band in miner Mangamri, in ober Mangamri grikt si schir enich ebber. Wann si si net grige mene si in Ba?riks, ober Boks un im unnre end fun Lecha si dete net gut schte~. (Be, Bu, Lh, Mt, Na) In lower Montgomery the ne'er-do-well have a calathum- pian serenade ; in upper Montgomery almost every newly wedded couple is serenaded ; in Berks, upper Bucks and the lower end of Lehigh the lack of a serenade is inter- preted as a lack of regard.
Di hochzichgleder dferf mer sich net selbert mache, schunscht hot mer ken glik. (Be, Lh, Lnc, Na, Sn, Y)
You will have no luck if you make your own trousseau. Das brautkleid darf sich die braut nie selbst nahen, da
sie sonst in der ehe sorge und kummer hat. so dass sie
es nicht ertragen kann. A A 22
Fume neie keierte par, des wus erscht ins bett get schtaerbt s erscht. (C, Lb, Lnc, Y ; Lustnau) The first to go to bed on the wedding night will be the first to die.
Wann en par as juscht keiert hen ins bett gen, des wus erscht ei'schloft gets erscht dod. (Nu)
70
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
When a couple has just been married, the first to fall asleep
will be the first to die. Wer von den brautleuten zuerst einschlaft, stirbt zuerst.
0 3. 717
The first to go to sleep on the wedding night will be the first to die. V 8 L 2. 94
232. S5 fil fegel as mer sent uf sei" hochzichdak, so fil kiimer grikt mer. (D, Y)
The number of birds seen on your wedding day indicates the number of your children.
To see a flight of birds as a couple go to church to be mar- ried foretells many children. V 8 L 2. 66
933 Warm en medel in schwserze gleder heiert muss si fil drauergleder were. (Be, Bu, C, Lh, Mr, Mr, Na Nu, Sn, Y) oder hot unglik. (Be, Lh, Lns, Sn) If a girl wears a black wedding dress, she will! wear a
mourner's weeds or will have bad luck. Wenn eine braut am hochzeitstage ein schwarzes kleid
tragt, bedeutet es ungliick. Z 119 It is unlucky to wear a black dress at a Avedding. V 8 L
2. 1. 277 ; C 8 A 336
234. En hochzich dserf mer net ufscMBe oder mer hot ken
glik. (Af; Heidelberg) Postponing a wedding day brings bad luck. It is bad luck to alter the day fixed for a wedding or a christening. V 8 L 2. 1. 233
235. Wann en jingers ausre familie heiert misse di eldre
lettiche schweschtre in seidne schtrimp danze. (Lh, Na)
If a younger sister marries before her older sisters, the older ones must dance in silk stockings.
Green stockings were sent to any elder sister in Scotland if a younger sister was married before her, that she might wear them as a forsaken maiden at the dance which followed the wedding. B F 114
MARRIAGE.
71
236. Wann en jingers heiert, misse di eldre Iettiche
gschwischdre ime seidrok danze, (Be, Bu, D, Lb, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc) oder der bakofe reite. (Af) If the youngest member of a family gets married the older single members must dance in a pig's trough, or they must ride on the bakeoven. Another curious custom which was once practiced in dif- ferent parts of the country was that of the elder sister dancing in a hog's trough in consequence of her younger sister marrying before her .... It was considered most correct to dance in green stockings. Dy 43; C 8 A 361
237. En inedel muss fil lieile wanns regert uf der dak wiis
heiert, (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, Nu, 8c, Sn, Y)
A rainy wedding day forebodes a tearful married life. Wenn's am hochzeitstage regnet oder schneit, Hat das brautpaar streit. Z 141
If it rains while the wedding party are on the journey to or from church, then a life of unhappiness is to be expected. D Eng 199
238. En medl as net lieilt wanns heiert muss fil lieile
noch'liEer. (Lnc)
A laughing bride makes a weeping wife. Wenn die braut nicht bei der trauung weint. muss sie in
der ehe viel weinen. Z 143 The bride should weep on her wedding day. Dy 40
239. Im Moi gebts ganz we'nich hoch'ziche. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Sc, Y) There are very few weddings in May. Im Mai werden keine hochzeiten gehalten, weil es der
eselmonat ist. Z 116 Marry in May and you'll rue the day. Dy 37
240. Wann en witfra heiert soil si uf ir hochzichd&k en par hose flike. (Lnc)
72
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
A widow should mend a pair of trousers on the day that
she marries again. Wenn eine witwe heiratet, soil sie am hochzeittage eine hose
flicken. Z 145
241. Wammer gele bluine an sich hot uf der hochzichdak
hot mer ken glik. (Lnc, Na)
Yellow flowers are unlucky on one's wedding day,
Gelbe blumen bei hoehzeiten bedeuten ungliiek. Z 117
242. Wann en mann heiert muss er uf seim hochzichd&k
en hemm a~habe as sei~ medl im gschenkt hot. (Lnc) A man should wear on his wedding day a shirt which his
bride gave him. Der brautigam muss am hochzeitstage ein hemd tragen, das
ihm die braut gesehenkt hat. Z 137
243. So lang as di hochzichgleder net ausgewore sin hot
mer ken glik. (C, Lb, Lnc, Na, Sn, Y; Neustadt) You will not be lucky until your wedding garments are worn out.
244. Mer w*rt net reich bis mer sei" hochzichgleder ausge-
wore hot, (Mt,Na)
You will not be rich until your wedding clothes are worn out.
245. Wammer heiert muss mer ibern besem schtil tschumpe
fer glik. (Af)
To have luck in married life, jump over a broomstick after the wedding.
246. Wann en par as juscht keiert hen hem kumme misse
si ibern besem schritte, no wa?rre si net feVbext.
(Be, Bu, C, Lb, Lnc, Mr, Na, Nu, Sc, Y)
To prevent being bewitched a newly married couple should
step over a broom on entering their house. Wenn ein ehepaar das haus zura erstenmal betritt, muss es
iiber einen beserj schreiten ; dann wird es nieht verhext.
Z 135
MARRIAGE.
247. Warm en nei keiert par 's erscbtmol in ir baus kumme
misse si ioern besem schritte, no wa?rre si net fer- bext. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Mr, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y) When a newly wedded couple enter their own home for the
first time they must step over a broom to prevent their
being bewitched. Wenn ein neues ehepaar das haus zum ersten mal betritt,
muss es &ber einen besen schreiten; dann wird es nicht
verhext. Z 135
248. 'S is scblecht glik fer me as ens ausre familie zu beire
in em jor. (Lh)
It is bad luck for more than one of a family to get married within a year.
6
DREAMS
249. Wammer fa?rm margeesse ferzelt was mer di nackt de-
for' gedr&mt hot wserts wor. (Na; Freiburg) Relate the dream before breakfast and it will come true. C 8 A 589
250. Wammer dramt di geil gengde em daerich gebts
rege. {Na)
Dreaming of a runaway is a sign of ram. Es geht einem etwas dureh. Hlbg.
251. Wammer dramt mer det numierfalle det mer in sinde
falle. (Be, Lnc, 8c)
If you dream of falling you will commit sin.
Dann gibts ungluck. Hlbg.
252. Wammer dramt funre leicht gebts en hockzich. (C,
D, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Y; Heidelberg)
To dream of a funeral means a wedding. C S A 568
253. Wammer dramt fun katze bringt ebber en seriger lige-
schtreit uf wegich em ebse'rtick wann si em beisse. (Be, C, Lnc, Y)
If you dream of cats and especially if you are bitten by
them you will be the subject of a scandal. Dann gibt's streit. Hlbg.
254. Wammer fun milich dramt fallt mer aerik in lib mit
ebber. (Lh, Mr)
Dream of milk and you will fall violently in love. Wenn ein madchen oft von milch traumt, kommt sie zu fall. Wu 228
255. Wammer dramt fun sckne gebts ebbes as em net
basst. (C, Lb, Lh, Mr, Na; Freiburg) Something inopportune will happen if you dream of snow.
74
DREAMS. 75
256. Wanmier fun oier dramt, gebts schtreit. (Af)
Dreaming of eggs indicates a quarrel.
Wenn einem von eiern traumt, so bedeutet es streit und
feindschaft, Alem 19. 166; Z 262 To dream of eggs indicates that something is coming to
cause much annoyance. G Scot 29
257. Wainmer fun drekich wasser dramt bedeits drubel
odern leicht. (Be, D, Lb, Mr, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y) Dreaming of muddy water means trouble or a death. Wenn einem von triibem wasser traumt, so hat man bald
verdruss. D M 2. 29 2 If you dream of dirty water, bad news is at hand. H 31
258. Wammer dramt fun gross un drib wasser schtgerbt
ens. (Af)
Dreaming of high and muddy water is a sign of a death.
259. Wammer fun hell waser dramt bedeits glik (C, I),
Lb, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc, Sn, Y) oder gute neiichkete (Lnc, Y) oder mer grikt gelt gschenkt inseit me munet. (Lnc)
Dreaming of clear water brings good luck or good news or
a present of money within a month. "Wenn man von wasser traumt, ist es ein schlechtes zeichen.
Z 263-266
Dreaming of water, if it be clear, will bring you good news. E 31
260. Wammer dramt fun wasser bedeits drubel odern
leicht. (Af)
Dreaming of water means trouble or a funeral.
Wenn jereand von wasser oder wasche traumt, stirbt je-
mand aus der verwandschaft. D M 2. 421. 61 To dream of water means coming disease. O Scot 29
261. Wammer dramt fun hoch wasser bedeits en dod. (7;
Freiburg)
Dreaming of high water is an omen of death.
262. Fume dode draine bedeit glik. (Be, Lb, Lnc; Heidel- . berg)
It is a good omen to dream of the dead.
76 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
263. Wammer dramt funre leicht gebts rege (Af) oder
hoch wasser. (Sc)
Dreaming of a funeral is a sign of rain or high water. To dream of the dead is a sign of rain. C 8 A 501
264. Es gebt hockzich wammer dramt fume dode. (Y)
Dreaming of the dead means a wedding. Ein traum von sterben bedeutet eine hochzeit in der ver- wandtsehaft, und umgekehrt. L V 94
265. Wammern pgerti macht fer ebber, was mer selli nacht
dramt waert wor. (Bu; Freiburg)
If you give a party for some one, what you dream the
night before the party will come true. - Dreaming about balls, dances etc., indicates good fortune. D Y 177
266. Was mer dramt ame blatz wii mers erschtmol schlSf t
wsert wor. (Af)
What you dream the first night you are in a strange house
will come true. C 8 A 581 Wenn jemand zum erstenmal in ein haus kommt und darin
schlaft, was ihm die erste nacht traumt, das wird wahr.
G R 188
267. Zel di balge im haus wuds erschtmol schlofscht un
was de selli nacht dramscht wa-rt wdr. (C, D, Sc, Y)
Count the crossbeams in the house m which you are sleep- ing for the first time and your dreams will come true.
268. Wammer ime neie oder f remme haus schloft soil mer
di dreppe zele iberm schteknufge". Was mer selli nacht dramt wsert wor. (Af)
Wer zum erstenmal in ein neues haus oder gemach kommt und darin schlaft, was ihm die erste nacht traumt, wird wahr. G 3. 123
269. Wammer dramt mer hett en za~ ferl5re schtserbt ens
aus der familie. (Be, Lb, Lh, Na, Sc; Heidelberg) If you dream of having lost a tooth, some one in your fam- ily will die.
DREAMS.
77
If you dream that your teeth fall out, it signifies much sick- ness. E 31 ; cf C S A 552.
270. Dei" beschter freind sehtaerbt wannde dramscht du
hettscht en za" ferlore. (Sc)
You will lose your most intimate friend if you dream that
you had lost a tooth. If you dream of having a front tooth drop out, you will
lose a near relative. C 8 A 552
271. Wammer dramt mer grecht en za" geroppt uns det
aerik blute schtserbt en ganz nekschter freint. (Be, Lb, Na)
If you dream that there was profuse bleeding after the extraction of a tooth, a near relative will die.
272. Wammer dramt mer grecht der federscht za" geroppt
sehtaerbt en nekschter freind. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mr, Sc, Sn, Y)
If you dream of having your front tooth extracted you will lose a near relative.
273. Wammer dramt mer grecht en za" geroppt uns det
we, schta?rbt en ferwanter oder ens aus der familie.
(C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Sc, Sn; Heidelberg) '
If you dream of the painful extraction of a tooth, a relative
or a member of your family will die. Teeth, to dream of, are the most unlucky of all things. H 31
274. Wammer dramt mer grecht en za" geroppt uns det net
we, sehtaerbt en freind. (D, Lb, Lnc, Na, Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg)
Dreaming of the painless extraction of a tooth forebodes the death of a friend.
275. Wammer dramt mer kennt di gleder net finne, will
mer aergets hi" aber mer kummt net hi". (C, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, Nu, Y; Heidelberg) Dreaming that you cannot find your clothes is a sign that you will wish to go somewhere but will not succeed.
78 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
276. Mer hert b&U fun re leicht wanimer dramt mer det
fil esse sene. {Be, C, Lb, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Nu, Sn, Y) If you dream of a big meal you will soon hear of a funeral. Der traum von einer grossen mahlzeit bedeutet einen todes-
fall. Z f D M 2. 100 Dreaming of eating portends sickness and death. H 29
277. Fun re hoehzick drame bedeit en leicht. (C,Lb, Lnc, Mt, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y) To dream of a wedding means a funeral. Wenn einem von hochzeiten traumt, bedeutet es einen bal-
digen todesfall in der verwandt- oder nachbarschaft. Z 397
To dream of a wedding is grief and death will follow. Ir 2. 110
Was mer Freidaknachts dramt wsert wor. (Nu; Kaiser slautern)
"What you dream on Friday night will come true. Friday night's dream, on the Saturday told, Is sure to come true, be it ever so old. D Eng 243
Wammer dramt fume dode gebts wischt wetter. (C, D, Lb, Lh, Mr. Na; Heidelberg)
To dream of the dead is a sign of rain. C 8 A 501; 0 Scot 29.
280. Mer grikt schtreit wammer dramt fun katze. (Bu, C,
Lnc, Na)
Dream of eats and you will quarrel.
281. Wammer dramt fume sehwaerze gaul grikt mern
brif. (C)
y Dream of a black horse and you will receive a letter, cf. C S A 486
282. Wammer dramt fun schl^nge un ferzelts der nekscht
dak gebts schtreit. {Lb)
If you dream of snakes and relate your dream next day a quarrel will ensue.
278.
279.
DREAMS.
79
283. Wainnier dranit fun schlange gebts schtreit. (Af)
To dream of snakes means enemies. C S A 474
284. Wammer dramt fun schwaerze geil gebt's schtreit,
(Bu, Lh, Mt, 8c)
Dreaming of black horses is a sign of a quarrel.
OMENS AND WISHES
285. Wann em di horschpelle net bleibe wolle will ebber
zu em schwetze. (C, Lnc, Na, Nu, Y) If your hairpins keep coming out some one is thinking of you and wants to talk to you.
286. Wann en weibsmensch ir schferz flikt hot si ken glik
me. (Be, Lh, Lnc; Heidelberg)
If a woman mends her apron she spoils her luck.
287. Wannd iberm karteschpile gewinne witt, sottscht en
firblettrich gleblat im sak drage. (Lh) Carry a four-leafed clover in your pocket, if you would win at cards.
The possessor of the four leafed shamrock will have luck in gambling and racing. Ir 2. 103
288. Wann msergets en schpinn gegich em kummt kammer
bsuch ekschpekte. (Lb, Lnc)
If a spider comes toward you in the morning you may ex- pect company.
289. Wann en schpinn maergets gege em kummt grikt mer
schtreit. (Lnc, Y)
If a spider comes toward you in the morning you will have a quarrel.
290. Wammer ebber ebbes schterfes oder schpitziches
schenkt, f erschneits di lib onless' si gebe der en sent. (Lnc)
Presenting anyone with a sharp or pointed gift will sever friendship unless a cent is given in return.
If a small coin or other article be given in exchange for a knife, etc. given as a present, no evil result will fol- low. E Y 46
291. Wann sich blose nf der kaffi schtelle, soil mer si grad
abschame, sell is geld. (^4/)
80
*
OMENS AND WISHES. 81
Bubbles on a cup of coffee signify money.
A sediment of the sugar in the form of froth rising to the
top of the cup of tea is a sign that a present of money
is coming. V S L 2. 1. 318 ; C S A 714
292. Di blose as sich ausewennich rum uf der kaffi schtelle
sin geld. (Lb)
The bubbles collecting on coffee on the rim of the cup are money.
293. Di blose wu sich uf der kaffi schtelle soli mer esse.
(Y)
Eat the bubbles collecting on coffee.
294. Wammer fserm mserge esse nist grikt mer seller dak
bsuch. (Be, Lb, Lnc, Y)
Sneezing before breakfast is a sign of company that day. C S A 786
295. Wammer ebbes winscht wann en schtaern fallt waerts
war. (Af)
A wish made when a shooting star falls will come true.
Wenn man, wahrend man eine sternschnuppe fallen sieht,
einen wunsch tut, geht er in erfullung. Z 1069 If you see a shooting star, the wish you form before its dis- appearance will be fulfilled. V S L 2. 1. 280; C S A 458.
296. Wammer Sunndaks di finger oder zee negel abschneit,
muss mer sich noch scheme. (Af; Lustman)
It you cut your nails on Sunday you will do something
you are ashamed of before the week is out. C S A 618 It is unlucky to cut one 's nails on Sunday. E 54
297. Wammer runde lecher in di schusole laft, wsert mer
reich. (Af)
Wearing round holes in the soles of your shoes is a sign of riches.
Wer ein rundes loch in die schuhsohle tritt wird reich. A 81. 397
To wear out shoes and stockings on the ball or sole of the foot brings money. V S L 2. 43
82
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
298. Wamnier sich am disch ebbes nemmt un 's fallt em,
sakt mer: wier hot mers fergunnt. (Af)
If you are helping yourself to some food at the table and
it falls, you usually say: who has begrudged it to me? Wenn ein stuck brot aus der hand fallt, ist es einem nicht
gegonnt. Z 291
299. Wann em die hand beisst soil mer si an holz reifie.
(Nu)
If your hand itches, rub it on wood.
300. Wamme mensch di federschte ze" weit ausenanner
schten, get er weit fun hem. (Bu) A person whose incisors are far apart will travel far from home.
"Wer weit auseinander stehende zahne hat. macht grosse jreisen. Z 263
301. Wamme weibsmensch der frak hinne nufgedret is
soil si druf schpautze, no grikt si en neier. (Y) If a woman's dress is turned up in the back she should spit on it ; then she will get a new dress.
302. Wammern lod hoi sent un grad druf winscht un di
I6d no nimmi a~gukt, wrert em sei" wunsch wor. (Lh, Na; Heidelberg)
When you see a load of hay, make a wish onjt ; do not look at the hay again and your wish will come true.
303. Wammern sehtrel falle losst wsert mer disappoint
oder mer muss sich scheme. (Lnc, Nu)
If while combing your hair you drop the comb ,you will be
disappointed or have cause for shame. Dann gibt es was, wo einem nicht passt. Hlbg.
304. Wann em di nas beisst grikt mem boss. (Lb, F)
If your nose itches, you will be kissed.
305. Wann em die n&s beisst grikt mern brif. (Be, D,
Lnc, Mt, Na, Y)
If your nose itches you will get a letter.
Beisst es einem in der nase, so erfahrt man bald eine neu-
igkeit. B S 33 p. 125 ; Z 161 ; 8 E S 251
OMENS AND WISHES.
33
306. Wann em der arsch beisst ments en gut butterjor.
(Af)
An itching anus indicates a good butter year. Juckt einem der riicken. so wird die butter wohlfeiler. Z f D M.S. 175
307. Wainmern weisser gaul sent sent nier glei en rot-
kopp. (C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y) See a white horse, meet a red head.
308. En teleffel falle bedeit as mer disappoint waert. (Be,
C, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y ; Freiburg) The falling of a teaspoon indicates a disappoinment.
309. Wann en grosser leffel fallt kummt en bretmaul ins
haus. {Be, Na)
When a large spoon falls a braggart or an impudent per- son will soon appear. . . . .Dann kommt ein " sprichglobber ". Hlbg.
310. E~ hane gret : do is gut wune ; der anner gret : 's waert
net lang ware. (Af; Freiburg)
One cock crows, it is good to be here ; the other, don 't crow, it won 't last long.
311. Wann ens am schpigel schtet un 's schtellt sick ens
hinne ans un gukt nei'wrerts disappoint. (Be, Lnc, Na, Sn, Y)
Looking over one's shoulder into a mirror will cause dis- appointment.
312. Wann ens am schpigel schtet un 's schtellt sich ens
hinne dra" un gukt nei~ muss sell sich noch scheme. (D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Nu, Sc; Freiburg) Looking over some one's shoulder into a mirror will bring shame.
313. Wann ens n&chts im bett nfst is di nekscht n§cht ens
me oder ens wenicher. (Lh; Freiburg) If you sneeze in bed, some one will come or depart within a day.
84
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
314. Wamnier maergets grad aus em bett schpringt wam-
mer waker waert, fallt mer nocli seller dak. (Bu,
Lh, Mt, Na; Kaiser slant em)
Jump out of bed immediately on getting awake and you will have a fall during the day.
315. Wammer sich ebbes am disch nemmt wu mer schun
dafun uf em deller hot, seclit mer gewenlich: es kummt noch ebber hungriehes oder armes. (A/; Freiburg)
The taking of an article of food at the table which you al- ready have on your plate indicates the coming of a poor or hungry person.
316. Wannd en schpinn a'dreffscht sottscht si ferdrike, no
grikscht ken wei hand. (Be, C, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Nu,
Sc, Sn, Y) oders besding. (Mr)
Killing a spider at sight prevents sore hands ; or felons.
317. Wffir sich 's letscht schtik br5t uf em deller nemmt
gebt en alt medel. (Af; Freiburg) Whoever eats the last piece of bread will be an old maid. C 8 A 1277
318. Wammer ebbes net so as es en ring maclit gebts en
hochzich. (Bu, C, Lh, Mr, Y)
If in sewing the material curls into a ring, it signifies a wedding.
319. Wann em di nas beisst kummt en schpilicher, en
schtibelniann. (Be, C, Lh, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc, Sn; Freiburg)
If your nose itches it is a sign that a passionate person is coming to see you.
320. Wann der hund uf em schwanz rumfart gebts hoch-
zich. (B, Lnc, Y ; Freiburg)
If a dog slides on his rump it signifies a wedding.
321. Wann en medel peift muss si schur en hurekind uf-
zige. (Be, Lh, Lnc, Y ; Niirtingen)
A whistling girl will surely have a bastard child.
OMENS AND WISHES.
85
322. Wammer der bruschtgnoche fume hinkel ferbrecht,
des as es kaerz schtik grikt heiert 's erscht. (Be, Bu, C, Lh, Mr, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc, Sn) ; 's letscht (Y) When breaking the wishbone of a chicken, the one who gets
the shorter piece will be the first to marry; the last. Whoever in pulling the merry thought of fowl apart gets
the smaller half will be the first to marry. V S L 2. 332
323. Wammer der bruschtgnoche fume hinkel ferbrecht,
des, was di schipp grikt lebt lenger as des was di gruphak grikt, danns hot di schipp fer helfe 's an- ner zu begrabe. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Nu, Y; Stuttgart)
When breaking the wishbone of a chicken, the person get- ting the longer piece will die first, (lit. the person get- ting the shovel will live longer than the person getting the mattock, for he has the shovel with which to help bury the other.)
324. Wammer uf bsuch get un schtoipert mit em rechte
fus eb mer ins haus kummt is mer willkomme. Wammer mit em linke schtoipert gengt mer besser wider hem . (Af)
If in going visiting you stumble with the right foot you will be welcome ; but if you stumble with the left foot, you had better return home at once. C S A 1328
Wenn man stolpert, ist man nicht willkommen. Hlbg.
325. Wann zwe uf emol in der schpigel guke waert ens
defun disappoint. {Be, C, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg)
Of two persons looking into a mirror at the same time, one will be disappointed.
326. Wammern schpigel ferbrecht muss mern hurekind
ufzige. (Lnc; Heidelberg)
Breaking a mirror is a sign that you will have to raise an illegitimate child.
327. Wammern schpigel ferbrecht gebts en hochzich. (Be,
Bu, Lh, Lnc. Sc; Freiburg) Breaking a mirror forbodes a wedding.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
:8. Es gebt bsuch warm di katz sich wescht. (Af) A cat washing itself foretells visitors. Wenn sich die katze putzt, bedeutet es einen gast. G 3
12;B 8 33. 135; Z f DM 1. 237 If the cat washes her face— a stranger. V 8 L 2. 1. 306
29. Warm di katz sich wescht un fart ibers or warts
wor. (D,Nu)
If the cat passes her paw over the ear when washing, things
will come true, i. e., visitors. "Wenn die katze sich putzt iiber die ohren, Dann kommt der ritter rait stiefel und sporen. Z f D M
2. 102
30. Warm em di links hand beisst grikt mer geld. (Af;
Heidelberg)
Itching of the palm of the left hand means that it will
soon receive money. C 8 A 726 An itching palm indicates money. lr 2. 106.
331. Wanns fil gnebb in der nets gebt wammer am nee is
scharrt mer §me hochzichgled. (Af) If the thread kinks badly in sewing, it is a sign of a wed- ding.
Wenn beim nahen viele nadeln abbrechen, naht man an
einem hochzeitskleid. Hlbg. If cotton knots in working, speedy marriage of the person
for whom the article of clothing i§ intended. V 8 L 2.
1. 319 ; C 8 A 401
332. Wammer ebbes neies esst vrd mer sell jor noch net
gesse hot kat, soil mer druf winsche, no werts wor was mer winscht. (C, D, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sc; Heidelberg)
If you wish on the first thing you eat in the season, the
wish will come true. C 8 A 442 Dann wiinsche: "so was gutes mochtest du jeden tag
haben." Hlbg. A wish is formed on first eating any fruit or vegetable tor
the first time in the season that produces it. V 8 L 2.
1. 180
OMENS AND WISHES.
87
333. Es bedeit hochzich wammer di schtek nuf fallt. (Be,
Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc; Freiburg) Falling up a stairs is a sign of a wedding. If you stumble up stairs you will be married the same year. V S L 2. 1. 321.
334. Wamraer di schtek nuf fallt grikt mer fer sirJe jor ken rnann. (Be, D, Lh, Lnc, 8c; Freiburg) Tumble up stairs and you will not get married within seven
years.
Tumble up stairs and you will not get married within the year. C 8 A 377
Wann em di fiissol beisst bedeits as mer uf neier grand kummt. (Be, Bu, C, Lb, Lh, Na, Nu, Sn, Y) If the sole of your foot itches you will walk over strange ground.
The itching of the sole of the foot is an omen that you will walk over strange ground. V S L 2. 1. 285 ; 8 & C 8 13
En teblatt in seim te finne ment bsuch; wanns haert is, kummt en niannskserl; wann week, en weibs- mensch.
If you find a tea stem in the tea, it is a sign you will have a visitor. If it is hard, it is a man ; if soft, a woman. C S A 776
Wenn man ein teeblatt in dem tee findet, pflegt man zu
sagen: "das bedeutet auch wieder besuch". Hlbg. A floating teastalk indicates a beau. V 8 L 2. 1. 318
337. Wann der hane zu der dir nei" gret gebts bsuch. (Af;
Heidelberg)
If the cock crows into the room you may expect visitors. The crowing of the cock on the threshold indicates the ar- rival of strangers. G Scot U0;CP&P 549
338. Sing fer sir3e un du heilscht fer elfe. (C, D, Lb, Lnc,
Mt, Na, Sc, ¥) Sing before seven Cry before eleven.
Wer am morgen lacht. weint am abend. Z 327
335.
336.
88
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
It was accounted unlucky to sing before breakfast. G Scot 31 ; 0 S A 1316
339. Wann zwe sich aus em seme wasser wesche warn si
sclitreitich fer nacht. (Af)
Two persons washing in the same water will quarrel before night.
Wenn zwei menschen sich in demselben wasser waschen,
gibt es streit. Fit 314 If two persons wash their hands together in the same basin
they will be sure to fall out before bed time. H N C 112
340. Wann sich zwe aus em seme wasser wesche, fechte si
wanns zwet nei~ schpaut. (Bu, D, Lnc, Na, Nu, Y; Heidelberg)
If two persons use the same water to wash they will quarrel unless the one who washes last spits into the water.
Wash in the same water with another and you will fall out before night. Either spit in the water or make a cross in the soapsuds. V S L 2. 157
341. Mer soli sich net zu zwet am seme handduch abdrikle
eksept mer drets rum, schunscht waBrt mer schtreit* ich. (Af)
When two persons wipe their hands on the same towel they will quarrel unless the second one turns it.
Wenn zwei menschen sich an demselben handtuch abtrock- nen, werden sie einander feind. Wu 405
342. Wammer enich ebbes letz a~dut grikt mer ebbes
gschenkt. (Af)
If you put on a garment wrongside out, you will receive a present.
Wer ein kleidungsstiick verkehrt anzieht, hat gliick. A J 250
In case an article of dress is put on accidentally inside out, it is an omen of success. D Y
343. Wammer mit em linkse fuss 's erscht aus em bett get,
get es seller dak alles letz. (Af) If you get up with your left foot first, everything will go wrong that day.
OMENS AND WISHES.
89
Wer mit dem linken fuss zuerst aus dem bett steigt, dem geht den ganzen tag alles verkehrt. B 8 33. 213
344. Wann ens gridlich is sakt mer : du bischt 's hinnerscht
's federscht ufgschtanne. (Af; Heidelberg) One says to a person who is crabbed : ' ' You got up out of bed wrong".
Wer riieklings aus dem bett steigt, dem geht den ganzen tag alles verkehrt. B 8 33. 213
345. Wanirner inaergets hinnerschich aus em bett get, get
em seller dak alles 's hinnerscht federscht. (Af) Things will go wrong all day if you get up backwards. To get out of bed with the left foot first, renders you cross and unfortunate all the day. E Y 44
346. Wann em der schaerzbendel ufget, denkt ebber an em.
(Be, C, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Sn, Y) If your apronstrings become untied, some one is thinking of you.
Wenn ein madchen den schurz verliert, oder das strumpf- band, sagt man, der schatz habe dran gedacht. V A 8 1. 478
To lose your apron or garter shows that your lover is think- ing of you. Com 165; C S A 364
347. En pok uf der zung bedeit as du geloge hoscht.. Schpau
no drei mol ins feier un si get wek. (Nu, Sn)
A pimple on the tongue indicates that you have told an
untruth. Spitting into fire three times will cause it to
disappear.
Wer blasen auf die zunge bekommt, wird sogleich belogen, er soil dreimal ausspeien und dem beliiger alles bose an- wiinschen. G 3. 311
A blister will rise upon one's tongue that tells a lie. V 8 L 2. 1. 296
348. Mit re hausdir oder me schtul zu schpile bedeit schtreit
in der familie. (Be, Lh, Na, Sn; Heidelberg) To play with a door or twirl a chair implies a family quar- rel.
90 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
To twist a chair round on its legs indicates a quarrel. V 8 L 2. 157 ; G 8 A 1279
349. Si sage mer grecht schlek wammer mit re hausdir oder
nie schtul sclipile det. (Be)
To play with a door or a chair forebodes a whipping. Twirling an empty chair indicates that a whipping is in store for the transgressor. C S A 1280
350. Wann ens fil kaffi grauns im koppche hot muss es fil
heile. (C, Lh, Sc, Sn)
Many coffee grounds on the bottom of the cup forebode many tears.
Wann viel kaffeesatz im kumchen ist, muss man viel grei- nen. Hlbg.
351. Wammer fergesst was mer sage hot wolle wars ge-
loge. (Af)
Forgetting what you were about to say is an omen that it
was an untruth. Wer wahrend des sprechens vergisst, was er sagen wollte.
war im begriff . eine luge zu sagen. B S 33 p 136
35-^ Was de winscht uf di erscht schtsern as de senscht w?ert w5r. (Bu, C, T>, Lh, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Nu, Sc, Sn; Heidelherg)
A wish made at the sight of the first star will come true.
353. Wami em der schpillumbe fallt is es erscht wu kummt
en schlapp, oders get eni fsert oder wann keni kummt is mer si seifoert. (Af)
If you drop the dishcloth it is a sign that a slovenly person is coming or leaving, or. in case nobody turns up. you are the sloven yourself.
354. Wars k»rz end fum bruschtgnoche grikt muss 's
erscht schokle. (Sc)
The one who gets the short end of the wishbone will be the first to rock the cradle.
OMENS AND WISHES.
91
355. Warm en dischmesser eberschick uf em disch leit,
gebts schtreit in der familie. (Bu, Lh, Mt, Sn)
A tableknife lying with the edge turned up forebodes a
quarrel in the family. Es ist nicht gut, dass man ein messer auf den riicken lege.
G R 369
356. En no uf der hand, en brif fum land. (Lnc)
A flea on your hand, a letter from the country. Ein floh auf der hand, ein brief vom land. Z 236
357. "Warm noch roifedem ime frak sin wammern a~dut, is
er noch net bezalt, (Af; Freiburg) Putting on a dress with bastingthreads still in it means that it is not paid for.
358. Wammer dserich en schpinneweb laft grikt mer ball
en neier. (Lnc)
Putting on a dress with bastingthreads still in it indicates that you will soon get a new one.
359. Wammer daerieh en schpinneweb laft drefft mern
freint a". (Lnc, Nu; Freiburg)
If you walk through a spider web you will meet a friend.
360. Wann en schpekmaus ins haus flikt is der deibel der-
noch. (Lnc, Sn; Heidelberg) If a bat flies into your house the devil is after you.
361. Me gerechte regerts ins grab, me ungerechte in di
hochzich. (Be, C, D, M r, Na, Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg) It rains on the funeral day of the righteous, and on the wedding day of the unrighteous.
362. Wann iberm nee di nodel ferbrecht, heiert des, fer des
as mers gled macht, ebs gled ausgewore is. (D, Lnc, Y)
If a needle breaks while sewing, the person for whom the dress is being made will be married before it is worn out.
Bricht man drei nadeln ab beim nahen eines kleidungs- stiickes, so wird die tragerin braut darin. A A 5
92
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
363. Wammer an ebbes denkt un nist debei wgerts wor. (Af)
Sneezing while thinking of something is a sign that it will come true.
Beniessen eines vorfalles bedeutet dessen bestatigung. L V 232
364. 'S gebt bsuch wann en scher uf der bode f allt un bleibt
schteke. (Bit, Mr, Mt, Na), odern messer. (Be) A pair of scissors or a knife falling to the ground and
sticking fast indicates visitors. Wenn eine schere oder ein messer auf den boden fallt und
mit der spitze stecken bleibt, kommt ein besuch. Z
244; C 8 A 757
365. Wann der hund sicli in der schtub rollt bedeits bsuch.
(Af; Heidelberg)
A dog rolling on the floor indicates visitors.
366. Wann der hund der kaerpet ufkikt, gebts bsuch. (Nu;
Heidelberg)
If the dog disarranges the carpet, you will have visitors.
367. 86 fil fieke as mer hot uf de nngernegel, so fil jor lebt
mer nochf (D, Lb, Lnc, Na, Y; Heidelberg) The number of spots on your fingernails indicates the num- ber of years that you still have to live. To have white specks on one's fingernails shows that hap- piness is in store. H 51 36S. So fil fleke as mer uf de nngernegel hot, so fil presents grikt mer di Grischdak. (D, Lnc, Mt, Sn) You will receive a Christmas present for each white spot
on your fingernails. Blumen, d. h. flecken auf dem daumen bedeuten geschenke
oder einen gewinn an der lotterie. B S 33. 138 White specks on one's fingernails are sometimes called gifts. H 51 ; C S A 116 369. Der deibel gukt raus wammer nachts in der schpigel gukt. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Nu, Sn, Y) The devil stares at you when you look into a mirror at night.
OMEN'S AND WISHES.
!);;
Welcher des nachts in einen spiegel sieht, der sieht den tcufel darin. Z f D M 3. 315
To look into a mirror at dusk or nighttime, unless the room is well lighted, is not pleasant: for there is a dread of something uncanny peeping over the shoulders; such an apparition would portend death. H 56
370. Fil mike im summer, fil granket. {Bit, Y; Kaiser s-
lautern)
Many flies, much sickness.
371. Warms im summer fil mike hot is ganz wenich eranket
Uf)
Many flies in summer, little sickness.
There is a superstition in Italy that when there are no
flies in summer the cholera is sure to come V S L
2. 627
372.
Mer soli net obeds in der schpigel guke oder mer gukt em deibel in der arseh. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Mr, Na, Nu, Sc, Y)
You will look at the devil's rump if you look into a mir- ror at night.
Wenn man bei der nacht in den spiegel sieht, schaut der
teufel heraus. Z 314 ; G 3. 104 It is ill luck to see one's face in the mirror by candle light
V 8 L 2. 173
373. Wann ems or brennt denkt ebber an em. (C Mt 8c)
Mt, 8c)
If your ear burns, someone is thinking of you. If the ear tingles somebody is talking about you S dk C S 13
374. Warm ems links 5r beisst schwetzt ebber schlecht fun em. (Af)
If your left ear burns, some one is speaking evil about you. Boses wird von einem gesprochen, wenn ihm das linke ohr klingt. Z 195
If one's left ear burns, then the friends are "picking holes in one 's jacket, " H 59
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Wann ems recht or beisst schwetzt ebber gut fun em.
(Af) n .
If the right ear itches, some one is speaking well oi you. Klingt einem das reehte ohr, wird gut von einem gespro- chen. Z 194
If one's right ear gets very hot it shows that one s friends are speaking in laudatory terms of one. H 59
6 Wann ems links or brennt, beisst mer in der schserz un sakt: ich hoff du beisscbt der in di zung. (D,
Lnc, Mr, Y) . ,
If your left ear burns, bite your apron and say : I hope you will bite your tongue.
Wenn einem die ohren klingen, so beisst man in den hnken roek- oder schurzenzipfel oder in den ellbogen, so beisst sich der verleumder auf die zunge. Wu 287 ; G 3. 802
When your left cheek burns, some one is abusing you. A knot tide in the apron-string will cause the slanderer to bite his or her tongue. Corn 170 ; C 8 A 1342
,77. Wann en gabel fallt kummt en mannskserl. (Af) If a fork drops, the visitor will be a man. C 8 A 764
78. Wann en butschermesser fallt kummt der parre. (Be,
C, D, Lnc, Na, Nu, 8c, Y)
If a butcherknife falls it is a sign of a visit from your pastor.
79. Wann en messer fallt kummt en weibsmenseh. (Af;
Freiburg)
If a knife is dropped a woman will come. If you drop a knife, it is a sign a lady is coming to see you. C 8 A 764; D Y 105
380 Mfergets wammer ufscbtet muss mer der rechts fuss 's erscht £Tdu~, schunscht grikt mer sehtreit eb obed. (Be, Bu, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Nu, 8c, Sn, Y; Freiburg) Upon getting up in the morning, clothe the right foot first
to avoid a quarrel during the day. To clothe the left foot before the right is a sign of mis- fortune. D Y 85
OMENS AND WISHES.
9.1
381. Warm zwe leit niinnanner ebbes sage kmmnt noch en
esel. (Lh; Kaiser slantem)
If two persons say the same thing at the same time you may expect an ass.
382. Wammern butze fume inschlichlicht mit em finger ab-
roppt un er brennt em net gleicht sell medel em wu mer selli zeit dra~ denkt. (Be, Bu, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, 8c, Sn, Y)
If you can snuff a tallow candle with the fingers without burning them, the girl whom you are thinking of at the time loves you.
383. Wammer ifcers greitz hands schekd gebts hochzicb.
(Lnc, Na, 8c, Sn, Y; Heidelberg) If you cross arms in shaking hands it is a sign of a wedding.
384. Wann en schpinn gegich em kummt oder is uf em kani-
mer bsuch ekschpekte. (Lb, Lnc; Heidelberg) If a spider comes toward you or gets on you, you will get company.
385. Wammer di hose uf de gni dserich wert waert mer reich.
(D,Mt, Sn)
Wearing holes into the trousers at the knees is a sign of riches.
386. Wammer di hose uf em sitz dasrich wert waert mer arm.
(C,D,Mt, Sc, Sn)
Wearing holes into the seat of the trousers is an omen of poverty.
387. Wammer ebbes esst as mer sell jor noch net gesse hot
kat, soil mer druf winsche; was mer winscht waert
wor. (C, D, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sc)
When eating anything for the first time in a season, make
a wish and the wish will come true. man wiinscht, so was gutes mochte man jeden tag
haben. Hlbg.
96
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
388. Wammer Mundak maergets fer de nein ur geld grikt,
grikt mer fil selli woch after wammer ausgebt fa?r de nein ur muss mer selli woch fil ausgebe. (Af) If you receive money on Monday morning before nine, you will receive money all week; but if you pay out money before nine on Monday morning you will have to pay out money all week.
389. Der butze fum fettliclit weist weller wek as em sei~ bo
hasrkummt. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sn, Y)
The wick of the lard lamp indicates the direction from
which you may expect a beau. oder besuch. Heidelberg.
390. Wann em di nas beisst grikt mer en boss. (Bu, Lb,
Lnc, Sn, Y)
If your nose itches, you will be kissed. If your nose itches, you will be kissed by a fool. V S L 2. 1. 284
391. Wann em di nas beisst grikt mer schtreit. (Bu, C, D,
Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sc) If the nose itches it is a sign of a quarrel. Juckt einem die nase, so reizt man einem zum zorn. Z f D M 3. 175 ; C S A 1355 ; V S L 2. 1. 284.
392. Wann em di nas beisst waert mer bes seller dak. (Mi)
If your nose itches you will become angry during the day. Itching of the nose is an omen that you will be crossed. V 8 L 2. 1. 284
393. Wann em die nas beisst grikt mern brif. (^4/)
If your nose itches, you will receive a letter. C S A 1361 An itching in the nose indicates that a letter is lying in the postoffice for you. G Scot 27
394. Wann ems recht ak beisst sent mer ebbes gaern; es
links, net gsern. (Af)
If your right eye itches you will see something pleasing; the left, something disagreeable.
OMENS AND WISHES.
97
Wenn einem vormittags das reehte auge beisst, so wird man etwas gern sehen; wenn das linke, so hat man leid. Wu 218
Itching of the right eye — you will laugh; itching of the left, you will cry. V S L 2. 1 286 ; C 8 A 1349, 1350
395. So fil dubbe as mer uf de fingernegel hot, so fil j5r
lebt mer noch. {D, Lb, Na, Nu, Sc)
The number of spots on your fingernails indicates the num- ber of years you will live.
So viele weissen "dubbe" auf den fingernageln, so viele jahre muss man wartdh, bis man heiratet. Hlbg.
■
LUCK AND OMENS OF LUCK
396. Nagel en hufeise otJich di dir fer glik. {Be, Bu, Lh,
Mt)
Nail a horseshore over the door for luck.
Ein auf der strasse gefundenes hufeisen, welches auf die haustiir genagelt wird, mit der offenen seite nach aussen,
ist eine machtige schutzwehr gegen alle bosen geister
Wu 130
397. Wann em en loch in der schserz brennt grikt mer dru-
b~el wus loch is. Wanns fanne is kummt der drubel ; wann hinne, is er ferbei. (Lnc, Nu; Heidelberg) A hole burned into an apron is a bad omen. If the hole is in the front of the apron trouble and sorrow are in store for you ; if in the back, they are past.
398. En schaufel oder grubhak ins haus zu nemme bringt
schlecht glik. (Nu; Kaiser slant em)
It is unlucky to take a shovel or mattock into the house.
399. Wanns erscht as di neijor in em sei" haus kummt en
weibsmensch is bedeits unglik fer sell jor; en mann, glik. {D, Lnc, Y; Heidelberg)
If the first visitor on New Year's is a woman, you will have
bad luck all year • if a man, good luck. Of. V A 8 1. 469 ; Z f B M 2. 421
400. Wammer dehem fsertget faer uf bsuch ge" un 's
sehpringt em en katz iber der wek gengt mer juseht so gut hem. (7)
If when leaving home to make a visit a cat crosses your path you would just as well turn back.
401. Wammer schisse get un's sehpringt en katz faer em
iber di schtross det mer besser rumdree un hem ge". (Be, C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sn, Y) If a cat crosses your path when starting out to go hunt- ing, you would better turn back.
98
LUCK AND OMENS OP LUCK.
99
402. Wammern schwaerzi kgtz schpot nachts a~drefft be-
deits schlecht glik ; en weissi, gutes. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc, Y)
Meeting a black cat late at night indicates bad luck; a
white one, good luck. Eine iiber den weg laufende katze, besonders eine schwarze,
bedeutet ungliick. Wu 200
403. En schpinn dodmache bringt em schlecht glik. (Bu, • Mt)
Killing a spider brings bad luck.
Man darf vormittags keine spinne toten. Wu 206
404. Mer dseri bei leibe net uf en pement gret drete, oder
mer hot unglik. (Lnc; Heidelberg) Absolutely never step on a grating in a pavement, it brings bad luck.
405. Es bedeit gut glik wammern freint net grad kennt
wammern a~drefft. (Lnc; Heidelberg)
It is a sign of good luck not to recognize a friend alone.
406. Wammer em Homan sei" buch net im haus hot hot mer
ken glik. (Lnc, Y)
The possession of Hohmann's "Long Lost Friend" brings good luck.
407. Mer d»rf net unich me geilskopp dasrich schluppe, mer
hot ken glik. (Lb, Lnc, Mr, Sc, Y) To pass under a horse's head brings bad luck. Wenn eine schwangere frau zwischen dem leib und dem kopf eines tieres durehgeht, so kann sie dann nicht ge- baren, wenn sie nicht wahrend der geburtswehen wieder zwischen dem leib und dem kopf eines tieres ruckwarts durehgeht. L 369
408. Iber ebber sei" schulter in der schpigel guke bringt
schlecht glik. (Be, C, Lnc, Mr, Nu, Sc, Y; Neustadt) Looking into a mirror over some one 's shoulders brings bad luck.
100
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
409. Wammer mst bedeits gut glik un mer sakt als : gsund-
het. (Af)
Sneezing presages good luck and the customary salutation
is: "Your health!" The customary salutation is: "God bless you." C P & P
540.
410. Wann en weibsmensch der schoerz axidentally letz a~-
dut grikt si ebbes geschenkt. (Mt; Heidelberg) Putting on an apron wrongside out by mistake presages a gift.
411. Wann en weibsmensch der schserz unwissend letz
a~dut is si gliklieh. Wann si en rumdret gebts en unglik in der familie. (Af; Heidelberg) Accidentally putting on one's apron wrongside out is lucky; turning it will bring accident or misfortune.
4.12. Wammer geld finnt soil mors net ausgebe oder mer gebt sei~ glik wek. (Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, 8c, Sn)
To find money and keep it insures good luck. C 8 A 718 It is ill luck to keep found money, therefore it should be spent. C P & P 531
413. Der links hinnerscht fuss fume lias as mer nachts ime
kferichhof schisst bringt em glik wammern nodrakt.
(Be, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Nu, Sn, Y)
Wearing the left hind foot of a rabbit shot at night time in a cemetery brings good luck.
Die pfoten des fliichtigen und mit offenen augen schlafen- den hasen auf dem leib getragen sind fiir den rekruten ein mittel, militarf rei zu werden ; sie bringen, neben das kopfkissen gelegt, gesunden schlaf. B M 21
414. Wann di fenschtre scliittle un 's is net windich, oder
der of e gracht, oder wanns enichi zucht im haus gebt wu ken ursaeh derfor is gebts en unglik (C, D, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, 8c; Heidelberg) ; oder sehta?rbt ebber. (Y; Heidelberg)
LUCK AND OMENS OF LUCK.
101
If the windows rattle and it is not windy, or if the stove cracks, or if there is any inexplicable noise in the house, it forebodes accident or death.
415. En lerer dodewage a'dreff e bedeit unglik ; en gfillter,
glik. (Be, Lnc, Sc; Heidelberg)
Meeting an empty hearse is unlucky; one containing a corpse, lucky.
416. Wammer sich margets a*dut uns reisst en gnopp ab,
bedeites en unglik seller dak. (Lnc, Y) Tearing off a button when dressing in the morning is a bad omen.
Wenn morgens beim ankleiden ein knopf losbricht, bedeu- tet es ungliick fiir den betreffenden tag. Z 241
417. Wann en katz an em vorbei get is es gut glik ; en hund,
schlecht, (Nu ; Freibu rg )
A cat passing you brings good luck ; a dog, bad luck.
418. Gewittere uf der Himmelfa?rdak bringe unglik. (Lnc)
Thunderstorms on Ascension Day bring bad luck.
419. Wammer drei loges fligel in der hut dut hot mer fil
glik ebbes zu finne. (Lh)
Wearing three locust wings in one's hat gives exceptional luck in finding things.
420. Wammer gens a~drefft bedeits en unglik. (Be, Lnc;
Kaiser slautern)
To meet geese is a sign of bad luck.
421. Wann em sei~ fingernegel weisse blake hen blits hols
noch fer em sei~ lad. (Be, C, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, 8c) White spots on the fingernails indicate that the wood for
one's coffin is still in the tree. Wer an den daumennageln weisse flecken hat, bleibt in sei-
nem vaterland. O 3. 1070 Weisse flecken auf den nageln der rechten hand bedeuten
gliick. Z 191
422. Wann em di rechts hand beisst grikt mern haudidii'.
(Af)
102 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
If your right hand itches you will shake hands with some one.
Itching of the right hand indicates that one is soon to meet a stranger with whom he will shake hands. 8 H S 259
423. Wann di hinkel gree un di weibsleit peife is es en
scklechti sein. (Af)
It is a bad omen to hear a hen crowing or a woman whist- ling.
Wenn ein madchen pfeift, so weint unsre liebe frau. Z f D M 430
A crowing hen, a whistling girl and a black cat are con- sidered most unlucky. Ir 2. 63
424. Wammer ime fasst hot nier gut glik, aber mer muss
si sergets schunscht bei grige. (Be, 8c, Y; Kaisers- lantern)
It is a sign of good luck to hive stray bees. It is considered lucky for a stray swarm of bees to settle near your house. Com 137
425. Wann re fra der schferz ufget un er fallt re ab, ferltrt
si ir mann. (Be, C, Lh, Lnc, Mt, No, Nu, ¥)
If a woman's apronstrings become untied and the apron
falls to the floor she will lose her husband. Verliert ein frau oder magd auf der gasse das strumpfband,
so ist ihr der mann oder freier ungetreu. G 3. 124; C
S A 365
426. Wammer di sehtrimp unbedenkt letz a~dut grikt mer
ebbes geschenkt. (D, Lb, Lnc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg) Accidentally putting on the stockings wrong side out
means a present. It is lucky to put on stockings wrongside out, but unlucky
to turn them on discovering the mistake. D Y 85
427. Wammer der schaerz letz a~dut, soil mem so losse oder
mer tschentscht sei" glik. (Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Sc,8n,Y)
Changing an apron put on wrong side out alters the luck. Changing a garment put on wrong side out altera the luck. VSL2.28
J
-
LUCK AND OMENS OF LUCK. 103
428. Warnmer uf me greizwek geld finnt, soil mers leie
losse, schunscht hot mer unglik. (Be, Bu, C, Lb, Lnc, Mt)
Never pick up money from crossroads, it will bring bad luck.
Wenn man auf einem kreuzwege geld findet, soil man es
liegen lassen. Z 319 It is a bad omen to find money. D Y 132 ; G P & P 477
429. Wann em di recht hand beisst grikt mer seller dak
noch geld. (Af; Heidelberg)
If the right hand itches, you will receive money. C S A 724
Itching of the palm of the right hand indicates a gift. V S L 2. 1. 283
430. Wann en komet' am himmel schtet gebts grik. (Af) A comet is a sign of war. Ein komet bedeutet krieg. Z 1065 ; Wu 196 Comets announce the approach of wars, seditions, changes
of kingdoms and the like. V S L 2. 556
Warnmer mol dehem abgschtjert hot fer aergets hi~ ge~ un mer hot ebbes fergesse, soil mer net zurikge" fers hole, oder mer hot ken glik. (Af)
It is unlucky to turn back for anything after you have set out.
Wer aus dem hause geht und etwa^ vergessen hat, darf nicht wieder umkehren um es zu holen, sonst hat er an dem tage kein gliick. Braucht er das vergessene notwen- dig so muss er es durch einen anderen holen lassen. B S 33. 139
It is ill luck to go back for any purpose after having set out. VSL2. 172; CS A 656
432. Warnmer sich after im haus hi" hokt warnmer zurik- gange is ebbes zu hole nochdem as mer schun gschtsert hot kat fer aergets hi~ ge~, hot mer doch glik. (D, Lb, Lh)
431.
i
104
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
If you sit down for a moment when you return home to get something which you had forgotten until after you had set out, you will avert misfortune.
If however you are compelled to it, fail not to sit down. It averts some of the evil. V S L 2. 172 ; C S A 658
433. Wanimer f erresf soil merm erschte bettelmann as mer
sfdrefft en daler gebe, no hot mer glik. (Lh, Na;
Heidelberg)
You will have a successful journey if you give a dollar to
the first beggar whom you meet. It is bad luck to refuse charity to a beggar woman, when
setting out on a journey. V S L 2. 161
434. Unnere leder da?rich lafe bringt schleckt glik. (Lb,
Lnc, Mr, Sc; Heidelberg) Passing under a ladder brings bad luck. Dr. Johnson objected to going under a ladder. C P & P 478
It is ill luck to walk under a ladder set against a wall. V S L 2. 162
435. Wainmern rotkopp a~drefft un sent net giei en weisser
gaul gebts en unglik. (Bu)
If you meet a redhead and do not soon see a white horse you will have an accident.
To meet a man with red hair or a woman with a red pet- ticoat the first thing in the morning forebodes evil. Ir 2. 114
436. Mer djerf ken omberell' ini haus ufschpanne
scliunseht gebts en unglik. (Af)
Opening an umbrella in the house means bad luck.
Es gibt streit. Elbg.
Opening an umbrella in the house brings trouble to your- self or the inmates. V S L 2. 148 ; C 8 A 705
437. Schwalme soli mer keni schisse oder dodschlage, mer
hot ken glik. (Af)
You will have no luck if you shoot or kill swallows.
t.
LUCK AND OMENS OP LUCK.
105
Man soil keine schwalben schiessen, derm das bringt un-
gliick. Z f DM 2. 420 It is unlucky to kill a swallow. E 54
Warm ein nachts di zwe ore singe bedeits gut glik. (Nu)
Both ears tingling at night is a good omen.
Both left and right
Are good at night. C S A 1347
Tingling of the ears, you will hear sudden news. V S L 2. 1. 286
Warm en fremmer mann ame haus zu enre dir nei'get un zu re annere naus, nemmt er de leit ir glik mit. (Af; Heidelberg)
A stranger entering your home by one door and leaving it by another takes away your luck.
Wammer in en haus get soil nier sich setze oder mer nemmt de leit di ru. (Be, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, 8c, Sn, Y) Always sit down when you enter a house or you will rob
the family of its peace. "Wenn man jemand in seinem hause besucht soli man sich
setzen, sonst nimmt man die ruhe mit. B S 33. 135
En fremmer mann muss sich immer hilioke wann er an en fremm haus kummt oder er nemmt de leit di ru. (Be, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Na, 8c, Sn, Y) On entering a house a stranger must always be seated or he
will rob the family of its peace. Geht ein fremder aus dem zimmer ohne sich gesetzt zu
haben, so nimmt er ruhe und frieden mit fort. A A 15
Wann en hund unich me fenschter heilt bedeits un- glik. (Be, D, Lb, Lnc, Mt, Na, Sn) The whining of a dog beneath a window is a sign of bad luck.
Hundeheulen bedeutet ungliick. G 3. 159
Wann dern schwserzi katz io"er der wek laft gebts en unglik. (Bu, C, Lb, Mr, Mt, Na) If a black cat crosses your path it is a bad omen.
106 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
It is an Irish superstition that if you go on a journey and meet a eat you should turn back. Ir 2. 20
444. Mer hot glik seller dak wammer maergets drei mol
ntsst. (Be, Lnc, Mt)
Sneezing thrice in the morning brings luck for the day. Wenn man friih morgens dreimal niest bedeutet es gliick oder eine angenehme iiberraschung. Z 234
445. Mer daerf ntmand as fsertget no'guke oders hot ken
glik. (Lnc)
Never watch a person out of sight, for it will bring bad luck
It is unlucky to watch any one out of sight. H N C 117 ; C8A 1304
446. Warm en schpinn maergets gegich em kummt bringt si
em glik seller dak. (Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Sn, Y) A spider approaching you in the morning is an omen of good luck.
Eine spinne, welche sich dem mensehen des morgens nahert (ihm in den weg lauft) bringt gliick. des nachmittags un-
gliick fiir den tag. B S 33. 135; G 3. 134 When a spider is found on our clothes we use to say, some
money is coming toward us. E N C 111
447. En grixel ime haus ment glik. (Be, D, Lb, Lnc, Mt)
oder unglik. (Be, 8c)
A cricket in the house is an omen of luck or of misfortune. Grillen in dem hause bedeuten gliick. Z 783; G 3. 313 The cricket is looked upon as the most lucky inmate of a
house and woe to the person who may happen to kill
one. W Ir. 74
448. Wammern schpel ufhebt mit em kopp gegich em hot
mer unglik. (Lh, 8c, Sn)
Picking a pin with the head toward you will bring bad luck.
Man darf kein spitziges ding aufheben. Hlbg.
449 Wann en schpel uf em bodem leit mit em kopp gegich em bedeits glik. (Be, C, Lb, Mr, Na, Sn, Y)
LUCK AND OMENS OF LUCK. 107
A pin on the floor with the head toward you brings good luck.
450. Wammern schpel sent leie mit em sehpitzick end
gegich em is es glik. (Lb)
It is lucky to see a pin lying with the point toward you.
451. En schpel ufhebe bringt glik. (Af; Heidelberg)
Picking up a pin brings good luck. See a pin and pick it up,
AU the day you'll have good luck. 8 & C 8 9 ; D Y 98
452. Wamniern finfblettrich gleblatt finnt hot mer fil glik.
(Be, Bu, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Nu) To find a five-leafed clover is very lucky. Gegen verhexung soli gut sein, wenn man funfblatterigen klee bei sich tragt. V A 8 1. 330
453. Wammern finfblettrich gleblat finnt hot mer ken glik.
(C, D, Mr, Na, Sc, Sn)
To find a five-leafed clover is unlucky. C S A 699 "Wenn man einen fiinfklee findet, bedeutet es ungliick. Z 924
454. Es gebt en unglik wammern finfblettrich gleblat finnt.
(Na, Sn)
Finding a five-leaved clover is a sign of bad luck.
455. En schreksagicher mann a'zudreffe bedeit glik. (Be,
C, Lnc, Na, Y ; Neustadt) Meeting a crosseyed man brings luck. It is good luck to meet a squinting person of the opposite sex. V S L 2. 20
456. En schreksagicher mann a'dreffe bedeit unglik. (Sn)
Meeting a crosseyed man means bad luck.
457. Es bedeit unglik en sckreksagichi fra a"zudreffe.
(Be, C, Lnc, Na, Y; Neustadt) It is bad luck to meet a cross-eyed woman. It is good luck to meet a squinting person of the opposite sex. V S L 2. 20
108
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
458. Wammer di schtek nuf fallt hot mer glik. (Be, Lnc,
Nu, Y)
Falling up steps brings good luck.
To tumble up stairs brings good luck. V 8 L 2. 20
459. Wann msergets 's erscht as ins haus kumt en manns-
ka3rl is hot mer glik. (Be, Lnc; Heidelberg)
If the first person to visit you in the morning is a man, it
will bring you good luck. It is unlucky to meet a cat, dog or woman when going out
first in the morning. Ir 2. 105
460. Wammer schpotjors der saffron net raus roppt un
uf di schtross schmeisst hot mer ken glik. (Lb) If saffron is not pulled in fall and thrown into the street you will not have good luck.
461. Wammern schpel oder enich ebbes schpitziches,
odern messer geschenkt grikt, muss mers mit me sent bezale, schunscht bringts em schlecht glik. (Be, C, D, Lnc, Mr, Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg) A pin or anything pointed or a knife, given as a present, will bring ill luck unless a cent is paid as recompense. Var. Mer muss si erscht in der roloerniel schteke un no nemme. (Nu)
Stick it into the coatsleeve before accepting it.
462. Wann dern weissi katz iber die schtr5ss schpringt,
gengscht besser wider hem. (Lnc)
If a white cat crosses your path, you had better turn back.
463. Wann dern schwserzi katz iber di schtross schpringt,
gescht besser wider hem. (Mr, Nu)
You had better turn back if a black cat crosses your path.
464. Wann em en has iber die schtros schpringt, bedeits
unglik, aber wanner di schtros naus faer em hSr schpringt bedeits glik. (Lnc, Na, Sc, Y; Heidel- berg)
A rabbit crossing your path is an omen of ill luck ; but if it runs along ahead of you, good luck.
LUCK AND OMENS OF LUCK.
109
465. Di zwe schtrimp soli mers erscht a~du~ un nS di schu, .
no hot mer me glik. (Bu, C, Lnc, Sn, Y; Heidel- berg)
It is luckier to put on both stockings first and then the shoes.
466. Wammern schpel uf em bodem leie sent mit em kopp
gegich em bedeits glik. (Be, C, Lnc, Mr, Na, Sn, Y) It is a good omen to see a pin lying on the floor with the
head towards you. Wenn man eine nadel findet, die einern die kappe zukehrt,
wird man gluck haben. G R 424 It is unlucky to find a pin with the point toward you V
8 L 2. 178
467. Wann en schpel uf em bodem leit un mer sent sie mit
em kopp gegich em hot mer unglik. (Lb, Lnc, Sc, Sn; Heidelberg)
A pin on the floor with the head towards you means bad luck.
468. Mer kerts glik naus wammer di kich fer sunnufgang
kert. (Lb; Heidelberg)
You will sweep out your luck if you sweep out the kitchen before sunrise.
469. .Di kich soil mer net noch sunnunnergang auskere, mer
kerts glik naus. (Be, C, D, Lb, Lh,~Lnc, Nu, Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg)
Never sweep the kitchen after sunset, you will sweep out your luck.
Never sweep out your kitchen after sunset or you will sweep out your luck. C S A 651
470. Noch de ftr ur oder wann di sunn unner is kert mers
haus net aus oder mer kerts glik naus. (Lh ) The house must not be swept after 4 P. M., or after sunset, or you will sweep out your luck.
470. Nachts es haus auskere bringt unglik. (Y) Sweeping the house at night brings bad luck.
PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
'2. Mer dserf ken kerdrek zu der dir nauskere, mer kerts glik wek. (Af)
You must not sweep the dirt out of your house, you will sweep away good forutne.
Man kehrt inn herein, nicht hinaus. Hlbg.
It is ill luck to m ep the dust out of your house by the front door. You sweep away good fortune of your fam- ily. It must be swept inwards and carried out in a bas- ket or shovel and no harm will follow. V S L 2. 176
473. Wser glik hot mit karte hot gewenlich kens mit de weibsleit. (C,B,Lli,Lnc, Sc, Sn) Lucky at cards, xinlucky in love.
Wer gliick im spiel hat, hat ungluck in der liebe. B 33. 198
Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. V S L 2. 80 74. Wannd en schpigel ferbrechscht, hoscht ken glik me. (Af)
Your luck is gone if you break a mirror.
475. Wammer »rgets hi" get ims schpringt em en has ioer
der wek, gengt mer besser zurik oders det em en un-
glik wederfare. (D, Lb, Lit, Na, Sc, Y)
If a rabbit crosses your path when going on a journey, you
had better return or an acident will befall you. Wer verreist, und es lauft ihm ein hase iiber den weg, das
ist nicht gut. 6 3. 10 ;C'P(fcP477
476. Wammern fir blettrich gleblat finnt, soil mers ab-
roppe un esse fer glik. (Y)
If you find a four leaved clover, pluck it and eat it for luck.
477 Wammern fir blettrich gleblat finnt soil mers net ab- roppe, schunscht ferhaust mer sei" glik. (Be, C, U,
Lb, Lh, Lnc, Sc)
If you find a four leaved clover, don't pluck it, or you will spoil your luck.
LUCK AND OMENS OP LUCK.
Ill
478. Wann zwe leit minnanner lafe da^rf niniand gschwischich ne daerichlafe schunscht hot kens ken glik. (Af)
When two persons are walking together, nothing must come in between them, or it will spoil the luck of both.
Wenn man mit einer zweiten person auf einem geschafts- oder spazierwege begriffen ist, darf man keine dritte per- son zwischen sich durch lassen; dieselbe nimmt beiden ersten sonst das gliick mit. B S 33. 139
t.y. Daerich en schpinneweb lafe bringt gut glik. (Lh, Lnc, Na, Sc)
Walking through a spiderweb brings good luck. Wem friihmorgens eine spinne iiber den rock kriecht, der wird des tages gliickselig sein. R 0 208
480. Sibe jor hot mer ken glik wammern schpigel ferhrecht.
{Be, Lb, Lnc, Y ; Heidelberg)
Breaking a looking glass forebodes seven years of ill hick. Breaking a looking glass means seven years of trouble or sorrow. V 8 L 2. 184 ; G 8 A 710
481. En schpigel ferbreche bedeit en unglik. (Af; Hei-
delberg)
It is unlucky to break a mirror.
It is unlucky to break a looking glass. V S L 2. 184
482. Wann en alti fra zu em gelofe kummt ments en im*
glik. (Lnc)
Meeting an old woman is a bad omen.
Es ist nicht gut, wer morgens ausgeht, und es begegnet
ihm ein alt weib. G 3. 58 For a sportsman to met an old woman when going out
shooting is a sure sign of bad sport. V 8 L 2. 201
483. Wammer basrik nuf fallt bedeits glik. (Be,Bu,C,Lb,
Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, 8c) Falling up hill brings luck.
484. Wfer en firblettrich gleblat nddrakt hot glik. (Bu, C,
D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Nu, 8c, Sn, Y)
112 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Carry a four leaved clover for luck.
"Wer vierblattrigen klee findet, soli ihn wert halten; so lang er ihn hat, wird er gliickselig sein. G 3. 119
The possessor of the four leaved shamrock will have luck in gambling, luck in racing, and witchcraft will have no power over him. Ir 2. 103
485. Grosse schwaerze schlange sene bringt schleeht glik. (Be)
Seeing big blacksnakes brings bad luck.
I 486. Wammer fische get un 's laft em en weibsmensch iber der wek fangt mer ken fisch seller dak. (C, Mt) If a woman crosses your path when going fishing you won 't catch any fish.
487. Wammer sich ebbes a~nee oder flike losst wammers
a~hoty grikt mern feind. (Nu)
If you let anyone sew or mend anything when you have it on, you will get an enemy.
488. Wammer sich ebbes a'nee oder flike losst wammers
a'hot, net mer schmffirze a" fer jeder schtich. (C,Sc) If you let anyone sew or mend anything while you have it on you will sew on a pain with each stitch.
489. Mer soil nimand nix a~nee losse wammers iThot oders likt ebber weich em. (Lb, Lnc, 8c) If you let anybody sew anything while you have it on,
some one will lie about you.
490. Mer soli nimand nix a~nee oder mer net em drubel a". (C,Lnc)
Never sew anything on for any one or you will seat trouble
on.
491. Mer soil nimand nix a'nee oder mer net em di gidanke fescht. (Lb, Sc)
Never let anyone sew anything while you have it on, or he will sew your thoughts in.
LUCK AND OMENS OP LUCK.
113
Wammer ebber em ebbes a~nee losst wammers a~hot, nets em 's glik wek. (Be, Lb, Lh, Sc) If anyone sews anything while you have it on, he will sew your good luck away.
Mer soli nimand nix a "nee wanners a~hot oder mer net drubel (Be, C, D, Lh, Lnc)
If anyone sews or mends anything while you have it on, he will sew trouble on.
Mer soil nimand nix a'nee losse wammers a'bot oder mer wsert dumm. (Be, Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Na, Nu, Sn) If one has anything sewed or mended while he has it on,
he will become a simpleton. Wer sieh das zeug am leibe fiicken, einen knopf oder band anniihen lasst, verliert das gedachtnis, seine kraft oder verunreinigt sich noch im tode. B S 33. 181
Wann en schtaern fallt mi mer sents i^er di links axel bedeits schlecht glik. (D)
Seeing a meteor over one's left shoulder means bad luck.
Wammer der neimiind 's erschtmol iber di links axel sent un hot geld in der hand, grikt mer me. (Lb, Y; Freiburg)
If, when you see the new moon for the first time over your left shoulder, you have money in your hand, you will get more money.
OMENS OF DEATH
497. Warm em di leine in der hand zammerlafe lebt mer
net lang. (Lnc)
If the lines in the palm of your hand run together, you
will not live long. Wenn die falten in der hand zusammenlaufen, lebt man
nicht lange. Z 189
498. Wann in der kaerich gebet wsert fern grankes uns is
alles schtill, sehtaerbts. {Lh)
If there is perfect silence in church while prayers are be- ing offered for a sick person, he will die.
Herrscht beim krankengebet in der kirche vollige stille, so stirbt der kranke ; hustet einer oder rauscht etwas, so bleibt er leben. G 3. 490
499. Wanns windsclitill is uf Neijor schtserbe fil alte leit.
(Be, Lb, Lh, Mr, Nu, 8c; Heidelberg) If it is perfectly calm on New Year's, many old folks will die.
500. Wann en schtaern ufs haus fallt get ens naus. {Be,
8c)
If a meteor falls on a house, some one there will die. Ein haus, bei welchem ein stern niederfallt, darin wird nachstens einer sterben. G 3. 1115
501 . Wammer middaks frisch brot nf em disch hot un di
ur schlakt 12 wammer am disch hokt, schtserbt ens aus der familie. (D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mi, Y) If the clock strikes twelve when taking dinner at which fresh bread is served, some one will die in the family.
502. Wann di geil greische schtaerbe fil leit. (Bu, Lb, Lnc,
Mt, Y)
If horses neigh there will be many deaths. Wenn die pferde ungewohnlich stark wiehern, so bedeutet es krieg. Wu 199
114
OMENS OE DEATH.
115
503. Wair en weissi schpinn sent schtaerbt. (Na)
He who sees a white spider will die. Wenn's eine kreuzspinne ist. Hlbg.
504. Wanns hausrot grext gebts en unglik in der freind-
schaft oders schtaerbt ens. (Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Nu, Sn, Y)
Creaking furniture is an omen of death or misfortune
among your relatives. Es stirbt jemand im hause, wenn dielen, schranke, tische
usw krachen. Wu 212
505. Wann di hinkel obeds gaxe gebts en leicht. (Af)
The cackling of hens in the evening is an omen of death. Wenn die hiihner nachmittags nach der melkzeit gackern, so muss bald jemand im hause sterben. Wu 202
506. Wann en hinkel gret bedeits en leicht. (Af)
A crowing hen is a sign of a death. Krahende hennen bedeuten ungliick. G 3. 83
507. Es schtrerbt ens aus der freindschaft w§nn di hinkel
masrgets fri ggxe. (Be, C, D, Lh, Na; Kaiserslau- tern)
A relative will die if the hens cackle early in the morning.
508. Wann di hinkel maergets fri gaxe gebts en leicht;
obeds schpot, en hochzich. (Lnc, Y; Freiburg) Cackling of hens early in the morning presages a death; late at night, a wedding.
509. Wann en schniesmik ins haus flikt hert mer fun re
leicht. (Bu, Lh, Lnc, Na)
If a blowfly enters your house you will hear of a death.
510. Wann grautschtek 's erscht jor schtsse gebts en leicht.
(Mr; Heidelberg)
Cabbage plants running to seed the first year are an omen of death.
511.
Wann rotribe 's erscht jor schisse un svime grige be- deits en leicht. (C; Heidelberg) If beets run to seed the first year it presages a funeral.
116 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
512. Wann die ur zwelf e schlakt wpmer am disch is, gebts
en leicht oder bsuch. (Be, Bu, D, Lb, Lh, Mt, Na, Sn)
A clock striking twelve while taking dinner presages a death in the family or visitors.
513. Wammer fergesst del f urn sach in der ofe zu dii" wam-
mer am bake is schtaerbt en ganz nekschter freind. (Lb,Lh, Mr, Sn, Y)
A very near relative will die if you forget to put in the oven all the articles you intended to bake.
514. Wammern schpigel ferbrecht gebts en leicht. (Af)
Breaking a mirror is an omen of death.
515. Warms brot iberni bake in der mitt ufsclipringt bedeits
en leicht. {Be, Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Sc, Sn, Y; Kaiser slant em)
If the crust of a loaf of bread cracks across the middle it forebodes a death in the family.
516. Wann di brotgruscht losschpringt itJerm bake
schtaerbt ens aus der familie. (Af) If the crust separates from the loaf of bread while baking, it is an omen of death in the family.
517. War Snnndaks grank wsert schtet nimmi nf. (Be,
Bu, C, D, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Na, Nu, Sc, Y) If you fall sick on Sunday you will not get well. "Wenn man am Sonntage krank wird, muss man sterben. Wu 59
518. Wann en dischmesser eberschich nf em disch leit,
gebts en leicht. (Be)
A table knife lying on the table with the edge upward fore- bodes a death.
519. Wann em sei" schatte ken kopp hot der obed fer nei-
jor, muss mer inner me jor schtaerbe. (D) If your shadow is headless on New Year's eve, you will die within a year.
<
OMENS OF DEATH.
117
Weihnachtsabends, wessen schatten bei eingebrachteni licht keinen kopf hat, der stirbt in selbigem jalir Q 3. 55
520. W$nn en hund union em fenschter heilt bedeits en
leicht. (Be, Mr, Nu, Y)
The whining of a dog beneath a window is an omen of death.
If a dog is heard to howl near the house of a sick person all hope of his recovery is given up. Ir 2. 2
521. Wann di geil unruick sinn gebts en leicht. (Be, C,
D, Lb, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Sc, Sn, Y; Heidelberg) ' If horses are restless it is an omen of death.
522. Es schta?rbt ens aus der familie wanmer en loch in di
dir macht oder ausre wand reist fern fenschter nei"
zu mache. {Lnc, Mr, Na; Freiburg)
There will be a death in the family if a window is put into
a door or wall of the house. To rebuild a hoitse is always fatal to one member of the
family. D Y 54
523. Wammer ferg-esst en leb brot aus em ofe zu nemme,
schtaerbt ens. (Lb, Lnc, Sn)
Forgetting to take a loaf of bread out of the oven will cause a death.
If you overturn a loaf of bread in the oven, you will have a death in the house. C F Suf 1. 30
524. Wann en grankes es maul im bett ufschpserrt is es en
schlechti sein. (Bu, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Nu, Sn, Y; Heidelberg)
Yawning while sick in bed is a bad omen.
525. Wammern leri wfk scliokelt, scht£erbts kind ball
(Lnc)
Rock an empty cradle and the child will not live long. Wird eine leere wiege gesehaukelt, stirbt das sonst darin
liegende kind bald. Z 24 Rocking a child's empty cradle will kill the child H N C
18: C #4 49
118 PENNSYLVANIA. GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
526. Wammern schpigel ferbrecht gebts en leicht. (Be,
Bu,C,D,Lb,Lh,Lnc,Na,Nu,Ss,Y)
To break a looking glass is a sign of death m the family
before the year closes. C 8 A 1204 When a mirror breaks it presages a death. E Y 4J
527. Wftnn en piktsclier fun der wand fallt bedeits en leicht.
Uf) * a ^
A picture falling from the wall is an omen of death
Wenn em bild von der wand fallt, bedeutet dies ungluck. Z 249
When pictures fall from the wall it forebodes a death in the family. E Y 42
528. Wann en hinkel gret gebts en leicht. {Af)
If a hen crows there will be a funeral.
Krahende hennen bedeuten ungluck. G 3. 83
The crowing of the hen foretells death. V S L 2. 550
529. Warm en hund heilt gebts en leicht. (Af)
AVhen a dog howls there will be a funeral.
Wenn ein hund vor einem hause heult, so zeigt dies den
nahen tod eines bewohners desselben an. Z f D Ml. 408 If a dog howls three successive nights against a house, that
house will soon be in mourning. V S L 2. 550
530. Wann di hane fil gree gebts en leicht, (Bu)
The continual crowing of cocks indicates a funeral. Young cocks crowing at night are a death warning. V S L 2. 550
531. W^nn en grixl sich ins haus schafft bedeits en leicht.
(Be,D,Lli,Sc,Y)
If a cricket gets into a house, there will be a death.
Das zirpen der grillen im hause bedeutet einen nahen todes-
fall in der familie. B 8 33. 119; Z f D M 1. 236; C P
& P 519
The chirping of crickets foretells of death. V S L 2. 550
532. Wann di ur nf emol schte" bleibt gebts en unglik odern
leicht. (Af)
OMENS OF DEATH.
119
If the clock stops suddenly there will be an accident or a death.
Wenn die uhr plotzlich stehen bleibt, so geschieht ein un- gliick, meistens ein todesfall. V A 8 1. 474; M 8 V 268
533. Warm en grankes am bettsach zoppt schtaerbs ball.
(Be, Bu, C,Lb, Lh, Mt, Na, Nu, Y) If a sick person pulls at the bedclothes he will soon die. Wenn ein kranker an der bettdecke pfliickt. stirbt er bald. Z 410
Picking the bedclothes forebodes impending dissolution.
V S L 2. 573
534. Wgnimern grab uf der scktros a'drefft, ments eu
leicht. (Lh)
Meeting a crow on the street is the sign of a funeral. "When a single crow flies over you, it is the sign of a fun- eral ; two, of a wedding. V 8 L 2. 1. 335
535. Grine Grischdak, fetter karichhof. (Af)
Green Christmas, means a fat churchyard.
A green Yule means a fat kirkyard. V S L 2. 1. 215
536. Wammer fergesst en fruchtsckemel zu see, schtasrbt
mer sell jor. (Be, Lb, Lh, Lnc, Sc, Sn, T) If, while sowing grain, you miss a strip, you will die within a year.
If the drill go from one end of the field to the other with- out depositing any seed, some one on the farm will die.
V 8 L 2. 570
When sowing grain, if a strip of land is missed there will be a death inside of a year. C 8 A 1228
537. Wammer ferfelt en roi zu blanze im garde, schta?rbt
mer sell jor (Be, D, Lb, Lnc, Na, Sc, Sn) ; oder wam- mer ferfelt in e" loch ebbes zu blanze. (Be, D, Lb, Lnc, Nu, Sn, Y)
If while planting vegetables in the garden, you miss a row or even a single hole, you will die that year.
Vergisst der saemann ein ackerbeet zu saen, so muss er sterben. M D V 223
120 PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN SUPERSTITIONS.
538. Wann en schpigel ferbrecht iberm zige schtaerbt ens.
(Be, Bu, Lb, Lnc, 8c, Y) oders gebt en unglik. (Mt, Na; Freiburg)
If a mirror breaks when moving some one will die or therfi will be an accident.
539. Wammer dramt es wser em en za~ rausgfalle, schtaerbt
ebber in der freindschaft {Be, Bu, C, D, Lh, Lnc, Mt, Na, Nu, Sn) oder em sei~ beschter freind {Nu, Sc, Y ; Heidelberg)
To dream of losing a tooth means the death oi a relative
or one 's best friend. To dream of losing a friend means a death. V S L 2. 552 ;
C S A 549
If a man dream that his teeth fall out, he will hear next day of the death of a friend or relative. V S L 2. 299
540. Wann en kind heilt wanns gedaft wrert, schtserbts
jung. (Lh)
If a child cries while being baptized, it will die young. Wenn das kind bei der taufe schreit, wird es nicht alt. Wu 222
541. Wann en f ogel ins haus flikt ments as ball ens schtserbt
oders gebt en unglik. (Af)
A bird flying into the house is an omen of death or ill luck. "When a bird flies into a room and out again it forebodes the death of some inmate. V S L 2. 557
542. Wann en grautschtok odern rotrifieschtok 's aerscht
jor schisst, schtaerbt ens aus der familie. (Be, C, Dt Lb, Lh, Lnc, Mr, Mt, Na, Nu)
If cabbage or a beet {Beta vulgaris) shoots the first year,
some one in the family will die. Wenn eine kohlpflanze im ersten jahr bliite tragt, bedeutet
es tod. W 207 ; G 3. 1114
543. Wann dreize" am disch hoke, schtaerbt ens defun inner-
me jor. (^4/)
If thirteen sit down to a meal, one of them will die within a year.
J
OMENS OP DEATH.
121
Wenn bei einer festlichkeit zufallig dreizehn personen an einem tische speisen, stirbt einer von ihnen im laufe des jahres. B S 33. 119 ; G 3. 555 ; Z 255 ; C P & P 277 ; V S L 2. 560
Warm en grautschtok es erscht jor weisse blatter grikt bedeits en leicht. (Be, C, Lb, Mr, Na), Nu, Sc, Sn, Y) Tf a cabbage plant has white leaves, it means a funeral. Wenn eine kohlpflanze im ersten jahr weisse stellen an den
blattern bekommt, entsteht in dem hause des besitzers
ein unglucksfall. G 3. 1114 If in a row of beans one should come up white instead of
green, it means a death in the family within the year.
V S L 2. 570