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A good luck charm is an amulet or other item that is believed to bring good luck. Almost any object can be used as a charm. Coins, horseshoes and buttons are examples, as are small objects given as gifts, due to the favorable associations they make. Many souvenir shops have a range of tiny items that may be used as good luck charms. Good luck charms are often worn on the body, but not necessarily.[1]
History
editThe mojo is a charm originating in African culture. It is used in voodoo ceremonies to carry several lucky objects or spells and intended to cause a specific effect. The concept is that particular objects placed in the bag and charged will create a supernatural effect for the bearer. Even today, mojo bags are still used. Europe also contributed to the concept of lucky charms. Adherents of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) adopted the four-leaf clover as a symbol of Irish luck because clovers are abundant in the hills of Ireland.[2]
List
editLuck is symbolized by a wide array of objects, numbers, symbols, plant and animal life which vary significantly in different cultures globally. The significance of each symbol is rooted in either folklore, mythology, esotericism, religion, tradition, necessity, or a combination thereof.
| Symbol | Culture | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 
|
Western, Japanese | [3][4] |
| 8 | 
|
Chinese, Japanese | Sounds like the Chinese word for "fortune". See Numbers in Chinese culture#Eight
Used to mean the sacred and infinite in Japanese. A prime example is using the number 8 to refer to Countless/Infinite Gods (八百万の神, Yaoyorozu no Kami) (lit. Eight Million Gods). See 8#As a lucky number. |
| Aitvaras | 
|
Lithuania | [5] |
| Acorns | _-_tailpiece_from_page_170.jpg)
|
Norse | [6] |
| Albatross | .png)
|
Considered a sign of good luck if seen by sailors.[7][8] | |
| Amanita muscaria | 
|
[citation needed] | |
| Ashtamangala | 
|
Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism | Buddhism: Endless knot, Lotus flower, Dhvaja, Dharmachakra, Bumpa, Golden Fish, Parasol, Conch; additional symbols for Hinduism and Jainism[citation needed] |
| Bamboo | 
|
Chinese | [9] |
| Barnstar | 
|
United States | [10][11] |
| Chimney sweep | .jpg)
|
Many parts of the world | Said to bring good luck when being touched, especially on New Year and on weddings.[citation needed] |
| Corno portafortuna | 
|
Central and Southern Italy | [citation needed] |
| Ladybird beetles | 
|
German, Italian, Poles, Russian, Turkish, Brazilian, Serbia | There is an old children's song in Serbia "Let, let, bubamaro, donesi mi sreću" meaning "Fly, fly, ladybug, bring me the happiness". In Serbian, "sreća" means "good chances" as in a lottery or "happiness", but this is about emotions.[citation needed] |
| Dreamcatcher | 
|
Native American (Ojibwe) | In Native American Ojibwa culture the human mind was believed to be susceptible to dark spirits, when the mind is weakest (I.e. asleep) and would give bad dreams. In defense the men and women would weave dream catchers. These talismans would let the good dream spirits through, whilst trapping the bad spirits in the pattern.[12][13] |
| Fish | 
|
Chinese, Hebrew, Ancient Egyptian, Tunisian, Indian, Japanese | [14][15][16][17][18][19] |
| Bird or flock going from right to left | 
|
Paganism | Auspicia [citation needed] |
| A monk passing through | 
|
Buddhist | [citation needed] |
| Four-leaf clover | 
|
Irish and Celtic, German, Poles | [20][21] |
| Shamrock or Clover | 
|
Irish | While in most of the world, only the four-leafed clover is considered lucky, in Ireland all Irish Shamrocks are.[citation needed] |
| Horseshoe | 
|
English, Poles and several other European ethnicities, Indian and Nepali people. | Horseshoes are considered to ward off saturn’s ill-effects in Vedic culture. Horseshoes are considered lucky when turned upwards but unlucky when turned downwards, although some people believe the opposite.[22][23] |
| Jade | 
|
Chinese | [citation needed] |
| Jew with a coin | 
|
Poland | Thought to bring money.[24][25][26] |
| The lù or 子 zi | 
|
Chinese | A symbol thought to bring prosperity. |
| Maneki-neko | 
|
Japanese, Chinese | Often mistaken as a Chinese symbol due to its usage in Chinese communities, the Maneki-neko is Japanese.[citation needed] |
| Pig | 
|
Chinese, German | [27] |
| Pythons' eyes | Meitei culture | Believed that pythons' eyes bring positive attention, good fortune, guard against awa ana (Meitei for 'bad happenings') and the unhindered travelling to desired places.[28][29] | |
| Rabbit's foot | 
|
North America, England and Wales (originating from a hare's foot) | A rabbit's foot can be worn or carried as a lucky charm.[30] |
| White rat | 
|
Roman Empire | The Romans sometimes saw rats as omens. A white rat was considered to be auspicious, while a black rat has unfortunate significance.[citation needed] |
| Wishbone | 
|
Europe, North America | [31] |
| Sarimanok | 
|
Maranao | [citation needed] |
| Swallow | 
|
Korea | Rooted in Folktale 'Heungbu and Nolbu' |
| Swastika | 
|
Multiple cultures | The swastika or crux gammata (in heraldry fylfot), historically used as a symbol in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, and widely popular in the early 20th century as a symbol of good luck or prosperity before adopted as a symbol of Nazism in the 1920s and 30s. |
| Tortoiseshell cat | 
|
Many cultures | Rooted in Folklore |
| White Elephant | 
|
Thai | [32] |
| White heather | 
|
Irish Travellers, Scotland | [33] |
See also
edit- Horseshoe
- List of bad luck signs
- Luck
- Saint Cajetan, Patron saint of gamblers
Notes
edit- ^ "The Difference Between A Talisman Amulet and A Charm". Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "History and Legends of Lucky Charms and Talismans". Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ Dolnick and Davidson, p. 85
- ^ Greer, p. 21
- ^ Algirdas Julius Greimas, "Of Gods and Men: Studies in Lithuanian Mythology", Indiana Univ. Pr. (November 1992)
- ^ Waxon, Dawn (18 September 2008). "Pieces of the Past: Acorny tale". The Repository. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ Webster, p. 6
- ^ Dodge, p. 748
- ^ Parker, p. 150
- ^ Urbina, Eric (22 July 2006). "For the Pennsylvania Dutch, a Long Tradition Fades". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Votruba, Cindy (8 September 2008). "It's in the Stars". Marshall Independent. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Young, Eric (2 February 1998). "New Age Solution for Coping with Material-world Tension". The Sacramento Bee. ProQuest 246401007.
- ^ Thrall, Christopher (17 September 2005). "Objects in the mirror may be more complex than they appear". Postmedia News. ProQuest 460167802.
- ^ Helfman, p. 400
- ^ Marks, p. 199
- ^ Toussaint-Samat, p. 311
- ^ Hackett, Smith, & al-Athar, p. 218
- ^ Sen, p. 158
- ^ Volker, p. 72
- ^ Dolnick and Davidson, p. 38
- ^ Binney, p. 115
- ^ Cooper, p. 86
- ^ DeMello, p. 35
- ^ "Tartakowsky, Ewa. "Le Juif à la pièce d'argent." La vie des idées (2017)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ The Jew with a Coin: Analysis of a contemporary folkloric emblem (AAPJ) Archived 2017-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, Joanna Tokarska-Bakir, 2019.
- ^ Driving to Treblinka: A Long Search for a Lost Father Archived 2019-07-03 at the Wayback Machine, Diana Wichtel, 2018, Awa Press, page 144. link to extract from book in Nzherald, published 16 May 2018
- ^ Webster, p. 202
- ^ Wouters, Jelle J. P. (16 May 2022). Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity. Oxford University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-19-267826-3.
- ^ Wouters, Jelle J. P. (16 May 2022). Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity. Oxford University Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-19-267826-3.
- ^ Webster, p. 212
- ^ Edward A. Armstrong."The Folklore of Birds" (Dover Publications, 1970)
- ^ "'Lucky' white elephant for Burma". BBC News. 9 November 2001. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ McClintock, David (15 January 1970). Why Is White Heather Lucky?. Country Life. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
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- Bessant, Claire (1999). Cat: The Complete Guide. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-1718-4. OCLC 43543102.
- Binney, Ruth (2006). Nature's Ways: Lore, Legend, Fact and Fiction. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-2417-9. OCLC 70059876.[permanent dead link]
- Chapman, Mark (2004). "Nominally Chinatown". Reed College Luce Chinese Studies Grants. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- Cioccolanti, Steve (2010). From Buddha to Jesus: An Insider's View of Buddhism and Christianity. Monarch Books. ISBN 978-1-85424-956-2. OCLC 455828844.
- Cooper, Jean C. (1978). An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-27125-9. OCLC 61763660.
- DeMello, Margo (2009). Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia. MacMillan. ISBN 978-0-313-35714-5. OCLC 318420875.
- Dodge, Mary Mapes (1910). St. Nicholas. Vol. 37. Scribner & Co.
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- Eberhard, Wolfram (1986). A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought. Psychology Press. ISBN 0-415-00228-1. OCLC 18416687.
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