What Superstitions were common during the Renaissance?

Answer 1

Horseshoe must be put over the door to ward off evil spirits, An astrological almanac on the table, abowl of cream set out for fairies nightly, stockpile of charms to ward off ghosts and witches, no whistling after dark. There were many beliefs that guided day-to-day behavior and activities of people: if you fell from your horse, you would carefully note the day and hour of the fall as an unlucky time to ride If a child or animal came between two friends as they strolled in the meadow, it was a sure sign they would soon not be friends putting a shirt on wrong side out in the morning was a sign that a bad day was to come chattering magpies announced the arrival of guests a croaking raven warned that the Bubonic Plague was on its way certain numbers were luckier than others Most Elizabethans believed in Astrology. Consulting the stars helped these confused people determine what specific actions to take. Chief among many of their fears were of ghosts---souls of the dead who were making return trips to earth for very specific reasons. Ghosts were also terriby gruesome, nothing like our white sheeted Halloween ghosts. A ghost always had a mission when he came to earth. Some came to ask for a proper burial, others wanted to warn the living about the future, and others came to avenge their own deaths. Not only were visits by ghosts unpleasant but they created much confusion because the church taught that there were no such things. The church insisted that ghosts were devils in disguise. If ghosts weren't enough to keep you awake, you had fairies to worry about. (and not the Tinkerbell variety!) The Elizabethan fairies were life-sized creatures, fiendish and malicious. They might make your milk go sour or your cows sick. They came in several models: hostile river spirits who lured sailors to their deaths giants and hags fairy aristocrats who danced and feasted ordinary everyday goblins Elizabethans left food out for them, flattered them outloud to make peace with them. And goodness, if your house was messy or dirty! the fairies would come and pinch you and you would wake in the morning with bruises! And then there were the old hag witches. Those people who were often ugly, poverty-stricken, disheveled, and diseased were thought to be dealing in witchcraft. The Elizabethans believed in the curses and in black magic.