Examples Of Superstition In The Elizabethan Era

“superstition, belief, half-belief, or practice for which there appears to be no rational substance.” (Britanica)

The Elizabethan Era superstitions effected views on black cats, knocking on wood, and throwing salt over the shoulder.

Elizabethan Era Superstitions started with witchcraft and fear of the unknown, anything that happened unexplainably was blamed on witches and witchcraft. Those accused were usually the occasional men though often women were thought to be old, poor, and unprotected single women. In the Elizabethan Era there was a mass killing of black cats because of the superstition that they brought death. This started when people started believing that black cats were being used by witches to carry out their evil deeds and communicate to the devil himself or there were some people who believed black cats were witches who transformed into said feline to hide their identities and cast spells.

While there are several theories on how exactly it started all of them seem to be associated with witchcraft or a spirit of some sort.

“The phenomenon to ancient pagan cultures such as the Celts, who believed that the spirits and gods resided in trees. Knocking on tree trunks may have served to rouse the spirits and call on their protection, but it also could have been a way of showing gratitude for a stroke of good luck. Yet another theory is that people knocked on wood to chase away evil spirits or prevent them from listening in when they boasted about their luck, thereby preventing a reversal of fortune. Christians, meanwhile, have often linked the practice to the wood of the cross from Christ’s crucifixion.” (-History channel page)

One of the last examples that are popular is throwing salt over the shoulder. When you spill salt, it is thought to be bad luck so some throw salt over the shoulder to rid the bad