Entertaining Old Wives Tales

Old wives tales are beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation. Some of them are based on facts and happenings, and some of them are based on superstitions. For many years this was a way of life for people. The stories were based on a combination of folklore, superstition and life experiences. Some of the old wives tales are really out there. For example,"Rub a frog on your wart and it will disappear." No one seems to know how or when this particular tale can from or how it began. One can only assume that something happened to make someone believe that this was a true fact.

There are as many Old Wives Tales there are circulating out there as there are people. I enjoyed reading about them and picking out the ones to include in this hub. I hope you enjoy reading them.

• Sitting in front of the TV will make you blind.
• It's bad luck to let milk boil over.
• If you spill salt you must throw it over your shoulder to ward off the devil and bad luck.
• A bird in the house is a sign of a death. If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow.
• It is bad luck to cut your fingernails on a Friday or a Sunday.
• It's bad luck to put a hat on a bed.
• If your right ear itches, someone is saying something nice about you. If it’s the left, someone’s saying something bad about you.
• A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.
• Cracking your knuckles can cause arthritis.
• If you knock on wood the bad luck that was supposed to come to you will be directed away from you.
• A bar of soap in the bed prevents nighttime leg cramps.
• Eating chocolate will give you acne.
• Put salt on the doorstep of a new house, and no evil can enter.
• If the palm of your right hand itches, it means you will soon be getting money.
• Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.
• If you lick your feet you'll get Athlete's Tongue.
• If your ears burn someone is talking about you.
• Dogs howling in the dark of night, Howl for death before daylight.
• If you carry your baby low during pregnancy it will be a boy. If you carry it high, it's a little girl.
• If you get goosebumps or a chill up your back, it means someone is walking over your grave.
• It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.
• If you cut an apple in half and count the seeds, you will see how many children you will have.
• If your nose itches, you will soon get a visitor. Right nostril indicates a female visitor, left nostril indicates male visitor.
• A bride's veil will protect her from evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.
• Believe it or not, chicken soup will help make you feel better when you have a cold. It is believed that it slows down the activity of the white blood cells that cause inflammation in the lungs.
• It's bad luck to put a hat on a bed.
• If you eat within an hour of swimming you will get cramp.
• Don't suck your thumb because it might give you buck teeth.
• If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will be dead before the year is out.
• Dropping a pair of scissors means that your lover is seeing someone behind your back.
• A cricket in the house brings good luck.
• If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.