A Dictionary of superstitions

Title:

ISBN:

9780192115973

9780192829160

Publication Information:

Oxford [England] ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.

Physical Description:

xiii, 494 pages ; 25 cm

Abstract:

Examines superstitions and other folk beliefs that have survived time including divinations, spells, cures, charms, signs and omens, rituals, and taboos. Also describes the meanings behind the customs for Halloween, New Year's, and other holidays.

Is it good or bad luck to mention a pig to a fisherman? What does it portend when you break a double-yolked egg? How many frogs do you need to cure whooping cough? Ranging from the familiar to the bizarre, and including everything from spells and omens to rituals and taboos, this delightfully informative dictionary covers a wide array of popular superstitions, touching on virtually every aspect of human culture. They embrace family life and the lore offarmers, sailors, miners, and actors; offer advice on the signs to observe when contemplating a journey or a marriage; reveal the significance of animals, plants, stones, colors, food and drink, the elements, and heavenly bodies; and outline the precautions to be taken after a death in the house orduring a thunderstorm. Each entry is arranged alphabetically according to its central idea or object, and illustrated with a selection of chronologically ordered quotations that indicate the history and development of each belief. Superstitions have never before been treated in such depth or on such a scale. An entertaining volume for anyone curious about the beliefs of the past, A Dictionary of Superstitions also makes a valuable contribution to the study of folklore, providing the first systematic account of beliefs that form an integral part of our social life.

Subject Term:

Superstition -- Dictionaries -- Great Britain.

Folklore -- Great Britain -- Dictionaries.

Superstition -- Dictionaries -- Ireland.

Folklore -- Ireland -- Dictionaries.

Superstition. (OCoLC)fst01139022

Genre:

Dictionaries.

Added Author:

Opie, Iona Archibald.

Tatem, Moira.

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	001.9603 Dicti	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Is it good or bad luck to mention a pig to a fisherman? What does it portend when you break a double-yolked egg? How many frogs do you need to cure whooping cough?
Ranging from the familiar to the bizarre, and including everything from spells and omens to rituals and taboos, this delightfully informative dictionary covers a wide array of popular superstitions, touching on virtually every aspect of human culture. They embrace family life and the lore of farmers, sailors, miners, and actors; offer advice on the signs to observe when contemplating a journey or a marriage; reveal the significance of animals, plants, stones, colors, food and drink, the elements, and heavenly bodies; and outline the precautions to be taken after a death in the house or during a thunderstorm. Each entry is arranged alphabetically according to its central idea or object, and illustrated with a selection of chronologically ordered quotations that indicate the history and development of each belief.
Superstitions have never before been treated in such depth or on such a scale. An entertaining volume for anyone curious about the beliefs of the past, A Dictionary of Superstitions also makes a valuable contribution to the study of folklore, providing the first systematic account of beliefs that form an integral part of our social life.

Author Notes

About the Editors:
Iona Opie is noted for her pioneering work on children's folklore and games. Moira Tatem is a former school teacher and an expert on superstitions.

Summary:

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

These several thousand quotes illustrating superstitions are almost entirely from England, and a better title might have been "A Dictionary of English Superstitions." The variety of sources consulted and the historical genealogy they provide exemplify painstaking scholarly organizing. Opie, together with her late husband, Peter, is also author of the comprehensive Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1960), among other works. Tatem is a student of superstitions. Their sources for this work are the major folklore journals plus monographs of the past several hundred years as well as some novels and local histories. The addition of a few classical titles links some superstitions to Roman times. As a sourcebook for reference librarians this book will not answer such questions as "where did this idea come from," but most users will be glad that it provides examples of belief across time and space. How and when are answered here, but not why. The quotations are listed in more than 1,600 alphabetically ordered entries; the entry word is usually the most important noun in the belief. The extensive cross-reference system and analytical index are essential to this genre of reference work. In this case, they contribute not just to its usefulness but indeed are part of its fabric, and they are well executed. All libraries will want this book. -D. S. Azzolina, University of Pennsylvania

Library Journal Review

This one-volume reference work on superstitions does not compare favorably with such works as Edwin & Mona A. Radford's Encyclopedia of Superstitions (Greenwood, 1969. reprint). Its two major flaws are a failure to spell out clearly at the beginning of each entry exactly what superstition is being covered and a tendency to plunge immediately into ancient examples of folk wisdom or incidents on the subject. This is not so much a dictionary as a trove of historical examples of superstitious behavior. As such, it has a very limited appeal to advanced scholars and limited appeal to libraries. It could, however, serve as a back-up for those who want further information not found in works like that of the Radfords.-- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.