The hand of destiny : the folk-lore and superstitions of everyday life / by C.J.S. Thompson.

  • Thompson, C. J. S. (Charles John Samuel), 1862-1943.
Date:
[1932]
    In spite of this, however, the boat capsized and the mariner was drowned for neither did heaven hear his cry nor the ocean heed his caul. Another tradition connected with the caul was, that it protected the child from being secretly carried off and exchanged by some envious witch or fairy for its own ill-favoured offspring and so being a “ changeling/' a belief that survived to recent years in the Isle of Man. “ Changelings," says Martin Luther, “ Satan lays in the place of genuine children that people may be tormented with them. He often carried off young maidens into the water." The “ changeling " is frequently mentioned by writers in the sixteenth century and among others by Shakespeare. Thus Puck, in Midsummer Night's Dream (Act II, Sc. i) says of Titania's boy : “ She never had so sweet a changeling/’ And again in The Winter's Tale (Act III, Sc. 3) the Shepherd on discovering the babe, Perdita, tells the clown : “ It was told me I should be rich by the fairies, This is some changeling.” As a preventive of this supposed danger to the child, it is customary in the North of England to sometimes hang a carving-knife from the head of the cradle with the point towards the infant's face. In the Western Highlands, in order to regain the lost child, should it have been taken away, parents are recommended the following device : “ Place the changeling on the beach below highwater mark when the tide is out, paying no heed to its screams, and the fairies, rather than allow their offspring to be
    drowned by the rising waters, will convey it away and restore the child they have stolen. The sign that this has been done is the cessation of the child’s cries.” In Ireland, it was customary to place the child supposed to be a changeling on a hot shovel or torment it in some way. But the real safeguard against the wickedness of the fairies is generally believed to be baptism which should be performed as soon as possible after birth, as after the rite the baby is believed to be immune from the danger. In some parts of the North of Scotland, the sap of the ash is given to newborn children because, in common with the rowan, it is believed to possess the property of resisting the attacks of fairies, elves and witches. A method of divining the sex of a child before birth, was to hang up over the front door of the home, the last thing at night before it was expected, a shoulder of mutton-bone stripped clean of flesh. The first person who entered the house on the following morning, either male or female, exclusive of members of the household, was said to indicate the sex of the child. The belief in astrological influence on birth still survives in some parts of the country in connection with the day of the week on which the child is born. An old rhyme current in Cornwall runs : “ Sunday’s child is full of grace, Monday’s child is full in the face, Tuesday’s child is solemn and sad, Wednesday’s child is merry and glad, Thursday’s child is inclined to thieving, Friday’s child is free in giving, Saturday’s child works hard for a living.”
    There is, however, a general belief that Sunday is the most lucky day for a birth, and the old fortune¬ tellers used to predict great riches, long life and happiness to a child born on the Sabbath. In addition to this good augury, in Sussex, it is said that a child born on Sunday will never be drowned or hanged. The hour of birth also had its significance, and in some counties it was believed that a child born at “ chime hours,” viz., three, six, nine or twelve, would be clairvoyant. If born in leap year either it or its mother would die within the course of the year. In Weybridge, Surrey, some years ago, there was a curious saying common among the old villagers, when more boys than girls were being born in the village, that “ the lions are roaring.” The origin of this saying was obscure until the land was being excavated to make the Brooklands race track, when remains of cages and iron bars were discovered. It then transpired that many years previously, the animals from the Zoo at the Tower of London, after it was closed, were removed to a piece of land near Weybridge where they remained in captivity until most of them died. Many of the old traditions associated with child¬ birth have been treasured by midwives for centuries and were doubtless handed down from one to another for generations. Thus, it was a common idea that a child should go up in the world before it goes down. Therefore, on leaving the mother's room for the first time, it was considered absolutely necessary that it should be carried upstairs before going down, otherwise it would always remain low in the world and never
    afterwards rise to distinction or gain riches. When the mother's room was on the top floor, the nurse overcame the difficulty by placing a chair near the door, on which she stepped before leaving the room. In Yorkshire, it was customary to always place a new-born infant first in the arms of a young girl before anyone else was allowed to handle it. This custom is said to have had its origin in the ancient belief that the Virgin Mary was present at the birth of St. John the Baptist and was the first to receive him in her arms. Some mothers believe it unlucky to allow a baby to sleep on “ the bones of the lap," a superstition founded on some degree of truth, for it is undoubtedly better for a child to be supported throughout its whole length than permit its head or legs to hang down, as it might do if it were sleeping on the knees. There is another common tradition that a baby and a kitten cannot thrive together in the same house, and should a cat have kittens at the time of the infant's birth, they should either be destroyed at once or given away. In former times, nurses had a great prejudice against weighing a baby from a superstitious con¬ viction that if it was weighed, it would bring ill-luck and the child would never thrive afterwards. It was considered equally unlucky to rock a baby's cradle when it was empty, and the Highlanders believed it to be an omen of death. On the other hand, according to an old Sussex rhyme, it was regarded as a sign of fecundity. Thus : “If you rock the cradle empty Then you shall have babies plenty/’ In some parts of Wales it is forbidden for a woman
    during pregnancy to weave or spin, for if she did so her child would live to be hanged with a hempen rope. There was also a common belief that birth during the night indicated that the child would see visions, ghosts and phantoms, and the belief that it is unlucky to give a baby a name that had been borne by a dead brother or sister is general through¬ out the country. Some curious customs connected with fire were formerly practised in the North of Scotland on the birth of a child. In Orkney, it was thought neces¬ sary to “ Sain '' infants by fire soon after birth. In order to carry out this rite, a large rich cheese had to be made before the baby was expected, which after the birth was cut into pieces and distributed among the matrons who had gathered in the house. The mother and child were then “ Sained/' which was performed by whirling a lighted fir-candle round the bed three times, after which all evil influences were held to be averted. Another method of carrying out the rite of “ Saining ” was to draw the bed into the middle of the floor, after which, the nurse waved an open Bible round it in the name of the Trinity, three times for the mother and three times for the child. It is still customary in Scotland to place the new¬ born babe in a cloth and hold it over a basket of provisions, then convey it thrice round the crook of the chimney ; while in the North of England, it is usual to put a little salt or sugar into the infant's mouth for luck the first time it is taken to another house. In the mining districts, the cradle is held as sacred and in no case of distraint for debt may it be taken and sold.