Editing WS:Humans Culture (section)

===Animals and Luck===


Three butterflies together mean good luck.

No ship with a cat on board ever sinks, for the Lord of All Cats wouldn't allow it.

A swan's feather, sewed into the husband's pillow, will ensure fidelity.

If you kill a cat, it will wander to the Underworld, and tell your name to the first demon it meets, and command it to harrass you. Then the cat will come back as a ghost, and delight in watching your misfortune. BTW, there are dozens of explanations for why any demon would do a cat's bidding. But all agree that they will.

If you meet with a dog with orange "eyebrows," cross the index and middle fingers, and the ring and least fingers, of your left hand, and show this sign to the dog. Otherwise, it is likely to bite you.

Animals whose coats are pure black are unlucky.

People from Daria believe that to see three crows sitting together means good fortune is coming.

If a horse steps on the hem of your garment, thus preventing you from moving away, it means you are about to do something harmful to yourself. The horse is trying to prevent you from doing it.
Different cultures have different interpretations of this one:

* Those who live along the Rauko River say that it could be any beast of burden or riding animal, not just a horse.
* The people of Daria believe that the same applies if your hat falls off your head and a horse steps on it (your hat that is, not your head).
* The people of Ambria and those along Rauko River say that the horse specifically knows you're in danger and is willfully and consciously trying to save you. Most other people say that the horse is simply acting as a tool of fate and knows nothing of the situation.
* The folk of the Duchy of Irolo believe all of the above.


Magpies are seen as mystical birds, capable of bestowing luck or misfortune when seen. The following rhyme tells what effect supposedly occurs when a person sees magpies. The rhyme has an unsavory reputation, and children are often beaten if their parents hear them recite it.

    1 for spirit
    2 for life
    3 for mothers
    and 4 for strife
    5 for luck and its glad tale
    6 for flesh that soon fails