Have you ever spat on your hands before digging into a pile of dirt? Did you ever spit on a ball or in a baseball glove for good luck? Spitting superstitions have been with us for a long time, and most of the time we have no idea why we do it. We spit to get a “bad taste” out of our mouths and we spit on found pennies that are tail side up. It is a gross habit, but sometimes spit can be handy in the supernatural world.
Snake Spit
We all know how dangerous certain snakes can be so it is not surprising that in New England it was believed that if a snake manages to spit in a person’s mouth, that person was going to die. Further north, up in Maine, that superstition was reversed. It stated that if a person can spit into the mouth of a snake, the snake would surely die. The belief in deadly spit comes from England where it was once thought that the spit of a fasting person could kill snakes. [SOURCE 1]
Lucky Money
You may remember a parent or another family member telling you as a child that money is full of germs. That person was not kidding because spit is also used on money. If you win a bet and receive money, you are supposed to spit on the money for good luck and to attract more money. When you find money, you should also spit on it for good luck and as a magical method for claiming the found money as your own. Any money that you get at the start of the day should also be spat on so that you continue to attract more money for the rest of the day. [SOURCE 2]
The Evil Eye
The evil eye is akin to giving someone a dirty look. It used to be that superstitious folks believed that people could transfer bad luck to them through an ugly look. Spit was often used to counteract the bad luck. For example, in many places throughout Europe, people would spit three times onto their own chest to protect against and remove the evil eye curse.
To give yourself protection from the evil eye throughout the entire day, you were supposed to spit into your first pee in the morning. Spitting into your right shoe before putting it on also protected you from the evil eye. [SOURCE 2]
Protect Your Cut Hair
There was a time when people were very careful about what was done with their cast off hair. Some believed that if birds got ahold of it and wove it into a nest, the original hair owner would go mad. Then there were witches. Witches could use hair for all sorts of nasty spells that would harm the person the hair came from. In order to protect the hair from being used in harmful magic, some people would spit upon the cut hair. The spit would act as a protective charm. [SOURCE 3]
Spit In The Bath Water
In a time when bath water was shared, it was believed that people could transfer bad luck to one another through a simple bath. Another superstition stated that bathing in another person’s bath water could cause an argument between the two people. In order to avoid all the bad luck, it was a custom in parts of Europe to first spit into the bath water before getting into it. That way, the bather could avoid the previous bather’s misfortune and prevent an argument. [SOURCE 4]
Good Luck In Games
Spitting was believed to bring good luck to the game. Card players would spit on a deck of cards before playing to make sure they were lucky. If a card player was having a bad luck streak, he would spit on his cards to bring about a change in his luck.
The same is true today for many sports. Boxers will sometimes spit on their gloves for good luck. A pitcher may spit on the baseball to make his throw a lucky one and to ensure that the batter misses it. [SOURCE 5]
An Offering To The Gods
Among fishermen, spit was believed to represent the soul. In Yorkshire and throughout Europe, fishermen would spit into the water before beginning their fishing trip as an offering to the water gods or spirits. They would also spit into the boat for protection on their trip.
Some fishermen to this day will spit on the hook or on the bate for good luck and to attract fish while fishing. [SOURCE 6]
Sealed With Spit
Just as human blood has been used to seal a deal, spit has been used in the same, less painful way. Before agreeing on something or sealing a deal, the partners will each spit in their hands before shaking on it. Their spit combines and, in superstitious terms, it binds each person to the deal.
People would often spit on their hands before performing some task that required strength. Still done today, a person might spit on his hands before digging a hole, not knowing that in the old days it was to give their hands more strength to complete the job. [SOURCE 5]
Spit On The Baby
Babies of old Europe were often spat upon. Midwives would spit upon newborn babes to protect them from danger. If that wasn’t bad enough, in Hungary it was a custom to spit in a baby’s face to bring it good luck. Can you imagine standing back to allow family members or even strangers spit in your baby’s face? [SOURCE 4]
Toads
Toads have long been associated with warts. Growing up, you may have been warned not to touch a toad because it would give you these awful skin growths. During the 1800s in Canada, it was believed that the toad’s spit would cause warts. In parts of Germany, it was believed that the spit from a toad was poisonous and could make a person’s limbs swell up.
On the flip side, it was believed by the children in Canada that if you spat on a toad’s back, its back would split open like a ripe tomato. [SOURCE 1]
