My grandmother has a mark, which she calls a "fire mark" on her upper arm. It is oddly similar ro a birthmark, bu this is the story of its origin according to my grandmother:

When her mother was pregnant with her, there was a fire in the Russion town where they lived. Her mother went out to look at it, and the night was quite cold. She grasped her upper arm because of this cold, and so my grandmother was born with a mark in the same place her mother had held her arm.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P840] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; Cold ; CURSE ; FEAR ; FIRE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Russia ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Superstition

Belief:

If you're frightened during pregnancy after the 7th month the child will be born with a birth mark such as a strawberry or in the shape of a thing that produced the fright.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with Current Classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Superstition

Superstition:

Pregnant women should not look at strawberries because then their children will develop red blotches on themselves (which look like strawberries).

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P740] crossed out. replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CURSE ; jinx ; Mark ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; PREGNANCY ; STRAWBERRY ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Superstition: Sports

In order to keep a winning streak going for a team, the team members must not change their socks from game to game.

Submitter comment:

Belief, Predicition, Divination P880

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CLOTHING ; jinx ; LUCK ; SOCKS ; SPORTS ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Entertainment Diversion
BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance

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Superstition: Sports

Winning Streak:

It was believed to be bad luck to wash your athletic socks during a winning streak. If the coach made you wear clean ones, you always wore your dirty ones underneath those so as not to jinx the team.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P500] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Coach ; FATE ; GAME ; jinx ; LUCK ; SPORTS ; SUPERSTITION ; Win ; Winning Streak

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Entertainment Diversion

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Superstition: Sports

Sports:

Never wash your socks while you are on a winning streak.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BASEBALL GAME. ; jinx ; LUCK ; SPORTS ; SUPERSTITION ; Win

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Entertainment Diversion

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Superstition

How Many Children?

Thread a needle and hold it at the top, next to your left wrist. If you keep watching for awhile, the needle and thread will move all by itself. If it moves in circles, for example, three times, that means you will have three daughters someday. If it sways back and forth, that means you will have the respective number of sons. If the needle and thread don't move at all, you will be childless.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P542, P860] crossed out. Replaced with current Classification

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BIRTH ; Childbirth, divination ; CHILDREN ; FUTURE ; GAME ; gender ; NUMBER ; Offspring ; Ordaining ; SUPERSTITION ; TRICK

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Custom/Belief

Holy Communion:

Sometime around her First Communion, Mary was told always to swallow the host because if you chewed it, Christ would cry out in pain and blood would fill your mouth.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CHILD ; Christ ; Communion ; Host ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Church

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Superstition: Pregnancy

When you're pregnant is you see a fire there will be a mark on your child.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P870] crossed out. Replaced with P542

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN HEIGHTS

Keyword(s): Birthmark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FIRE ; Mark ; Offspring ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Superstition

"Mouse"

My brother has a birthmark on his thigh. But my grandmother refuses to believe that it did not come about inthis way: She says that when my mother was pregnant a mouse must have frightened her and she must have grabbed her leg at the thigh, in the place where my brother has the "mouse." Her proof is that my uncle has the same kind of mark in the same place on his leg, and she is sure that she was scared by a mouse when pregnant with him.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P840] crossed out and replaced with current classification.

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; Mouse ; Offspring ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Custom/Belief

Tie a diamond ring to a piece of string with the diamond hanging at the lowest point. Hold the string at eye level. Hold it steady and place someone's hand palm down under the diamond. If the ring sways from left to right that is the sign that the expectant mother will have a baby boy. If it sways to and fro, the baby will be a girl.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [F500] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Keyword(s): BABY ; BELIEF ; BIRTH ; DIVINATION ; gender ; Old Wives Tale ; Ordaining ; SEX ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Prediction Belief:

If a pregnant woman looks at an ugly animal, her child may be ugly.

Submitter comment:

Prediction / Belief

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Reference

Original BN [P800] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; BIRTH ; CHILD ; CURSE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; PREGNANCY ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): Reference

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Birth

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Ethnic: German

Superstition:

In German villages it is believed that if a boy has a dog and the dog runs away, then the boy must follow the dog in search of his fortune. If the dog returns without his master, then the boy is dead. If the dog does not return, the boy has found his fortune.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P800] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Boy ; DIVINATION ; DOG ; ETHNIC ; FATE ; fortune ; GERMAN ; Ordaining ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Mammal

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cats:

Cats shouldn't be allowed in the same room as a sleeping baby because the smell of milk on a baby's breath will cause the cat to suffocate the baby when the cat attempts to suck the milk out of the baby through the baby's mouth.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P400] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; DEATH ; FEAR ; Feline ; FOOD ; Kill ; Milk ; Newborn ; Offspring ; Suffocate ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Mammal

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cats and Babies:

Many mothers will not leace cats in the same room as an infant. They believe a cat can suck all the aior out of a baby's lungs and kill it.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; FEAR ; Feline ; infant ; Newborn ; Suffocate ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Mammal

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cat Belief:

Never place a baby unattended in the same room as a cat, because the cat will leap up onto the child and take hold of the child's tongue and strangle the child.

Submitter comment:

Informant said she saw a cat do this and was able to save the child before the child expired.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P740] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; KALAMAZOO

Keyword(s): ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; FEAR ; Feline ; infant ; Newborn ; STRANGULATION ; SUFFOCATION ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Mammal

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Superstition

Cats:

It isn't good to keep a cat in the house while sleeping, for it would soon become fascinated in watching your Adam's Apple moving up and down, would try to catch it and eat it.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P750. P400] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Adam's Apple ; CAT ; Consumption ; Devour ; FEAR ; Feline ; SLEEP ; SUPERSTITION ; SUPERSTITION ; Throat