07/09/2026
When superstition ruled everyday life...
We’re starting a little journey into Medieval superstitions & strange beliefs, and the era does not disappoint.
The pre-Enlightenment world could be both fascinating and frightening. Without modern science to explain the mysteries of nature, illness, weather, and everyday life, people often turned to faith, folklore, and imagination for answers.
The result was a world that seemed alive with the supernatural—a place inhabited by angels and demons, fairies and witches, omens and unseen forces. What may seem like strange or even ridiculous superstitions to us today often helped people in medieval Europe understand an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous world.
TOP TEN SUPERSTITIONS & STRANGE BELIEFS
🐈⬛ Cats Were Both Lucky and Sinister
Cats could be valued as mousers yet associated with witchcraft, demons, and bad luck. The history is more complicated than the familiar claim that medieval Europeans simply hated cats.
👁️ The “Evil Eye” Could Bring Real Misfortune
An envious or malicious glance was believed capable of causing illness, bad luck, infertility, or other harm. Charms, prayers, gestures, and protective objects were used as defenses.
💨 Sneezing Could Be an Omen
A sneeze wasn’t always just a sneeze. Depending on the time, place, and circumstances, it might be interpreted as a warning, a sign of illness, or even a supernatural message.
💭 Dreams Might Predict the Future
Medieval dream books attempted to interpret everything from dreaming about animals to losing teeth. Some dreams were believed to come from God, others from demons—or simply from what you ate.
🌕 The Moon Could Affect Your Health
Physicians sometimes considered lunar phases when deciding when to bleed a patient, administer treatments, or perform medical procedures. Astrology and medicine were closely intertwined.
🔔 Church Bells Could Drive Away Storms
Bells weren’t rung only to mark time or summon worshippers. In parts of medieval Europe, people believed their sound could repel thunderstorms, hail, evil spirits, and other dangers.
💀 Touching the Dead Could Cure the Living
Folk beliefs sometimes attributed healing powers to corpses, executed criminals, saints’ relics, and objects associated with the dead. Medieval medicine could get very strange indeed.
🐖 Animals Could Be Put on Trial
Pigs, rats, insects, and other animals were occasionally subjected to legal proceedings. Some received lawyers, trials, sentences, and even executions or formal excommunications.
🧚♀️ Fairies Were Not Cute Little Creatures
Medieval and later European folklore often portrayed supernatural beings as unpredictable and dangerous. They might steal children, mislead travelers, spoil food, or punish anyone who offended them.
🎂 Your Birthday Could Shape Your Destiny
Astrology was taken seriously by many educated medieval and Renaissance Europeans. The position of planets and stars at birth might be consulted for clues about personality, health, marriage, fortune, and fate.
⚜️ Which medieval superstition do you think still influences us today?
