Current Superstitions
Edited By Fanny D. Bergen
Chapter VIII
Dreams
ANIMALS.
463. To dream of cod or caplin is a sign of rain
Newfoundland.
464. To dream of a good catch of fish is a sign of rain.
Heart’s Content, N. F.
465. To dream of catching fish is good luck.
Prince Edward Island.
466. If you dream you catch fish, it is a sign you will make a good bargain, according to the size of the fish.
467. To dream of catching a fish means money.
Cape Breton.
468. To dream of flies means sickness.
Massachusetts.
469. To dream of flies is good luck.
Peabody, Mass.
470. To dream of lice is a sign of death.
New Harbor, N. F.
471. To dream of lice is a sign of enemies.
Topsail, N. F.
472. To dream of lice is a sign of “coming wealth.”
Alabama.
473. To dream of lice means sickness in the family.
Ohio.
474. To dream of snakes means enemies.
Cape Breton. General in the United States.
In some localities it is said if you kill the snake in your dream you will conquer your enemies.
475. To dream of porpoises is bad luck.
Labrador.
476. It is lucky to dream of pigs.
Bruynswick, N. Y.
477. Dreaming of (or seeing) rats (numerous) is a sign of death.
Heart’s Content, N. F.[71]
478. To dream of a rat is the sign of an enemy.
Boston, Mass.
479. To dream of rats is a sign of thieves.
Central Maine and Chestertown, Md.
480. It is a sign of bad news to dream about a white horse.
Quebec.
481. To dream of a white horse three nights in succession is a sign of the death of an elderly person.
Central New York.
482. To dream of a white horse is a sign some one of the family will die within a year.
Maine.
483. To dream of three white colts is a sign of a young person dying.
Central New York.
484. If you dream of a black horse, it is a sure sign of death.
Peabody, Mass.
485. To dream of a black horse is a sign of a wedding; of a white horse is a sign of a letter.
Cape Breton.
486. To dream of a horse is a sign of a letter.
Miramichi, N. B.
487. To dream of horses is a sign of wind.
Topsail, N. F.
488. Dreaming of cows is a sign of a hostile, angry woman.
Bay Roberts, N. F.
489. To dream of dogs and horses is a sign of good luck.
St. John, N. B.
490. To dream of catching a bird is a sign of a letter.
Cape Breton.
491. If you dream of a bird in a cage you will have trouble with your beau.
New England.
492. To dream of cats means enemies.
Cape Breton.
493. To dream of a cat means an enemy. If in the dream you conquer the cat, you will conquer the enemy.
Miramichi, N. B.
COLORS.
494. To dream of white things is lucky (or sign of death?).
Newfoundland.
495. Dreaming of white things is a sign of snow in summer.
Labrador and Newfoundland.[72]
496. Dreaming of working on white cloth is a sign of death.
Newfoundland.
497. To dream of white or red is unlucky. To dream of black is lucky.
DEAD PERSONS.
498. To dream of a dead father is lucky.
Labrador.
499. To dream of a dead mother is unlucky; it brings sorrow.
Labrador.
500. To dream of the dead is a sign of hearing from the living.
Topsail and New Harbor, N. F.
501. To dream of the dead is a sign of rain.
New Harbor, N. F.
502. To dream of seeing a deceased friend means rain within a few days.
Talladega, Ala.
503. To dream of a dead person means a letter next day.
Northern Maine.
504. If you dream of the dead, you’ll hear from the living.
Prince Edward Island; General in the United States.
EARTH.
505. To dream of walking in a garden is a sign of a graveyard.
506. To dream of ploughed ground indicates that a grave will be dug for some member of the family before the year ends.
Western New York.
507. To dream of seeing fresh earth bodes misfortune.
Northern Ohio.
508. To dream of digging ground, or white potatoes, is a sign of death.
Harbor Grace, N. F.
509. To dream of seeing the ground unseasonably ploughed means death.
Nova Scotia.
EGGS.
510. To dream of eggs means you will get a beating.
Prince Edward Island.
511. Dreaming of eggs is a sign of anger; if broken, all over.
New Harbor, N. F.
512. To dream of whole eggs is a sign of a “fuss;” of broken eggs is not.
Chestertown, Md.[73]
513. To dream of a nest full of eggs and a bird sitting on them means you will receive something new.
Cape Breton.
FIRE AND SMOKE.
514. It is bad luck to dream of fire.
St. John, N. B.
515. To dream of fire portends sickness.
Eastern Massachusetts.
516. If you dream of fire, it is a sign of trouble in the family.
Alabama.
517. If you dream of fire, you’ll have a row.
Massachusetts.
518. To dream of fire is a sign of anger.
Newfoundland and Labrador.
519. To dream of fire means hasty news. To dream of smoke means trouble.
Miramichi, N. B.
520. Dream of flame out of season,
You will be angry without a reason.
521. If you dream about a large blaze of fire, you will get some money unexpectedly.
Alabama.
522. Dreaming of smoke indicates trouble.
Alabama.
523. To dream of smoke means death.
Wisconsin.
HUMAN BEINGS.
524. To dream of a baby is a sign of death.
525. To dream of babies is unlucky or is a sign of trouble.
General in the United States.
526. To dream of carrying a child is unlucky.
527. It is bad luck or death to dream of naked clinging (climbing?) children.
Labrador and Newfoundland.
528. It is ill luck to dream of a priest.
Central Maine.
529. If you dream of a negro, you will surely quarrel.
530. If you dream of being kissed by or being very intimate with a woman friend, it means a disagreement.[74]
531. If you dream of a person of the opposite sex three nights in succession, you are sure to marry him.
Alabama.
532. If you dream of a gentleman, you will never marry him.
Bedford, Mass.
533. If you dream of a person as going two ways at once, it is a sign the person dreamed of will die before the year is out.
Boston, Mass.
534. To dream of a naked man is a sign of the death of a woman, and vice versa.
Baltimore, Md. (negro).
535. To dream of a drunken husband or man is unlucky.
Labrador.
536. To dream of men is lucky.
Newfoundland.
537. To dream of women is unlucky.
Bay Roberts, N. F.
METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA.
538. To dream of walking through snow means sickness.
St. John, N. B.
539. To dream of a snowstorm is a sign of the speedy death of a relative.
South Framingham, Mass.
540. To dream of snow in spring (May) is a sign of a good catch of fish.
Trinity Bay, N. F.
541. If a fisherman dreams of its raining, it is a sign of a good catch of fish.
Green Harbor, N. F.
542. Anything dreamed “on the east wind,” i. e., when the east wind is blowing, will come true.
Chestertown, Md. (negro).
MONEY AND METALS.
543. To dream of silver money is a sign of sickness.
544. To dream of small change (money) is bad luck.
Newfoundland.
545. To dream of gold or silver is good luck; of paper is bad.
Boston, Mass.
546. If you dream of gold, it is a sign of an increase of property.
Alabama.
TEETH.
547. To dream of teeth is unlucky.
Eastern Massachusetts.
548. It is death or bad luck to dream of teeth falling out.
Newfoundland and Northern Ohio.
549. To dream of losing a tooth means a death.
Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.
550. To dream of pulling out your teeth means sickness.
Eastern Massachusetts.
551. To dream of losing a tooth means losing a friend.
Virginia.
552. If you dream of having a front tooth drop out, you will lose a near relative within a year. If a back tooth, a distant relative.
WATER.
553. To dream of smooth water means good luck; of rough water means ill luck.
St. John, N. B.
554. Dreaming of running water means approaching death to the dreamer or some near relative.
555. To dream of clear, sparkling water means good luck.
Miramichi, N. B.
556. To dream of milky or roily water means death or disaster.
Miramichi, N. B.
557. To dream of seeing muddy water signifies that you will have trouble.
Alabama.
558. To dream of clear water means prosperity; of muddy water means trouble.
Boston, Mass.
559. To dream of washing is a sign of a move.
Cape Breton and Wisconsin.
WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS.
560. To dream of marriage is a sign of a funeral.
Topsail and Carbonear, Trinity Bay, N. F.
561. If you dream of a marriage, it is the sign of a death; and if you dream of a death, it is the sign of a marriage.
Alabama.
562. If you dream of a marriage, you will hear of a death next day.
Talladega, Ala.[76]
563. If you dream of a wedding, you will hear of the death of a friend in that month.
Pennsylvania.
564. To dream of a wedding means death.
Mifflintown, Pa.
565. Dream on a piece of wedding cake. Write names on slips of paper and pull them out. The one you pull twice is the one you will marry.
Massachusetts.
566. Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and the one you dream about will be your future partner in life.
New Brunswick.
567. Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and if you have the same dream three nights in succession, your dream will come to pass.
New York.
568. To dream of a funeral means a wedding.
MISCELLANEOUS.
569. To dream of raw meat is a sign of ill luck.
570. To dream of eating meat is a sign of sickness.
Boston.
571. To see while asleep fresh meats of any kind is a warning of death.
Alabama.
572. To dream of blood is a sign of sickness.
Alabama.
573. To dream of blood is a sign that some one will “scandalize” you.
Baltimore, Md. (negro).
574. To dream of onions is good.
575. To dream of flowers is a sign of sickness.
Alabama.
576. To dream of
Fruit out of season,
Trouble without reason.
Northern Ohio.
577. To dream of cherries is evil.
578. To dream of an anchor means good luck.
St. John, N. B.
579. To dream on land of a vessel (with sails set?) is a sign of a funeral.
Labrador and Trinity Bay, N. F.[77]
580. To dream of small beads or sewing silk is lucky.
Labrador.
581. What you dream the first night you are in a strange house will come true.
General in the United States.
582. If you dream the first night you are in a strange bed, your dream will come true. If the dream was of a sweetheart, you will be married.
Trinity Bay and Bay Roberts, N. F.
583. To dream of losing the sole of your shoe indicates the death of a near friend.
Cape Breton.
584. To dream of seeing any one wear worn-out shoes means the death of a near relative.
Cape Breton.
585. To dream of a hole worn in a boot is a sign of being sick.
Newfoundland.
586. To dream of bad boots is unlucky.
Newfoundland.
587. Saturday night’s dream, Sunday morning told,
Will come to pass before it’s a week old.
Maine and Massachusetts.
588. Saturday night dreamt,
Sunday morning told,
Sure to come true
Before a month old.
Eastern Massachusetts.
589. Relate the dream before breakfast, and it will come true.
General in the United States.
590. If you dream the same thing three times, it will come true.
591. Dreaming of handling new-made boards is a sign of a coffin. (A carpenter’s notion.)
Heart’s Content, N. F.
592. If you dream of seeing a boat drawn or sailing on land, it is a sign of death.
Cape Breton.
593. If you dream that you see an empty coffin, you will see it filled within a year.
594. To dream of dough in a bread pan is the sign of a coffin.
New Brunswick.
595. To dream of dough in a black pan is a sign of a corpse.
Miramichi, N.B.
596. To dream of bread is good luck.
Boston, Mass.
597. To dream of going in a carriage means you’ll travel with a friend.
Cape Breton.
598. Pick up a stone in a strange place and put it under the pillow for three nights. If you dream, it will come true.
Newfoundland.
599. To dream of being in a new house is a sign of death.
Harbor Grace, N. F.
600. Place the heel of one shoe against the instep of the other three nights in a row, and you will dream of your future husband.
Franklin, Mass.
601. To dream that your sweetheart has the ague means that he loves you.
602. To dream you are a fool is good luck and increase of wealth.
603. Dreaming of persons being sick is a sign of being well.
Newfoundland and New Hampshire.
604. To dream of a death is a sign of life.
605. To dream of the devil is a sign of good luck.
Trinity Bay, N. F.
606. To dream you cry means you will laugh.
Boston, Mass.
607. Dreams go by contraries.
General in the United States.
Index | Next: Luck. Cards. Days. Dressing. Horseshoes. Pins. Salt. Sweeping. Turning Back. Miscellaneous.