Step into the strange world of ancient fears and folk beliefs in this hilariously spooky episode of The Strange History Podcast. Join host Amy as she unpacks humanity’s weirdest superstitions — from spilling salt and breaking mirrors to black cats, bird poop, and Friday the 13th. Discover how the Romans thought mirrors reflected your soul, why medieval peasants blamed cats for the plague, and how garlic became the original vampire repellent. It’s a laugh-out-loud tour through history’s most irrational — and oddly relatable — traditions. Featuring classic Strange History humor, fake commercials, and centuries of bizarre luck, this episode proves one thing: superstition might be ridiculous… but it’s never boring. Tune in, toss some salt, and knock on wood — you’re going to need it.
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This episode of The Strange History Podcast was lovingly crafted with the help of ElevenLabs.io — the magical technology that gives Amy her time to sleep, eat, work and spend time with her dog Jack. While some might say she sounds too good to be true, we assure you, Amy is absolutely a real person… who just happens to have access to studio-grade AI vocal cords and an unnatural ability to pronounce “necromancy” without flinching. Any resemblance to an AI is purely coincidental — and mildly flattering. Dan the announcers name is really Bill and Patrick, the fake ad guy who thinks he is funny? well he is questionable at best. So yes, AI was used but the people are real and the shinanigans are.... well.... shinanigans.
Like and Subscribe:
Apple
Spotify
IHeart
Audible
This episode of The Strange History Podcast was lovingly crafted with the help of ElevenLabs.io — the magical technology that gives Amy her time to sleep, eat, work and spend time with her dog Jack. While some might say she sounds too good to be true, we assure you, Amy is absolutely a real person… who just happens to have access to studio-grade AI vocal cords and an unnatural ability to pronounce “necromancy” without flinching. Any resemblance to an AI is purely coincidental — and mildly flattering. Dan the announcers name is really Bill and Patrick, the fake ad guy who thinks he is funny? well he is questionable at best. So yes, AI was used but the people are real and the shinanigans are.... well.... shinanigans.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back, my dearly superstitious listeners to the Strange History Podcast,
where facts get weird, ghosts get chatty, and history always
knocks on wood before speaking. Tonight, we're unpacking some of
humanity's strangest beliefs, the things our ancestors feared so much
they invented rules about salt, cats, and even the number thirteen.
(00:23):
These are the superstitions that haunted dinner tables, ships and
bedrooms for centuries and occasionally still sneak into our lives today.
So grab your lucky charm, toss a pinch of salt,
and let's wander down history's creaky hallway of irrational fears.
Let's start with something every clumsy person knows too well,
(00:43):
spilled salt. In ancient Rome, salt was worth its weight
in gold. Soldiers were paid in it literally where we
get the word salary. So if you spilled it, you
weren't just making a mess, you were basically wasting your
paycheck and inviting missforts to dinner. To make matters worse,
medieval Europe decided that spilling salt also tempted the devil himself,
(01:08):
but salvation came in the form of a quick toss
a pinch over the left shoulder to blind old scratch
before he could whisper bad luck into your ear. Leonardo
da Vinci even painted Judas spilling salt in the Last Supper,
sealing the idea forever. Personally, when I spill salt, I
toss some over both shoulders, mostly because I'm not coordinated
(01:30):
enough to remember which side is the devil side.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
This segment is sponsored by Salt Begone, the world's first
vacuum made specifically for exercising your countertops, because a clean
kitchen is a blessed kitchen.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Mirrors the original selfie device, and apparently a cursed one.
The ancient Romans believed a mirror reflected not just your face,
but your soul. Break it and you shatter your spiritual self.
The soul they thought, renewed every seven years, hence seven
years of bad luck. Fast forward to the Renaissance, when
(02:05):
mirrors were made of polished silver and cost more than
a small house. If you broke one, it wasn't just
a superstition, it was a financial catastrophe. Servants could lose
months of wages over a single crack. So next time
you break a mirror, just remember it could be worse.
You could be living in sixteen hundreds venice, owing your
(02:26):
boss a soul and three months rent.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Today's show is also brought to you by Mirror Men,
the first adhesive tape guaranteed to fix your reflection and
your reputation. Warning does not repair souls.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Now, let's talk about black cats. Sleek, elegant, and historically slandered.
In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred protectors of homes and grain,
and killing one was punishable by death. But in medieval
Europe people flipped the script entirely. Black cats became a
accused of being witches, familiars, shape shifters, or even witches themselves.
(03:05):
The church declared them omens of Satan, and the cat
cull began. Ironically, this wiped out one of the best
defenses against rats, which helped spread the black plague. So really,
the superstition about cats being unlucky turned out to be
the most unlucky superstition of all. If cats could talk,
I'm sure they'd say, you fools, we were trying to
(03:26):
help you. Then they'd knock a goblet off your table
for emphasis.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
This episode is sponsored by Catastrophe Insurance, protecting you from
broken mirrors, spilled salt, and feline revenge. Since thirteen forty eight.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Ladders simple, useful and apparently portals to doom. In early
Christian symbolism, a ladder leaning against a wall formed a
triangle representing the Holy Trinity. Passing through it meant breaking
that sacred shape. Add in the fact that ladders were
also used at gallows, and walking beneath one was basically
(04:02):
like volunteering to be next. Today people still avoid walking
under ladders, though mostly for practical reasons like not wanting
a wrench to fall on their skull. So maybe this
one's less superstition and more Darwin Award prevention.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
This safety tip is brought to you by Stairway to Heaven.
Ladders guaranteed to get you high safely, spiritually, or otherwise.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Then there's the charming belief that getting pooped on by
a bird brings good luck. This one began in Russia,
where it was said that bird droppings were a symbol
of unexpected wealth. The logic if something so random and
gross could happen, then surely good fortune could too. Sailors
believed the same thing bird poop meant calm seas and
(04:50):
safe voyages, because when you're months away from land, you'll
take any good omen that doesn't involve drowning. So next
time a seagull targets you, don't get mad, get optimistic.
You just got funded by fate.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
This episode is also sponsored by Pooh Tection, the only
umbrella app that sends you an alert when birds are overhead.
Pooh Happens be prepared.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Friday the thirteenth, the day the calendar itself seems to flinch.
Long before it was the title of a horror movie,
it was already cursed. Norse legend tells of twelve gods
feasting in Valhalla before Loki the trickster crashed the party
as the thirteenth guest, Chaos ensued and one god died
(05:34):
proof Apparently that odd numbers ruin everything. Centuries later, Christianity
gave the superstition new fuel thirteen guests at the Last
Supper Crucifixion on a Friday, the unholy combo stuck, and
humanity's favorite unlucky day was born. To this day, hotels
skip room thirteen, airlines skip row thirteen, and I skip
(05:58):
work on Friday the thirteenth, just to respect the ancient math.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
This frightful fact brought to you by Friday's Off, the
world's first excuse generator for taking cursed days off work.
Say it's spiritual, we won't tell hr.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Let's move on to the world's most delicious anti vampire weapon, garlic.
From ancient Greece to the Balkans, garlic was believed to
repel evil spirits, sickness and the undead. Romans hung it
around newborns, and in Transylvania people rubbed it on door
frames to keep vampires away. Even science agrees garlic really
(06:35):
does kill bacteria, so it's not mystical, just medicinal and
maybe a little smelly. If Dracula ever shows up at
my door, I'll greet him with an entire garlic bread loaf.
If that doesn't work, at least I'll die deliciously.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
This hour of protection is brought to you by garlic,
not guardians. Vampires hate them, cardiologists love them.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Next, the oldest justin case superstition of all knocking on wood.
Long before ikia furniture existed, ancient Celts believed that spirits
lived inside trees. If you needed a little luck, you'd
knock on the trunk to wake a friendly spirit. If
you wanted to keep quiet about your good fortune, you'd
knock to prevent jealous spirits from hearing you. Later Christians
(07:24):
adapted the custom, saying the wood represented the cross. Today,
I knock on wood so often my neighbors think I'm
summoning Morse code ghosts.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Knocking on wood brought to you by tree Mail, the
app that lets you send gratitude directly to local forest
spirits with one easy tap.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
The rabbit's foot, that furry little token of luck that's
equal parts adorable and disturbing. This superstition began with Celtic tribes,
who saw rabbits as magical beings that could speak to
gods because they lived underground. Later, African and a American
hoodoo traditions made it specific. Only the left hind foot
(08:04):
of a rabbit caught in a graveyard at midnight brought luck.
By the twentieth century, it became a keychain fad, proof
that humans can turn literally anything into merch.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
This story is brought to you by Lucky Bun Rabbit
foot alternatives. No rabbits harmed, no midnight graveyards required. Now
in pink sparkle.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
The horseshoe, simple, shiny, and powerful against evil. In medieval lore,
iron was a sacred metal that frightened witches and fairies,
and the shape a crescent moon symbolized fertility and protection.
Legend says Saint Dunstan, a blacksmith once nailed a horseshoe
to the devil's hoof. The devil screamed in pain until
(08:48):
Dunstan agreed to remove it on one condition, he must
never enter a home with a horseshoe hanging above the door.
I don't know if it works on demons, but it's
definitely effective at keeping door to door salesman a wway.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
This divine tale is sponsored by Lucky Hoof Hardware, the
only home improvement store where demons pay full price.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And then there's the evil Eye, that unblinking blue charm
that's been glaring back at misfortune for thousands of years.
In ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and the Middle East, people believed
envy could curse you through a single glance. To protect themselves,
they wore talismans shaped like eyes, a spiritual mirror that
(09:32):
bounced the bad vibes right back. Archaeologists have found these
charms dating to three thousand, three hundred BCE. The design
hasn't changed much in five thousand years, proof that side
eye has always been a universal problem. Today, I wear
one just to ward off angry social media posts. So far,
(09:53):
so good. Finally, let's end on something beautiful. Wishing upon
a star. From the astronomers of ancient Greece to medieval dreamers,
people believe that shooting stars were moments when gods peeked
down at Earth. Make a wish at just the right moment,
and they might hear it. Over time, that celestial hope
became a nightly ritual, a blend of science, faith and
(10:15):
childhood magic. Today, we still whisper our wishes to the
night sky, knowing full well it's probably a chunk of
space junk burning up. But hey, if it keeps hope alive,
that's pretty magical in itself.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
This segment is sponsored by wish Star, the only app
that records your wishes before gravity ruins them. Download today
and make your dreams slightly more data driven.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
And that, Dear listeners, concludes Part one of Old superstitions
and where they came from. We've thrown salt, dodged ladders,
and learned that sometimes luck just falls from the sky.
Join me next for Part two, where we'll uncover thirteen
more bizarre beliefs, from lucky chimney sweeps to cursed umbrellas,
(11:03):
and maybe discover why toasting wine is less about manners
and more about ancient survival. Until then, knock on wood,
hang your horse shoes high, and keep your cats close.
I'm Amy reminding you that in the grand story of
strange history, maybe superstition isn't so irrational after all.
Welcome back, my dearly superstitious listeners to the Strange History Podcast,
where facts get weird, ghosts get chatty, and history always
knocks on wood before speaking. Tonight, we're unpacking some of
humanity's strangest beliefs, the things our ancestors feared so much
they invented rules about salt, cats, and even the number thirteen.
(00:23):
These are the superstitions that haunted dinner tables, ships and
bedrooms for centuries and occasionally still sneak into our lives today.
So grab your lucky charm, toss a pinch of salt,
and let's wander down history's creaky hallway of irrational fears.
Let's start with something every clumsy person knows too well,
(00:43):
spilled salt. In ancient Rome, salt was worth its weight
in gold. Soldiers were paid in it literally where we
get the word salary. So if you spilled it, you
weren't just making a mess, you were basically wasting your
paycheck and inviting missforts to dinner. To make matters worse,
medieval Europe decided that spilling salt also tempted the devil himself,
(01:08):
but salvation came in the form of a quick toss
a pinch over the left shoulder to blind old scratch
before he could whisper bad luck into your ear. Leonardo
da Vinci even painted Judas spilling salt in the Last Supper,
sealing the idea forever. Personally, when I spill salt, I
toss some over both shoulders, mostly because I'm not coordinated
(01:30):
enough to remember which side is the devil side.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
This segment is sponsored by Salt Begone, the world's first
vacuum made specifically for exercising your countertops, because a clean
kitchen is a blessed kitchen.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Mirrors the original selfie device, and apparently a cursed one.
The ancient Romans believed a mirror reflected not just your face,
but your soul. Break it and you shatter your spiritual self.
The soul they thought, renewed every seven years, hence seven
years of bad luck. Fast forward to the Renaissance, when
(02:05):
mirrors were made of polished silver and cost more than
a small house. If you broke one, it wasn't just
a superstition, it was a financial catastrophe. Servants could lose
months of wages over a single crack. So next time
you break a mirror, just remember it could be worse.
You could be living in sixteen hundreds venice, owing your
(02:26):
boss a soul and three months rent.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Today's show is also brought to you by Mirror Men,
the first adhesive tape guaranteed to fix your reflection and
your reputation. Warning does not repair souls.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Now, let's talk about black cats. Sleek, elegant, and historically slandered.
In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred protectors of homes and grain,
and killing one was punishable by death. But in medieval
Europe people flipped the script entirely. Black cats became a
accused of being witches, familiars, shape shifters, or even witches themselves.
(03:05):
The church declared them omens of Satan, and the cat
cull began. Ironically, this wiped out one of the best
defenses against rats, which helped spread the black plague. So really,
the superstition about cats being unlucky turned out to be
the most unlucky superstition of all. If cats could talk,
I'm sure they'd say, you fools, we were trying to
(03:26):
help you. Then they'd knock a goblet off your table
for emphasis.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
This episode is sponsored by Catastrophe Insurance, protecting you from
broken mirrors, spilled salt, and feline revenge. Since thirteen forty eight.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Ladders simple, useful and apparently portals to doom. In early
Christian symbolism, a ladder leaning against a wall formed a
triangle representing the Holy Trinity. Passing through it meant breaking
that sacred shape. Add in the fact that ladders were
also used at gallows, and walking beneath one was basically
(04:02):
like volunteering to be next. Today people still avoid walking
under ladders, though mostly for practical reasons like not wanting
a wrench to fall on their skull. So maybe this
one's less superstition and more Darwin Award prevention.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
This safety tip is brought to you by Stairway to Heaven.
Ladders guaranteed to get you high safely, spiritually, or otherwise.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Then there's the charming belief that getting pooped on by
a bird brings good luck. This one began in Russia,
where it was said that bird droppings were a symbol
of unexpected wealth. The logic if something so random and
gross could happen, then surely good fortune could too. Sailors
believed the same thing bird poop meant calm seas and
(04:50):
safe voyages, because when you're months away from land, you'll
take any good omen that doesn't involve drowning. So next
time a seagull targets you, don't get mad, get optimistic.
You just got funded by fate.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
This episode is also sponsored by Pooh Tection, the only
umbrella app that sends you an alert when birds are overhead.
Pooh Happens be prepared.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Friday the thirteenth, the day the calendar itself seems to flinch.
Long before it was the title of a horror movie,
it was already cursed. Norse legend tells of twelve gods
feasting in Valhalla before Loki the trickster crashed the party
as the thirteenth guest, Chaos ensued and one god died
(05:34):
proof Apparently that odd numbers ruin everything. Centuries later, Christianity
gave the superstition new fuel thirteen guests at the Last
Supper Crucifixion on a Friday, the unholy combo stuck, and
humanity's favorite unlucky day was born. To this day, hotels
skip room thirteen, airlines skip row thirteen, and I skip
(05:58):
work on Friday the thirteenth, just to respect the ancient math.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
This frightful fact brought to you by Friday's Off, the
world's first excuse generator for taking cursed days off work.
Say it's spiritual, we won't tell hr.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Let's move on to the world's most delicious anti vampire weapon, garlic.
From ancient Greece to the Balkans, garlic was believed to
repel evil spirits, sickness and the undead. Romans hung it
around newborns, and in Transylvania people rubbed it on door
frames to keep vampires away. Even science agrees garlic really
(06:35):
does kill bacteria, so it's not mystical, just medicinal and
maybe a little smelly. If Dracula ever shows up at
my door, I'll greet him with an entire garlic bread loaf.
If that doesn't work, at least I'll die deliciously.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
This hour of protection is brought to you by garlic,
not guardians. Vampires hate them, cardiologists love them.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Next, the oldest justin case superstition of all knocking on wood.
Long before ikia furniture existed, ancient Celts believed that spirits
lived inside trees. If you needed a little luck, you'd
knock on the trunk to wake a friendly spirit. If
you wanted to keep quiet about your good fortune, you'd
knock to prevent jealous spirits from hearing you. Later Christians
(07:24):
adapted the custom, saying the wood represented the cross. Today,
I knock on wood so often my neighbors think I'm
summoning Morse code ghosts.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Knocking on wood brought to you by tree Mail, the
app that lets you send gratitude directly to local forest
spirits with one easy tap.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
The rabbit's foot, that furry little token of luck that's
equal parts adorable and disturbing. This superstition began with Celtic tribes,
who saw rabbits as magical beings that could speak to
gods because they lived underground. Later, African and a American
hoodoo traditions made it specific. Only the left hind foot
(08:04):
of a rabbit caught in a graveyard at midnight brought luck.
By the twentieth century, it became a keychain fad, proof
that humans can turn literally anything into merch.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
This story is brought to you by Lucky Bun Rabbit
foot alternatives. No rabbits harmed, no midnight graveyards required. Now
in pink sparkle.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
The horseshoe, simple, shiny, and powerful against evil. In medieval lore,
iron was a sacred metal that frightened witches and fairies,
and the shape a crescent moon symbolized fertility and protection.
Legend says Saint Dunstan, a blacksmith once nailed a horseshoe
to the devil's hoof. The devil screamed in pain until
(08:48):
Dunstan agreed to remove it on one condition, he must
never enter a home with a horseshoe hanging above the door.
I don't know if it works on demons, but it's
definitely effective at keeping door to door salesman a wway.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
This divine tale is sponsored by Lucky Hoof Hardware, the
only home improvement store where demons pay full price.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
And then there's the evil Eye, that unblinking blue charm
that's been glaring back at misfortune for thousands of years.
In ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and the Middle East, people believed
envy could curse you through a single glance. To protect themselves,
they wore talismans shaped like eyes, a spiritual mirror that
(09:32):
bounced the bad vibes right back. Archaeologists have found these
charms dating to three thousand, three hundred BCE. The design
hasn't changed much in five thousand years, proof that side
eye has always been a universal problem. Today, I wear
one just to ward off angry social media posts. So far,
(09:53):
so good. Finally, let's end on something beautiful. Wishing upon
a star. From the astronomers of ancient Greece to medieval dreamers,
people believe that shooting stars were moments when gods peeked
down at Earth. Make a wish at just the right moment,
and they might hear it. Over time, that celestial hope
became a nightly ritual, a blend of science, faith and
(10:15):
childhood magic. Today, we still whisper our wishes to the
night sky, knowing full well it's probably a chunk of
space junk burning up. But hey, if it keeps hope alive,
that's pretty magical in itself.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
This segment is sponsored by wish Star, the only app
that records your wishes before gravity ruins them. Download today
and make your dreams slightly more data driven.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
And that, Dear listeners, concludes Part one of Old superstitions
and where they came from. We've thrown salt, dodged ladders,
and learned that sometimes luck just falls from the sky.
Join me next for Part two, where we'll uncover thirteen
more bizarre beliefs, from lucky chimney sweeps to cursed umbrellas,
(11:03):
and maybe discover why toasting wine is less about manners
and more about ancient survival. Until then, knock on wood,
hang your horse shoes high, and keep your cats close.
I'm Amy reminding you that in the grand story of
strange history, maybe superstition isn't so irrational after all.
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