Information: People are always skeptical to walk under a ladder because it's been thought to bring bad luck. People try to avoid it and others don't believe this superstition at all. Walking under ladders dates back to the medieval times where ladders were thought to resemble gallows. This was thought to believe that if someone walked under a ladder, they were guaranteeing their own death by gallows. It was also thought to resemble the Holy Trinity. The shape of a leaning ladder is a triangle and walking through the ladder was considered violating and insulting God.Inferences: Some people believe the possibility of reversing the bad luck. Some ways thought to reverse it are: crossing your fingers until you see a dog; spitting on your show while continuously walking, and not looking at your shoe until the spit is dry; and walking backwards through the ladder while making a wish.
Point of View: Personally, I don't really believe this superstition is true. It just seems ridiculous to me. I could understand the gallows, but I don't believe about the possibilities of it being bad luck. Also, the ways to 'undo' the bad luck is absurd. It just seems like a joke.
I really like this post. I find it very interesting to read blogs on myths. I believe in so many myths that I find them important for everyone to read up on them and feel comfrotable that there are many others out there that believe in them as well. I still will never walk under a ladder, open an umbrella in a house, or think something bad is going to happen if a black cat crosses in my path. This was a very good blog with good information. I was excited to read it, and enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my experience with this myth, I haven't quite understood why it's been passed down for so many years. My thought was that it was simply somewhat dangerous to walk under a ladder, especially while it's used during construction. People place things on the steps like a screw driver or drill and it has the tendency to be kicked off or fall. So walking under a ladder while someone is on it may very well be bad since there is a higher risk of injury. As far as 'bad luck' goes, I never seem to have any either way but have had my share of moments of spontaneous enjoyments. Best bet, don't walk under ladders if you don't necessarily have to.
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