As Luck Would Have It Trivia Quiz

Answer: A mermaid

Sailors universally believed that sighting a mermaid (or what they thought was a mermaid) meant their ship would soon meet with disaster. There is a famous song called "The Mermaid" that contains the line, "This fishy mermaid has warned me of our doom, we shall sink to the bottom of the sea." Other things considered unlucky by sailors were to begin a voyage on a Friday, or to see sharks following the ship. Dolphins, however, were a sign of good luck.

Answer: Rabbit

The tradition of carrying a rabbit's foot for good luck is so ancient and so widespread that scholars cannot agree on its origin. It is often alleged that the custom was introduced into the United States by slaves brought from Africa, but there are references to carrying a rabbit's foot for luck in Europe that predate the African slave trade.

It is even considered a good luck charm in China. In the United States, the left hind foot of the animal is favored; depending on where you live, there may be requirements that the rabbit be killed in a cemetery, or at the time of the full moon, etc., to ensure good luck.

Answer: Black

The idea that black cats are bad luck seems to be a fairly recent one, dating from the witchcraft hysteria that swept western Europe during the 17th century. Witches were thought to have animal companions, called "familiars," and the most common familiar was a black cat.

In some cultures, black cats are actually thought to be lucky. But in the United States, the prejudice against black cats seems to be alive and well. Animal shelters and rescue centers consistently report that it is more difficult to find homes for black cats than those of other colors.

Answer: Penny

"Find a penny, pick it up, / And all day long you'll have good luck." The origins of this rhyme, and the belief that finding a penny is lucky, seem to be lost in the mists of time. A widespread variation of this superstition is that a penny should only be picked up if it is lying with the "heads" side up.

There are many superstitions about coins bringing luck, such as a bride wearing a sixpence in her shoe, or throwing coins into a well to make a wish come true.

Answer: 7

The idea that breaking a mirror is bad luck seems to date back to the ancient Romans. One's reflection was associated with the soul, so breaking a mirror would endanger a person's soul. The seven years part of the curse was related to their belief that one's life consisted of seven-year cycles. If you should break a mirror by accident, there are ways to avoid the bad luck.

These include tossing salt over your left shoulder, spinning counterclockwise, grinding the pieces of the mirror into a powder, and touching a piece of the broken mirror to a tombstone.

Answer: A horseshoe

The legend about the horseshoe being a symbol of good luck is fairly well documented. Before he took holy vows and became a monk, St. Dunstan was working as a blacksmith, and the Devil came to him, asking Dunstan to shoe his horse. Recognizing the visitor as the Devil, Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to one of his cloven feet instead. Dunstan refused to remove it until the Devil promised never to enter a house with a horseshoe hanging above the door. St. Dunstan was a real person who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 10th century.

There is considerable debate about whether the points of the horseshoe should be pointing up or down; most people seem to favor the points upward.

Answer: 4

The number 4 is considered unlucky in China, because, when pronounced, it sounds like the Chinese word for "death." In China and Hong Kong, many high-rise buildings do not have a fourth floor - just as some buildings in the United States lack a thirteenth floor. Fear of the number four is known as tetraphobia.

Answer: St. Christopher

St. Christopher is considered to be the patron saint of travelers. The story goes that he once risked drowning to carry a child across a dangerous river crossing, and when they had reached the far side of the river, the child revealed himself to be Jesus Christ. Many people keep a St. Christopher's medal in their automobiles for protection.

Answer: The groom seeing the bride before the wedding

The wrong choices are all supposed to bring good luck! This is one superstition that is easy to explain. In olden days, marriages were usually arranged by the bride and groom's parents. Their wedding was often the first time the couple would meet. If the bride was not especially attractive, the groom might back out of the arrangement if he saw his intended beforehand. By not allowing the groom to see the bride until the ceremony was taking place, it was less likely he would skedaddle. Today the custom is still often observed, even though very few arranged marriages happen in western cultures.

Answer: Opening an umbrella indoors

You will often read that this superstition dates back to ancient Egypt, but that is extremely doubtful. The Egyptians did use a form of sunshade something like an umbrella, but theirs didn't fold up, so one couldn't have opened one indoors, even if one had wanted to do so.

There's probably a more practical reason behind this superstition. Some early collapsible umbrellas had very stiff steel spokes, and used powerful springs to open them; they were also larger than modern umbrellas. Opening one in the house could injure someone standing nearby, or knock over objects on a table, for example.

Many people still won't open an umbrella indoors to this day (there seems to be no bad luck attached to bringing an umbrella that has been opened outside indoors).

Some people also believe that it is bad luck to drop an umbrella, or to receive one as a gift.