Kilted Kangas Superstitions, Magic and Legends Quiz

Answer: John Howard

In 2004, Indigenous Aboriginals "pointed the bone" at the then Prime Minister John Howard as a protest about his policies and programs. As of 2017, John Howard is still alive and has had no effects from the ceremony. This has not reduced the belief that "pointing the bone" does work; it is thought that one has to "believe" that pointing the bone works for it to be effective. Submitted by ClaudiaCat.

Answer: Rowan tree

The Rowan tree has been used to protect homes and people for hundreds of years way before Christianity. The tree should never be cut with a knife, but for personal protection you should look for small twigs that have fallen off, and after thanking the tree you take them and tie the two pieces with red twine to form them into a cross shape with equal armed lengths and hang it above your front door. Doing this will prevent evil entering your home, and for personal protection you can carry one of these crosses with you. Its wood was also used for magic spells and making wands.

The bright red berries grow from a five-pointed star bud, which of course is also known as a pentagram, another magical sign. The berries are still used today to make drinks which are said to fortify you, and they are also used to make Rowan jelly, which goes very well with game dishes.

Submitted by scotsbluebell.

Answer: Canada

Cressie is an eel-like monster who lives deep in Crescent Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It has been reported that this water monster is as long as 15ft in length. It was first reported in Canadian native stories and they called it "Woodum Haoot" (Pond Devil) or "Haoot Tuwedyee" (Swimming Demon).
Submitted by KittyKatey.

Answer: 24 cows

Milking these 24 cows was a day and night job for Paul's parents to keep Paul satisfied. When Paul was hungry his cries for his bottle were loud enough to scare the fish out of all the rivers and streams! Submitted by Sadwings.

Answer: Uluru (Ayers Rock)

The Australian Aboriginal myths and legends are vast and collectively known as "The Dreamtime". Adnoartina is portrayed as a lizard guarding Uluru and is one of the more powerful characters in Australian indigenous culture. Submitted by jb1405.

Answer: Monkey King

Sun Wukong is the Monkey King, an immortal creature of immense strength and agility, who after initially rebelling against Heaven fought on the side of the monk Xuanzang in his epic "Journey to the West".

Confucius is the great Chinese philosopher and teacher who lived 2500 years ago. Calaf, the Prince of Persia, is one of the main characters in the Puccini opera "Turandot", although these days some may prefer to consider him as the protagonist in the eponymous video game series. Submitted by Bagoftricks.

Answer: A pregnant woman

The traditional Hawaiian greeting is to be given a lei to wear and be given a kiss. This is a symbol of many things including being welcomed, loved and friendship. One taboo regarding the lei relates to pregnancy and giving a lei, especially one with closed flowers, to a pregnant woman. An unopened flower on a lei suggests that the baby could be born with its umbilical cord wrapped the baby's neck causing strangulation. Submitted by hdeluze.

Answer: Pontianak

The name Pontianak is a corruption of the Malay words 'perempuan mati beranak', meaning 'woman who died in childbirth'. This spirit is often depicted as seeking any victim at night, but generally men are her preferred targets. She would disembowel her victims with her long fingernails and feast on their organs. A common belief to deter the Pontianak is by wielding a sharp object, like a dagger or a kris. In the day time, the vengeful spirit would reside in a banana tree to protect itself from the bright daylight.

Submitted by abby_91.

Answer: Throwing a pinch of spilled salt over your left shoulder

In The Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Judas Iscariot is depicted having spilled the salt by his elbow, thus associating the spilling of salt with deceit. According to the superstition, in order to ward of evil you must throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder. Why the left shoulder? Because sinistram (or sinister) is Latin for left-hand side so that is where the Devil sits. You throw salt over your left shoulder to blind him so he doesn't tempt you to evil. Your guardian angel sits on your right shoulder.

Incidentally, The Last Supper painting also gives rise to the superstition of never having a dinner party of thirteen people.

Submitted by kapulani3

Answer: Pecos Bill

Pecos Bill was a fictional cowboy most known for being the only person to ride the horse Widow-Maker. He also had a girlfriend named Slue Foot Sue who rode a giant catfish in the Rio Grande.

John Henry, Johnny Appleseed (real name John Chapman), and Davy Crockett were real men in the 1700s-1800s. John Henry was a railroad worker; in 2000 there was a short animated film made about him. Johnny Appleseed and Davy Crockett are some of the better known legends in the United States.

Submitted by monan828.