Black cats & Bad luck

General information about Item:

  • Verbal & Customary folklore; Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: United States
  • Informant: H. Jacobs
  • Date collected: May 24, 2020

Informant data:

H. Jacobs is a 5th grader from Virginia Beach, VA. He currently goes to school and enjoys playing soccer, playing video games, and surfing.

Contextual data:

  • Cultural context: Southerners take signs from animals very seriously. Additionally, the black cat has taken on a larger role as a symbol of horror and bad luck around holidays.
  • Social context: HJ told this to me in a conversation about symbols of good and bad luck.

Item:

If a black cat crosses your path, you are cursed with bad luck for an undefined period of time.

Transcript:

“Okay so one is, one would be the- when a black cat crosses near you, uh, it brings bad luck. And, I hear it when it’s around like Halloween time and I hear it when, like, a black cat comes near me.”

Collector’s comments:

The black cat is, of course, one of the more universal symbols of bad luck. However, I believe it holds a slightly greater significance in the South, where both children and adults are more likely to recognize animals as important messengers and genuine symbols.

Collector’s name: Jack Jacobs

Tags/Keywords:

-Customary folklore

-Fears

-Luck