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