Adder
To see an adder - general bad luck
To kill an adder - general good luck
A live adder on the doorstep - a death in the household
Albatross
An albatross flying around a ship in mid ocean - bad weather
Thought to be the spirit of dead mariners and so bringing bad luck to those who killed them
Ant
Believed to be the final earthly incarnation of fairies
Believed to be the souls of children who had died unbaptised
Believed to be the transmuted souls of the Druids who refused to accept Christianity
Badger
Carrying a badgers tooth - Good luck (especially for gamblers)
Bat
In a church during a wedding ceremony - bad omen
In the house - either a death or a sign that the humans will soon be leaving
Flying close to a person - that person will be betrayed
Flying vertically upwards then dropping back to earth - 'The Witches Hour Has Come'
Flying early in the evening - good weather
Chinese belief - Bats are a symbol of long life and happiness
Bear
Believed to gain sustenance from sucking on their own paws.
Ghost bears are believed to reside at Worcester Cathedral and The Tower of London in England
Naming a bear - provokes attack
Beetle
Ancient Egyptian belief - Scarab revered as a symbol of the Sun God Ra
Walking over a person's shoe - an omen of death
Crawling out of a discarded shoe - ill omen
Devil's coach horse beetle raising it's tail - a curse
African belief - throwing beetles into a lake produces rain
A dead beetle tied around the neck - cure for whooping cough
Blackbird
Ancient British Belief - A messenger of the dead
Two blackbirds sitting together - good omen
Boar
A manifestation of the Devil
Norse belief - A traditional food of the Gods
Bull
Bull's testes - aphrodisiac
To hide in a bull's pen - immunity from lightning
Butterfly
Souls of unbaptised children
Inside the house - good luck
First butterfly of the season (white) - good omen
First butterfly of the season (brown) - misfortune
To see three butterflies together - bad omen
To see a butterfly at night - approaching death
Scottish belief - red butterflies are manifestations of witches
information sources:
"Dictionary of superstitions" by David Pickering
"The encuclopedia of superstitions" by Christina Hole
