BODY FUNCTION SUPERSTITIONS
Whistling
Whistling in ancient times was seen as taboo. Here is a short list of the possible consequences:
* "A whistle in the house invites the Devil in
* If a girl whistles, she will grow a beard
* Whistling near a theater's dressing room will result in forgotten lines
* Whistling on a ship will bring a storm
* Miners who whistle run the risk of a cave-in
* If a reporter whistles near the editor's desk, his story won't be printed
Exactly why whistling is taboo is hidden in the minutia of history, but it sounds nearly like a snake's hiss or an arrow's flight, which warn of danger. One superstition, which seems pretty incredible but is alive and well in Cajun areas, says that it is dangerous to whistle because of the risk of summoning a devil. Hence, when you whistle for your dog, it is wise to snap your fingers as well (like many dog owners do) in order to scare away demons.
Yawning
Covering the mouth when yawning is supposed to keep your breath from being stolen away. Another belief commonly held is that the Devil causes a yawn in order to slip into your body and possess your soul. Some folks do a "sign of the cross" when they yawn to ward this off.
Sneezing
"God bless you" and "Gesundheit". All these are antidotes (or at least polite gestures) when someone sneezes. Why the need for a blessing? In the old days, some believed that the soul existed in the head, and that a sneeze might expel the soul unless God prevented it. Some say, alternatively, that a sneeze is the cure for a demon that slipped in from a yawn. Whatever you believe, this superstition is not to be sneezed at!
Bill McCulley believes this myth stems from the Middle Ages, where a sneeze indicated you had the Plague (the Bubonic Plauge, also known as the Rat Plague). The "Bless You" was the only respite a person dying of this disease could look forward to.
Sleeping
Sleeping on your right side has been said to ensure a good night's rest, since it was thought that the heart was on the left side. Sleeping on the left side of your body could crush your heart if you were to sneeze in your sleep. Some people believe that when sleeping, your head should point north and your feet south, to allow the magnetic waves of the poles to let you sleep well, while in reality humans don't have nearly enough iron in their bodies to be effected by the poles.
Another popular one is that is you awaken a sleepwalking person quickly, they will have a heart attack. This, also, is untrue.
Awakening
"He got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning" is a common phrase in America. This is related to the above myth about sleeping. It says that the left side is the bad side, and the good side is the right side. This distinction holds for most spatial myths. The following are good: the right shoulder, the right side of the bed, the right side of your body to sleep on, the right eye sees best, and right handed people are lucky.
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