The eNotes Blog Problematic Peacocks and Other Elizabethan EraWarnings

Problematic Peacocks and Other Elizabethan EraWarnings Perhaps the reason the Virgin Queen decided to remain so is to avoid the humiliation of having one of her upstart subjects oil paint a picture of her swaddling cat in her arms. Maybe someday there will be superstitions that arise from the era when Queen Kate and King William reign, but it is unlikely that they will be as elaborate or as colorful as these.   The folks over at The Oddment Emporium  recently posted this list from an elderly nobleman known here only as Sir Cecil who reflected on the superstitions that arose during the era of the Maiden Queen, Elizabeth the First. During the era of my youth, Sir Cecil recalled, it was most important these be followed at all times. 1. One must always say â€Å"God bless you when one wouldst sneeze or else the devil would enter ones body and possess it while the mouth was open. 2. The seventh son of a seventh son possessed great magical properties. If Your Majesty is familiar with the writings of the great contemporary author Miss Joanne Rowling, one wouldst be aware she borrowed this belief though in her literature. It did not apply only to sons but daughters also and the great witch Ginevra Weasley was the seventh child of a father who was a seventh son. (I dont think this is what Sir Cecil had in mind) 3. Peacocks are ill omens, and the eye on the peacock feather is the evil eye of Satan or one of his foul minions. 4. Trees are filled with magick and one can guard against ill omens like the dreaded peacock feather by touching an object made of wood. 5. One must never put one’s shoes on the table for this shall bring death upon one’s household. (So much senseless death is coming) 6. If one should spill salt or pepper this is a great ill omen and a great misfortune, for such spices are extremely expensive. 7. The greatest and most wicked of all ill omens is the eclipse. If such a horrible malfunction of the heavens is to occur, it shall bring death, destruction, and poor manners upon the kingdom. Even the great noble houses shall not be immune to its ill effects. One must always be wary of this time of great peril! (Spilling salt on your peacock during an eclipse heralds the Apocalypse.) Great thanks to Your Majesty for allowing a meager and humble subject such as myself to send you this information I have gathered. May your glorious reign last forever. Your most loyal subject, Sir Cecil