While Elan does not have supernatural elements in its culture or consciousness, it does have religion and science. Still, there are some who believe in things neither can fully explain. It just seems natural to a select number of Elanites to consider that good luck or bad luck can come upon them - some action, some routine, or some avoidance. After all, fortune and misfortune are all around.
Superstitions, fortune telling, and omens all exist in Elan. Some believe in their legitimacy, some don’t, and some follow them just because it’s always been a part of life. Not everyone who believes in them believes in all of them, either. There is a wide spectrum of belief and disbelief among Elanites. Here are some common superstitions, notable omens, and the Elanite ways of fortune telling.
Perhaps the best way to imagine fate and luck is within a spectrum. Those who believe in these forces believe in them as natural forces, not supernatural ones. On the other end, those who do not believe in them do not suspect that they exist at all. Many Elanites can find themselves in the middle of these two more clearly defined ends.
The Church and those who are devoted to science tend to put little stock in fortune superstitions, omens, & fortune telling. Of course, there are individuals who still personally can hold a few of these beliefs, but the general consensus is that they are baseless practices. A few Shepherds could see them as offensive to the religion, but most see them as harmless, not blasphemous.
While the belief in the supernatural or cryptozoological isn’t present in Elan, superstition is. Elanites who are superstitious (as not all of them are) tend to have quite a few practices meant to attract good fortune and ward off the bad. Some superstitions are widely agreed upon by Elanites that believe in them while others could be only within a select province, select town, or select family. Superstitions can also depend on the individual themselves. Below are examples of common national and regional superstitions.
If you do something that would normally be bad luck, tug on your ear or touch each shoulder with the fingers of the opposite hand in order to ward it off.
Saying the same word at the same time as a friend brings bad fortune.
17 is an unlucky number. Always carry a spare - of most anything - just in case you need an eighteenth.
Walking between two people in close proximity, particularly in conversation with one another, is bad luck.
Always wear a new article of clothing (even if it’s just socks) on the Seedtide weekend to bring in a better spring.
Wear at least one fresh flower during Suntide to attract good beginnings.
Eat an apple on the Culltide weekend to ensure enough to eat in the coming year.
Leave a candle in the window for a peaceful night during Snowtide.
If someone spills water on you accidentally, it will bring good luck the following day. If someone accidentally spills alcohol on you, your next day will be filled with misfortune.
Beginning a journey, or even entering a room, with your left foot first can cause good luck to pass you by. This is remembered by the saying “Left ahead is left behind.”
Blue is a lucky color to wear while it’s sunny and white is a lucky color to wear in a storm.
Sailing without a cat on the ship will bring great misfortune. Sometimes this is taken to such a degree that sailors will carry small figures or wear pins of cats.
A fly in the house heralds bad luck, as they are attracted to the smell of rot and death. Killing the fly makes it a sure thing. Getting the fly out of the house alive relieves the chance of misfortune.
When you enter or leave a building, touching the door jamb with your right hand keeps bad luck out of the building.
Carrying or wearing amber, quartz, or obsidian attracts kindness from strangers.
Naming the dead is to be avoided for a year after their passing. Instead, one would use indirect reference - for example, speaking of “David’s husband” or “Reese’s daughter” rather than using the person’s name directly.
Greeting people by name each time you meet brings good fortune from the relationship - be it romantic, platonic, or professional.
On Friday evenings, listing the things you wish to happen before taking the evening meal will bring them to you.
Giving a friend something sharp (such as scissors, a knife, a blade, etc.) as a gift can sever your friendship. If someone gives you one of these, either tap the side of the blade on a surface to “blunt” it, or give them something round in return (most often a stone).
Hanging a garland of flowers and grass outside a building can help bring prosperity to it.
Rubbing brick dust or clay into the soles of your feet after leaving a place will ensure that you’ll never return to that place again.
The new moon is bad luck. If you need to go out under the new moon, don’t make eye contact with anyone while you’re outside.
Five is a very lucky number. Because of this, names like Quinta, Quintus, and Quincy are said to bring luck to the bearer.
Giving someone yellow roses or tulips will ruin your relationship with them.
Facing two mirrors toward one another draws ill luck. Similarly, sleeping with an uncovered mirror facing you will bring bad dreams.
The first offering to any guest should always be water. Forgetting to do so is considered rude and unlucky.
Giving someone dishware made of iron or pewter can ensure that they always have enough to eat. Giving someone dishware made of porcelain will do the opposite.
As stated before, some people in Elan believe that patterns in the world around them have further meaning as to anticipating things that may happen. Below is a smattering of common omens that a few Elanites may believe have meanings.
Multiple types of birds sitting on the same branch means that a strong storm is coming.
A sudden stop of bird calls means that there is danger ahead.
Cat behavior on ships often is assumed to predict the weather. A restless or agitated cat means a horrible storm or rough seas are coming. A cat with a relaxed tail means good weather ahead. A cat licking itself means thunderstorms while a cat sleeping with its tail curled close means rain.
When bats circle a house, it means the coming of death for one of those who reside inside.
Counter-clockwise spun spider webs means a coming blight to the crops.
Green skies bring tornadoes.
Hail followed by sunlight means a coming harsh week.
Fortune Telling is not wholly considered “seeing the future” but is more treated as a way of demystifying what lies, or could lie, in store. Pointedly, fortune tellers are not considered in tune with the supernatural. Those who tell fortunes instead are believed, by those who believe in the practice, to have a great awareness of what is happening and could happen. It’s far more mundane than soothsaying. The skills and tools a fortune teller uses seems to tell both the fortune and destiny of the ones asking for the telling.
Dice are often used to tell quick fortunes about someone’s present situation and what lies ahead. It’s uncommon to use dice to answer specific questions. Many hold that each face of the six-sided die mean something personal to the person reading the fortune, but these are the common meanings:
1: Personal struggle, isolation, loss.
2: Confusion, misdirection, listlessness.
3: Competition, conflict, rivalry.
4: Friendship, relationship, community, love.
5: Clarity, direction, ambition.
6: Success, attainment of goals, fulfillment.
This is one of the most popular forms of fortune telling in Elan. As such, there are many variations of their meanings, usage, and purposes. Most often they are used in spreads to answer questions or find possible outcomes to situations. Other times, people will simply draw a card to see how their day is going to go. It is a flexible and malleable fortune practice.
Cards can both mean something when grouped with others (such as a four of clubs nestled between a jack of hearts and jack of diamonds may mean hardship will come between two lovers) or have their own well-known meanings (the queen of spades is often seen as an omen of death).
Most commonly, the suit meanings are:
Hearts: relationships, romance, friendship, and personal connection.
Clubs: troubles, fights, struggles, and burdens.
Diamonds: wealth, money, opportunities, and prosperity.
Spades: woe, loss, debt, death, and misfortune.
While not everyone in Elan subscribes to their capabilities, there is still a particular language of cards that has become culturally significant. It has happened more than once that a superstitious gambler, upon seeing their hand in a game, has read the meaning of their cards and changed their whole lives to avoid what the cards warned against. Sometimes messages are mailed with particular cards to avoid writing threats or love notes on paper. A person may even carry around a card with noted significance to them on their person for good fortune or as a memento. There is a popularization of the card code that touches many even without the fortune telling aspect.
Please note: Elanites only use playing cards. There are no tarot cards or oracle decks.