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Things to do with scissors

Posted February 8th, 2006 by Murray @ ulblog
Filed under: Superstitions

Scissors aren’t just damn convenient things for shower scenes in slasher movies - they’re also the subject of many superstitions and folkloric beliefs.

Here’s a few with which to sharpen your superstitious edges:

Scissors and thunderstorms

Scissors should be put away during thunderstorms to decrease the likelihood that the house will be struck by lightning.

Scissors and childbirth

Placing a pair of scissors under the pillow of a woman in labor will ‘cut her pain in half’.

Scissors and pain in general

As with childbirth, placing a pair of scissors underneath the pillow of anyone in pain will halve their discomfort, making it more bearable.

Breaking a blade on a pair of scissors

Sign of an impending argument or quarrel.

Breaking both blades

Sign of an impending disaster.

Giving a pair of scissors as a gift

Will cause problems in a friendship by cutting the relationship in half. When giving scissors as a gift, the receiver should always give a little money in return, since ‘buying’ the scissors will not cause the friendship to be cut.

Dropping a pair of scissors

A lover is being unfaithful [1].

Nailed above a door

A pair of scissors nailed above a door in the ‘open’ position, so they resemble a cross to some extent, was said to protect a household from witchcraft and evil influences.

Scissors became an important object in household magic in much the same way keys and horseshoes did. They were thought to borrow from the power of the blacksmith - often considered to be a powerful individual in folkloric belief - and were prized items at a time when much craftsmanship went into manufacturing a pair.

And there you have it. Next time you pick up a pair of scissors, you might want to spare a thought for the fact that once they were considered to be items of considerable magical influence.

Do you know of any superstitions or household rituals relating to scissors? Share them with us via the submit a superstition link!

Footnotes:

1.	Anyone stuck in a relationship with me had better hope I don’t start believing this one, since I’m as clumsy as all hell [2].
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2.	eg: “<clatter> Aha! … Oh, I’m sorry, that’s just me being clum-<clatter> Aha! …” and so on.
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