Mythology

on board a ship, it is a sign of luck, but if they leave, the ship will be wrecked
(STRACKERJAN, Vol. I, p. 24) ; similarly, they leave a house before a fall.
If a rat, during the night, gnaw the furniture of a room or our clothes, it is indicative of
some impending evil, perhaps even death.
The Romans said that to see a white rat was a certain presage of good luck.
To destroy rats, St. Gertrude should be invoked.
In Macedonia if rats gnaw the clothes, it is taken as a hint that there is a dishonest servant
in the house. (ABBOTT, p. 108.) Vide Mouse.
Ratatosk: Norse Myth. A squirrel who carries words of strife up and down. Vide
Yggdrasil.
Rattlesnake: Rattlesnakes exercise so great a fascination over birds, that they fall an
easy prey to them.
Some North American Indians will spare the rattlesnake, fearing the vengeance of the
spirit, if slain.
Ravana: Hind. Myth. The demon-king of Lanka or Ceylon. He was able to assume any
form he pleased, and was malignant and terrible to the utmost degree. He had ten
heads, twenty copper coloured arms and big shining teeth like swords; his form was as
thick as a mountain. He disguised himself like an old woman, and succeeded in carrying
off Sita, which brought on the war with Rama. Ravana and his giants were conquered
by the hero, and Sit was rescued.
Raven: Ravens are ill-omened birds (HAGGARD, Nada the Lily, . 214; DALYELL, p.
503; ELWORTHY, E.E., p. 94; BASSETT, p. 275) ; they forebode pestilence and death
and call up rain; hence the expression "to croak like a raven."
Ravens nailed up in stables protect from illnesses (Alsace.-LAMBS, p. 31.)
Ravens seen on the left hand side of a person bode impending evil. (Great Britain,
India.)
If ravens gape against the sun, heat will follow; but if they busy themselves in preening
or washing themselves, there will be rain.
Ravens foster forsaken children.
A crowing raven in the vicinity of a house, or flying over one in which a person is lying
ill, denotes his speedy death. (Germany.-WUTTKE, p. 32; OWEN, p. 304; HAZLITT, p.
507.)
Ravens flying towards each other, presage a war. (Swabia.-WUTTKE, p. 33.)
The young of a raven, for nine days after it is hatched out of the egg, is snowy white;
after that time has passed, it changes its colour. (STRACKERJAN, Vol. II, p. 103.)
The raven is said to be the most prophetic of "inspired birds." It bodes private and public
calamities; hence the proverbial expression, "to have the foresight of a raven."
Among the North Pacific Coast tribes, the raven is important as a creator or transformer.
In Vancouver Island, it is merely a greedy trickster.
According to the modern Indians, the raven is the "Messenger of Death."
In Cornwall, King Arthur is said to live in the form of a raven. (BERTHOLET, p. 34.)

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Rainbow: The rainbow is considered by many nations to be a demon; thus in NewZealand (TAYLOR), among the Karens of Burma, in Dahomey (BURTON), among theIndians of Ecuador (KARSTEN), the same superstition, with slight variations, is prevalent.
(cf. TYLOR, P.C., Vol. I, pp. 256, 266, 268 sq.)
Among the Indians, the rainbow is said to be the bow of Rama; hence it is calledRama-dhanuk, "Rama’s bow."
If the two extremities of a rainbow are within the limit of the same town, a death therein
should be expected. (Folklore, X, p. 364.)
The appearance of a rainbow portends death. (DALYELL, Dark Sup., p. 503.)
To dream of a rainbow on your right hand side is good, but if on the left, bad. VideCuichi Supai. Rake: If a rake accidentally falls with the prongs pointing upwards, it is a sure sign of aheavy rainfall. (STRACKERJAN, Vol. I, p. 35.) Rakshasa: Hind. Myth. The giants, goblins or evil spirits of Indian mythology. They areof three sorts, and are not all bad. One is a set of beings like the Yakshas, the other asort of Titans or enemies, and lastly, the demons who haunt cemeteries, disturb sacrifices,
and devour human beings. (Dowson, H.C.D., p. 254; Vide DAY, Folktales ofBengal; Ethnologie du Bengale, pp. 93 sq.) Rakshasi: The female counterpart of the above. They have the power of assuming theforms of beautiful maidens in order to allure human beings. They are carnivorous, andare said to have devastated whole cities. Among other powers ascribed to them, theyare believed to be capable of stretching their bodies to a distance of eighty miles. (cf.
DAY, Folktales of Bengal; CROOKE, P.R.I., Vol. I, p. 250.) Rakshe: A monster whose ordinary food was serpents and dragons. Rama: Hind. Myth. Hero of the great epic Ramayana, one of the incarnations ofVishnu. He was sent into exile for fourteen years at the desire of his step-mother. In hisexile, he was accompanied by his wife Sit and his brother Lakshman. He exterminated
the Rakshasas with the help of Hanumn, the monkey-king, and rescued Sit , whomtheir king Ravana had kidnapped. Ramman: Assyr. Myth. "Thunderer"; an epithet of Adad. Ran: Old Norse Myth. Wife of AEgir. She was a man-stealing demon of the sea, a hagwho had no heart in her body. She lay in wait for sailors with her net, or tried to dragdown ships with her arms to the depths. cf. Nixie, Hakkenmann. Rarasek: Bohemian Folklore. It is either the spirit of a cyclone, or a kind of domesticspirit. (GROHMANN, p. 15, quoting JUNNGMANN, Slovnik.) Rat: Many rats coming suddenly in a house foretell death (Folklore Journal, V, p. 217) ;

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and Mars, formed the dominant triad of the Roman state. Qutrub: Arab. Folklore. The male Ghoul is called by this name. (LANE, A.S.M.A., p. 43.) Qutrus: Moham. Folklore. They were demons who usually assumed the form of cats.
(MAS’UDI, Muruj al-Dhabab, III. 321.) R Ra: Egypt. Myth. The great god of the sun, the principal deity of historical Egypt. Hewas the son of Nut, the sky, and was believed to be engaged each night with the serpent
Apepi. He is represented as a man with a sun-disc round his head. Rabisu: Babyl. Folklore. A demon who springs upon his victim unawares. Ragnarok: Norse Myth. The so-called "Twilight of the Gods," the final destruction of theworld in the great conflict between the Asir (gods) on the one hand, and on the otherhand, the giants and the powers of Hel, under the leadership of Loki. Rahab: Hebrew Myth. A great demon or dragon, who after a severe struggle, was overcome
by Jahweh. Rahu: Hind. Myth. A demon of coal-black colour, who devours the sun, and thus causes
a whole or a partial eclipse. (CROOKE, P.R.I., I, 19; Ethnologie du Bengale, pp. 101sq.) Vide Indra, Ketu, Mayoba, Aracho, Eclipse. Raiko and the Oni: This is one of the most famous of Japanese folktales. Raiko, thebravest man of his times, fights with monsters and ghouls, and kills all the wickedthings in Japan, so that children may now sleep in peace, without being afraid of beingcarried away by ghouls, and the like. (GRIFFIS, M.E., pp. 491-493.) Rain: Rain on a wedding day forebodes tears for the bride (PLOSS, Das Weib, Vol. I,p. 451, quoting KARUSIO), or foretells the birth of many children (STRACKERJAN, Vol.
I, p. 23.)
Rain is caused by witches. (LEHMANN, A.Z., p. 111.)
Gnats flying low foretell rain.
The croaking of a crow or a frog denotes rain.
Rain can be stopped by first-born children stripping naked and standing on their heads;
or, in Calcutta, by making a candle of cloth and burning it. (Enc. Rel. Eth., Vol. VIII, p.
291.)
The Zulus cause rain by shooting at the sky with bows and arrows. Vide Cat, Grass,
Pig, Rake, Sexton, Whistle, Crow, Frog, Raven, Dog, Rice, Woman, First-born
Children, Gnat, Mowing.

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Qebhsnauf: Another spelling for Qebhsennuf. Quenching Fire: St. Florian will help to quench fires. Qen-Qentel: Egypt. Myth. A pool of Sekhet-Hetepet. Qetebh meriri: Jewish Folklore. A spirit of poisonous pestilence. Qor’an: The Qor’an is the holy book of the Muhammedans, and is used by them in the
same manner for telling fortunes as the Bible by the Christians; it is opened at random,
and the text thus found is said to give the key to the problem you have in mind.
The Qor’an is a powerful charm against evil spirits.
The uneducated Muslims of India do not mention the Qor’an by name, fearing to commit
blasphemy thereby. (PHILLOTT, Hindustani Stepping Stones, Appendix.) cf. Bible,
Prayer Book, God, Shedim.
Quaking-grass: There is a lingering superstition in the Midlands that the Briza brings ill-
luck to its possessor. (LEAN, Vol. II, p. 639, quoting TOM BURGESS, Old English Wild
Flowers, 1868.)
Quarrel: If you dream you are quarrelling, you will either receive some unexpected
news, or your sweetheart will marry another. Vide Apron, Fire, Fireplace, Glass, Knife,
Shoe, Menstruation.
Question: Spirits must never be questioned directly. (WUTTKE, p. 224.) Vide "What is
the matter with you?"
Quetzal: A Central American bird, worshipped either as a deity or as a symbol of a
deity both by the Aztecs and the Mayas.
Quetzalocoatl: Aztec Myth. A king from whom has been derived the earliest Aztec culture.
Quetzalocoatl driven away by his evil brother, Tezcatlipoca, set sail for the Golden
Country of Tiapallan, promising to return at a later date. Quetzalocoatl represents the
day-deity.
"By the sorceries of the Mexican god Tezcatlipoca (q.v.) he (Quetzalocoatl) was driven
to the fabled country of Tiapallan, whence he had come. According to another account,
he was supposed to have cast himself on a pyre, and after his death, his heart became
the morning star. By some he is regarded as a sun-god, by others as a god of the air."-
Non-Classical Mythology, p. 142.
Quinsy: St. Blaise cures quinsy.
Quirinus: Rom. Relig. An ancient god of war. As distinguished from Mars, he was a god
of armed peace rather than that of aggressive warfare. In early times he, with Jupiter

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At a marriage ceremony no Japanese bride or bridegroom will wear anything of a purple
colour, lest the marriage tie be soon loosed. (GRIFFIS, M.E., p. 467.)
Pushpaka: Hind. Myth. The flower-adorned chariot of Kuvera, the god of wealth.
Put: Hind. Myth. A hell to which childless men are said to be condemned. A name
invented to explain the word "putra," son. (Dowson, H.C.D., p. 250.)
Putana: Hind. Myth. A female demon, daughter of Bali. She attempted to kill the infant
Krishna by suckling him, but was herself sucked to death by the child. (Dowson,
H.C.D., p. 251.)
Pygmalion: Gr. Myth. A Greek sculptor who made a statue of Galatea. This statue was
animated by Venus, and Pygmalion married his own statue.
Pygmy: A race of short-statured people. The ancients believed that they existed in various
parts of the world, and especially in the region of the sources of the Nile. The word
"pygmy "is used in modern language to denote a short person.
Pyladus: Gr. Myth. A friend of Orestes and husband of Electra.
Pyrrha: Gr. Myth. Wife of Prometheus, mother of Deucalion.
Pysk: Swedish Folklore. "Little goblin"; a pixie.
Pythia: Gr. Myth. One of the priestesses of the Delphian Oracle.
Python: Gr. Myth. A monstrous serpent which arose from the mud left after the subsidence
of the deluge which Deucalion survived. It dwelt in the caves of Mt. Parnassus,
where Apollo (q.v.) slew it.
Pythons are worshipped by the Ewe-speaking peoples of the Slave Coast (ELLIS, The
Ewe-speaking Peoples, 54 sqq.; FRAZER, Adonis, i. 8, n. i.)
Q
Qaf: Moham. Myth. The mountains of Qaf are supposed to encompass the whole of the
earth, and to be the chief abode of the Jinni. (LANE, A.S.M.A., p. 37.) Vide Sakhrat.
Qahu: Egypt. Myth. This was the name by which the City of the Gods was designated.
(BUDGE, Book of the Dead, Ch. CXLIX.)
Qebhsennuf: Egypt. Myth. One of the four children of Horus. He was hawk-headed,
and represented the West; he also protected the liver and the gall-bladder. (BUDGE,
Eastern Magic, p. 89.)

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Proposal, Marriage: If a man dries himself on your worn chemise, he will surely propose
marriage to you. (Vide Perspiration.)
The exchange of a yellow garter means a proposal of marriage in six months.
(Washington, D.C.–BERGEN, C.S., p. 65.)
Proserpina: Same as Persephone.
Protesilaus: Gr. Myth. Husband of Laodomia. He being slain at the siege of Troy, the
dead body was sent home to his wife who prayed that she might talk to him again, if
only for three hours. Her prayer was granted, but when Protesilaus returned to the
region of the dead, she accompanied him.
Proteus: Gr. Myth. A god of the sea, who was gifted with the power of prophecy by his
father Neptune.
Psaphon: Gr. Myth. A young Libyan who desiring to be honoured as a god, taught a
great number of birds to say: Psaphon is a god. The people were imposed upon by
this, and he was really worshipped as a god.
Ptah: Egypt. Myth. An ancient god who was identified with Osiris; his seat of worship
was Memphis. "Ptah was one of the most active of the three great gods, who carried
out the commands of Thoth . . . . He was self-created and was a form of the sun-god
Ra as the ‘Opener’ of the day . . . . His feminine counterpart was the goddess Sekhet."
(BUDGE, Egypt. Ideals, etc., p. 98)
Puberty: For various customs connected with puberty see FRAZER, G.B2., Vol. III, pp.
205 seq.
Puck: An evil, malicious, or mischievous spirit or demon of popular superstition. In the
Middle Ages, Puck was commonly identified with the Biblical Devil.
Pu Min: In Chinese Buddhist folklore, he is a holy man who rides a lion; he is a powerful
helper in time of need. (Chin. Volksm rchen, p. 203.) cf. Guan Yin, Wen Ju.
Pukse: German Folklore. Another name for the Kobold.
Pulling Hair: If you pull a girl’s hair, you will take her strength away. (Bengal–cf. FRAZER,
The Magic Art, Vol. I, pp. 102, 344.) Vide Hair, Samson,
Puluga: The Andaman Islanders have the idea of a being called Puluga–that is, "fire"-who
is supposed to be invisible at present. He is held to know our thoughts and to punish
murder, adultery and theft. (JOSEPH HUBY, Christus, Manuel d’histoire des religions,
Paris, 1921, p. 94.)
Purple: Purple is a royal colour.

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Lamp, Porcupine, Stones, Sepulchral, Sack, Moon, Porcupine, Suicide. (For further
superstitions see LEAN, Vol. II, p. 136; FRAZER, The Magic Art, Vol. II, p. xo8.)
Pretni: Same as a Petni (q.v.).
Priapus: Gr. Myth. A god of gardens and vines.
Prick: If you prick your finger accidentally while making a dress, it presages that you
will receive plenty of kisses. (Berlin; Germany [?].)
Priest: If a priest pursues you on your journey, you will be cursed and bewitched by evil
spirits, and despoiled by robbers. (Tibet.-WADDELL, p. 136.)
To dream of priests portends ill luck. (U.S.A., KNORTZ, p. 43.)
Priests are especially liable to be struck by lightning. (France.-LEAN, Vol. II, p. 185.)
To meet a priest is unlucky. (Greece.-LAWSON, p. 306; ELWORTHY, E.E., p. 23
ABBOTT, p. 105.)
Scotch fishermen do not allow you to say "minister" or "kirk" on their boats. (BASSETT,
p. 109.)
Vide Bonze, Poodle, Fish.
Prince of Darkness : An epithet of the Devil.
Princess of Heaven: The Zulus have a "spirit which they call Nonikubulwana, or the
Inhosazana-ye-Zulu (the Princess of Heaven). She is said to be robed in white, and to
take the form of a young maiden, in fact an angel. She is said to appear to some chosen
person to whom she imparts some revelation; but, whatever the revelation may be,
it is kept a profound secret from outsiders." (HAGGARD, Nada the Lily, p. xi, quoting F.
B. FYNNEY, Zululand and the Zulus; cf. lb. pp. 183, 190, 100.)
Procession, Funeral: When passing a funeral procession turn your money over; this will
ensure your always being in funds. (Great Britain.)
Procrustes: A legendary highwayman of Attica, who tied his victims upon an iron bed,
and, as the case required, either stretched or cut off their legs to adapt them to its
length. He was slain by Theseus who submitted him to the same torture.
Prometheus: Gr. Myth. A Titan, son of Iapetus and Clymene, regarded as the founder
of civilization, and in later classical tradition, as the creator of the human race. Owing to
his refusal to tell Zeus the source from which he would be overthrown, Prometheus
was chained to a rock with a vulture eating his entrails and thus tortured till Chiron died
for him.
Promise: If a promise be given to someone to appear to him after death, the spirit of
the deceased will be compelled to keep his promise. (STRACKERJAN, Vol. I, p. 167.)

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Porcupine’s feet are used by the Chawia women of North Africa as a protection duringpregnancy, and by Arab women for sore breasts. Porpoise: Porpoises sporting and chasing one another about ships foretell stormyweather. (BRAND, Observations, Vol. III, P. 240.) To dream of porpoises prognosticates
a sea-voyage. Portrait: If you have your portrait painted you will die. (FRAZER, G.B2., Vol. I, p. 297;
cf. Blackwood’s Magazine, Feb., 1886, p. 235; J. A. E. K HLER, Volksbrauch etc. inVoigtlande, p. 423; RALSTON, Songs of the Russian People, p. iii; F. H. GROOME, InGipsy Tents, Edin., i88o, p. 337 sq.; ABBOTT, p. 101; H. SPENCER, Prin. Of Sociology,i. 305 157.)
Poseidon: Gr. Myth. God of the sea and watery element, son of Cronus and Rhea, husband
of Amphitrite. He was also god of horses and chivalry. Vide Amphitrite, Drebkuls.
Possession: The fact of being possessed or occupied by a demon or spirit. The symptoms
of demon possession are: "Some are struck dumb, others strike their heads,
some go mad and walk about naked . . . lie down and become inactive." (CROOKE,
Islam in India, p. 235.)
Pot: In Bulgaria, at the moment of death, all pots, kettles, etc. are turned upside down,
in order to prevent the soul of the deceased taking refuge in one of them, and therefrom
commencing a system of annoyance against the family. (ST. CLAIR AND BROPHY,
p. 75.)
Poverty: Vide Oil, Mirror.
Prayer Book: The old Jews of Bohemia put a glass of water and a prayer book on the
table as a protection against thunderbolts.
A prayer hook keeps evil spirits away. Vide Thunder, Glass, Bible, Qor’an.
Precious Stones: All kinds of precious stones cast into honey become more brilliant
thereby, each according to its colour.
A bouquet composed of diamonds, lodestones and sapphires combined renders a person
almost invincible and wholly irresistible. (See under different names of precious
stones.)
Pregnancy: Pregnant women must not be allowed to see a dead body, lest they give
birth to still-born children (Mecklenburg) ; neither must they look at the moon, lest the
child be "moon-struck." (Silesia, Oberpfalz.–WUTTKE, p. 193.)
If a pregnant woman takes anything belonging to another, the child will be a thief.
(STRACKERJAN, Vol. I, p. 47.)
If pregnant women be left alone in the dark, evil spirits may do them some harm.
(India. See PLOSS, Das Weib, Vol. I, p. 615 et. seq.) Vide Double Fruits, Godmother,

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Polednice: Bohemian Folklore. Midday female spirits who fly about in the fields and
woods, and steal little children who have been inadvertently left alone by their mothers
in their dwellings. (GROHMANN.)
Polednicek: Bohemian Folklore. A little boy dressed in a white shirt who, at midday,
passes from the forest into the field and punishes those whom he finds doing damage
there. He sometimes leads people astray. cf. Ignis Fatuus.
Polevoy: The Russian name for the Polednice.
Pollux: Rom. Myth. One of the Dioscuri. Castor and Pollux were said to have been
hatched out of an egg.
Poludnitsa: Polish Folklore. A spirit who walks abroad among cornfields, usually during
the midday interval, and kills or infects anyone who cannot answer her questions or
solve her riddles satisfactorily. cf. Sphinx.
Poludnitza: A Russian name for the Polednice.
Polymnia: Gr Myth. The Muse of lyric poetry. She is represented in an attitude of meditation.
Polynices: Gr. Myth. Son of OEdipus. He was slain in the war against his brother
Eteocles and his uncle Creon for the possession of Thebes.
Polypheme: A Cyclop, a gigantic giant who fed on human flesh and whose only eye
was blinded by Ulysses. (HOMER. Odyssey IX.)
Pomona: Rom. Myth. A goddess of fruits and gardens.
Poodle: A black poodle is seen on the graves of priests and clergymen who have not
been true to the Faith. (Franken. –WUTTKE, p. 219.)
Pooka: Irish Folklore. A hobgoblin or a malicious sprite, generally believed to be the
spirit of an animal.
"Irish superstition makes the Phooka palpable to the touch. To its agency the peasantry
usually ascribe accidental falls."-T. CROFTON CROKER, Fairy Legends (1825).
Pool of Heaven: Chin. Myth. A dark and great ocean in the North, the dwelling of the
fish called Khwan. (Writings of Kwang-tse, Bk. I, pt. I, 3.)
Poppy: Poppy seeds are used to determine the sex of a baby (q.v.)
Porcupine: When porcupines are hunted or annoyed, they shoot out their quills in
anger.

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Vinegar poured over a red-hot brick was believed as a plague preventive. (Notes and
Queries, 29 October, 1925.)
If there is an epidemic write on the door of the house, "Here has typhus (or cholera,
etc.) already been," and the house will remain untouched. Or hang on the door a
locked "Schloss" and throw the key away. Or draw a black mark with coal (in India, red)
on the outer wall. (Galicia..–Jew. Enc., Vol. XI, p. 6oi, quoting SCHIFFER, Urquell, II,
80-82.)
Planchette: In modern spiritualism the planchette, a heartshaped piece of wood with a
pencil through it, is said to bring us in contact with the spirits in the other world.
Pleiades: Gr. Myth. The seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, who killed themselves in
despair. They were metamorphosed into constellations.
Folklore. People who cannot see the Pleiades, will die in a short time.
Plon: Among the Wends, a Plon is a dragon in the form of a fiery sphere. It can
assume various forms; the proper place to confer with it is a cross-road.
Plough: To dream of ploughing denotes success in life and good marriage.
Plover: If you have no money in your pocket when you hear the call of a plover for the
first time in spring, you will be in want for the rest of the year. (STRACKERJAN, Vol. I,
p. 25.) cf. Peewit.
In the wild Gieritz swamp in the Aar, in Switzerland, old maids become plovers. (BERTHOLET,
p. 43.)
Plu: The Karens of South Asia say that Plu is the land of the dead. (TYLOR, P.C., Vol.
II, p. 25; CROSS, jour. Amer. Or. Soc., Vol. IV, p. 309; MASON, Jour. As. Soc Bengal,
pt. II, p. 203.) Plum: The Chinese attribute many magical qualities to this fruit. Pluto: Class. Myth. Son of Saturn and Rhea, husband of Proserpina, brother of Zeusand Neptune, god of the lower worlds. The Greeks called him Hades and the Romans,
Dis. cf. Yama, Tha-ma, Yen Wang. Podarge: Another name of Celno. Poison: Vide Opal, Peacock, Unicorn, Nurjehan’s Bracelet, Gates of Gundoforus,
Rhinoceros, Venetian Glass, Toad. Poker: Making a cross with the bars of the grate and the poker drives the devil out ofthe room, and helps to make the fire burn up brighter. (cf. ELWORTHY, Evil Eye, pp.
221, 426, 429). Vide Iron.

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