Medicine and magic have never lived wholly apart, and they certainly mingle amongst the charms, superstitions and omens associated with the bedroom.

“Go to bed with the skin of a mole wrapped around your left thigh” Magic or Medicine?

Parson Woodford allegedly cured his nightly cramp by taking a piece of brimstone to bed with him and holding it near the effected parts with miraculous results. Some proclaim that a roasted mouse is a remedy for all manner of ailments and that rheumatism and cramp can be cured by laying a bag of corks between the sheets.

Effective? Possibly. Uncomfortable? Almost certainly!

In medieval times, it was widely rumoured that two buckets of fresh spring water placed under the bed every day would prevent bedsores – but never use cold boiled water, which angers the Devil and brings bad luck.

Speaking of the Devil, check under the bed before retiring, to ward him off (although not in any hope of seeing him!), and remember that that no good hand of cards ever contains the four of clubs, this being a picture of the Devils  four poster bed.

Best known of the occult dangers of the bed is that of getting out of the wrong side, although which side this might be has never been clear. Some say that it is the opposite side to the one at which we get in, others say that it is the left or sinister side!

In addition, it is considered unlucky to sweep out a guest’s bedroom until he or she has been gone an hour although a cynical explanation for this might be that that if any valuables have been forgotten, it is best to wait until the hapless traveller is beyond recall!

The lunatic influence of moonlight on the bed is well documented the world over. For it not only turns men mad but also turns black men white. Likewise, when the new moon is first seen (although not through glass!), the usual tradition is to turns ones money over, although some say that the housewife should quickly turn the bed.

There are several causes of nightmare, such as sleeping on a feather bed that has been turned on the Sabbath. Equally there are several cures, such as hanging your socks crosswise at the foot of the bed with a pin stuck through them, or putting ones shoes under the bed with the toes pointing outwards, or laying an iron or steel object such as a knife under the bed, or hanging up a stone that exhibits a natural hole.

This last remedy apparently works equally well in the cowshed as a cure for nightmare prone cattle!

At All Hallow’s Eve, the eve of the new Celtic year, a maiden may conjure up the apparition of her husband- to- be. The procedure varies, but it is said that if she eats an apple in front of her mirror at bedtime, combing her hair all the while, he may appear dimly reflected behind her.

The Scottish version is a little more involved for here the maiden must stand three pails of water in her bedroom, pin three leaves of green holly to her nightdress and go to sleep. She will duly be aroused by yells of laughter, followed by the appearance of her future beloved. If he loves her, he will move the pails. Such a romance!

For somewhat younger members of the household, precautions for children include nails placed in front of the bed to ward off evil elves, and a cot should never be turned until the child is at least one month old.

In China, a knife under the bed protects a baby’s’ entry into the world. It may be supplemented by scissors cut from red paper and pinned to the bedroom curtains, a tiger skin beneath the mattress or pictures of dangerous wild animals pasted to onto the doors, walls and windows.

Finally, no account of nocturnal omens could be complete without mention of the deathbed, which is especially haunted by portents and dangers. Omens of impending death include triple knocks at the bed head, a white bird fluttering around it or maybe the squeak of a mouse from behind it. If three people take part in making a bed then there will be a death in the house that year.

However, in the last moments of a dying soul, a little dust from the church floor, sprinkled on a deathbed, apparently eases the pain.

Equally it is worth remembering that no one ever dies comfortably under a cross beam, nor for that matter, in a bed set crossways to the floorboards or on a mattress of pigeons feathers when it is preferable for the dying to be lifted from the bed within the sheet and laid upon the floor.

Conversely, for those in their final throws, a mattress of game feathers makes it impossible to die.

Certainly here, if not elsewhere within this chronicle of omens a little scepticism might be excused……

( Girl pray image taken from – fredericton.anglican )

Tags: All About Sleep, Beds, Bedsteads, Original Bedstead, Sleep

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 9:41 am and is filed under All About Sleep, All Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.