Superstitions

In the early days of the Consolidation, priests of the Holy Order compiled lists of observations on the nature of witchcraft, as reported by laymen and clergy alike. They searched for patterns that might easily identify the presence or influence of mages and presented their findings to the church as a book of signs. As the book was constantly updating, the church simplified the list and below represents what is now commonly accepted amongst faithful Davites:

• Bats are the evil messengers of darkness.
• The cat and hare are often familiars of warlocks and witches.
• If a cat or hare crosses your path, you must end your journey quickly, or risk an encounter with a demon.
• If you see a snake unkilled, fear mischief.
• If you spill salt on yourself, while dining, you must pour red wine upon your lap, to ward off evil spirits.
• It is possible to predict the weather, by listening to whether the morning crow crieth even or odd times. Even entails fair weather, odd is a sign of storms ahead
• If you hear a raven croak from your neighbour's roof, it is now time to write your will.
• If you dream of a green garden or the salutations from a dead friend, death is on his way to you.
• It is possible to ward off evil with balls of hollowed wax.
• Witches draw omens from the whining of hedgehogs.
• Any animal which carries a defect, be a missing tail or shortened leg, is a witch.
• To see an owl is an omen of death.
• Rats can be killed with rhymes.
• Hair from a horse, which falls into a stream, turns into eels.
• Ghosts fear a healthy rooster, for the cry of a rooster will scare them away.
• If you have an itch, you can be certain that something will happen very soon.
• Men on their death bed will utter prophecies.
• All candles burn blue at midnight.
• Stumbling at the threshold of a doorway warns you of danger within.
• Empty eggshells must be broken, preventing witches from using them as boats.
• Fresh milk, suddenly sour, means there is a witch nearby.
• Sickness among many children is often the result of witchcraft.
• A comet predicts the death of a King or Queen.
• An eclipse is a sign of great evil.

This list was also made into a rhyme that is more easily remembered.