Believe it or Not - Rabbit Foot and Good Luck

Believe it or not, according to one of the oldest superstitions, having a rabbit's foot in one's possession would bring one good fortune.

Till today, historians are still at odds as to why the rabbit's foot has become synonymous with good luck. Interestingly, there are several different creative yet seemingly credible stories attempting to explain the origin of this superstition. In this article, the author presents three such stories.

The first story suggests that the rabbit possessed an aura of mystery due to its burrowing habit. It was believed that the rabbit was in secret communication with the netherworld because it spent much of its time underground. As a result, it was privy to information not available to men. Another interesting fact is that rabbits are born with wide-open eyes, whereas most animals, including humans, are born with closed eyes. It was thus believed that rabbits could witness the mysteries of pre-natal life.

In addition, the rabbit's extremely high fertility helped to associate its body parts with good luck and prosperity. To possess any part of a rabbit assured the possessor of great fortune. Of interest to note was that the foot was always the sought-after totem as it was believed to be the luckiest part to have.

But why the foot? It was said that ancient man, in his cave drawings and stone sculptures, showed the foot as a phallic symbol, a totem to foster fertility in women and a cornucopian harvest. That seemed to explain why the foot.

The second story suggests that the superstition resulted from the rabbit's association with the Easter holiday, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In celebrating Jesus' resurrection, people attributed good fortune to the carrying of the rabbit's foot.

However, there is no scriptural reference to connect the rabbit to Jesus' resurrection. An older religious tradition in Northern Europe portrayed the rabbit as the escort of the fertility goddess Eastre (Easter) and that apparently led to the current Christian traditional symbols of a rabbit and colored eggs.

In the third story, the rabbit was believed, way back in 600 B.C., to possess spiritual powers according the animist belief systems. Then, the people believed that whoever carried part of the rabbit would in term possess its strengths such as the ability to run swiftly from danger and to improve fertility. Such strengths were derived from the inherent powers of the speedy fertile rabbit.

Up to the present day, the rabbit's foot is a highly popular and common good-luck charm throughout Europe and North America. Believers put it in their pocket, or secured it to a purse, make-up kit or the door pocket of the car.

In general, such believers stroke their precious rabbit foot three or four times before entering into any kind of social event, athletic contest, or gambling effort. Actors take out their rabbit's foot before going on stage or filming a big scene. Lecturers stroke their bunny's paw before approaching the lectern and making the speech that will inspire the audience. Athletic coaches are likely to wear out several rabbit's feet during a single season of sporting contests.

The current trend is to purchase the rabbit's feet for key chains, to stick on pens, or to be worn on necklaces. Many children are also drawn to the fluffy charms. Unlike the past, most rabbit's feet today are 100 percent synthetic.

PS: The author does not encourage the sale or use of real rabbit feet. Synthetic rabbit feet are widely available for key chains and good luck charms.

Sources:

Kim Nagy, "Lucky feet: The ancient lore of the rabbit's foot", Webvet

http://www.webvet.com/main/article/id/1407

"Rabbit's foot', Unexplainedstuff.com

http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Superstitions-Strange-Customs-Taboos-and-Urban-Legends/Superstitions-Rabbit-s-foot.html

Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati, 1^st Edition, 1987, Harper & Row, New York