Talk:Rabbit's foot

The first sentence

The first sentence is both hilarious and indecipherable: "Among the mysteries of magical lore, budding adepts learn that a rabbit's foot is the foot of a rabbit." ... unlike other people who think a rabbit's foot is the foot of an elephant, say.

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Went ahead and removed the first sentence per your suggestion. Wikipedia brown 00:14, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

"Fourth, according to still more sources, not just any left hind foot of a rabbit shot in a cemetery during a full moon on Friday the 13th will do; the marksman must also be cross-eyed. Although one must consider that any rabbit that is killed in a cemetery on Friday the 13th during a full moon by a cross-eyed marksman must be possibly the unluckiest rabbit of all time." Is this true? It seems to be written in a very unencyclopedic manner. 210.86.123.120 10:46, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

I removed the editorializing from that particular paragraph. - Smerdis of Tlön 18:50, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't matter, that whole section is crap. It is written as a story and every entry doesn't just build on the previous, it tells the same stupid story over and over.

Also European tradition?

I recall hearing that at one time in Europe, a foot was left on skinned rabbits for sale, so that the buyer could be sure he was not getting a cat. Both animals look similar when skinned if the heads are missing. I don't have any source for this other than oral folklore, so I'm not adding it to the article yet, but I thought it should be mentioned here. Rooster613 14:08, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

I agree on the European tradition

I copy this from another site because it keeps me from a lot of unnecessary explaining...

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Superstitions, such as a rabbit's foot being considered lucky, grow out of man's attempts to explain the unknown. When man disproves the old belief, and some still cling to the belief, it becomes a superstition, such as in the instant case. In Western Europe, prior to 600 B.C., man considered rabbits to be sacred, because of their belief that spirits inhabited the bodies of animals, and also because of their belief that man directly descended from a select few of these animals.

Later, the ancient European Celts adopted portions of the older belief, that rabbits were sacred, and that spirits inhabited their bodies. The Celts, based upon the fact that these animals spent an inordinate amount of time in their underground burrows, held the belief that the rabbits' bodies were inhabited by numina, underground spirits with whom they communicated at very close proximity!

Another reason the Celts held the rabbit to be sacred, was because of their prowess in the field of reproduction. They believed that the numina intended for rabbits to be put upon pedestals and revered as symbols of procreation, reproduction with a high turnover rate, of health, and of prosperity.

Since the rabbit itself was considered to be lucky, it follows that any of its body parts would also be considered lucky. People selected the rabbit's foot to tote around for good luck, because of its capacity to dry quickly and its small size.

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This article is therefore narrow in it's view and needs to include other groups that considered the rabbit foot lucky. Weblo (talk) 23:33, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Bone of a Witch Nonsense

I'm considering removing this section as there is no evidence for it, not even any from folklore or even folkmagic. The use of a rabbit's foot, as well as parts from other animals, is not done because it is a substitute for a human bone or the bones of a witch. It is done because the animal itself has a symbolic meaning to humans. Rabbits breed fast and much, giving them the symbolism of prosperity. There is a long trend of equating sex with luck, hence the phrase "Getting lucky tonight" to reference having sex.BoyintheMachine (talk) 17:27, 12 December 2016 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: HUM 202 - Introduction to Mythology

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 14 August 2023 and 8 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Cookie7891 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Cookie7891 (talk) 02:53, 15 October 2023 (UTC)