Q: Where did the custom of knocking on wood for good luck come
from?
A: This practice likely stems from pagan times when trees were
worshiped and believed to be the dwelling places of the spirits of
gods.
Q: Where did the custom of knocking on wood for good luck come from?
A: This practice likely stems from pagan times when trees were worshiped and believed to be the dwelling places of the spirits of gods.
For example, because lightning often struck trees, the oak was believed to be the dwelling place of the god of lightning.
To touch a tree or knock on it was a way of getting the spirits within to come forth and provide the person knocking on it with protection from evil.
Q: Why do people call the “cure” for a hangover that involves having more of the same alcohol that caused the hangover “the hair of the dog that bit you?”
A: In ancient times, cures often followed the philosophy of “like cures like” which often meant taking a second dose of whatever caused the problem in the first place. One such remedy was for a dog bite: if a dog bit a person, some of the dog’s hair, often charred, was placed on the wound.
The same holds for a hangover: The sufferer is thought to be helped by having more of the same liquor that led to the sorry state. The two ideas were combined, and now that hangover treatment is referred to as “the hair of the dog that bit you.”
Douglas B. Smith, ‘Ever Wonder Why?’
