What is the superstition about magpies?

Magpies have long been seen as an omen of good or bad luck in many cultures around the world. One of the most well-known magpie superstitions originates from Britain and involves counting the number of magpies you see. This superstition has led to a common nursery rhyme about magpies that serves as a way to remember the omens associated with different numbers of birds.

What does it mean to count magpies?

The superstition around counting magpies is as follows:

• One for sorrow
• Two for joy
• Three for a girl
• Four for a boy
• Five for silver
• Six for gold
• Seven for a secret never to be told

So if you see a single magpie, it is thought to foretell sorrow or bad luck. Two magpies are said to signify joy, three magpies are supposed to indicate a girl is on her way, four mean a boy is coming, and so on. The rhyme is believed to have originated in the early 18th century.

Origins of the magpie rhyme

While the exact origins of the magpie nursery rhyme are unclear, it seems to have first appeared in print in the early 1700s. Some sources attribute it to a Scottish occultist named Michael Scott who lived in the 13th century. However, there is no hard evidence linking Scott to the rhyme. Other sources point to English dramatist John Gay as the possible author of the original magpie poem that later evolved into the children’s rhyming song we know today.

What’s more certain is that superstitions around magpies have been around for hundreds of years in European folklore. Magpies’ flashy black and white feathers may have led people to associate them with opposites and duality, concepts like good and evil, light and darkness, life and death. Noticing a magpie became seen as an omen indicating which forces were at play at a given moment.

Magpies in mythology and culture

Beyond British folklore, magpies have featured in mythologies and cultures all over the world, often gaining a reputation as ominous birds:

• In Greek mythology, magpies were said to have been transformed from women who gossiped too much.
• In Korean folk tales, magpies were seen as symbols of good fortune and carriers of good news.
• In Native American stories, magpies often portrayed as tricky thieves or mischievous creatures.
• In Scandinavian mythology, magpies were thought to be sorcerers or connected to witchcraft.
• In Asian cultures, magpies have been seen as everything from messengers of the gods to malicious spirits depending on the story.

Clearly, magpies have long captured the human imagination. Their striking black and white coloration seems to have led many cultures to associate magpies with dualistic concepts like darkness and light, good and evil, life and death. Noticing a magpie thus became seen as an omen of what may come next.

Origins of seeing magpies as omens

So why did magpies in particular get labeled as birds of prophecy across cultures? Here are some of the likely reasons:

• Their black and white coloring made them stand out against other birds and associated them with dualistic concepts.
• Their loud, complex vocalizations seemed mysterious.
• Their tendency to collect shiny objects led to associations with theft, treasures, occult rituals, etc.
• They are highly intelligent birds capable of recognizing faces, using tools, working together, and more.

In short, magpies’ distinctive appearance, voices, behavior, and intelligence probably contributed to a sense of them as uncanny birds connected to forces beyond the material world. Noticing one became seen as a sign that supernatural influences were at play.

Magpies in British folklore

In Britain, magpies gained particular notoriety and an abundance of superstitions grew around them. Here are some key British folk beliefs about magpies:

• Seeing a lone magpie foretells bad luck or sorrow.
• Seeing two magpies signals joy and good fortune.
• Magpie rhymes were used to predict the future, especially for children.
• Magpies near the window indicate news of a death.
• Turning your pockets inside out would ward off a single magpie’s curse.

These omens probably arose from associations between magpies and their solitary or paired behavior, as well as a general association with duality, prophecy, and secrecy.

Possible origins of British magpie superstitions

So why did British folklore seem to adopt magpies so wholeheartedly as harbingers of fortune? Here are some theories:

• Magpies were seen as witches’ or sorcerers’ familiars.
• Magpies’ black and white plumage brought to mind clergymen.
• Magpies’ thieving tendencies associated them with omens of material loss or gain.
• Magpies were seen as thresholds between life and death, light and darkness, etc.

Additionally, as magpies are highly social birds, seeing just one lone magpie or a pair bonded for life seemed especially significant when they appeared near people.

Magpies in British children’s lore

Magpies gained a particularly strong foothold in the lore and games of British children. Here are some of the ways magpies featured:

• Magpie rhymes were used in games to predict children’s futures regarding marriage, career, death, and more.
• “One for sorrow, two for joy” was the most common rhyme used.
• Children would salute lone magpies to ward off bad fortune.
• Magpies were sometimes seen as mischievous sprites that stole treasures from children.
• Spotting magpies on the way to school was seen as an omen of lateness, bad grades, etc.

Interestingly, rather than being seen as universally ominous, British children’s magpie rhymes and games assigned both good and bad meanings to different numbers of birds. This helped turn noticing magpies into a type of divination ritual for children’s daily lives.

As this table shows, British children used magpie numbers to predict their fortunes, both good and bad.

Saluting magpies in the schoolyard

One common British schoolyard ritual was to salute any lone magpies you spotted. This was supposed to ward off the bad luck a single magpie foretold. One would raise their hand in a waving motion and recite a salutation such as:

Good morning/evening Mr. Magpie, how is your lady wife today?

This salutation can still sometimes be heard on British playgrounds today. No one is quite sure of its exact origins, but it may have derived from tipping hats to magpies as if they were miniature gentlemen.

Magpies in superstitions today

So how prevalent are magpie superstitions today? Some key points:

• Magpie rhymes are still part of pop culture and language.
• “One for sorrow” is a widely known phrase.
• Some still believe in magpie omens, but most see it as folklore.
• Saluting magpies is sometimes done by tradition or for fun.
• Counting magpies remains a way some try to predict near future events.

While magpie superstitions may not be as universally embraced today, they have left their mark as cultural traditions and metaphors. Noticing magpies still evokes a sense of the mystical and metaphorical for some. However, for most modern people, these bird omens are seen as folklore rather than literal belief.

Is it bad luck to see a magpie?

For most people today, seeing a magpie, even just one, is not actually thought to cause bad luck. However, the magpie’s lingering cultural reputation as an omen of ill fortune can still make the experience eerie or unsettling for some. There may be a moment of caution on seeing a lone magpie, just in case. For skeptics though, there is no fear of magpies as harbingers, while believers may still feel an ominous sense when spotting one.

Conclusion

The cultural tradition of magpie superstition remains alive through nursery rhymes, idioms, and folklore, even if most no longer take it literally. Its origins likely lie in the bird’s striking black and white plumage and tendencies that seemed to distinguished them from other birds. A lone magpie or pair took on special significance, seen as omens of coming fortune, whether good or ill. While magpie mythology is not as widespread today, it reminds us of the sense of mystery and imagination with which people viewed the natural world for centuries.