by Lucy E. Zahnle

Created on: September 06, 2009

For centuries, people all over the world have searched for luck in the forces of nature, in animals, in plants and people, in written symbols, decorative objects, stones, and metals, and even in body parts. Perhaps the most famous lucky body part is the Hand of Fatima, also known as the Hamsa or Hamesh Hand. Originating in the Middle East, the hand is worn around the neck to bring good luck and as protection from the evil eye. In ancient times, it was believed to represent the hand of God, but because of their religious condemnation of worshipping objects, many Jewish and Islamic people today view the hand as a representative of or a link to God, enabling the wearer to draw upon His strengths indirectly.

The three thousand year old Nazar Boncugu, the evil eye bead, is the basis for a small industry in Anatolia, located in the Izmir region of Turkey. Still in use today, these handmade glass beads, created to look like eyes, decorate anything that might cause envy among others. The Anatoly believe that envy generates evil toward the possessor of the envied object even if the jealous person is unaware of his malice.

Cats and bats are considered unlucky, even evil, in some circumstances, but lucky in others. In Western Europe, a black cat, long associated with witches and demons, is considered unlucky if it unexpectedly crosses your path, but if it lives in your house, you will have good luck. The Romans believed the cat symbolized liberty and because of the legend of the cat's nine lives, many travelers take a cat charm with them on perilous journeys. In Western Europe, bats, like cats, have always been linked to evil, but in China, 'Fu', the word for good fortune and the Chinese word for bat are homophones. Thus, bats are considered good luck.

In the Celtic tradition, the use of shamrocks and four leaf clovers as talismans long predates Christianity. In ancient times, clover, a rich forage for cattle, horses, and sheep, fattened the animals and indirectly brought wealth and prosperity to their owners, so people drew the conclusion that the plant brought good luck.

Valued because of its rarity, the four leaf clover gained additional magical power when the druids used it in their spells, believing the four leaves represented the four elements of alchemy - water, earth, air and fire as well as the four seasons of the year. Later, when Christianity came to Ireland, the church 'borrowed' the druids' idea, claiming that the three leaves represented the Holy Trinity.

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