Omens of Death: Superstitions, Symbols and Their Explanations

Where the Belief in Omens of Death Comes From

Human beings have always tried to come to terms with death by giving it a forewarning and an order. If death could be predicted, it lost some of its terror. Anthropologists point out that beliefs in omens of death are present in almost every known culture: from Polynesia to Scandinavia.

Psychologists explain the persistence of these convictions through the mechanism of selective memory. When someone dies after an owl's cry, we remember the connection. When the owl cries and everyone lives, we quickly forget it. Science calls this confirmation bias and regards it as the main reason superstitions survive.

It is worth remembering, however, that some of these observations have a genuine basis. Animals sense changes in their surroundings that we cannot perceive. A dog may react to the altered scent of a sick person long before doctors arrive at a diagnosis.

The Tawny Owl and Other Nocturnal Birds: Guardians of the Threshold

The common tawny owl has for centuries been regarded as an omen of death in Poland, Germany, France and England. Its piercing, low call in the night sounds unsettling, and in folk tradition it foretold mourning in a nearby house. In many regions of Poland it was believed that an owl singing on a church or on a rooftop heralded the death of a household's occupant.

Zoology offers a different explanation. Tawny owls and eagle owls hunt at night near human settlements because prey is easier to find there. Their call was simply a common sound of the night, and the night was associated with death. Nocturnal birds appear as messengers of death or psychopomps in Egyptian and Aztec mythology as well.

In Mexico the owl known as the tecolote is still regarded as an ill-omened sign. The Nahua people said: "When the tecolote cries, someone dies." Similar beliefs are known in Japan, where the owl is sometimes associated with the death deity Shinigami.

The Howling Dog and Other Animal Signs

A dog howling for no visible reason is one of the most widespread omens of death in the world. In Poland tradition dictated that the dog be driven away from the house or that something made of iron be thrown after it, in order to avert the ill omen. Similar beliefs have been recorded in Ireland, India, Turkey and both the Americas.

Scientific research shows that dogs have hearing and a sense of smell many times keener than those of humans. They are capable of reacting to infrasonic sounds and changes in atmospheric pressure that precede storms or earthquakes. There are also well-documented cases of dogs detecting cancers in their owners through scent.

Tradition linked dogs to the world of the dead regardless of geographical latitude. The Greek Cerberus, the Egyptian Anubis, the Aztec Xólotl, and the Slavic dog leading souls through the afterlife: this motif is almost universal. A dog's howling could therefore signify that the animal "sees" someone who is already standing in the doorway between worlds.

The Stopped Clock and Other Signs from the Home

The old custom of stopping clocks at the moment of death was widespread throughout Europe and North America in the nineteenth century. The purpose was to mark the moment of passing and to protect the soul from being bound to earthly time. When a clock stopped of its own accord, it was interpreted as a sign that someone in the family would die or had just died.

The phenomenon of clocks stopping spontaneously usually has prosaic causes: a run-down mechanism, fluctuations in temperature, or vibrations. However, when a clock stopped at precisely the moment of a loved one's death, it was difficult not to see it as a sign. Psychologists call this apophenia: the tendency to perceive meaning in random events.

Other Polish domestic omens of death included knocking behind a wall with no apparent source (the so-called "ghost knocking"), a broken mirror foretelling seven years of misfortune or death, and a candle suddenly going out in calm weather. All these signs formed part of a broader tradition according to which a home lives alongside its inhabitants.

The Banshee and European Female Harbingers of Death

• Banshee (Ireland): a female being from Irish folklore whose piercing wail or singing foretells the death of a member of an old Gaelic family. Her name derives from the Old Irish "bean sídhe," meaning "woman of the fairy mound."
• Bean Nighe (Scotland): a spirit washing the bloodstained clothes of one who will soon die beside a river; an encounter with her could be turned to one's advantage if she was caught unawares.
• Valkyrie (Scandinavia): in Norse mythology they chose the fallen warriors on the battlefield; their appearance foretold death in battle.
• White Lady (Central Europe): a wraith appearing in castles and manor houses before the death of someone from the owner's family; variants of this legend are known in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.
• Płaczka (Poland): a woman in a village professionally engaged to mourn the dead; her appearance before a house was sometimes interpreted as an ill omen, even before death had occurred.

Polish Superstitions and What Modern Knowledge Says About Them

Polish folk tradition assembled an exceptionally rich collection of omens of death. A cactus flower blooming at night, triplets born in the same year, storks departing out of season, and even the cuckoo's call: all of these could foretell someone's demise. Ethnographers such as Oskar Kolberg in the nineteenth century diligently recorded these beliefs across the entire Polish-speaking area.

It is worth noting that many Polish omens concerned anomalies: things happening out of their proper time or place. An owl on a church, a dog howling in the middle of the day, a flower blooming in winter: whatever was unusual aroused fear. Unusualness is a warning signal built into the human mind by evolution.

Science does not confirm the existence of supernatural phenomena underlying omens of death. It does confirm, however, that belief in them served an important social function: it gave time for farewells, prompted reflection, and helped the community prepare for bereavement. In this sense omens of death were less a prophecy than a cultural tool for coming to terms with what cannot be avoided.

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Sources

Banshee, Wikipedia · Barn owl, Wikipedia · Apophenia, Wikipedia · Confirmation bias, Wikipedia · Omen, Wikipedia

Frequently asked questions

Does Science Confirm the Existence of Omens of Death?

Science does not confirm supernatural mechanisms for predicting death. It does explain, however, why we believe in them: confirmation bias, selective memory and the tendency to perceive patterns in random events all make it easy to associate an innocent occurrence with a death that followed it.

What Is the Banshee and Where Does This Tradition Come From?

The banshee is a figure from Irish folklore, literally "woman of the fairy mound." Her piercing wail or singing was said to herald the death of a member of an old Gaelic family. This tradition is well documented in Irish literature from at least the Middle Ages and has survived to the present day in popular culture.

Do Dogs Really Sense Approaching Death?

Scientific research confirms that dogs possess extraordinary sensory abilities: they can detect biochemical changes in the human body, including those accompanying illness. There are documented cases of dogs signalling the presence of cancer. There is no evidence, however, that dogs predict death in any supernatural sense.