NationStates Jolt Archive

You call those frogs? We call those toads.

edit: Muhaha!! My first threadsteal!

Omen-A phenomenon supposed to portend good or evil; a prophetic sign.

Around here seeing a crow is a bad omen, supposedly bad luck.

An owl also bad, means someone's out to get you.

If your right hand itches you are going to meet someone of importance.

If your left hand itches you are going to get money.

Any of you know any? Do you believe them?

btw a frog showed up on my porch tonight........I got a creepy feeling, and then I picked it up, and now we have a pet, his name is Gary.

Gary the frog
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Smunkee/thefrog.jpg

anyone know any omens/superstitions dealing with frogs?

Froggy superstitions (from http://www.oldsuperstitions.com)

Frogs, like toads, were once thought to have peculiar properties, and were frequently used in healing charms, and in others of a slightly less innocent nature.

The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck prevented epilepsy and other fits.

Frogs were used in love-magic. In one story, a girl, whose lover was untrue stuck pins all over a living frog and then buried it. The young man suffered extreme pains and eventually returned to her. She dug up the frog and removed the pins, after which t

A frog brings good luck to the house it enters.

Believed to be the souls of dead children

Shiny skinned - fine weather

Dull skinned - rain

Frogspawn at the edge of a pond - storms

Touching a frog - infertility

Killing a frog - bad luck

I declare omens to be sillyness. *nods*

You may return to your lives people.

Does the 'Red sky at night, shepherds delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning' saying count?

Toady superstitions:

If you eat a live toad first thing in the morning nothing worse will happen to you all day.

Seeing a toad - end of drought or good fortune

Killing a toad - rainstorms

Carrying a dried toad - protection against plague

Frogs have smooth, slick skins and are usually found near bodies of water, Toads are warty, dry skin and don't need a body of water nearby. Unless you live near a lake or river, it's probably a toad.

Does the 'Red sky at night, shepherds delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning' saying count?

yes.

You call those frogs? We call those toads.

I wasn't sure the difference between a frog and a toad......he is about the size of my hand though, rather large, rather lazy as well.

I wasn't sure the difference between a frog and a toad......he is about the size of my hand though, rather large, rather lazy as well.

Toads have dry, leathery skin while frogs have smooth wet skin. Also, frogs don't fare to well outside of the water for long times (they need to keep their skin wet) while toads generally spend little time in the water.

I declare omens to be sillyness. *nods*

You may return to your lives people.


In soviet folklore, omens declare YOU to be sillyness. :)

are crows rare in OK? seems to me that one might see a crow or an owl just about any day. kinda makes for a poor omen.

toads and frogs are my favorites.

here in the desert we get a brief toad mating season when it rains very hard and leaves standing water that will last for a week or so. then the whole town is full of toad calls and birds who feast on toads and toad eggs.

i dont know any special new mexico omens. unless seeing the INS/border patrol indicates someone is going to take a trip to mexico counts.

Does the 'Red sky at night, shepherds delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning' saying count?

no

thats not an omen, thats the weather.

and its sailors isnt it?

Toady superstitions:

If you eat a live toad first thing in the morning nothing worse will happen to you all day.

Seeing a toad - end of drought or good fortune

Killing a toad - rainstorms

Carrying a dried toad - protection against plague

Frogs have smooth, slick skins and are usually found near bodies of water, Toads are warty, dry skin and don't need a body of water nearby. Unless you live near a lake or river, it's probably a toad.

Those might have made sense generations ago, but toady we know that superstitions are better off frogotten.

Toads have dry, leathery skin while frogs have smooth wet skin. Also, frogs don't fare to well outside of the water for long times (they need to keep their skin wet) while toads generally spend little time in the water.

I wiki'd toads and apparently what I have is an American toad. He is fat, and sassy, he likes my aquarium. He is staying there until tomorrow when my wildlife type friend comes to pick him up.......apparently they are not native here and she has the means to care for him properly.

In soviet folklore, omens declare YOU to be sillyness. :)
Damned commies,
are crows rare in OK? seems to me that one might see a crow or an owl just about any day. kinda makes for a poor omen.

Yeah, I've probably seen a crow most days of my life.

He is fat, and sassy, he likes my aquarium.

Lol I love your description

Those might have made sense generations ago, but toady we know that superstitions are better off frogotten.

Hey, she asked.

Nice misspelling, btw.

are crows rare in OK? seems to me that one might see a crow or an owl just about any day. kinda makes for a poor omen.
I see a crow about twice a year......that's all. As far as owls, there are a few of them here, mostly out in the woods, and there is a Native American tale about them being carriers of the spirits of people who were evil on Earth, who go around spying on people and stealing their souls......very scary.

The only omen I believe in is when I get an insight and then look at the clock and see 11:11. That's when I figure my insight must have merit. This only comes from events in my own life. I don't think this applys to anyone but me though.

Those might have made sense generations ago, but toady we know that superstitions are better off frogotten.

I think they are interesting. You don't have to be superstitious to enjoy superstitions.

Just been a-googling and these are the ones that match what my family (grandparents mostly) tell:

- If you are pursued at night by an evil spirit, or ghost of the dead, and you hear footsteps behind you, try to reach a stream of running water. If you are able to cross it, the devil or ghost will not be able to follow you.

- A shoe of a horse nailed to the door-post will bring good luck. (The shoe must be found. It cannot be given.)

-Never disturb the swallows, wherever they may build, and
neither remove nor destroy their nests; for they are wise birds, and
will mark your conduct either for punishment or favor.

btw if you die in your dream you do not die in real life. at least I didn't when I jumped out a window and shot myself in the head on the way down.

I wiki'd toads and apparently what I have is an American toad. He is fat, and sassy, he likes my aquarium. He is staying there until tomorrow when my wildlife type friend comes to pick him up.......apparently they are not native here and she has the means to care for him properly.

Just take care that any cats or anything don't bite him. Those glands behind his eyes contain a mild poison. I don't think it's enough to kill anything, but it's bound to be unpleasant.

When I was a kid we used to catch frogs and toads all the time. I often kept a toad or frog in a small 10 gallon aquarium for a while and then let it go during late summer before they burrow. A friend of mine used to have anoles (which he had to buy, because they don't live up here) and he'd "milk" the poison glands so that the toad poison wouldn't hurt the male anoles if they became aggressive trying to defend the females. Poor toads, getting bullied by lizards...

The only omen I believe in is when I get an insight and then look at the clock and see 11:11. That's when I figure my insight must have merit. This only comes from events in my own life. I don't think this applys to anyone but me though.

I always make a wish at 11:11 and 3:33 and such.

I don't remember why though.......nor do I worry much about my wish since I always make the same one and it's stupid and girly.

I find them pointless and as interesting as watching paint dry. Sorry.

I always make a wish at 11:11 and 3:33 and such.

I don't remember why though.......nor do I worry much about my wish since I always make the same one and it's stupid and girly.

I know someone else who does an 11:11 wish as well and she said her and a friend made it up as kids.

If the same thing that happened to me happened to you, you'd have a whole lot of chances to make those wishes because for some strange reason I am often unconsciously compelled to look at the clock at 11:11 am and pm.

btw if you die in your dream you do not die in real life. at least I didn't when I jumped out a window and shot myself in the head on the way down.

yeah, I abused my lucid dreaming once, I figured "meh, if I die it's not a big deal" so I did it......I died in my dream, woke up, had a charlie horse, hopped around the bedroom screaming for 5 minutes, went back to sleep.

Just take care that any cats or anything don't bite him. Those glands behind his eyes contain a mild poison. I don't think it's enough to kill anything, but it's bound to be unpleasant.

When I was a kid we used to catch frogs and toads all the time. I often kept a toad or frog in a small 10 gallon aquarium for a while and then let it go during late summer before they burrow. A friend of mine used to have anoles (which he had to buy, because they don't live up here) and he'd "milk" the poison glands so that the toad poison wouldn't hurt the male anoles if they became aggressive trying to defend the females. Poor toads, getting bullied by lizards...

yeah, my friend works at the zoo, she is a herpetologist, she is coming to get him tomorrow morning before my kitten gets too curious.

yeah, my friend works at the zoo, she is a herpetologist, she is coming to get him tomorrow morning before my kitten gets too curious.

Just throw the kitten to teach it a lesson if it gets to close of course ;)

I find them pointless and as interesting as watching paint dry. Sorry.

maybe you shouldn't visit the thread then. :rolleyes:

I know someone else who does an 11:11 wish as well and she said her and a friend made it up as kids.

If the same thing that happened to me happened to you, you'd have a whole lot of chances to make those wishes because for some strange reason I am often unconsciously compelled to look at the clock at 11:11 am and pm.

yeah, I seem to catch the clock at 11:11 at least once a day, it's freaky.

my mother feels compelled to turn silver in her pocket if she sees the new moon through glass so as to ward off bad luck.

yeah, I abused my lucid dreaming once, I figured "meh, if I die it's not a big deal" so I did it......I died in my dream, woke up, had a charlie horse, hopped around the bedroom screaming for 5 minutes, went back to sleep.

LOL! That'll teach ya!

This wasn't actually a lucid dream for me - I wasn't even myself - I was a bank robber. I killed my partner in crime as we were going up in a glass elevator. Then I shot the window out and jumpred and shot myself in the head as I fell. I hit the ground and my body was dead but my consciousness was trapped in my body. I was being surrounded by a crowd of people. then a dog came up and licked my face and I woke up. My favorite dream ever!

I lucid dream and have fun sometimes when I can keep them going but lately it seems I wake up as soon as I realize I am dreaming. I get too excited.

yeah, I seem to catch the clock at 11:11 at least once a day, it's freaky.

It is. It's happened to me so often that when I first got into the internet I searched for websites that might mention it and there are a ton of them dedicated to 11:11.

It is. It's happened to me so often that when I first got into the internet I searched for websites that might mention it and there are a ton of them dedicated to 11:11.

did any of them date to before the advent of the digital clock?

11:11 just isnt freaking on a clock with hands the way it is on a digital clock. it seems to me that anything like that should be fairly new.

my mother feels compelled to turn silver in her pocket if she sees the new moon through glass so as to ward off bad luck.

does that mean that she plays with coins in her pocket if she looks out the window and sees the first sliver of the moon?

just having translation problems.

Ooh, what a nice specimen!

Gary (as others have pointed out before me) is not a frog but a toad, though.

Most likely a bufo americanus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Toad), an American Toad. But it could also be bufo fowleri, or bufo terrestris.

(How to distinguish those three is described here: http://frogphotos.home.mindspring.com/photos/bufo.cranial.gif

This might also be interesting for you: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bufo_americanus.html )

Make sure to treat Gary well and feed him lots of snails, beetles, slugs, and earthworms. :D He'll love that!


As for omens, I know about a few - but I don't believe in them.

Best known ones are
"Don't walk underneath a ladder, that means bad luck"
"Breaking a mirror means seven years of bad luck"
"If you don't look into your opposite's eyes while clinking glasses, it means seven years of bad sex"
and last but not least
"If a black cat crosses your path from left to right, bad things will happen to you"
whereas
"If a black cat crosses your path from right to left, good things will happen to you"

(It even rhymes in German:
Schwarze Katze von links nach rechts bringt was schlecht's.
Schwarze Katze von rechts nach links, Glück bringt's.)

does that mean that she plays with coins in her pocket if she looks out the window and sees the first sliver of the moon?

just having translation problems.

yeah, sorry, i was paraphrasing the odd terminology of the old superstition. i don't think it necessarily has to be coins, but then there's little else silver likely to be found in a pocket i suppose. i think she chooses to ignore that her 'silver' is in fact nickel.

Those might have made sense generations ago, but toady we know that superstitions are better off frogotten.
Ribbit! Ribbit! :p

yeah, sorry, i was paraphrasing the odd terminology of the old superstition. i don't think it necessarily has to be coins, but then there's little else silver likely to be found in a pocket i suppose. i think she chooses to ignore that her 'silver' is in fact nickel.

i was thinking that with today's money she would have a problem if she didnt keep some kind of silver token in her pocket at all times.

Omen-A phenomenon supposed to portend good or evil; a prophetic sign.

Around here seeing a crow is a bad omen, supposedly bad luck.

An owl also bad, means someone's out to get you.

If your right hand itches you are going to meet someone of importance.

If your left hand itches you are going to get money.

Any of you know any? Do you believe them?

btw a frog showed up on my porch tonight........I got a creepy feeling, and then I picked it up, and now we have a pet, his name is Gary.

Gary the frog
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/Smunkee/thefrog.jpg

anyone know any omens/superstitions dealing with frogs?

Well...

I used to play ping-pong frequently, when we still had our table. Anytime I would announce "9-11" (9 points serving 11), I would always lose. Of course, I lost enough anyway.

Now I am a firm believer (for lack of a better term--I suppose I actually live them, and not just by them) of 1. Murphy's Law, 2. Confidence, or often enough a lack thereof, determine an outcome and the result of any action, and 3. It is the belief in something to happen a certain way, or doubt that it will turn out differently, that often affect results.

Conclusion--Shit happens.

did any of them date to before the advent of the digital clock?

11:11 just isnt freaking on a clock with hands the way it is on a digital clock. it seems to me that anything like that should be fairly new.


Is it possible to have a website that dates back to before the advent of the digital clock?

It is. It's happened to me so often that when I first got into the internet I searched for websites that might mention it and there are a ton of them dedicated to 11:11.

I'm the same way with 9:11. And 7:11. :confused:

Is it possible to have a website that dates back to before the advent of the digital clock?

sorry, imprecise wording.

did any of the superstitions seem to have started before the advent of the digital clock?

sorry, imprecise wording.

did any of the superstitions seem to have started before the advent of the digital clock?

Oh ok lol

Well my personal superstition started from my own experiences (yes with digital clocks).

The websites I saw I really didn't look into because they were talking crazy shit and didn't really seem worth much attention.

I see your point about analog vs. digital though.

Oh ok lol

Well my personal superstition started from my own experiences (yes with digital clocks).

The websites I saw I really didn't look into because they were talking crazy shit and didn't really seem worth much attention.

I see your point about analog vs. digital though.

it seems like the start of a whole new type of superstition that will only grow over the generations. the first generation of digital clock users have creepy feelings when certain numbers come up, sooner or later certain outcomes will be assigned to them.

maybe waking up to a certain time on the clock is becoming a new omen.

I'm familiar with the crow saying. Live between 2 corn fields, but it's still rare for one to come in to the yard.

My mom and her side of the family always said if a bird flies into your house it means someone is going to die (I've heard from friends that their families say it means a birth or good fortune - I prefer that saying lol) and if a picture falls off the wall someone is going to die. Oh and death comes in threes.

Haven't heard these things about toads. Interesting. 15 or so years ago we use to have lots and lots of toads around here. I live on a dead end road (dirt back then) with about 12 houses. There would be so many toads running around all the time there was always a bunch of flattened ones on the road. Now.. I never see a damn toad. Where have they gone!?

There also use to be a bunch of shiny green flying beetle bugs around ... haven't seen them in years either. I miss them and the toads. :(

Edit: Knocking on wood. I do that. I try to not say anything that will cause me to have to, but everyonce in a while I will. Like if someone is talking about having been in a car wreck or something.. If I say I've never been in a wreck .. I knock.

yeah, I seem to catch the clock at 11:11 at least once a day, it's freaky.


It's usually 7:11 for me .. but I catch it at 11:11 every once in a while.

Omen-A phenomenon supposed to portend good or evil; a prophetic sign.

Around here seeing a crow is a bad omen, supposedly bad luck.


Any of you know any? Do you believe them?


When I have apocalyptic dreams (typically involving megatsunami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatsunami)) it usually portends some emotional upset in my life over the following weeks...

I think it's pretty freaky that Chernobyl is the russian name for wormwood (see here (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=73&chapter=8&verse=11&version=31&context=verse#en-NIV-30823)), even if a complete coincidence.

Oh and speaking of Omens, if you recall the movie Omen II (starring a teenage Jonathan Scott Taylor (http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009YVCVS.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)), I was pretty much the spitting image of the lead character when I was around the same age. No prizes for guessing my nickname in highschool during that time. :D

Toady superstitions:

If you eat a live toad first thing in the morning nothing worse will happen to you all day.
Well, that one is certainly more than just a superstition. :p

Being Chinese, my family has a lot, although they're more superstitions than omens. I'm not sure if anyone takes them seriously though.

- Butterflies in your home are good luck.

- As are dragonflies.

- On New Year's and for a time after, no sweeping of floors or cutting hair as it removes the good luck.

- If you leave uneaten food on your plate you will marry a woman with bad skin. :rolleyes:

- Palm reading. I know nothing whatsoever about this, only that my dad says apparently my palms are auspicious.

- Not omens, but all your various lucky animals, colours, words and numbers...

i actually have a pet crow who can't fly. I don't think he has brought any bad luck (touch wood - heehee) although my husband thinks that the crows in the garden have been subliminally chanting 'give him back'. that could of course be a touch of over indulgence with our friend mary jane

no

thats not an omen, thats the weather.

and its sailors isnt it?

It's shepherds around my area. I don't think it's a proper meteorological sign though I may be wrong. It's an omen about the weather to come

It's shepherds around my area. I don't think it's a proper meteorological sign though I may be wrong. It's an omen about the weather to come

"Red sky in the morning, Sailor's (Shepards) take warning; Red sky at night, Sailor's (Shephards) delight" is a legit saying. I don't remember the specifics, but it's something to do with the say sunlight reflects (fracts?) off of moisture in clouds.

That is one big toad.

That is one big toad.

yep, he was. Just got picked up by my friend, he is residing at the OKC Zoo now.

Happy home for the fat little croaker.

Being Chinese, my family has a lot, although they're more superstitions than omens. I'm not sure if anyone takes them seriously though.

- Butterflies in your home are good luck.

- As are dragonflies.

- On New Year's and for a time after, no sweeping of floors or cutting hair as it removes the good luck.

- If you leave uneaten food on your plate you will marry a woman with bad skin. :rolleyes:

- Palm reading. I know nothing whatsoever about this, only that my dad says apparently my palms are auspicious.

- Not omens, but all your various lucky animals, colours, words and numbers...

Oh yeah, on Chinese omens. An interesting one I found was a belief that if a person with good luck hangs out or dates a person with bad luck, then the bad luck person will drain all the good luck from the other. Or something like that. Am I way off base or what?

It's shepherds around my area. I don't think it's a proper meteorological sign though I may be wrong. It's an omen about the weather to come

its not an omen its a prediciton.

if the red sky is at sunset the sky must be clear out to the west where the next day's weather is coming from

if the red sky is in the morning, the clear sky is in the east and the clouds are to the west bringing bad weather.

so, my house has been taken over by wildlife, a few weeks back there was a snake in my bathtub, yesterday a toad on my porch and this morning......I found a bunny in my patio planter.

I need to move to a louder more urban setting maybe. At least when my loud neighbors still lived next door all I had was their mice (which I promptly returned)

also I think the bunny was an omen of good luck, because he was cute.

*makes up her own superstitions*

so, my house has been taken over by wildlife, a few weeks back there was a snake in my bathtub, yesterday a toad on my porch and this morning......I found a bunny in my patio planter.

I need to move to a louder more urban setting maybe. At least when my loud neighbors still lived next door all I had was their mice (which I promptly returned)

also I think the bunny was an omen of good luck, because he was cute.

*makes up her own superstitions*

or a more rural setting so you see them more often and thus dont generate superstitious feelings about them.

i see bunnies every day and have to avoid killing them on the road. some days its as if they are trying to commit suicide.

or a more rural setting so you see them more often and thus dont generate superstitious feelings about them.

i see bunnies every day and have to avoid killing them on the road. some days its as if they are trying to commit suicide.

I am not sure I really believe any of the superstitions......I like to have them though, tis fun, like Santa.

I am not sure I really believe any of the superstitions......I like to have them though, tis fun, like Santa.

that seems right to me

but when i realize i have developed a superstitious feeling about something i find it very disconcerting.

that seems right to me

but when i realize i have developed a superstitious feeling about something i find it very disconcerting.

yeah, I know what you mean.

or a more rural setting so you see them more often and thus dont generate superstitious feelings about them.

i see bunnies every day and have to avoid killing them on the road. some days its as if they are trying to commit suicide.
This might scare you - but they are!!!

http://www.uberg33k.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=bunnies