Superstitions | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/superstitions/RSS feed for SuperstitionsenWed, 07 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000How a Sudden Winter Storm in 1617 Sparked the Deadliest Witchcraft Trials in Norwegian Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-sudden-winter-storm-in-1617-sparked-the-deadliest-witchcraft-trials-in-norwegian-history-180987919/During the 17th-century Finnmark witch trials, 91 people were executed in Norway's northernmost region, mainly by burning at the stakeWed, 07 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-sudden-winter-storm-in-1617-sparked-the-deadliest-witchcraft-trials-in-norwegian-history-180987919/How This Italian Town Came to Be Known as the 'City of Witches'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-this-italian-town-came-to-be-known-as-the-city-of-witches-180987599/Centuries ago, it was said that Benevento was a gathering place for the occult. Today, superstitions still run deepThu, 30 Oct 2025 16:53:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-this-italian-town-came-to-be-known-as-the-city-of-witches-180987599/Meet the Chicago Cubs' Newest Feathered Fan: a Canada Goose That Built Her Nest in Their Baseball Stadiumhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-chicago-cubs-newest-feathered-fan-a-canada-goose-that-built-her-nest-in-their-baseball-stadium-180986391/After the ballpark sent a crew of "geesekeepers" to protect her over the weekend, the bird appears to have moved on. But she earned a place in the hearts of Cubs fans—and in the team's long history of animal-related loreTue, 08 Apr 2025 18:49:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-chicago-cubs-newest-feathered-fan-a-canada-goose-that-built-her-nest-in-their-baseball-stadium-180986391/How a Tale of Demonic Possession Predicted the Decline of an Early Medieval Empirehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-tale-of-demonic-possession-predicted-the-decline-of-an-early-medieval-empire-180985596/A new book examines the rise and fall of the Carolingian dynasty, discussing how people across social classes understood the momentous history of their dayTue, 10 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-tale-of-demonic-possession-predicted-the-decline-of-an-early-medieval-empire-180985596/To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Toolshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-divine-the-future-the-ancients-relied-on-these-chance-based-fortune-telling-tools-180985349/Texts like the "Sortes Astrampsychi" promised insights on clients' love lives, career prospects, financial woes and familiesThu, 31 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-divine-the-future-the-ancients-relied-on-these-chance-based-fortune-telling-tools-180985349/This 19th-Century 'Toy Book' Used Science to Prove That Ghosts Were Simply an Illusionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-19th-century-toy-book-used-science-to-prove-that-ghosts-were-simply-an-illusion-180985347/"Spectropia" demystified the techniques used by mediums who claimed they could speak to the dead, revealing the "absurd follies of Spiritualism"Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:41:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-19th-century-toy-book-used-science-to-prove-that-ghosts-were-simply-an-illusion-180985347/Why Are We So Scared of Friday the 13th?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-scared-friday-13th-unlucky-date-180965147/From the Knights Templar to Norse mythology, here’s how fear of the spooky date crept into popular cultureFri, 13 Oct 2017 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-scared-friday-13th-unlucky-date-180965147/The Veterinary Magic of the Middle Ageshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-veterinary-magic-of-the-middle-ages-180981040/Medieval healers treated animals' ailments with a mix of faith, tradition and scienceMon, 31 Oct 2022 13:36:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-veterinary-magic-of-the-middle-ages-180981040/In Early Modern Russia, the Majority of Accused 'Witches' Were Menhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-early-modern-russia-most-accused-witches-were-men-180980256/Orthodox Russians deployed magic for practical purposes, like inflicting illness, harming business competitors and attracting loversWed, 15 Jun 2022 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-early-modern-russia-most-accused-witches-were-men-180980256/1,500-Year-Old 'Magic Bowls' Seized in Jerusalem Raidhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1500-year-old-magic-bowls-seized-in-jerusalem-raid-180979705/Ancient Mesopotamians used the vessels, which were inscribed with incantations, to ward off demons, disease and other misfortuneThu, 10 Mar 2022 16:34:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1500-year-old-magic-bowls-seized-in-jerusalem-raid-180979705/