The belief that a rabbit’s foot brings good luck is an ancient tradition in many cultures, including Africa and Celtic Europe. The superstition stems from animism, where spirits inhabit living things. The foot is believed to have protective powers against evil spirits and is associated with fertility, prosperity, and good luck in uncertain situations. Some traditions dictate that only the left rear foot of a cross-eyed rabbit picked up on the night of a full moon with a silver bullet is lucky.
Considering a rabbit’s foot lucky is an ancient tradition in much of the world. At least as early as the 7th century BC, the rabbit was a talismanic symbol in Africa, and even in Celtic Europe, rabbits were considered lucky. So keeping part of the rabbit was considered good luck, and a leg was a useful means of taking advantage of the good luck of the rabbit.
Many of the beliefs associated with rabbit foot luck have to do with the types of religions practiced in the regions of Africa, Europe, North and South America. Religions based on animism, the sense that spirits inhabit living things, ascribed power to all kinds of objects that were once living. When spirits were thought to live in animals, plants, rocks and water, then everything had its own power.
These traditions were not much marred by the inception of other major religions such as Christianity. Even in the heavily Catholic Ireland of the Middle Ages, there were still superstitious beliefs regarding fairies or the Tuatha De Danaan who dwelt underground. Gradually, as Christianity spread in Ireland, the ancient gods of the Celtic faith became associated with hell. Rabbits were thought to have special protective powers needed to reside underground. So the foot could be a protection from evil spirits, and it is considered as such even today.
Other ancient groups imbued the rabbit’s foot with specific forms of luck. For the Chinese it could be a symbol of prosperity. The known propensity of rabbits to breed rapidly and reproduce has often been noted in a number of past and present cultures. The foot can be worn by women who want to become pregnant or who want to improve their sex life. Sexuality in general is also linked to the desire for abundance, fertile crops and good weather.
It’s sometimes difficult to trace the exact superstition associated with certain groups of people who might be holding or carrying a rabbit’s foot. They are considered lucky for gamblers. Actors can believe they will deliver good performances and rave reviews. Travelers wear them for safe travels and hunters sometimes wear one as a necklace for good luck in hunting. In these cases, the superstition hinges on the wish for good luck in a variety of situations where the outcome is uncertain.
Some traditions about how to pick the foot state that it is lucky only when picked up by cross-eyed rabbits that live in graveyards. On the night of the full moon, the collector must shoot the rabbit with a silver bullet. Also, only the left rear foot is lucky in many traditions.
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