31 replies to this topic

[Agent D. Scully]

In the area where I live, it is very uncommon to hear a whipporwhill. When my dad was young, he heard one calling at night. The next day his grandmother suffered a fatal heart attack. Years later when he was 14 he heard one and his Dad passed away. Once more, when he was 16 he heard one on his way to a school dance and when he got their he found out one of his friends had been killed by a drunk driver. My grandmother says she heard one when her mother died, and another when her brother passed. Both of them say they never heard one other than those incidents, and both say they never want to here them again.

I also hear countless incidents where birds flying into a house or hitting a wondow on a house means a death in the family.

A few months ago, a big black stray dog used to sit in our yard around midnight and just howl, directly below my grandmother's window. Later, I found out she had gotten her will straightened out, cleaned her closets, and decided what she would be burried in. She was certain it meant her death. She's still with us now.

So do you have any experiences like my familie's with the whipporwhill? Do you have any superstitions regarding death?

[Juuri]

Well my family say when a baby owl comes at night to visit you by door or in your garden, he will deliver news of death to a person you know. You must insult him to make him go away.

I experienced it by my self, a baby owl sat in front of my window and 2 days later my childhood friend who was 8th months pregnant of boy died in a car crash..

So I'm not expecting for anyone els to believe it but it's something of the many superstitions in our culture...

[Agent D. Scully]

That's interesting.... I've never seen a baby owl out here, maybe I should be glad of that

[rashore]

There's a death omen about birds flying/crashing into your window.. also if one flies into your house. I think it's usually black birds, but I've heard it applied to out of season birds too.

[Juuri]

 Agent D. Scully, on 22 May 2011 - 06:35 PM, said:

That's interesting.... I've never seen a baby owl out here, maybe I should be glad of that

Lol I guess you should.

[UFO_Monster]

I do believe in omens, but anything superstitious like allowing a black cat to cross my path won't concern me.

[Emin]

yeah if an owl screeches at you it means death or if a very large dark colored moth settles near your door it means death, i've experienced both but it's what i've heard from my family.  

[Setton]

 rashore, on 22 May 2011 - 06:43 PM, said:

There's a death omen about birds flying/crashing into your window.. also if one flies into your house. I think it's usually black birds, but I've heard it applied to out of season birds too.

I had a bird fly into my window once. Poor thing knocked itself out. We thought it was dead so we went to get rid of it. Surprised as hell when it hopped up and started flapping

P.S. No-one died

 Emin, on 25 May 2011 - 03:11 PM, said:

yeah if an owl screeches at you it means death

This is in fact true. If you are a mouse.

Couldn't resist

[Eleven Card Trick]

People around here believe that when a big black moth enters your home, it is an omen of death.

Also when an owl lingers by your window at night, that someone has cursed you.

Yesterday, the weirdest thing happened. I was sitting in the kitchen when I heard distinct whispering in my ear. Strange and scary for sure.

[AZTom]

 Agent D. Scully, on 22 May 2011 - 06:06 PM, said:

In the area where I live, it is very uncommon to hear a whipporwhill. When my dad was young, he heard one calling at night. The next day his grandmother suffered a fatal heart attack. Years later when he was 14 he heard one and his Dad passed away. Once more, when he was 16 he heard one on his way to a school dance and when he got their he found out one of his friends had been killed by a drunk driver. My grandmother says she heard one when her mother died, and another when her brother passed. Both of them say they never heard one other than those incidents, and both say they never want to here them again.

I also hear countless incidents where birds flying into a house or hitting a wondow on a house means a death in the family.

A few months ago, a big black stray dog used to sit in our yard around midnight and just howl, directly below my grandmother's window. Later, I found out she had gotten her will straightened out, cleaned her closets, and decided what she would be burried in. She was certain it meant her death. She's still with us now.

So do you have any experiences like my familie's with the whipporwhill? Do you have any superstitions regarding death?

Call me a skeptic, but I think your dad heard whipporwills more than 4 times in his life, how else would he knowwhat one sounds like? You're grandmother only heard two in her life, yet knew what the sound was?

Edited by AZTom, 01 June 2011 - 10:31 PM.

[Gatofeo]

I have Native American friends who believe that an owl outside your home is a sign of an impending death. They don't like the birds, but don't bother them.
But then, cultures around the world have always associated something nefarious with owls. Myself, I like them. I live in the remote desert of northwestern Utah. There are a few Great Horned Owls around here, and they often perch in the big tree outside my place at night.
My cats are unbothered by them. Any owl trying to pick up one of MY cats would get a hernia, so fat are they. I'm sure the owls see the cats as too big to bother with, so they eat the native rodents, which is a good thing.

I love hearing owls hoot at night. Great Horned Owls can be quite loud, and they seem forceful in their hoots as if to say, "Hey! This is MY tree tonight and the rest of you stay away! Got that?!"
Yep, they're a rather territorial bird. Their eyes glow when hit with a flashlight, and that's about the only way you can find them in trees at night. They sit very still and are hard to spot in all the branches and leaves.

I don't believe that owls foretell a death any more than walking under a ladder suddenly changes your fate. People ascribe far too much authority to ancient "wisdom" and customs.

Edited by Gatofeo, 04 June 2011 - 05:39 PM.

[TheFlyingDutchman]

My family doesn't follow any death omens, sorry.

[Fyfee]

A bird in the house especially a crow or hitting the window.. Dreaming someones pregnant.. and the banshee of course

[ealdwita]

 Agent D. Scully, on 22 May 2011 - 06:06 PM, said:

In the area where I live, it is very uncommon to hear a whipporwhill. When my dad was young, he heard one calling at night. The next day his grandmother suffered a fatal heart attack. Years later when he was 14 he heard one and his Dad passed away. Once more, when he was 16 he heard one on his way to a school dance and when he got their he found out one of his friends had been killed by a drunk driver. My grandmother says she heard one when her mother died, and another when her brother passed. Both of them say they never heard one other than those incidents, and both say they never want to here them again.

The European equivalent (the Night-jar or Jenny-spinner) has a similar reputation. Except they're not considered an omen of death exactly. They are said to be able to detect a departing soul and steal it. Country folk know them as 'Lytch-fowl' - named after the Lytch-gate, the covered gateway to ancient English churchyards where the coffin rested momentarily for prayers before proceeding into the church. The bird was thought to hide in the rafters awaiting the coffin.

[The Doctor Is In]

blackbird. also when i get a phone call saying "____ just died"...