40 Death Folklore and Superstitions You Should Know

Across centuries, death folklore has shaped strange beliefs, omens, and rituals that attempt to explain and prepare us for life’s final journey, writes JOHN WEST

Death is the one certainty none of us can escape.

However much we busy ourselves with the living world, the knowledge of that final journey lingers quietly at the edge of our thoughts.

Across centuries and cultures, people have tried to make sense of this inevitability through stories, customs, and rituals.

Folklore surrounding death reflects both our deep fear of the unknown and our enduring need to give meaning to the moment when life slips beyond our grasp.

In these traditions we glimpse not only anxiety about what lies beyond, but also the human desire to prepare, to understand, and perhaps even to soften the path that every one of us must one day walk.

Death Folklore and Superstitions

Here are just a few of the strange folklore traditions and customs that have grown up around death.

1. The first person buried in a graveyard was called the Graveyard Watcher because their spirit safeguarded the graves of all who followed them.
2. You should hold your breath when walking past a graveyard, or you might breathe in the spirit of someone recently buried there.
3. Death will soon occur in a household if a robin flies into the house through a window.
4. A sparrow landing on a piano means that someone in the house will soon die.
5. A bird pecking at your window or flying into it indicates that someone you know has died.
6. A picture falling from a wall is a sign that someone you know will die.
7. A diamond-shaped fold in new or clean linen heralds a death.
8. Expect a death in the family if a broken clock suddenly chimes.
9. It was once tradition to stop all clocks in the room where someone had died, out of respect for the deceased.
10. People believed that opening a window in the room where a person had died would aid their soul on its journey.
11. Hearing three knocks in an empty room is said to indicate that someone you know has passed away.
12. Never place only red and white flowers in a vase, especially in a hospital, as it is believed to foretell death.
13. If two people in a family die suddenly, it is said a third will quickly follow.
14. To meet yourself in a dream means that your death is imminent.
15. If someone in the house is ill, hearing a dog howl at night is considered a bad omen. However, you can reverse this misfortune by placing a shoe under the sick person’s bed.
16. Touching a loved one who has died is said to prevent dreams about them.
17. Seeing a single snowdrop growing in your garden is considered a sign of death.
18. Smelling roses suddenly, when none are nearby, means someone you know is going to die.
19. Seeing five crows together is an omen of death.
20. Seeing an owl during the day is also an omen of death.
21. An owl’s hoot or a curlew’s cry signals impending death.
22. If coffee grounds form a straight line at the bottom of your cup, expect an impending funeral.
23. If a family experiences several deaths, a black ribbon should be tied to everything living that enters the home, including animals, to protect against further loss.
24. Never place shoes on a table, as it foretells serious illness or death by hanging.
25. Never wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes.
26. A sudden chill up your spine means someone has just walked over your future grave.
27. It was once believed that the ringing of church bells during a funeral scared away the spirit of the deceased.
28. People have reported seeing small lights floating over tombstones. These are known as corpse lights and are thought to represent the souls of the dead. An adult’s light is yellow, while a child’s is blue. Some believe these lights trace the path a coffin will take to the burial site. Others say they appear around a house when someone is about to die.
29. Walking on a grave has always been considered unlucky. Not only was it seen as disrespectful, but it was also thought to risk the spirit of the deceased grabbing you. Pregnant women were advised not to walk over graves, for fear their child might be born with a clubfoot.
30. If the deceased lived a good life, flowers would grow on their grave. If they lived poorly, only weeds would flourish.
31. Traditionally, bodies were carried out of the house headfirst. This was thought to confuse the deceased’s spirit and prevent it from calling others to follow. Sometimes, the body was taken out through a window to confuse the spirit and stop it from returning to haunt the place of death.
32. Never lock the door after a funeral procession has left the house. It brings bad luck to the home.
33. Meeting a funeral procession head-on is considered unlucky. If you see one approaching, turn around or hold a button on your clothing until it passes by.
34. A funeral procession should leave the cemetery by a different route to prevent the spirit from returning home.
35. If it rains during the procession, the deceased will go to heaven.
36. If a hearse stops outside your home on its way to a funeral, it is a sign of impending death for the householder.
37. The sound of thunder after a funeral means the soul of the deceased has reached heaven.
38. Family photographs were often turned face down after a death to prevent the deceased’s spirit from possessing their relatives and friends.
39. Never speak ill of the dead, or they may return to haunt you.
40. Mirrors were once covered after a death to prevent the spirit of the deceased from becoming trapped in the glass.

What do you think of these death superstitions? Have you heard any others passed down through family or local tradition?