h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was always told that breaking a mirror would result in seven years bad luck and that the luck resulting from walking under a ladder would be far more immedicate - such as a bucket of water falling on your head.

Let me know next time you break a mirror and we can have a 7 year trial separation! (Only joking!)

The amount of mirrors I've broken in the past kind of means I'm going to be spending the rest of my life experiencing bad luck, which doesn't really make a lot of sense really! Perhaps I can get time off for good behaviour! Who came up with the seven years anyway! Is there a "cure"?

What about breaking a mirror while walking under a ladder?
All that bad luck might just cancel each other out (2 wrongs making a right) - or the universe might just crash with a "bad luck overflow error"...

AndyF

Break a mirror under a ladder? If that happened, you'd get the feeling that the universe was just trying to prove a point wouldn't you! How about if a black cat crossed your path, and you dropped the mirror because you were throwing spilt salt over your shoulder!?

And a single magpie flew into view......

I guess you'd be in a spot of trouble, unless of course you had a four leaf clover!

or found a penny!

Or nailed a horseshoe to your front door! (Just make sure you get it the right way up!)

Does this mean that all superstitions are old wives tales? (Or vice versa)

I was once told by an old wive that this one stems from the expense of miirors way back. If a servant broke one it would take them about 7 years to pay back their masters.