They Believed That?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Superstitions and the Supernatural around the World

This book is devoted to those human beliefs that fall in the "gray zone" between science, religion, and everyday life—call them superstitious, supernatural, magical, or just wrong. In an often incomprehensible world where lightning or plague could end life quickly or drought could condemn a poor family to agonizing death, superstitious beliefs gave people a feeling of understanding or even control. They have continued to shape societies and cultures ever since...