10 Death Superstitions That Will Give You the Creeps

Death is not something people want to talk about every day. Sure, they will discuss a celebrity’s unfortunate demise to death (no pun intended). But when it comes to their own mortality, they shy away. This fear of the unknown, basically what the fear of death is, expresses itself in various forms. Most people do things to ward off death. They go to the doctor every year, eat healthy, join the gym, etc.

Some go further than that. They perform little “rituals,” sometimes involuntarily, to keep the Grim Reaper away. And if they fail, they do their best to ensure departed souls get to where they need to go (to prevent the Reaper from going after them, too).

Some of these rituals or superstitions have evolved or disappeared over the years, and many of them remain incredibly strange. On this list are just some of the creepy death superstitions that once terrified people.

Related: 10 Superstitions That Will Ruin Your Love Life

10 Phantom Funerals Foreshadow Real Ones

Death superstitions often feature apparitions or ghostly omens. A banshee wails when someone is about to die, and owls visit the homes of those who are about to depart. And, in the British Isles, a phantom funeral procession appears before death occurs.

Phantom funerals are said only to be visible to those with the “special gift.” These ghostly processions pass down the middle of the road, so if you notice one, you should keep to the side of said road. Some believe that phantom funerals are “sent” by fairies simply to give us humans the creeps. Others believe they foreshadow death, which may happen within days or weeks. It may also foreshadow the real funeral of a particular person.

If you see a phantom funeral, you may recognize the people in the procession and then see them again in real life at the actual funeral of the person who died.

Should you be unlucky enough to witness a phantom funeral, superstition has it that you must never look into the casket. If you do, the next real-life funeral procession will be yours.^[1]

9 A Witch Doctor Can Save You from a Deadly Haircut

Getting a haircut is not exactly scary. But for the people in Mongolia who believe in superstitions, it may be a case of life or death. According to a creepy Mongolian legend, wandering spirits can attach themselves to the hair of those who are still alive. These souls nestle within the strands and make themselves comfortable.

This doesn’t sound too bad. Right? After all, what you can’t see can’t hurt you.

Until you cut your hair, that is. If you cut your hair while a soul is living in it, you will kill that soul and yourself. So, if you find yourself in Mongolia (or live there) and are due for a haircut, you will do well to consult a witch doctor first.

The witch doctor will check for souls in your hair and warn against a haircut if need be.^[2]

8 The Deathwatch Beetle Ticks Off a Sick Person’s Last Moments

In 17th-century England, people frequently fell ill. Serious illnesses were often a death sentence, especially if the family of the ill person heard a strange tapping echoing from the walls. However, the tapping didn’t come from a paranormal entity like a Banshee or doppelganger. Instead, the tap, tap, tap was the sound made by a deathwatch beetle as it bored through the walls.

It didn’t matter that these beetles were tapping for completely natural reasons. Whoever heard the tapping was convinced their loved one was about to die.

People died in their beds back then with a loved one watching over them until they took their last breath. Long before anyone realized the death beetle was ramming its head into the wood, families believed that the tapping sound came from the grim reaper rhythmically tapping his bony fingers as he waited for the sick person to die.

Another superstition suggests that the ticking sound was actually the ticking of time as the sick person’s last moments drew to a close.

The deathwatch beetle even makes a creepy appearance in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and in Edgar Allan Poe’s writings. This shows just how deeply embedded the beetle and its assumed link to death became in Western culture.^[3]

7 Three Knocks Equal Bad News

You know how they say bad luck comes in threes? It is believed that this superstition originated during the Crimean War when soldiers were discouraged from lighting three cigarettes with the same match. If they did so, it would make them more visible to the enemy.

The number three is also bad luck when it comes to death. For example, some people believe that if they hear three knocks (whether it be on a door or window), someone close to them will die within three days, three weeks, or three months.

Others believe that by the time they hear the three knocks, their loved one has already died. The worst part is that if you hear three knocks at your door and find no one on the doorstep, death will be coming for you instead.Fortunately, it is said that you can counter the three knocks by knocking on wood yourself three times for good luck.^[4]

6 Corpse Roads Must Cross a Body of Water

There was nothing convenient about funerals in Britain during the Middle Ages. Grieving loved ones had to watch over the deceased person’s corpse in their home. And they had to find a way to carry the corpse to the cemetery or churchyard. It is out of these funeral rituals that corpse roads were born. Churches wanted parishioners buried according to the traditions of the parish, regardless of how far the church was from the deceased’s home.

So, corpse roads or burial roads were built, connecting several villages to the nearest cemetery. With these roads came an increase in death superstitions that continue to frighten. For example, many believed corpse roads ensured the surrounding land remained fertile. This was because of the belief that coffins sterilized land as the dead walked over it until they could purge their souls.

This is also why corpse roads were built in straight lines away from cultivation, regardless of what stood in their way. Superstition held that spirits traveled only in straight lines. Moreover, a corpse road had to cross at least one river or stream, as people believed ghosts could not cross running water.

If the funeral party encountered a crossroads on their way to the churchyard, they would cross the other road as fast as they could. Some would pray against the devil as they went or perform a specific ritual to ward off evil.

The creepiest part of the corpse road superstition is that the spirit of the deceased would find their way back home if their coffin were not carried along a burial road. Once they were back home, they would haunt their family.

At some point, corpse candles became part of the superstition. If a person saw corpse candles or corpse lights, they or someone they knew would die. These lights often traveled along corpse roads, sometimes accompanied by a terrifying hollow skull.^[5]

5 Never Put a Rocking Chair in Your Home

Rocking chairs are awesome. Mothers use them to lull their babies to sleep. Those who work long hours plop down in them to reduce muscle tension in the back and neck. Some doctors even say that sitting in a rocking chair can help boost blood circulation and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. However, rocking chairs often get relegated to the attic or basement when people no longer need them. There, they gather dust, deteriorate, and are often left behind when families move to new homes.

It may be a good idea for you to leave your old rocking chair behind. If you don’t plan on moving, you might want to get rid of it. According to a widespread Irish superstition, rocking chairs are not always empty, even when no one sits in them. If a rocking chair suddenly starts moving on its own, you may have a dark spirit in your house that has already settled in.

Some people also believe that if you bump into a rocking chair and leave it to rock on its own, it welcomes Death to stop by. If you don’t want to get rid of your rocking chair, put a stone underneath it to prevent it from moving. If you don’t want to take chances, toss it out.^[6]

4 Hold Your Breath When You Pass a Cemetery

You may remember a parent telling you to hold your breath whenever you passed a cemetery. It is said that this particular superstition comes from Victorian times. People believed that if they didn’t hold their breath while passing a graveyard, they would not be buried when they eventually died.

Today, many are afraid that if they don’t hold their breath, a recently buried person’s spirit may enter through their mouth and take up residence in their body. Some even believe that the ghosts in the cemetery will become jealous because they are no longer alive and breathing like the person passing them.

A lesser-known version of this superstition says anyone passing a cemetery in the U.S. should hold their breath until they pass a white house. And, if you happen to find yourself inside a cemetery at any point, you should walk away from it backward to stop ghosts from following you home.^[7]

3 Dogs See What We Can’t

People often talk about uncanny cat behavior, like staring silently at the wall for no reason. On the other hand, dogs are very vocal when perceiving a threat. This is also why many believe dogs are somehow connected to the spirit world. For instance, some people in the US, UK, India, and the Philippines are convinced that when a dog howls while facing a house, someone inside that house will die.

Some in Mexico, Africa, or Japan believe dogs can see ghosts. Dogs tend to bark at corners of rooms or staircase landings for no reason, which many people take to mean they are seeing spirits. It is also considered bad luck for a dog to be anywhere near a newborn in case it attracts supernatural entities that may harm the child. If a dog barks at midnight, it is calling to the supernatural world or alerting humans that evil is nearby.

In Britain, the apparition of a black dog is said to appear before someone dies. A similar superstition from Connecticut says if you see the black dog of Hanging Hills three times, someone close to you will die.^[8]

2 The Church Grim Appears Before Someone Dies

In England and Nordic countries, a black dog appearing before death is called a church grim. In the 19th century, it was once believed to be customary to bury a dog alive under the cornerstone of a church. This horrific practice was called a “foundation sacrifice” that would result in the dog’s ghost protecting the church.

It is said that when a grim appears, it has glowing red eyes. The spectral dog keeps away witches, thieves, and the devil himself. At the same time, the appearance of a ghostly black dog that tolls a church bell at midnight means someone will die soon.

During a funeral, a priest may notice the grim look out from the church tower. Depending on which way the dog looks, the priest would know whether the soul of the deceased would go to heaven or hell. It is believed that a grim can also take on the form of a horse, rooster, ram, or raven. In Scandinavia, a church grim may appear the very pale ghost of a former parishioner.^[9]

1 Mirrors Should Not Face Each Other

According to Feng Shui principles, mirrors can help redirect negative energy, visually enlarge a room, and amplify what they reflect. Feng Shui will also guide you in never placing a mirror facing your bed, as it will cause feelings of unease.

Superstition dictates that two mirrors should never face each other. If you place two mirrors directly across from each other, you effectively create a ghost portal. This allows the dead to slip between realms. The biggest problem with this seems to be that some spirits cannot find their way back, which means they will stay trapped either in one of the mirrors or the room.

It is said that if you leave the two mirrors uncovered, you may also inadvertently invite the devil into your home. You can prevent this by covering one or both mirrors so they don’t reflect each other (or just remove one of the mirrors altogether).

Some superstitions also state that if someone dies in a room with a mirror, that mirror should be covered. Doing this prevents evil spirits from filling the void left by the deceased person. It also prevents the soul of the deceased person from seeing themselves in the mirror and the mirror from turning into a picture of the dead.^[10]