Left-handed Lores:

• … that moles on the left side of the face and body were at tone believed to be signs of evil and witchcraft.

• … that along the Niger River, among some African tribes, women were forbidden to use their left hands when cooking, for fear of incurring supernatural poisoning.

Over the years, left-handedness has had many lefty lores. Here are few of them.

• Ancient Mayan soothsayers would vigorously rub their legs to foretell the future. If the left leg twitched, the future would be unlucky, but if the right leg did, the future would be looking good.

• In ancient Peru, the Incas believed that being left-handed as a sign of good fortune.

• Superstition says it is lucky to meet a left-handed person on any morning except Tuesday. This myth is said to have originated with Tiw, the Scandinavian god who was left-handed. He was the god of war and, you bet, he gave us “Tiw’s day” — we now know as “Tuesday.”

• Along the Niger River, in African cultures, food is prepared exclueively with the right hand. Why? They believe that using the left hand would poison it.

• The Kerrs, a Scottish clan, is believed to have had an unusually high percentage of lefties and built their castles with counterclockwise spiral staircases – giving them an edge in fighting off the right-handed invaders.

Lefty Scottish Lore

According to a Scottish Lore, the 15th century castle Ferniehirst was built by left-hander Andrew Kerr, forefather of the legendary clan.

The stairs spiral counterclockwise so that when you descent the stone steps, your right side is pinned against a stone wall, while the left is free, allowing left-handed swordsmen to defend themselves more easily.

Lefty Lores:

Chinese Proverb – Though the left hand conquers the right, no advantage is gained.”

North African beliefs – A twitch in the right eyelid means that some absent member of the family will return or that some other pleasant event will occur. But a twitch in one’s left eyelid may predict a death in the family or mean other unhappy occurrence.

Lefty Lore:

That when a woman is pregnant, she carries a little extra testosterone along with the fetus.  Some believe that it’s that extra hormone which makes a baby a lefty.

Lefty Lore:

A ringing in your left ear could mean someone is cursing you.

Lefty Lore

There is this lore that to see the new moon over your left shoulder will bring good luck.

Lefty Lores:

• That anyone who digs coal out of the ground from under his or her left foot in the spring will have good luck.

• The ancient Celts – whose priests and priestesses worshipped nature – viewed the left-hand side as sacred, the source of all life.

• The custom of tossing a pinch of salt over the left shoulder grew out of the belief that the Devil hovers over your left, said to be the weak side.  Tossing the salt is supposed to keep the Evil One at bay.

Lefty Lores:

~ The ancient Aztecs traditionally administered medicine for kidney trouble with the left hand, and medicine for liver trouble with the right.

~ Maori women of New Zealand must weave ceremonial cloth witht he right hand only. That to use the left hand would put a caurse on it.

~ Moles on the left side of the body and face were believed to be signs of evil and witchcraft.

~ That some athletes put their left socks and shoes on first as part of their good-luck ritual.

~ That according to an Irish saying, “To see three magpies on the left hand when on a journey is unlucky, however, two on the right hand is a good omen.”

Lefty Lores:

~ That the Egyptians believed it was good luck to enter a house left foot first.

~ That if your right palm itches, you will receive money, otherwise, if it’s your left palm, you either lose or owe money.

~ That being left-handed is the result of bad toilet training in which the child is confused which hand should be used for potty hygiene.

~ Sneezing to the left means bad luck while doing it to the right means good luck.

~ That if you get out of bed left foot first, you will have a bad day with a bad mood.