MASCOTS
Tlio two most popular superstitions arc certainly tlio action of “touching wood’ to avert, misfortune and tlio general bo--1 icf in the power of mascots. The mascot has become an obsession in modern times. On the Continent the figures are very often those of saints. In the early day’s of motoring every car in France carried a model of St. Christopher, whose special province it is to protect travellers. The mascot had its origin in the) totem or tribal god of our primitive ancestors. “Touching wood ’ takes us back to Pagan days, when it was believed that every tree concealed its own snecial spirit,. It is interesting to find that tho childish game of “Tig’ has tho same) ancestry. ‘ ‘Tiggy—Tiggy touchwood Can’t touch mo!” Tho one who was catching the. others had no power over tho other players so long as they wero touching wood.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19290109.2.99
Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 9 January 1929, Page 7
Word Count
146MASCOTS Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 9 January 1929, Page 7
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Nelson Evening Mail. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.