ROYAL SUPERSTITIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 81

ROYAL SUPERSTITIONS.

OMENS THAT AFFECT KINGS AND QUEENS. Omens of death are found in many Royal families. At the Hofburg, the Imperial Palace of Vienna, the dread spectre of the White Lady is said to roam about every time a misfortune is about to overtake the family. It was last alleged to have been seen on the eve of Empress Elizabeth's tragic assassination in Switzerland. At the Imperial Palace of Berlin a gigantic, ghostly street sweeper, carrying a broom, "is due to appear a week before the death of any member of the Hohenzollern race. According to tradition, a little man, dressed in scarlet, haunted the Tuileries until the day the Republic was proclaimed in France and the torches of the Commune reduced the jgrand old pile to ruin and. ashes. The present Czar of Russia is a firm believer in the old superstition current among his people that a beautiful woman dressed in white carrying a great wreath of white roses is the death messenger of his famuy. A curious story is told how,, on the morning of his assassination, Alexander 11, grandfather of the present Czar, found on his bed a branch of white roses veiled with crape, which, it is asserted, had been left there by the apparition. —The Italian Eagle.— There is an Italian superstition that whenever a Kinjg belonging to the house o f Savov dies a huge eagle is to be seen crossing the Alps over the valley of Aosta in the direction of Savoy, and the conviction prevails among the inhabitants of Aosta that eagle guides the soul ».f the dead sovereign to jon those of his ancestors in Savoy- When King Charles Albert died at Lisbon, Kinig Victor Emmanuel died at Rome, and King Humbert was assassinated at Monza in 1900, the eagle was seen winging its way across the Alps. AH other eagles crossing the Alps don't seem to count for much The Royal Familv of Italy has another remarable superstition. It is believed that dire misfortune will befall the reigning monarch if the chamber of his predecessor be interfered with till at least two generations; have passed. Therefore, the room of the late King Humbert at the Quirinal is shut, no one except members of the Roval Familv being permitted +0 enter it Thus it will remain, silent and unused, like the apartment of King Victor F.mmanuel. King Humbert's father, which is iust as it was at the time of his death some thirty years ago. Czar Nicholas ,has a ring that,he is said to believe necessarv to havp always about him. In its absence he will not move a step from the palace. The ring contains what is supposed to. be a small piece of the Holv Cross. The fact that when he was assassinated Nicholas' (Grandfather had not the precious ring with him has enormously strengthened his belief in its protective virtues. The present Ameer of Afghanistan is another potentate who out« faith in ;* riuff he received from his fa+ber. The bitter was a great believer in the officacv of the ring, and invariable wore this as a. charm against the plottings of his enemies. A!thoT'igh he was more often reported dead than any other mpparch of his day. this ring, according to his own belief, enabled him to live a great leal longer than he would have without it. —The Royal Spanish Ring.—

A ring studded with diamonds and pearls hangs suspended by a golden. chain round the neck of the statue of the Virion of Almudena of Madrid, which is located in one of the most frequented parks of that city. It is safer there than in the strong room of the Bank of Spain. Thousands of people pass it every day and admire its beauty: but the greatest thief in Spain would rather die than' touch it. as it is believed to deal out death to whom it belongs. This ring was presented bv Alphonso XII to his consort, Queen Mercedes, who died within a month afterward. Ere the funeral had taken nlace the King bestowed the ring on his sister Maria, and she was dead in a few davs.

The fatal circlet then coming into his possession, he presented it to ,his late Queen's grandmother. Queen Christian, who died three months afterward. The Kins then placed it in bis own casket, of precious relics, and he lived less Mian a year. The Queen Regent was not di c pospd to run any risk, and refused to accent such a deadly possession, and had it hung on the statue as stated. . Alany Spaniard s ! believe this rine; to be possessed of mystic nnwers, bv which unworthy wearers. of it are slain. To a worthy sovereign thev claim it will assure prosneritv and a loner life, and to its maieic influence attribute the youn<7 Kind's escape from iniurv in the bpihb explosion on his weddin? day. -—An, Emperor's Notions. Enlperor William has a ring he wears at all times and regards as his own peculiar talisman, though few are aware of this fact. A curious history is related of it. It is to the effect that in the days of Elector John of Brandenburg, one of the early Hohenzollerns, a toad entered that worthy's room one night and placed a small stone on the bed. The toad then disappeared, and ever since the stone, which has no real value, has been treasured as one of the most precious possessions of the house of Hohenzollern By the father of Frederick the Great it was set in a ring, .which since that time has'always adorned the finder of the head of the house. The Emperor has also another ring he highly prizes, which for centuries has been, •credited with supernatural power to protect its wearer from harm of any kind. This ring has a very romantic history, dating from far-off days when his ancestors, the Margraves of Nuremberg, followed their leaders to the capture of the holy sepulchrfj from the Moslems. The

ring, which was captured in a hard-fought battle under the walls of Jerusalem, came into possession of the Margrave Ulrich, from whom it has descended as a highly prized heirloom. The ring is of massive gold, with a square, dark-coloured _«tone, and is worn by the Emperor on the middle finger of his left hand. The sentence from the Koran that adorned the ring when worn by Saiadin and his successors has been removed and a- Latin cross engraved in its place. —Objects to Cats.—» The Emperor has many pet superstitions. He has a horror of cats, and none is ever permitted to appear in his presence. It is stated that at the time of his last visit to England all the cats at the castles he was to visit were sent into exile until he had departed. Whenever the Emperor meets a fox iie raises his hat. This is following a superstitious reverence which the peasant of North Germany has *or Reynard, who is regarded so sacredly that his name must not be pronounced, and he is alluded to by some euphemistic title as "Blue Foot," or " He. who goes to the forest." The Emperor affects the agate, as this stone is said to have the property of assuring its possessor long life, health, and prosperity. There exists in Germany a superstition that the Empire will be overthrown when the Emperor has seven sons. William II has six. The Emperor is always careful that the ancestral cradle of the Hohenzollerns should be used for each infant member of his family in succession. This cradle is over two centuries old, and is of curiously carved black oak. It is supposed to protect the baby who sleeps iih it from convulsions and other childish ailments.

A widely prevalent superstition in Germany is that • lead or iron bullets are powerless to kill or wound a Prussian monarch, and that it is only silver or gold that will prove effective against them. This superstition was thought to have been confirmed in 1878, when Nobiling attempted to assassinate Emperor William. Vt'hen the bullet was removed from the body of thjf Emperor it was discovered to be of silver. The Emperor recovered, but it was claimed that the bullet would not have touched him at all had it been of lead or iron^

The Hapsburgs regard the raven as a herald of woe to the family. At the moment when Emperor Francis Joseph began his troubled reign at Olmutz a number of ravens flew over the town. It is told also that when the ill-fated Maximilian was about to leave Europe for his fatal, imperial career in Mexico, araven persisted in following him and his wife as they strolled in a garden, and that the afternoon before the Empress Elizabeth was assassinated at Geneva a raven swooped down on her and knocked a peach out of her hands. When Maria Christina was starting to receive the crown of Soain, which was one day to be so grevious a burden, a raven flew over the horses' heads and accompanied the carriage to the railway station. —Sultan a'.d Shah. — The deposed Sultan of Turkey has a strong aversion to having his portrait taken. As a young man he is said to have dabbled a good deal in magic, and he firmly believes that an enemy acquiring' his portrait' would thereby gain ooweover him. During the coronation of the late Shah of Persia in 1906 the tiara fell from his head, and his subsequent reign wait one long series of mishaps, which finally culminated in his deposition. The Shah is said to possess over 200 talismans. One is a gold star of five points, which is supposed to have been possessed by the legendary Rustem. It Is called Merzoum, and has the reputation of making conspirators immediately confess. When the Shah's brother was accused of treason some years ago. the star was shown him, and, terrified and overcome by remorse, he confessed his iniquities. Unfortunately for the Shah, the talisman seemed to have lost its power during the recent revolution that caused his deposition. Another is a little box of gold, set in emeralds, and blessed by the Prophet. It is believed that it makes the Poyal Family invisible as long as they are celibates.

Another is a cube of amber that fell from, heaven in Mohammed's time. It is supposed to render the Shah invulnerable, and he. wears it about his neck. Another is a diamond set in one of his scymitars, which renders its possessor invincible.

There is also a dagger with the same property; but it is ordp.ined that thoee who use it should perish by it. Tt is, therefore, carefully shut up in a sandalwood box, on which is engraved a verse from the Koran.