Unsplash/Fadhil AbhimantraDeath has always been a bit of a mystery, and for much of human history, superstition filled in the gaps. Across different cultures and time periods, people came up with strange, sometimes eerie beliefs about what happened after someone died, and how to keep bad things from happening because of it. From ringing bells to ward off spirits to turning mirrors around to stop souls getting trapped, these customs weren’t just folklore. They were part of everyday life. These beliefs often shaped mourning practices, burial rituals, and even community behaviour, with some superstitions so powerful that breaking them was believed to bring serious consequences. Here’s a look at some of the death-related superstitions that people genuinely believed.
Covering mirrors to stop souls getting trapped
One of the most well-known death superstitions, particularly in parts of Europe and North America, was the practice of covering mirrors in a house after someone died. The belief was that the soul of the deceased could get trapped in the mirror, or worse, that the living might catch a glimpse of the dead.
This custom likely stems from the idea that mirrors were a reflection of the soul, not just a physical image. In Victorian England, it was common to drape black cloth over mirrors during mourning. Some scholars link this to broader beliefs about reflective surfaces and portals to other realms. This practice also appears in Jewish mourning customs, where mirrors are covered in a house of mourning to remove vanity and focus attention on the soul’s departure rather than appearances.
Stopping clocks at the time of death
In many households, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries, it was considered important to stop all the clocks in the house at the moment someone died. Letting them continue was believed to trap the soul in limbo or disrupt the natural passage of time for the dead.
Stopping clocks was also a symbolic gesture, a way to mark the moment the person left the world. Time was literally paused in honour of the deceased. The superstition was common across Britain and parts of continental Europe. In some homes, clocks weren’t restarted until after the funeral, reinforcing the idea that time should stand still during mourning.
Funeral processions and the bad luck of looking back
It was once widely believed that you should never look back at a funeral procession as it left the house or passed by. Doing so might invite death to follow you next, or call another soul to join the dead. Some believed it could even prevent the deceased from finding peace, as they might interpret the backward glance as a plea to stay.
In rural Britain, mourners were often instructed to walk in silence, facing forward, never turning around. The idea was that looking back showed hesitation and emotional attachment, which might keep the spirit from moving on—or worse, encourage it to linger. This superstition also exists in parts of Eastern Europe, where glancing back was said to tempt fate or offend the dead.
Death knocks and banshees
In Irish and Scottish folklore, hearing a mysterious knock at the door, particularly three times, was often taken as a sign that death was on its way. This superstition became known as the “death knock” and was seen as a premonition of someone nearby passing soon. Even today, the number three carries ominous weight in various cultural superstitions.
More famously, the banshee, a wailing female spirit, was said to cry out when someone was about to die. Her scream was considered a warning, especially for certain Irish families. Some modern interpretations link the myth of the banshee to older Celtic beliefs about female deities connected to fate and death. In some regions, hearing the banshee meant death was inevitable, not preventable, so preparations began immediately.
Coins for the ferryman
The ancient Greeks placed coins in the mouths or over the eyes of the dead as payment for Charon, the ferryman who transported souls across the River Styx to the underworld. Without the coin, it was said that the soul would be stranded, wandering the shores forever.
This practice wasn’t limited to Greece. Variations of it appeared in Roman, Egyptian, and even some early Christian burial traditions. The coin wasn’t just symbolic—it was essential for safe passage into the afterlife. Archaeological evidence of such burials continues to be discovered, revealing just how widespread this belief was. In some later traditions, people placed small tokens or stones with the body to serve the same purpose.
Birds as omens of death
Birds—particularly ravens, crows, and owls—were long considered omens of death. Their calls, appearances, or even flying over a house could be interpreted as a sign that someone would soon die. The crow’s croak or the owl’s hoot in the night carried particular weight.
In some parts of Britain, it was believed that if an owl hooted outside your window at night, death was near. In medieval times, birds flying into a house, especially black ones, were seen as harbingers of doom. These ideas were partly fuelled by the scavenging habits of some birds, which often lingered around battlefields or plague-ridden towns.
Funeral shoes and death garments
What the dead wore mattered. In some parts of Britain and Ireland, people were buried with their shoes on, not because they’d need to walk anywhere, but because it was believed that the soul might need to travel in the afterlife. Shoes were seen as symbolic of a journey, even a spiritual one.
On the other hand, some cultures insisted the dead should never be buried in new clothes, as this could tempt death to return for someone else in the household. Clothes were often turned inside out or slightly damaged to “confuse” death and break its focus on the home. This belief in confusing or tricking death was widespread across Europe.
Holding wakes to ensure they were really dead
Before modern medicine could reliably declare someone dead, people had understandable fears about being buried alive. This gave rise to the practice of “waking the dead,” keeping the body on display for several days to ensure the person didn’t wake up.
But it wasn’t just practical. Holding a wake was also a way to give the soul time to leave the body, and to protect against evil spirits that might try to claim it. Candles were burned, prayers said, and in some traditions, mirrors were covered and windows opened to help the spirit move on. Food and drink were often left near the body, not only for mourners, but to symbolically offer something to any visiting spirits.
Touching the corpse to prevent haunting
In many communities, it was believed that touching the hand of a dead person would prevent their ghost from returning to haunt you. This was especially common if the deceased had died suddenly or had unresolved issues with the living.
Some customs even had children kiss or touch the deceased to make peace. It sounds grim now, but at the time, it was a way to settle emotions and keep the spirit from coming back angry or confused. In some African and Asian cultures, similar customs were used to symbolically end arguments or grudges between the dead and the living.
Superstitions about graveyards and thresholds
It was once believed that if a funeral procession stopped on a bridge or at a threshold (such as a gate or doorway) without crossing it fully, the spirit could become stuck. That’s why care was taken when leaving a home or entering a graveyard. Some traditions involved marking the threshold with salt or herbs to protect those passing through.
Graveyards themselves were often surrounded by walls or hedges to keep spirits in—or out. The idea of “consecrated ground” was tied to older pagan ideas about liminal spaces, where spirits might linger if not properly guided. Even today, some cemeteries maintain gates that are never closed fully, as a symbolic gesture of respect for the dead.
Covering or breaking crockery when someone dies
In some traditions, breaking a plate or cup in the home after a death helped to sever ties between the deceased and the physical world. The object was often associated with the person, and breaking it symbolised letting them go. In other variations, everyday objects used by the dead were buried or burned to prevent attachment.
This practice had variations around the world. In Jewish mourning customs, a glass is broken at funerals to symbolise the fragility of life, and in some Slavic traditions, the family would destroy or hide mirrors and objects used by the dead. In parts of Asia, families would burn paper versions of money, clothing, or furniture to send to the afterlife.
Death superstitions weren’t just fear or folklore—they were attempts to make sense of something profound and permanent.
Many of these beliefs were rooted in real anxieties, limited medical knowledge, and deep spiritual worldviews. Whether it was placing a coin on the tongue or covering a mirror, each superstition helped people feel a bit more in control at a time when so much felt uncertain. Some of these customs have faded, others linger in rituals today, but all of them tell us something about how people coped with the unknowable. They offer insight into how cultures tried to comfort the living while honouring the dead, using whatever means they had to find meaning, order, and peace.
