The Little Handbook of Iraqi Superstitions, Ghost Stories, and Fairy Tales

Colleen OBrien
Junior: Anthropology and Archaeology of Social Complexity
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Superstitions
You must eat with your right hand because eating with the left hand is considered a
shame.
When entering a building, the person on the right must go first.
Women are not allowed to enter a place of worship while they are menstruating.
Women do not benefit their parents, which is why people prefer male doctors.
Consequently, men are better than women.
Women control men.
Warm weather causes women to be aroused, therefore, they need to be circumcised.
On the consummation night of marriage, a woman must prove her virginity by wiping a
white cloth on her vagina to show signs of blood. This cloth must be carried at all times
during the day and kept under the bed at night as a sign of good conduct.
Bad names are given to newborns because a good name will not protect an evil soul.
Each night, for forty-five days, wrap your newborn while they sleep and attach an evil
eye pin for protection from envy.
When your child is seven days old, sacrifice a sheep of the childs gender to prevent
danger.
If you throw your baby teeth to the moon, your adult teeth will be good-looking.
If two children are breastfed by the same woman, they are considered brother and sister
and cannot be married.
In order to have protection from injury, place a knife under a pillow while you sleep.
Placing leaves or grass under your pillow will bring goodness.
If someone steps over your pillow, you will get a headache.
Eye twitches are a sign something bad will happen to you.
If you sneeze after making a statement, it must be true. If you sneeze twice, there is no
question the statement is truthful.
When your right hand itches, you will receive money, however, if your left hand itches,
you will be spending unexpected money.

If you are about to travel, your mother should throw water as you are leaving to protect
you from injury and illness on your journey.
If a rooster cries in the morning, God has sent good angels to wake people so they can
pray; hearing a donkey in the morning is a sign of Satan.
If you hear a dog bark it is a sign of bad luck.
Cleaning needs to be done before sunset, if not, something bad will happen.
If you are buried in the Peace Graveyard, God will protect you from harm.
Do not walk in a graveyard at night or else bad souls can harm you.
All members of your family must be present at your deathbed because it will bring a
peaceful death.
It is shameful to commit suicide because you will go to Hell and God will look down
upon you.
If your body is cut after you die, your soul will be harmed.
NOTES:
The notion of good names versus bad names is most prevalent in the tribes. An
example of a good name would be John, while a bad one is Maaez, which
translates to Goat. Most of the superstitions listed above are not gender specific. Yet, it is
interesting the superstitions which highlight gender biases correlate to prosperity,
religion, virginity and motherhood. The notion women will not benefit their family seems
to have a direct relationship to motherhood. In most cultures across the globe, females
stay at home to take care of the children. Even today in the United States, it is still
common practice to be a stay-at-home mom, though views are shifting. The superstition
referring to the arousal of women is particularly interesting to me because some presentday Maya also believe heat arouses women. I am curious to know if this has anything to
do with animals, such as dogs, going into heat. In relation to wandering graveyards at
night, my parents used to tell my siblings and me not to roam our neighborhood at night
or else the Boogeyman will take us away. It appears to be a quasi-cultural habit to scare
children to make sure they do not do something that could cause serious harm.

Ghost Stories
Salua is a scary female who will kidnap children if they are misbehaving.

Djin are creatures similar to evil angels. They will easily occupy you if your religious
faith is weak.
Tantal is a ghost who controls people. It prefers to live in restrooms with no light. Two
blocks from Ahmeds house there was a house haunted by Tantal because the owners
forgot to leave the restroom light on. The house was rented for a short while, but the
renters saw things which caused them to leave.
The Two Hands Ghost is a ghost who haunts people who wander close to tombs at
night. Two hands will appear, if someone wanders too close and try to grab the person.
Many have disappeared and some even die.
NOTES:
Iraqi ghosts and ghost stories are told as cautionary tales amongst adults and,
particularly, children. Ahmed mentioned the idea of ghosts is common, especially in the
southern part of the country. Ghosts typically appear in abandoned houses and
graveyards; no one should visit these places at night because they can be very
dangerous. Paranormal beings either do not have a gender or are malevolent females.
Ahmed noted many parents are not sure of the gender of many beingsthey only know
these creatures bring evil. I find it interesting the spiteful female appears to be crosscultural. In the United States, for example, Bloody Mary is known to bring harm to
those who say her name in a dark room in front of a mirror. The notion of women
kidnapping children is another globally occurring theme. As we see in Iceland, Gryla, a
giantess, steals children who misbehave and eats them.

Fairy Tales
Sinbad
There once was a boy who wished to travel the world with his bird. One day he
reaches a valley with lots of gems and precious stones. There were people there
who try to get the gems and precious stones by throwing meat, thinking they
would stick to the meat. However, the meat only attracted birds and carried the
gems and precious stones away.
Qays and Layla
There once were two lovers named Qays and Layla who had an intense
relationship. Laylas parents did not want her to be with Qays, so he poisoned
himself. When she found out about the death of Qays, Layla stabbed herself. The
End.
Joha, his Wife and the Visitor

There once was a man named Joha who was a very funny man. One day a visitor
knocks at the door. Joha looks from the window thinking the man does not see
him and asks his wife to answer the door. The visitor asks, Is Joha home? Johas
wife replies, No, hes not home. The visitor responds, The next time Joha says,
hes not home, make sure he keeps the window shut!
Joha and his Donkey
One day Joha was riding his donkey on the way to the market, while his son
walked behind. As he passed a group of people, Joha was criticized for allowing
his son to walk while he rides. Joha places his son on the donkey and continues
on. The three reach another group of people. This time Johas son is criticized for
riding the donkey while his father walks. Joha and his son both get on the donkey
and head towards the market again. They meet another group of people who
criticize Joha and his son for putting too much weight on the donkey. This time,
Joha picks up the donkey and carries it on his back, tired of being critiqued by
everyone, just he and his son are nearing the market.
The Princess and the River
There once was a princess who lived in a village near a river. Across the river
there was another village that did not get along with the princesss. The princess
was wise enough to convince the two to reconcile and everyone lived happily ever
after.
Aladdin and the Magic Lantern
There once was a man named Aladdin who finds a magic lantern. Every time he
rubs it, a djin appears who does whatever he asks. The greedy king found out
about Aladdins lamp and took it away from him. The king rubbed the lamp and
asked the djin to turn everything he touched into gold. However, every time the
king touched food, it turned to gold. The king was never able to eat or drink water
again.
The Blue-Eyed Woman
There once was a woman in a village who was the daughter of a king. She had
blue eyes and was known for her ability to see accurately. One day there was a
conflict between the kings village and another. The enemys army cut trees to
hide their view. The Blue-Eyed Woman saw moving trees in the distance and fear
her fathers army was headed into a trap. She told her father and his army what
she saw, but no one believed her. The Blue-Eyed woman eventually convinced her
father to prepare an ambush and the king defeated the attacking army.
The Wise Man and Shen

There once was a man named Shen who was looking for a good woman to marry.
He traveled far and wide to find her. On his journey, he meets a man at a village.
The man asks Shen, Will you carry me, or will I carry you? We cannot carry
each other. Shen replies, Are you crazy? I cannot carry you. The two men
continue on until they reach a wheat field. The man says to Shen, Has the wheat
been eaten? Shen responds, Of course the wheat has not been eaten. The two
carry on until they see a funeral. The man asks Shen, Is the funeral dead or
alive? Shen replies, The person is dead, so the funeral must be. Then the men
reach the mans house. Shen meets a woman named Taka and he tells her of all
the strange questions the man asked him. Taka reveals she is the daughter of the
wise man and the true meaning behind the questions. Shen realizes this is the
woman he was searching for. The wise man agrees for Shen and Taka to marry.
NOTES:
Fairy tales flourished during the Golden Age of Iraq. As religious beliefs changed, so
did the perception of storiesmany practices mentioned in them became taboo. The shift
of beliefs occurred around the Dark Ages, or when Genghis Kahn takes over Iraq.
Many of the stories fairy tales have been made into cartoons and television shows, some
of which can be found on YouTube. The tales of Sinbad and Aladdin come from Arabian
Nights, also known as One Thousand and One Nights. It is important to mention many of
stories in the collection have been deemed unsuitable for children because of topics such
as gay marriages and relationships, but it is common for adults to read the stories later
in their lifetime. Most of the stories above feature wise men or women. Those featuring
wise females, seem to have a correlation with the superstition of women having the
ability to control men. For example, both the Blue-Eyed Woman has the ability to
convince her father to attack the enemy. She is highly revered for her keen eyesight and it
is not uncommon to be compared to her if you can see well or make wise remarks. Fairy
tales are told by parents to their children as a way to teach them about important values
and life lessons, which may be an explanation why wisdom is a popular theme.