The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-03-11
Cur Olio.
Thunder Lore.
Thunder Lore.
THE DIFFERENT sIGNIFICATIoNS GIVEN
To HEAVENS ARTILLERY PRACTICE.

+ OF Bdiufc. We Htlu III Oui bnh aAfN
countries an immense deal of curious
weather wisdom associated with 1t. Thus,
most readers are no doubt acquainted with
that graphic passage in Hamlet (aet II.
scene ,. where Shakespeare gives the fol-
lowing pictures:
We often see against some storm,
4 silence in the heavens, the rack STANDS stll.
The bold winds speechless. and the orb beiow
As hush death; anon the dreadful thuhder
Doth rend the region.
Among some of the chief prognostications
drawn from it, we are told how
Winters thunder
Poor mans death rich mans hunger
the notion being that thunder Is good for
fruit and bad for corn. Another Proyerbl
very prevalent in our agricultural districts,
warns us that
Thunder i'm spring
Cold will bring.
There are. too. various omens relating To
thunder, when it comes in unreasonable
times. Thus. according to the Book of
knowledge" Thunder in December signi-
fiesh that same year cheapness OF corn and
wheat. with peace and accord among the
people. The same authority further tells
Us that Thunder in January signiheth the
same year great winds. plentiful of corn and
cattle, peradyenture Again an old prov
erh admonishes Us that
Ia February u thou nearest thuKder
Thou wilt sce a summers wonder.
Thunder in March Is said to bring sorrow.
and popular adagc reminds US that
when April blows his horn
lts good Sos hay and com,
thunder at this time Of the year being gen
eraIIy accompanied by rain. According to
an old writer. great Importance was for
merly attached to the day Of the week on
which it thuadered as may be gathered
frotn the subjoincd lines
ssnaaycs ihandcs brings iirc death of learned
t,sen ttisirss and o;heTS
ao1Ssyes thunder. the death of wegsen.
TnesslAySz thunder, plentis q EsAinss
Thurriayes thunder pleusie 81 shesp and sornc.
grillAycs thunder slaughter q xreAi men,
sasaFaaye's thu ndcf. general T-rstilenec plague
and gTcai deaih.
Referring to thunder at different times
of the day, We are told that IN the morning
il signifies wind. about noon rain, and in
the evening great tempes;--a piece OF
wcsther Wisdom which has lis exact elaiy-
allen; in various parts of the continent.
Again. the quarter Of the heavens from
whieh the thunder Is supposed g COME has
lsern rssarlcd a. 0minoas Thus thuR-
slerstor1n fFum the sou,h Is said to be fol-
lowed by warmth and from the north by
o,id. When. too, the storm diaPpsars IN
the cat il : said 10 be = sign Of fair wealth
cr Among the many similar sayings prey
alent an the Continent, Nc are told thar 1t
vsa hear the krst thunder in the soath,
make youT barn aoor larger and your gar
den smaller. When you hear Il IN the
southwest YOU NAV rcckon On much bread
and vine Virgil, in his First Georgic
(9fa-s7.i. describing thunder Storm tclls
ns
Has = hes she Wsngvd thEssiss iAkss hts w4y
krsss taa cold uarfh. zD9 essE and Hest ru sssr.
Aaa a. thctF ffysasirrS nest sta eslsssl r@se.
~ siss.sis kse crushed Sint sf ssfhercd rain
me haiieu iitrh~s fIil. and soats tAs plain.
Ana sSlsass fari theis dripginE sisect AEzain-
Aoeur,ling to the Shepherd Of BanhaTy )
Observations liS2T-2S,l II, thuRders
Hsnsa when the wind blows FROM the south,
aud least when Il blows fron the east.
His remarks on the nature Of thunder sre
yerv quaint. from which NC subioin the
f,,llawing extraet We Sse why il very
t aslIo,n thund,rS vhen the northerly winds
bIsw; for these winds coEassringe the earth
with their osld and ~ hinder the falmins
ting matter from bursting forth; and when
they are burst forth and floating in the All
sh.y hinder their eifervenry- But, On the
contrary. when the warm and moist south
wind blow, which open everything. tbs
earth likewise j. open, and the abundance
II Illuminating matter + expired and A.
ccnds on high. which r there easily IN
famed
Among other items of weather bore rela,
ting Ia thunder We are told that
AMER nueh thunder naeh rain.
which has it, counterpart on the Cont
nen;. where il is said, ''Tsnt tonne qui y
plent. Lightning. without thunder, j,
t.gpalarlv considered an unsayorable omen
and in Scotland we are told that sheet
lightning. without thunder. during sh,
night. having whitish color, announce
unsettled weather Morning lightning
too. i regarded as an omen of bad wealth
er Willsfori. in his Natures Secrets,
fil34. tells us that when il lightens Only
from the northwest look for rain the mex
day. If from the south or west il lighten'
expeet both wind aud rain from thes,
parts. He further informs us that -'wheI
the flashes Of lightning appear very pale /
argues the air 10 be full Of waterish mete
ors and if red and fiery, inelining to wind
and tempests
In the north of England children repea
the following charm when they wish a thun
derstorm to pass away
@RouIey, rouiey, rattiely bags
Take the lassies and leave the lads.
Indeed. there are numerous charms prae
tieed against thunder and lightning, man,
scattered allusions to which we find in oh
writers. Thus, in the old play of ~Th
White Devil, Cornelia says:
Reach the bays
III tie a garland here about his head,
Twill keep my boy from lightning.
Many Of our peasantry stiIl plant tn
house leek. popularity called Jupiter
Beard, upon the roofs of their cottages a
preseryative against thunder and evi
spirits; hence Charlemagne's ediet e
habeat quisque supra domum sum Joyi
barbam Once more, among the wide
spread superstitions associated with thun
der we are told that, in days gone by, whel
its reports were even in number, il POI
tended good luck; whereas lightning frou
north to west was an omen of evil, espe
cially if accompanied with hail. 1t wa
formerly, too, the custom during thunder
storm to invoke the aid of St Barbara
The great bell at Maimesbury Abbey
known as st. Adelm's Bell was also rum
under superstitious notion that its soun'
would drive away thunder and lightning
A similar practice was resorted to in vari
ons parts of France, especially st. GeI
mains Aubery alludes to the old custom
observed by housewives of laying a piec
of iron on the barrel to keep the beer fror
turning sour, practice which, he tells us
prevailed in Germany.
Once more, lightning, it may be remem
bered, was regarded almost with supersti
tious horror by our ancestors, and locke
upon as a token of Divine displeasurC
Hence whatever was struck was treate
with reverential awe and generally separa
rated from human uses.