Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1907-12-03
sUPERsTITIoNs OF NINE.
~ Number Conspicuous In Ancient and
! Modern Speech.

- Number = conspicuous In Ancient and
Modern Speech.
j Of all odd numbers the one which
would seem to be the most conspic-
uous in a.cient lore and modern
speech and in illusions of all sorts,
whether classic OF vulgar, is 9.
Whether this is because it is a null
tiple of 3, triple trinity, OF not
we need not stop to inquire. The
connections in which 9 fgurss are
very numerous and extraordinarily
varied OF old there were nine
muses and also nine rivers in the
internal regions. In classical my
thology we read of nine heavens
and nine worlds, and the hydra had
nine heads.
In medieval times there were
nine "worthies of the world,' the
places in this select assembly being
differently allotted by different au-
thorities, the usual division being
three gentiles, or paynims, three
Jews ard three Christians. One of
the oldest English games is nine
mems morris. 1t could be played
either indoors or outdoors, on a
folding board marked with the nee
essary lines and squares or on a
board marked out on field or down
by stones or by cuts in the turf. In
Dorset they still play the game un-
der the name Of marnull.
Nine appears frequently in popu-
lar medicine A Sussex collector
referring to the very common rural
belief in the efficacy OF passing a
ruptured child through a cleft ash
tree says that the patient must be
attended by nine persons, each of
whom should pass it through the
cleft from west to east. A Perth
kirk session record of 1923 refers
to the preparation of three cakes
for some medicinal purpose from
nine portions of meal contributed
by nine maidens and nine married
women. Threads with nine knots
and straws with nine joints are used
for various healing purposes, while
nine successive mornings are often
prescribed for the performance of
certain folklore ceremonies. i
The great Lambton worm, one of
the best known of English dragon
myths, had nine eyes and was fed
from the milk of nine COWS.
Again, the same number is prom
inent in various common phrases
and proverbs. Nine tailors make a
man. Queen Elizabeth is alleged to
have once addressed a deputation CT
eighteen tailors with a Good morn
ing, gentlemen both!'
Every one knows that a cat has
nine lives, while the "cat" that is
used for the castigation of evil
doers has nine tails.
When Mercutio insults Tybalt |
and the latter inquiries, "What
wouldst thou have with me?" the
volatile but fiery partisan replies,
"Good king of cats, nothing but one
of your nine lives" Haywood, the !
proverb monger, has the saying, ga
woman hath nine lives, like a cal"
which will be news to most folk.
Three more examples may be Civ
en- from a collection of applications
of this remarkable number 8 which !.
is not easily exhausted. Possession, |
we often hear, is mine points of the
law" A person WHO has paid some
attention to his or her attire is said |
for some inscrutable reason to be |
dressed ''up to the mines" while the
most startling event is but a mine
days wonder" The last phrase,
though truer now than ever, was IA
used, with many other still
current forms of popular speech, in |
the days of Chaucer. - London
Globe.