Lock of hair
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A lock of hair is a piece or pieces of hair that has been cut from a human head, most commonly bunched or tied together in some way.
Locks of hair carry symbolic value and have been utilized throughout history in various religious, superstitions, and sentimental roles.
- A primitive belief maintains that owning a lock of hair from another’s head gives one power over that individual, in the same manner that owning a piece of clothing or image of an individual grants the owner such powers.
- During antiquity, girls who were about to be married offered locks of hair to the forest god Virbius (Virbio).
- A common superstition holds that a lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck. An old Irish superstition holds that it is unlucky to accept a lock of hair (or a four-footed beast) from a lover.
- A lock of Beethoven’s hair, cut from his head in 1827, was auctioned in 1994 through Sotheby's of London.[1] Research on the hair determined that the composer's life-long illness was caused by lead poisoning.
[edit] Sources
- (English) Common Superstitions
- (English) Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland
