10. Death Crowns
In the Appalachia, hardened crown-like masses of feathers found in pillows of ill people were viewed as an omen of death. These feather crowns measured 3–5 centimeters (2–3 in) in diameter and were about 1.5 centimeters (1 in) thick. They were known as "death crowns" or, less often, as "angel crowns."
The phenomenon of these death crowns seems to have been confined almost solely to Appalachia, due to the isolated nature of the area. However, the phenomenon also traveled to places like Missouri and Indiana or anywhere else where the mountain folk migrated.
Death crowns were more than likely a consequence of an ill person's movements (i.e., tossing and turning). If you found such an artifact inside an ill person's pillow, it meant that the person would die within three days. It was said that one way to break the omen was to break the feather crown. However, if a death crown was found in the pillow of a recently deceased, it was viewed as a comforting sign, as it meant that the person went to heaven. Many of the still existing death crowns today have made their way into museums. Today, the largest collection of death crowns can be found in the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee.
9. Black Butterflies
The meaning and symbolism of black butterflies changes from one culture to another, but they are usually seen as a sign of impending doom and death, especially in places such as Brazil, Colombia, Central America, and also China. Spotting a black butterfly in the house supposedly means that a member of that household would die, although on rare occasions black butterflies appear in the house after a family member has already died.
According to the Celts, black butterflies are the souls of deceased people. When a deceased person fails to find their place in the afterlife, they turn into black butterflies and sometimes return to the places they used to live. Certain folklore also suggests that witches turn into black butterflies so that they could steal food without being recognized, although in Caribbean populations, spotting a black butterfly that is really a witch means that someone has cast an evil spell on you.
In Mexico, the Black Witch moth is known as the "butterfly of death." It is believed that when the butterfly of death enters a sick person's house, that person will die. In southern Texas, however, it is believed that a death occurs only if the butterfly visits all four corners of the house. In Hawaii, a black butterfly is an embodiment of a loved one who has come to say goodbye.
8. Halley's Comet
In ancient cultures, people were baffled by comets since they were unlike other celestial bodies, which traveled across the skies at regular intervals. Instead, their appearance was erratic and unpredictable, and thus many people believed that comets were messages from the gods. Most cultures read the messages through interpretations of the images that they thought they saw upon looking at the comet. So, for example, many thought that the elongated form of the comet symbolized a fiery sword blazing across the night sky which meant war and death.
Thus, it is not surprising that comets were blamed for various disasters. For example, the famous Bayeux tapestry portrays an attendant rushing to tell Harold about the celestial happening as he sits on his throne. Halley's Comet appears at the upper left of the tapestry and supposedly expresses God's wrath at Harold for breaking his oath to William and taking the throne. Shortly after, Harold was overthrown, and William took the throne.
In Switzerland, Halley's Comet was blamed for earthquakes, illnesses, red rain, and the birth of two-headed animals.
In England, the Black Death was attributed to Halley's Comet. Rumors even spread that Pope Calixtus III excommunicated Halley's Comet as an instrument of the devil. This, of course, was not true, but the story persists to this day.
