One for sorrow, two for joy

I saw one magpie this morning and straight away thought, oh god, I wonder what today will bring....

Who here believes in the old, One for sorrow, two for joy etc??

such a dumb question, but what ar eyou talking about?

[Edited on 7-7-2003 by TheSwordMaster]

Excuse me!!!

It's not a dumb question at all...

Have you never seen a magpie or a couple of magpies and thought, one for sorrow or two for joy??

Perhaps they don't have magpies where you live.

Hmmm...never heard that phrase before. Wasn't aware of that 'belief'...

...we do have some beliefs around birds here in NZ (well, maybe just us Maoris)...like hearing the Morepork calling outside your house during the night. Which really isn't a biggy, as it IS a noctural bird...but some believe it to be a bad omen...a bringer of bad news.

Also...if the Fan-Tail flies into your house...its again a bad omen, so most Maori who are aware of the belief tend to panic a little and shoo it outside, then say karakia (prayers) to ward off anything bad...

...superstition...but hey, what can it hurt to 'play it safe'?



Peace,
ALIEN

The only good magpie, is a dead magpie.

They are one Aussie export that should have stayed at home, (along with Neighbours and Kylie)

Originally posted by Netchicken
The only good magpie, is a dead magpie.

They are one Aussie export that should have stayed at home, (along with Neighbours and Kylie)

...but they can keep Russel Crowe...we don't want him back...

My uncle has a farm in the mid waikato Alien, he made a magpie trap, catch a magpie, put it in a cage, it attracts all the other magpies, then they get trapped as well.

Anyway he killed over 100 birds!

After that all the native birds started returning to the trees, and the place is quite different now, lots of birdsong where there was silence before

Originally posted by Pocket
Excuse me!!!

It's not a dumb question at all...

Have you never seen a magpie or a couple of magpies and thought, one for sorrow or two for joy??

Perhaps they don't have magpies where you live.

heh, i dont think we have them?
any links/pics?

Well, they are black and white and they steel things that are shiny.

If you were to leave a gold bracelet or something like that on your windowsill and leave the window open, they would fly in and steel it!

It's supposed to be bad luck if you see one on it's own and good luck if you see two.

Hence the saying, one for sorrow two for joy....

[Edited on 7-7-2003 by Netchicken]

[Edited on 7-7-2003 by Netchicken]

I had not heard this one either. But I did learn when I was growing up that to find ANY kind of bird in the house meant an impending death in the family.

oh god... I dont think Magpies have anything to do with that....

Hope not anyway

Pocket:

I know what your talking about, and if i ever see one i usually do the saying!

say "good morning mr magpie 3 times, then turn to yr right three times and spit" (not really mad, but it does help

here's the full saying;

1 for sorrow

2 for joy

3 for a girl

4 for a boy

5 for silver

6 for gold

7 for a secret, never to be told



blackwidow

Yeah, but I guess the third and forth only apply if you are pregnant.

Or maybe it means something else??

What you do think Black Widdow?

well Pocket, before I knew I was expecting , I kept seeing 4 magpie's and didnt think anything of it.

that is until i had the shock news i was pregnant, from then on i just knew i was going to a a boy, and i did. 14 yrs later, he's over 6 ft tall and we are like mates more than mother and son, although he still call's me mum (as i dont agree with kids calling their parents by their first names)



blackwidow

Wow, how wiered is that.

That's great.

Could I talk to you in one of the rooms please?

I have never heard that saying either, but will think of it now whenever I see a Magpie.

FLYING REPTOID

When I was a kid, I had very (white) blonde hair. Anyway, whenever I went out to the back of our section, which was bordered by a very tall row of macrocapra trees (which Magpies tend to nest in) I would be dive bombed by 2 to 3 Magpies at a time. They would land on my head and claw away at it. Was quite scary. But when I got older, I did get even. Abiet, with a 22. They are very territorial, hence why NC's uncle noticed a return of native birds with the absence of the magpie. Here in NZ one is bad luck 2 or more is worse.

Also a NZ bush Robin is considered a good omen if one follows you, which is common for this inqusitive bird.

The only native birds ( and I wish everybody would have the chance of seeing) that are an undeniable bad omen, are the Kea. A comical, inqusitive mountian parrot. Anyone who has skied in the South Island would have had a run in with this destructive, troublesome bird. A small group of these birds would easyly out do even a proffessional car converter. No B.S anything that can be removed from your car will be. So if your thinking of a skiing holiday in New Zealand, you've been warned.

though I've never seen a magpie. I do know that sparrows have some meaning much like the magpie..I've heard true accounts of the sparrow from people very close to me..and they've never been wrong.

Birds are extremely spiritual creatures..and that's about all I'm going to say
Mag

I saw a magpie yesterday at a BBQ and had the rhyme explained to me.

Magpies are partners for life and will never find another mate if they lose their first partner, so if you see one alone, its because the partner is dead , hence "One for sorrow"
Two for joy means they're a happy couple...etc.