Luck

thumb|200px|A four-leaf clover, a rare variant of the [[shamrock, is often considered to bestow good luck.]]

thumb|right|220px|A woman performs a cursing ritual (Hokusai) A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, "curse" may refer to such a wish or pronouncement made effective by a supernatural or spiritual power, such as a god or gods, a spirit, or a natural force, or else as a kind of spell by magic (usually black magic or dark magic) or witchcraft; in the latter sense, a curse can also be called a

thumb|Elevator panel in a building in the United States, where floors proceed from 12 to 14

unlucky day in popular superstition

A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is the formal name of the British penny ( p) and the de facto name of the American one-cent coin ( ¢).

a variation/mutation of the common clover, rare and said to bring good luck

domestic cat with black fur

crispy cookie with printed paper fortune inside

thumb|Portrait of Horace Walpole by [[Joshua Reynolds, 1756]]Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery. The term was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754.

thumb|200px|Epimenides of Knossos Epimenides of Knossos (or Epimenides of Crete) (; ) was a semi-mythical 7th- or 6th-century BC Greek seer and philosopher-poet, from Knossos or Phaistos.

message that attempts to convince the recipient to make a number of copies and pass them on to a certain number of recipients

monetary gift given in eastern Asia

Disney Duck character

theological and religious term

hand gesture

In Nordic folklore and mythology, a fylgja (Old Norse: , Old Swedish: fylghia, older Dalecarlian: fylgja) is a supernatural being or spirit which accompanies a person in connection to their fate or fortune. They can appear to people in their sleep as dream-women, or appear to them while awake, often in the disembodied spiritual form of an enemy.

philosophical concept

item said to bring good luck to its owner

In Scottish, Northern English, and Manx folklore, the first-foot (, ) is the first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day and is seen as a bringer of good fortune for the coming year. Similar practices are also found in Greek, Vietnamese, and Georgian new year traditions.

Schlemiel (; sometimes spelled shlemiel) is a Yiddish term meaning "inept/incompetent person" or "fool". It is a common archetype in Ashkenazi Jewish humor, and so-called "schlemiel jokes" depict the schlemiel falling into unfortunate situations.

modern Taiwanese custom

witch doll

Chinese myth

thumb|Okiagari-kobōshi from Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima is a Japanese traditional doll. The toy is made from papier-mâché and is a roly-poly toy, designed so that its weight causes it to return to an upright position if it is knocked over. Okiagari-kobōshi is considered a good-luck charm and a symbol of perseverance and resilience (including for Daruma versions).

A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck.

object of superstition

A Himmelsbrief, also known as a "heaven's letter" or "heavenly letter", is a religious document said to have been written by God or a divine agent. Their purpose is to protect the bearer or place from all evil and danger; however, there is a price for their protection.

European superstition holds that spilling salt is an evil omen

eurasiatic folk custom