Oh yes, the lessons, sanctions, and the humour or rather "schadenfreude", i.e. epicaricacy, were very harsh and black in these times (remember Busch's "Max und Moritz" and quite a few other stories with a tragic issue).
Well, for our ancestors, there were quite a few real things to be afraid of, but no longer ancient horror stories or fairy tales (although some little fairies and elves are so cute ). Still, there were and are quite a lot of persisting superstitions, even in the 20th and 21st centuries, like crimes, accidents, disasters, diseases, abuse, discrimination, harassment, etc., which are real.
Yes, but these latter things you mention are, as you correctly say, real, and therefore not superstitions, except perhaps the outlandish conspiracy theories that some use to "explain" them.
Yes, of course, my shortened answer was not clear; I should have been clearer and referred to the persisting superstitions separately, and referred to certain unexplained phenomena, fakes and misbeliefs.
Oops - try:
There are many useful or nice, funny and less funny things you can make with socks - lol.
Great socks ! I've got to get a pair ! They should make boxer shorts like that ! A little more fitting !
Here's a pair.
And various uses:
Socks:
and pants
for drying.
LOL! I think I see the kittens in the two pairs of underpants, center and right, crying "miau! mio! "
Oh yes, Dr Hoffmann's educational stories with rather cruel issues:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struwwelpeter
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struwwelpeter
LOL! And I think there was an unspoken warning for Konrad the thumbsucker in this story:
http://germanstories.vcu.edu/struwwel/daumen.html
Oh yes, the lessons, sanctions, and the humour or rather "schadenfreude", i.e. epicaricacy, were very harsh and black in these times (remember Busch's "Max und Moritz" and quite a few other stories with a tragic issue).
http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/fipps-der-affe-4130/1
But as a child, I didn't really take these stories seriously; I certainly wasn't frightened by them.
I wonder how many children of 100 years ago were frightened? It would make an interesting sociological study.
Well, for our ancestors, there were quite a few real things to be afraid of, but no longer ancient horror stories or fairy tales (although some little fairies and elves are so cute
). Still, there were and are quite a lot of persisting superstitions, even in the 20th and 21st centuries, like crimes, accidents, disasters, diseases, abuse, discrimination, harassment, etc., which are real.
Yes, but these latter things you mention are, as you correctly say, real, and therefore not superstitions, except perhaps the outlandish conspiracy theories that some use to "explain" them.
Yes, of course, my shortened answer was not clear; I should have been clearer and referred to the persisting superstitions separately, and referred to certain unexplained phenomena, fakes and misbeliefs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition
http://list25.com/25-strangest-superstitions-ever/
Just to take a funnier myth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gendarme_and_the_Extra-Terrestrials