Ear superstitions

The ear has frequently been compared to the spiral and the whirled shell.

The ear is considered a symbol of birth and the whirled shell. This is connected to the vulva in Hindu mythology. When I researched about the ear and what superstitions surround our hearing my books outlined that the sun god Surya’s son (Karma) was born from his mother’s ear is the ancient meaning. The ear shell shape is, in some cultures, used as a charm to assure easy birth.

The ear is symbolic of the “breath of life” Egyptians believe that right ear receives the air of life and the left the air of death. Thus, the cycles of birth, death and listening (characteristic of the feminine) are related. Symbolic of receptiveness, ears are thought to be a medium for temptations and flattery.

There are numerous superstitions that are in line with human ears. One of the most long-lasting superstitions about the ears is that of having a burning sensation in the ears means someone is speaking about you - and there has been no trace of the origin of the superstition.

The numerous superstitions that relate to the ears can be traced back to medieval times. For those with burning ears, it is said that there is someone who is talking about you. There may be anxiety to know if the person is speaking of negatively or positively and this was dependent on a number of factors.

If one was to have a ringing sensation in the ears, this would mean that there could be death soon and that's the death of a friend or relative. Luckily this misfortune may be turned into an advantage and in this case this had to involve a friend, then you had to ask the friend to pick a letter in some random order, this letter will be the initial of your future spouse in case you are not married. If you get a tingling sensation in your ears then this would be an indication that there is a person somewhere who is talking about you and this may be in a negative or positive manner.

There is an old superstition which started among old wives (old wife tale) and it was that if you experience an itching ear then there is some chance there is someone gossiping about you. The side the ear that was itching was then believed to offer a clue on whether the gossiping is negative or positive. If the itching was in the right ear then there are good things that are being gossiped about you and if the itching was experienced in the left ear then there was someone talking ill of you. However, this has been discarded as a just an old tale which may not be true after all.

Any time that you get a ringing in your ear, then it is required that you say names of people and the belief has it that the name that you say will be of the individual that is speaking ill or good of you. Perhaps the most interesting superstitions of ringing of the ears is that it indicates that an angel is speaking to you.