Omens and Superstitions from the Ancient World to the 21st Century
In the Ancient World, omens often related to important matters relating to the king and the land, such as “[If] a white sheep mounts a she-goat—disagreement in the land.” Today we are more likely to interpret omens such as repeating digital numbers (11:11, 222), finding feathers, tech glitches (like a phone freezing), and unexpected synchronicities, in a personal sense.
Omens are often found in dreams, and superstitions are surprisingly consistent across cultures. “First-footing” at New Year’s Eve can be found in widely different societies, while the famous “red sky at night or morning” changes from shepherds to sailors, depending on whether it is found on the coast or the countryside. Other superstitions are more localised and often depend upon a specific location or community. The one thing they all have in common is a belief that the unseen world can shape and inform our lives, predicting events and warning of future misfortunes.
Join Dr Julia Phillips on this fascinating glimpse into a supernatural world, filled with omens, dreams, and superstitions.
Speaker Bio
Julia Phillips is Hon Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol. She received her PhD for her research examining how witches and witchcraft were featured in newspapers in Victorian Britain. Her primary research interests are the study of witchcraft in the nineteenth century and the development of modern Pagan Witchcraft in the twentieth century. Julia is author of the forthcoming book, The Persistence of Witchcraft in Victorian England (April 21, 2026 by Routledge).
Curated & Hosted by
Marguerite Johnson is a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, specialising in sexuality and gender, particularly in the poetry of Sappho, Catullus, and Ovid, as well as magical traditions in Greece, Rome, and the Near East. She also researches Classical Reception Studies, with a regular focus on Australia. In addition to ancient world studies, Marguerite is interested in sexual histories in modernity as well as magic in the west more broadly, especially the practices and art of Australian witch, Rosaleen Norton. She is Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History at The University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. She lives in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesvos.
Caption: CC0 Public Domain
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
