Trees played an integral part in rituals: Pagans often used trees in human sacrifice, and they chose a sacred tree within the village whose clippings would be used to ward off evil spirits.
Planting certain types of trees around homes was thought to invite good spirits to protect the families inside. Knocking or touching a tree was a way of requesting good luck from the benevolent spirits residing within and distracting any of the evil ones. A second knock was a way of saying "thank you.
Brits tend to say "touch wood," but the meaning is the same. It became a symbol of good fortune around after a mention in Notes and Queries magazine [source: Phrase Finder ]. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Knocking on wood may be a holdover from the pagan days of Europe, when tree spirits were believed to bring luck. Story continues. Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions.
In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting. Recommended Stories. Men's Health. Atlanta Black Star. The Daily Beast. The Oklahoman. Fox News. Even as a child, I knew that by doing that I could avoid bad luck by just knocking on the wood. But how could I know that? Well, probably I knew it because I saw every single adult I met do it whenever a bad thing was mentioned. Knocking on wood is a common superstition that is shared by many cultures.
The other suggested origin is that some of these tree worshippers laid their hands on a tree when asking for favor from the spirits or gods who lived inside it, or that they would touch and thank the tree after a run of good luck as a show of gratitude to the supernatural powers. Over the centuries, the religious rite may have morphed into the superstitious knock that acknowledges luck and keeps it going.
Another possibility? That it simply came from a Victorian-era children's game called Tig Touch-Wood.
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