Death Omens
If you were to see a coffin what’s the first thing you think of? If it was a thriving life then you're wrong, yes, there was a wrong answer. There are countless omens of death and I believe anything can be one because it's such a subjective thing. If your father slipped on a banana peel and fell off the balcony then you might see a banana peel as an omen of death.
The book “The Victorian Book of the Dead” by Chris Woodyard mentions that coffins were one of the most sinister and unmistakable tokens of death in spiritualist literature. There was a story of a woman, Elizabeth, during the cholera year of 1849, she was “bringing a pail of water from a neighbour’s well, beheld a baby’s coffin in the air. It rushed so swiftly toward her that she leaped aside lest it should strike her face. That night her baby was attacked with cholera and died before the dawn”. The same story continues with more visions of coffins, her other two children died days apart eleven years later. After reading so many stories like this, I can easily believe why someone might want to commission a piece of jewellery for themselves to remember their children by.
Recently I went to the Victoria and Albert museum in Central London and specifically took note of all of the mourning and death-related pieces there, here is a better photo (than the one I took) of one of them:
Above is an enamelled gold memento mori pendant in the form of a coffin, the coffin opens to disclose an enamelled skeleton. There’s an inscription above its head which translates to (from German) “Here I lie and wait for you”. This piece, quite incredibly, was made in the mid 17th century.
Continuing with the exploration of death omens, another fascinating tale involves a clock stopping at the exact moment a lady passed away. She awoke that night, donned her burial gown that had been prepared two months prior, and uttered her final words, "Thank the Lord I'll soon be gone; my suffering is over." Despite all efforts, the clock could not be restarted, symbolising the end of her time on earth. This eerie synchronisation of events solidifies the clock as a powerful symbol of mortality in folklore.
Birds often play a significant role in death omens as well. White doves, interpreted by some as the Holy Spirit, and ominous owls were commonly seen as harbingers of death. Other ill omens included a bird inside the house, a bird flying into a window, and even a mysterious bird appearing where none should be. Each of these instances created an unsettling atmosphere, signalling impending doom.
In some cultures, the fate of trees was linked to human lives. A tree planted at a child's birth was believed to be a living symbol of that child's fate. The death of an apple tree in full blossom was particularly ominous, suggesting a death in the family. Similarly, butterflies, often symbols of the soul, would occasionally be seen hovering in sick rooms, foretelling death.
One bizarre yet telling story involves a young woman and her pet parrot, an ill-tempered bird despised by all but its owner. This bird had a dangerous habit of tampering with gas lamps, cracking the valve and getting high off the fumes. Inevitably the lady was napping and didn't awake in time to shut off the lamp, leading to her untimely death from gas inhalation. The bird's actions were seen as sinister, almost demonic. Unbelievably, when the coroner arrived, the bird was found attempting to turn on the gas again. Such tales illustrate how even animals were sometimes regarded as bearers of ill fortune.
In Victorian times, mourning attire was a matter of strict protocol. A professional widow might advise that the ears be adorned with hoops of pearl and jet, while a black-jewelled wedding ring should be worn on the marriage finger. Yellow gold or platinum was considered inappropriate for mourning, emphasising the importance of adhering to societal norms in expressions of grief.
These stories and customs highlight how deeply death omens were embedded in cultural consciousness. From everyday objects to natural phenomena, anything could become a portent of mortality, underscoring the human desire to find meaning in the face of life's ultimate uncertainty.