We have a few superstitions in Edinburgh, mostly involving statues who allegedly give good luck. There’s also a ritual which I do daily which is supposed to be lucky. At its most basic level I do not logically believe these traditions work. However, I simultaneously believe I am the luckiest creature in the planet and part of that’s due to positive actions.
So let’s explore together and find out how to get lucky in Edinburgh.
A forewarning on statues
Some people are very protective of statues. Greyfriars Bobby for one often gets people very emotional. He is said to have a lucky nose and repeated contact turns his nose a golden colour.
There is environmental damage in touching statues repeatedly. Oils on the hands combined with friction.
It’s always occurred to me that they should put up a sign if it’s a huge issue. It might not work on everyone but it would at least work on some.
But then again, the prospect of luck is alluring.
Getting luck in Edinburgh: Spit on the heart
The Heart of Midlothian is a mosaic just outside St Giles Cathedral.
Are you superstitious?
It is named after a book by Sir Walter Scott, “The Heart of Midlothian”. Midlothian is the old regional name for where Edinburgh is, though nowadays Midlothian is a region slightly south of the city and Edinburgh is considered separate. Funny how language moves.
Is it good luck to spit on the Heart of Midlothian?
These days most who spit on it are probably doing it for good luck. In the past there were other reasons. In particular, the Heart of Midlothian marks where was the door for a prison for those condemned to die. It’s said people spit on the heart to condemn injustice.
An alternate version I enjoy related to how taxes were once paid. You’d take them to the Old Tollbooth Prison. The Heart of Midlothian marks the spot where the door of the tax office was. People spat on it because they hated paying tax.
If they are feeling especially annoyed by tax they’d spit on the handle so the tax collector would have a nasty surprise when they tried to open the door.
Kind of a gross tradition but I spit on the Heart of Midlothian almost daily. Traditions and superstitions are fragile crops that need frequent water and the water in this case is spit.
The lucky toe of our skeptical philosopher
David Hume is one of the most important philosophers in history. He is certainly the most important the English language has produced as most others are from a range of different countries and languages German, French, Greek.
What David Hume did which I consider nifty is empiricism. The idea that your ideas should be grounded in observable reality. This observable reality you get in impressions which are collections of your various sense data. Even then, your senses can be misled. So your impressions can be wrong. Your ideas about the world can be wrong.
Letting blind faith and superstition guide your actions in every way is therefore silly. David Hume didn’t believe in miracles for this reason. He most certainly didn’t believed in luck. So ironically he had a lucky toe.
People touch it for good luck. Once I won £5 on the lottery after touching it so believe whatever you want.
Wash your hands
One thing which is unlucky about David Hume’s toe is that I have seen a stag weekend suck on it. Who knows what others have done. Be careful out there.
Good luck in Edinburgh is what you make of it
The very fact of being in this amazing city is all the luck a person could need, really. I often find myself as I’m walking about in the day to day deeply inspired by the buildings I see and the stories they can tell.
It’s the sort of city for falling in love and that means that if you are here you are already one of the luckiest people on the planet. You can get even luckier if you book one of my tours but that’s up to you.
The writer of this piece works quickly and well.
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