Is Devon too superstitious?

Devon is a county shrouded in mystery. It’s a county where folklore brings thousands of tourists every year. In search of the Beast of Dartmoor or the hairy hands and superstition follows these old wives’ tales.

But is Devon too superstitious? Is it even more so than neighbours Somerset and Cornwall? What about the rest of the world?

Places like Crazywell Pool in Princetown have attracted a number of myths, with legend claiming that come dusk the waters would call out the next person in the parish to die.  It’s claimed to be haunted and even in recent years it’s lived up to its reputation when two young men on motorcycles arrived there after dark to test the legend. Nobody ever found out what they saw because they both tragically died in an accident on the journey home.

Naturally, it only heightens Crazywell Pool’s reputation, but rather than superstition or luck, isn’t this just chance, a coincidental event?

Of course the answer is yes, but Dr Richard Wiseman had a very interesting description of luck in his book, The Luck Factor. The University of Hertfordshire professor believes chance are events we have no control over and states on luck, “I think luck in life; you know who we meet or whether we’re in the right place at the right time. I think those are very much under our control.”

Of course in this circumstance it would mean the wrong place at the wrong time. But all over the world people have a similar opinion whether it be about places, routines, or even numbers.

In China for example, numbers are held in incredibly high esteem. The number two for example represents that all good things come in pairs and is considered good luck for that exact reason according to research carried out by Roulette in Numbers. Likewise, the number 10 in Kenya mustn’t be spoken of, with a superstition that it brings awful luck.

So it appears Devon is no different to the rest of the world. But the mystical land of Devon is certainly contributing to the county, playing a role in the half a million tourists which visit the South West every year, and maybe making you a little more superstitious than you’d like?

We’re not sure if this magical county has affected us. Touch wood it hasn’t anyway…