spilling salt

Canon EOS 6D - f/18 - 6 sec - 100 mm - ISO 200

 

- challenge Flickr group: Macro Mondays, theme: Contained

- crystal salt cellar with sterling silver rim

- diameter of this salt cellar is 4 cm

 

- Not a good start of 2020 ???

 

- A superstition in Western cultures holds that spilling salt is an evil omen.

 

The European belief in the ill luck that comes from spilt salt is quite old, going back to ancient Rome. The 1556 Hieroglyphica of Piero Valeriano Bolzani reports that "salt was formerly a symbol of friendship, because of its lasting quality. For it makes substances more compact and preserves them for a long time: hence it was usually presented to guests before other food, to signify the abiding strength of friendship. Wherefore many consider it ominous to spill salt on the table.

 

This may not be the actual explanation since salt was a valuable commodity in ancient times and, as such, was seen as a symbol of trust and friendship. A German proverb held that "whoever spills salt arouses enmity". According to Charles Nodier, among "savages", the "action of spilling salt ... indicates among them the refusal of protection and hospitality from such strangers as they may have reason to suspect are thieves and murderers."

 

One widespread explanation of the belief that it is unlucky to spill salt is that Judas Iscariot spilled the salt at the Last Supper and indeed Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper depicts Judas Iscariot having knocked over a salt-cellar.

This is often taken as a questionable explanation because spilling salt was generally considered a bad omen already and indeed the imagery predates da Vinci's usage.

Done