Scatological Superstitions

Be forewarned, dear readers. We are going to explore bodily functions in this post — specifically bowel movements and some of the superstitions and cultural associations surrounding fecal matter.

Let’s begin with the expression, “He really stepped in shit,” which is sometimes sanitized to “He really stepped in it.”? This phrase is used to convey the idea that someone has stumbled upon good fortune, completely obliviously and without any effort, like how a careless person might step in dog poop on the street. In other words, “dumb luck.” The full expression is actually, “He stepped in shit and came up smelling like a rose.”

Similarly, many believe that having bird droppings land on you is a sure sign of good luck.

And when ballerinas want to wish one another luck before a performance, they don’t say, “Good Luck.” No, they say “merde,” which is the French word for “shit.”

So what is going on here? Why is excrement associated with good luck and good fortune?

The Golden Turd

Sigmund Freud posited that there is an innate and unconscious connection between feces and gold after he observed that these items were often interchangeable in his patients’ dreams. (Yes, for real.) And he traced this connection back to antiquity.

It turns out that there is actually some support for this poop-gold connection in the historical record.

Exhibit A —

The Aztecs believed that gold was teocuitlatl, a godly excrement, closely associated with the sun’s power, and ornaments made of it were worn by Aztec rulers and nobles.

Exhibit B —

Ancient Egyptians observed the dung beetle, or scarab, a creature that would roll a ball of animal dung back to its underground lair, where the excrement would serve as nourishment and a medium in which to lay its eggs. Sometimes this journey involved rolling the ball of dung over a considerable distance, often up hills or over/around obstacles. Those observing the beetle likened its toil to the movement of the sun disc across the sky and thus associated the scarab with the Sun’s journey across the sky each day.

Gold mummy-scarab inlaid with dark blue glass, from the collection of The British Museum.

I think you get the idea, right? Gold and excrement were associated with the sun, resurrection, power, etc. This connection between feces and gold is also present in alchemy. But let’s go back to Freud for a minute, because The House glossed over an important detail from the poop = gold theory. There is actually an interim step. It would be more accurate to say that the process is as follows: poop = gift => gold.

According to Freud, a child regards his fecal matter as a gift, or to put it another way, something that has value. It is really the only thing that he can produce with his body at that stage of life. The turd is a “gift” for his parents. Later in life, he comes to associate poop with the another object of value — gold, or in a more general sense, money. (As an inside, the idea of money’s associated with dirt is apparent in the expression “filthy rich.”)

In On Transformations of Instinct as Exemplified in Anal Erotism, Freud explains: "It is probable that the first meaning which a child's interest in faeces develops is that of 'gift' rather than 'gold' or 'money.' . . . Since his faeces are his first gift, the child easily transfers his interest from that substance to the new one which he comes across as the most valuable gift in life.” (i.e. gold, or money)

***Please hang in there. This is going somewhere.***

Scatological Catalan Christmas Traditions

One culture that has wholeheartedly embraced the scatological is Catalonia. Let’s explore two specific Catalan customs involving excrement — Tio de Nadal and The Caganer — and see how they intersect with the ideas about feces and gold that we have been exploring. Interestingly, both of these customs are associated with the Christmas holiday, a holiday that is centered around giving gifts.

Tio de Nadal

One charming Catalan Christmas tradition involves an anthropomorphic log called Tio de Nadal (“Uncle Christmas”) or Caga Tio (“Uncle Poop”) who defecates presents for good boys and girls. The connection between poop and gifts could not be more explicit or direct, so there’s not much to unpack here.

The ritual involves covering the log with a blanket, under which gifts are hidden. Children beat the log with a stick while singing to the log, and the hidden gifts are revealed when the parents remove the blanket. The log is then burned and the ashes are used to fertilize the earth.

This is a pretty straightforward application of the Freudian poop = gift principle.

The Caganer

The Caganer — literally The Crapper — is another scatological Catalan Christmas tradition. The Caganer is a figurine depicting a man engaged in the act of defecation. This pooping Catalan typically wears a white shirt and a traditional red hat called a barretina. He is placed among the cast of characters that are traditionally present in nativity scenes (nacimentos) — Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the Angel, the Three Wise Men, some animals, a shepherd, and so on and so forth.

So what is the purpose of the Caganer and why is he a part of the nacimento? Well, many believe that he is intended to be a kind of fertility symbol, a reminder of the importance of manure in fertilizing the earth. (Anyone who gardens gets this immediately, as manure-based compost is referred to as “black gold.”) As a folk practice, including a Caganer in one’s Nativity scene was believed to ensure the good fortune of an abundant harvest. Again, fertility. Like Tio de Nadal.

But what if we re-interpret the Caganer through the Freudian lens? The Magi were said to bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, after all. Is the Caganer leaving a gift for the Christ Child? And isn’t that, like, really sacrilegious?

Maybe the Caganer is meant to symbolize the common man, as opposed to the “wise” man. Unable to present actual gold, his gift is a humble one, made only with body, like the infant who produces feces as a “gift” (in the Freudian sense) for his parents. Its value may be to remind us of our humanity — and of Jesus’ humanity — by confronting the reality that all humans engage in this (usually private) activity, even the infant Jesus himself. Seeing the Caganer mid-defecation highlights his vulnerability. He is exposed, literally, before man (and God).

Let’s Wrap This Up

Recall, gentle ones, that this discussion started with the question of why excrement is associated with good luck or good fortune. After exploring the diversions above, The House believes that is a function of the somewhat paradoxical principle that what is almost worthless is often associated with what is most valued…combined with a recognition that the element of chance is involved.

What are the odds that a bird’s droppings will land on a person or that one’s foot will step in dog poop? Probably not that high, given the relative rarity of these occurrences. So when an incident like this occurs unexpectedly, the subject has already proved, in a sense, that s/he can beat the odds (without even trying) and is therefore, by definition, lucky.

Additional Reading:

Brown Gold: Freud on the obvious connection between money and defecation.

Feces and the Gold Standard: A Psychological Explanation of Goldbuggery, The New Republic, Simon van Zuylen-Wood, August 28, 2012

Soccarat Paella Bar’s Take on Catalonia’s Tio de Nadal Tradition

Culture Trip: What Is the Caganer, the 'Defecating' Catalan Christmas Figurine?

Photos of many different takes on The Caganer are available at www.caganer.com