As such, minstrel show songs would feature the the rabbit’s foot as a lucky charm in ways that would offend our modern ears. The rabbit’s foot as a lucky fetish was tied to the practice of African-American hoodoo in the Southern United States. Also, the left hind leg of the rabbit was preferred. Although the specifics differ, these are all thought to be “unlucky” conditions.

in a cemetery, on a Friday, on Friday the 13th, under a full moon, with a silver bullet, by a Black man, by a cross-eyed man, by a man with red hair, etc.). While this may strike the gentle reader as somewhat counter-intuitive, in order to be truly lucky, the foot had to be collected in a particular way (e.g. The appendage derives its lucky properties from a string of “unlucky” circumstances. The Rabbit’s Foot has a fairly convoluted history as a good luck charm. (Not to be confused with the grouse’s foot, a popular Scottish good luck charm often used as a kilt pin.) Over time, the rabbit’s foot, specifically, became a gambler’s and hunter’s good luck charm. In many cultures, rabbits are symbols of fertility, strongly associated with sexual potency, spring and renewal. The Lucky Rabbit’s Foot Charm…and other animal paw amulets