While the superstition of the feet of rabbit being associated with luck has some origins in European culture, the modern North American myth originates from the African-American folk spirituality known as hoodoo.
Since rabbits live underground in burrows, it was believed they could communicate with the spirits of the underworld. The Celts first associated rabbits (the whole rabbit, not just it’s severed foot) with good luck back in 600 B.C. After all, once they are split from their original owners it’s not easy to differentiate between the two.
Ultimately, both the foot of a hare and the one of a rabbit were deemed lucky. Thousands of years ago, people in Western Europe toiled around a hare ‘s foot, the larger relative of the rabbit, because they believed the limb was imbued with magical properties. So, how exactly did carrying the dismembered limb of a rabbit become, you know, a thing? And if you believe in fortune lagomorphs, losing the foot of a lucky rabbit signifies poor luck as clearly as carrying that promises to bring good luck. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of superstitions around the world, but none is more important than the one that you personally subscribe to.
