The (sometimes tall) tales that were passed down through the generations, with love

The trail of ants marching to the cats’ food bowls could only mean one thing – rain’s on the way.

I guess it could also mean the ants are just hungry, but I’d been told many, many moons ago that when ants suddenly appear en masse it’s a surefire sign that rain is not far away.

Given the humidity lately, maybe the ants do know something.

But it made me think about that old wives’ tale, and the other weird and wonderful stories that have been part of our lives forever, whether they are true or not.

According to Cosmos magazine, ant antennae can detect tiny changes in temperature, which might allow them to sense and react to the drop in temperature that usually accompanies a rainstorm.

“Given the diversity of ant species and their well-developed sensory systems, it’s possible that some ant species have evolved a way to detect rain before it falls. But observational or experimental data showing that ants actually alter their behaviour in anticipation of rain is currently lacking.”

Cosmos may not believe it but there’s lots of anecdotal evidence that backs me up, so I’m sticking with it.

The definition of old wives’ tales is “a widely held traditional belief that is now thought to be unscientific or incorrect”. That stands to reason, as most of the tales we trot out today stem from a time long, long before technology, before the medical advances and the scientific knowledge we benefit from today.

But when I think of old wives’ tales, I picture a village where the older women lovingly pass on the wisdom and knowledge they learned at the feet of their mothers and grandmothers to the younger generations.

And even though we say we’ll raise our kids differently to our parents, we’re all probably guilty of repeating some of the (tall) tales they told us: if you swallow chewing gum it will get stuck in your body (it just got stuck in my hair); eat your crusts ’cause it will make your hair curly; you’ll get square eyes if you watch too much television; sitting on concrete will give you piles; if you go outside with wet hair, you’ll catch a cold, etc etc.

How many of us have been guilty of telling the kids that when Mr Whippy plays Greensleeves, it means they’ve run out of ice-cream?

This mumma had no qualms at all in telling a tale to No 1 Favourite Son that the big yellow M sign he saw so often stood for Mum. He believed it for years.

While it is true that many old wives’ tales have been proven to be “unscientific or incorrect” (have you ever seen a person who made a face end up living permanently with that face due to a wind change?) some of them do work and even have a modicum of scientific facts to back them up.

Take chicken soup for example. We all know it won’t cure a cold or stave off a fever, but according to many sources, it can help provide relief from symptoms for a short period of time. The steam from the soup may help temporarily relieve congested noses and throats, while the fluid may help thin mucus and prevent dehydration.

So if it worked once you assume it will work again in the future – call it a placebo, or mind over matter or positive thinking or whatever you like. Those old wives were pretty smart cookies.

An apple a day might not keep the doctor permanently away, but apparently, the high levels of phenolics in apples are a potent antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer. A study by researchers at Cornell University also suggests that apples could prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Dear old Dad used to swear blind that you could stop the itching caused by a mossie bite just by making an X on the bite with your fingernail. Sometimes it worked, many times it didn’t, but Dad never seemed to be bothered by an itchy bite.

Like my belief in ants foretelling rain, there are lots of old tales about how animals have a sixth sense about bad weather.

And like my ant tale, it can be difficult to prove what’s true and what’s just a load of bull: if kookaburras call in the middle of the day it’s a sure sign of rain; when black cockatoos fly from the hills to the coast rain is on the way and each bird in the flock equals one day’s rain.

The husband, being a country lad, swears black and blue that when cows lie down it’s a sign that rain’s coming. I’ve always argued the point but it turns out he’s half right – and half wrong.

According to my research, cows spend half of their time lying down, so it’s just a coincidence that they’re lying down before rain. They also lay down any old time to chew their cud, or just to have a rest from standing up.

It sounds like many old wives’ tales – part fiction and part fact. Regardless of their validity today, I still like to think they all came from a place of community, family and love.

Original Article published by Jen White on Region Illawarra.