Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers common questions about SuperstitionsMap.com, its country guides, its global folklore dataset, source standards, rankings, submissions, and corrections.
1. What is SuperstitionsMap?
SuperstitionsMap.com is an independent global reference project that documents superstitions, folk beliefs, omens, taboos, rituals, lucky objects, and related traditions from countries around the world.
The site combines country guides with a structured dataset designed to track documented folklore corpora by country.
2. What is included in the global dataset?
The SuperstitionsMap dataset covers 179 countries.
Some countries have a documented corpus figure and dataset rank. Others are marked Unranked when no suitable numerical corpus has yet been identified under the project’s methodology.
3. What does a country’s number mean?
A number shown in the dataset is a documented corpus count. It reflects the size of a source corpus selected for that country.
It does not claim to represent every superstition that exists in the country, and it should not be read as a measure of how superstitious the population is.
4. What does the ranking measure?
The ranking compares the documented corpus figures used in the dataset.
It does not measure national belief levels, cultural importance, intelligence, religiosity, or the proportion of people who hold a superstition.
A higher rank means that a larger qualifying documented corpus has been identified for that country.
5. Why do some countries have very large figures and others much smaller ones?
Corpus size depends on the history of collecting, archiving, cataloguing, publishing, and digitizing folklore material. It can also depend on language access, institutional support, and the way a source defines its material.
For that reason, rankings should be read as comparisons of documented corpora, not as direct comparisons of living culture.
6. What does “Unranked” mean?
Unranked means that no sufficiently clear, countable, and traceable corpus has yet been identified for that country under the SuperstitionsMap methodology.
It does not mean that the country lacks folklore, superstition, or traditional belief.
7. Do you estimate missing totals?
No. If a country does not have a defensible numerical corpus figure, it remains Unranked.
SuperstitionsMap does not assign unsupported totals simply to ensure that every country has a number.
8. Are all country figures based on exactly the same unit?
No. Folklore archives and scholarly traditions are not standardized worldwide.
Depending on the source, a dataset entry may be based on folk-belief records, superstition entries, legends, memorates, proverbs, ethnographic records, archival narratives, or another clearly defined folklore corpus.
These figures are therefore presented as documented corpus indicators, not as perfectly identical statistical units.
9. Where do dataset figures come from?
Dataset figures are based on identifiable and sufficiently traceable sources, such as academic publications, institutional databases, archival catalogues, folklore collections, universities, museums, cultural institutes, and comparable research resources.
More detail is available on the Data Methodology page.
10. Are the sources for country pages the same as the sources for the ranking?
Not always.
Country pages may use multiple sources to describe beliefs, meanings, symbolism, and regional context. The ranking requires a source that supports a countable folklore corpus.
A source may be useful for editorial content without being suitable for assigning a dataset figure.
11. Where do the country guides get their information?
Country guides may draw on folklore scholarship, ethnographic studies, books, archives, museums, universities, cultural institutions, historical collections, and other relevant sources.
Some traditions survive mainly through oral transmission, local memory, or family custom. When such material is included, it is treated as cultural tradition rather than scientific proof.
12. Does every person in a country believe the superstitions listed on its page?
No. Many traditions are regional, community-specific, generational, religious, or familial. A superstition associated with a country page should not be taken as something universally known or practiced by everyone in that country.
13. Do you verify every superstition?
Claims are reviewed against available cultural, folkloric, historical, institutional, or scholarly evidence where possible.
At the same time, folklore does not always survive in the same way as scientific or administrative records. Some beliefs are well documented in archives or publications, while others are preserved mainly through oral tradition. In those cases, the aim is to present the tradition with appropriate context.
14. Can readers submit a superstition?
Yes. Readers may send contributions to support@superstitionsmap.com.
A useful submission should include:
- The superstition, belief, or custom
- The country, region, or community associated with it
- Its meaning or interpretation
- Where or from whom it was learned
- Any regional variation or additional context
- A source or reference, if available
15. Can a reader submission change a country’s dataset ranking?
Not on its own.
Reader contributions may help identify traditions, terminology, archives, or overlooked sources, but they are not automatically converted into numerical dataset records. Any change to a dataset figure still depends on evidence that meets the project’s methodology.
16. Why can a country’s rank change over time?
Rankings may change when stronger sources are identified, archives release better catalogue information, collections are digitized, earlier interpretations are corrected, or a source is found to support a different corpus size than previously understood.
A change in rank reflects a change in the documented evidence used by the project, not a sudden change in the beliefs of a population.
17. Can I report an error or request a correction?
Yes. If you notice an incorrect attribution, a broken source, a misleading explanation, a stronger source, or a dataset issue, contact support@superstitionsmap.com.
Please include the page URL, the section or statement in question, and any supporting evidence if available.
18. Is SuperstitionsMap an academic institution?
No. SuperstitionsMap.com is an independent cultural reference and data project.
It is not a university, museum, government body, or religious institution unless a specific affiliation is clearly stated.
19. Does the site present superstitions as true?
No. The site documents beliefs as cultural material. It records what people have believed, practiced, repeated, feared, avoided, or interpreted in particular settings. It does not present supernatural claims as scientific, medical, or factual proof.
20. Can I use SuperstitionsMap for research or teaching?
Yes, as a reference point and a path to source discovery.
For formal academic work, it is best to consult the underlying sources for the specific country, tradition, or dataset entry rather than relying only on the summary presented on the site.
Short quotations may be used with proper attribution where permitted. Republishing complete articles, substantial portions of the site, or the dataset for commercial or automated reuse may require permission.
21. What information does the website collect?
The site may collect information when visitors make contact, submit material, or use features that require user input. It may also use cookies, analytics, technical logs, and advertising-related technologies associated with normal website operation.
Further details are available in the Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy.
22. Is multilingual content available?
Most content is currently published in English. Local-language terminology may still appear when it helps clarify a tradition, source, or regional meaning.
Readers who can help with translation, terminology, pronunciation, or local context may contact support@superstitionsmap.com.
23. How can I follow updates?
New country guides, folklore articles, corrections, and dataset updates may also be shared through these channels:
24. Where can I read the full methodology?
The complete explanation of source standards, corpus figures, ranking rules, limitations, and the treatment of Unranked countries is available on the Data Methodology page.
Questions not answered here can be sent to support@superstitionsmap.com.