Where the ban came from
The first point also explains the second half of the saying - the part about money. Wind blows things away rather than bringing them in; hence the link between whistling and losing prosperity, which has come down to us with no connection to the sea.
Similar bans exist far beyond Europe: don't whistle at night, indoors, or when you see the northern lights. The similarity comes not from a common source but from the nature of the sound itself - sharp, directed, and resembling a call.
Whistling stands out from other sounds. It carries far, is easy to distinguish from background noise, and doesn't sound like speech - which is exactly why it is used to call a dog, signal in the mountains, and give commands while hunting.
How to read it today
Ethnographers describe rules like these not as superstitions, but as ways of marking space. Bans show where people of that era drew the line between what was theirs and what belonged to others, and which actions crossed it.
The ban's staying power has been remarkable. It outlived both the explanation involving wind and the one involving evil spirits; today, people who believe in neither repeat it as a habit, not a conviction.
That's how superstitions work in general. There's no point testing them because they don't require confirmation: they survive through repetition and because breaking them feels slightly uncomfortable, while following them costs nothing.
What is the ban on whistling linked to?
Why do such bans last so long?
Sources
- The ban on whistling indoors has been documented in different cultures and is linked to beliefs about summoning wind and attracting supernatural forces
- the maritime tradition of banning whistling aboard a vessel is described separately. Ethnographers view such rules as a way of marking space as belonging to oneself or to others
Next in the “Superstitions” series
2 articles in full on the site, 3 more in the app
