Bad Luck Stories from Taking Pieces of Lava
 

I know it's against the law, but apparently people try to take home souvenirs of lava or black sand. A program I watched on the Travel Channel yesterday had one fellow who says he's had sand and lava mailed back to him by someone who "copped" some when on vacation and took it home.

Anyone else have tales of bad luck? Or is this a good way to keep us all in check and less likely to walk away with lava in our pockets?

Oops, forgot to mention I was talking about Hawaii.

DD

Just look what happened to the Brady's after Bobby made that Idol into a necklace on their Hawaiian vacation!

Many many people have taken lava rocks and then had bad luck. Just as many people who have NOT taken lava rocks have also had bad luck. Coincidence? I think not!

While it's not ok to take lava rock, you can sure buy it. Retailers all over Hawaii sell lava rock, black sand, green sand etc. So apparently ABC Stores have cut some kind of deal with Madam Pele and are somehow exempt from this "curse".

That's not to say people should break the law.

We were on the Big Island several years ago when our kids were young, and one of our boys, probably about 10 at the time, picked up a piece of lava in his tennis shoe, discovering it when he got home. He was so concerned about it that on our next family trip to Hawaii he took it back with him (it couldn't have been any bigger than a pencil eraser) and put it carefully down alongside a road and felt much better. :)

Lol, tpatricco, I was just about to give the same exact response!

Well, considering that the story is just that--a story, that thought to have been made up by a park ranger to discourage visitors from removing rocks, and has no basis in Hawaiian beliefs, myths or legends, I would question the actual "bad luck" effects of lava rock. I'd attribute any bad luck more to power of suggestion, a self-fulfilling prophecy, or a guily conscious than the rock itself.

But, if the "curse" can prevent some people from taking rocks, then great. Some people have trouble with the concept of "leave only footprints, take away only memories."

inthechips - LOL! How refreshing to see such an honest youngster (even it was because he was scared of bad luck!).

You are obviously teaching him the right values - it is illegal for a reason! :)

Karen

This is a legend I have heard of for many years about rocks around the world. When I was in Ireland our tour guide insisted that if any of us took rocks from "fairy mounds" we stopped at we would have years of bad luck. He told stories about people who mailed rocks back and got rid of the bad luck. It was all a lie and a joke! Bus drivers don't like cleaning rocks out of their buses at the end of a tour and the tour guides love telling tales. There is no truth to these tales. Its an inside joke that tour guides around the world use.

Think about it. A Rock can give you bad luck? Only a fool....

I never said I believed the legend as I am not superstious by nature nor foolish. I just wanted to hear some tales from others and get to read the wisecracks such a post would elicit. I have not been disappointed!

DD

The funny thing is Karen, we didn't tell him it was illegal (I don't think), but I think he'd heard the folklore and believed it was bad luck. I just couldn't believe that he thought to take it all the way back, tiny as it was!

While it is illegal to remove any material from a beach, I doubt very much that it is illegal to take a rock on the side of the road. Is this another myth or can someone provide support for this?

Removing anything from a national park, I am pretty sure, is illegal. Same with natural reserve areas. If you stop along the road and remove a rock from someone else's private property, while they would have a hard time finding a police officer to take you into custody, technically it would still be theft, wouldn't it?

It’s considered extremely bad luck to take lava home from Hawaii. Madame Pele, the Goddess of the Volcanoes, doesn’t like it one bit. There’s a large display case at the Volcano House Museum filled with pieces of lava and letters from people who returned them. Like this one:

"Dear Pele," it began. "I'm a very scientific electronics technician and not subject to superstitious bunk, so I took a few rocks as souvenirs in the summer of '78. Since then I've had fires of my tractor, two cars and my house caught fire twice. I'm still scientific, but I can take a hint. Please toss these back in the volcano before someone gets killed around here," (May 25, 1980)... Enough said.

I hope Pele ((A))will forgive us for the small lava rocks wedged in our sandals after walking on her black sand beaches, or perhaps the bad luck is manifested by soiled carpeting((?))

ddcnga, I was not referring to you. I am referring to people in General!

BTW, I wonder where all that landscaping lava rock they sell at every garden store and Home Depot in America comes from? I heard Home Depot is doing quite well! The only problem with lava rock as landscape cover is that the wind blows it all over the yard.

It's all good, JOR.

DD

God help those who dare to collect a few sea shells !

This topic came up at a Grange meeting featuring a travelogue. My favorite Grange lady said she took some lava as a souvenier and never had any bad luck. Well, I'm not sure what she considers to be bad luck because since her trip to Hawaii: she has hit a deer with her car, more than once, her house was burned down by a pyromaniac neighbor, and she was rear ended by some out of staters who didn't notice the highway was ENDING and the speed limit had dropped to 35 mph. There's probably other evidence of bad luck but she just doesn't see it that way.