Modern people are sure that the whole devilry begins exactly at midnight. And if you think that the time that is considered the most mystical and dangerous is 12. Then this was not always the case, because a couple of centuries ago, our ancestors were not afraid of 12 o’clock in the morning, but 3. Why did this early morning time, when the deepest sleep, had a bad reputation?
It was at 3 o’clock in the morning that our ancestors were afraid to encounter evil spirits. Receive damage or incur misfortune. In Russia, this time was called the “witch hour”, and in Europe, the “devil’s hour”. Modern scientists, far from mysticism, have unraveled the phenomenon of this hour and found that people’s fears were not so unfounded. In the article by the famous scientist L. V. Savchenko “Representation of conceptual codes in the phrase system”. It is said that the number 3 played an important role not only in the rituals of our ancestors but also in their everyday life. It was magical in many pagan religions and it is not at all surprising that it came into service with Christians in the form of the Holy Trinity – the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
But why were misfortunes and evil spirits associated with the three? In Europe, the time 03:33 was considered the most unhappy, since it represented half of the devil’s number 666. Therefore, it was believed that at this time of night the souls of the dead, demons, and other evil spirits penetrate into our world. It got to the point that in 1560 Pope Pius IV officially approved this time as “wicked” and “witchcraft”, so those who did not sleep between 3 and 4 o’clock in the morning were at risk of “getting noticed” by the Inquisition.
In Russia, they looked at this nighttime a little differently, but the meaning was practically the same. Our ancestors were sure that at 3 am the forces of good are fast asleep and evil spirits freely penetrate into the world of living people. At the same time, sorcerers and necromancers are activated to realize their black designs with the help of otherworldly entities. In fact, many witchcraft books advised beginning magical rites at exactly 3 in the morning and at the same time to hurry up. As it was supposed to complete all dark affairs before the first roosters.
What does Science say about this
In the old days, it was believed that if a person wakes up at 3 o’clock in the morning, then this is a bad sign. It is possible that his soul was possessed by an unclean force that awakens just at the “witch hour”. Such superstition is easy to explain because a person who wakes up at this time very often experiences not just discomfort, but experiences horror, panic, sweats, and suffocates. Today, any doctor will say that these are symptoms of a panic attack, but centuries ago everything was explained in a simpler and more terrible way. Scientists explain the “three-hour phenomenon” by a hormonal surge.
It turns out that it is during this period of the night that three hormones are actively produced in the body: melatonin, which is responsible for sleep, and cortisol and serotonin, which are associated with stress. People whose lives are replete with events, mostly unpleasant, receive a loading dose of cortisol and serotonin during the day. At night, melatonin activates these hormones and “throws” a person out of sleep. So overall as per the scientific and supernatural belief system waking up at 3.am is not a good sign. So it’s better to overcome this problem by doing meditation or taking a healthy diet.
Also, read BLACK ADAM’ REVEALS INTERESTING ORIGINS FOR HAWKMAN