Many ancient peoples were afraid to walk under a ladder because they believed that the gods lived in the triangle shaped space underneath the ladder, where it rests on a wall. To walk through such a sacred place was considered to be disrespectful.
In the Christian culture it was viewed as being connected with evil because a ladder had led up to the cross where Christ was crucified, so they may not have considered it bad luck to walk under it, but they did regard the ladder itself as possibly being a tool of the devil.
These superstitious or religious beliefs actually hold some grounding with reality. Walking under a ladder is more likely to cause it to fall, thereby possibly injuring the person on top of the ladder and the passer by. Or something could be dropped by the person on the ladder and when underneath it, it is more likely the item dropped will land on you. So whilst it is a superstition it is also good sense !
In the Christian culture it was viewed as being connected with evil because a ladder had led up to the cross where Christ was crucified, so they may not have considered it bad luck to walk under it, but they did regard the ladder itself as possibly being a tool of the devil.
These superstitious or religious beliefs actually hold some grounding with reality. Walking under a ladder is more likely to cause it to fall, thereby possibly injuring the person on top of the ladder and the passer by. Or something could be dropped by the person on the ladder and when underneath it, it is more likely the item dropped will land on you. So whilst it is a superstition it is also good sense !
