The Caul
When a baby is born with the amniotic sac still attached to their face it’s called a caul, it is very rare and in many cultures it’s considered very lucky, those born with it are believed to be clairvoyant and are immune to drowning. In Italian folklore there was a group of good witches called the Benandanti who were all born with the caul.
Illustration of a "Caul", Cornelius Gemma, 16th Century Credit: Wellcome Library, London.
The Benandanti
The Benandanti (“Good Walkers”) were members of an agrarian visionary tradition in the Friuli district of Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Benandanti traveled out of their bodies while asleep and their spirits rode upon various animals, and battled malevolent witches who threatened both their crops and their communities. Between 1575 and 1675, in the midst of the Early Modern witch trials, a number of Benandanti were accused of being heretics or witches under the Roman Inquisition.
Black Sunday (1960)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
The seventh son of a seventh son is a concept from folklore regarding special powers given to, or held by, such a son. The seventh son must come from an unbroken line with no female siblings born between, and be, in turn, born to such a seventh son.