Why Are Wishbones Supposed to be Lucky?

The furcula, or "wishbone," of a turkey, duck or chicken is the fusion of the bird's clavicles right above the sternum. Although today we mostly hear about playing the wishbone game with turkey bones during the holidays, the origins of wishbones as lucky charms go all the way back to ancient times.

Around 700 B.C.E., the Etruscans believed birds were oracles that could tell the future. Whenever the Etruscans slaughtered a chicken, they would leave the furcula in the sun to dry out, preserving it in hopes of gaining some its divining powers. Villagers would then pick up the furcula and gently stroke it while making a wish, giving it its more common name: the wishbone.

Legend has it that the Romans then picked up on this superstition. However, chickens were scarce, and therefore, so were the wishbones. People had to resort to cracking the bones in half so there were enough to go around.

Later, the Romans passed the wishbone-cracking tradition to the British, who then carried it over with them to Plymouth Rock. As this new land was abundant with wild turkeys, people began using turkey wishbones for luck.

What are the rules around cracking a wishbone? How do you make a wish on it? Typically, you dry the wishbone for a few days until it's brittle — otherwise, you will have a hard time cracking it correctly. When it's ready, two people hook their pinkie fingers around each end, make a wish and pull. Whoever ends up with the bigger piece will have their wish come true.

More complicated versions of this include a British version in the 17th century in which someone would balance the wishbone on their nose, make a wish and then shake it off. Then it would be pulled apart. Or taking it further, the winner would then put a broken piece of the wishbone in each fist and let the other person choose a fist. If the other person chose the longer piece, they would get their wish instead. Complicated, we know [source: Meikle].

Some people wear wishbone jewelry or carry small ones as good luck charms, just like a four-leaf clover or a rabbit's foot. It seems, though, that the unbroken wishbone is only the promise of good luck. It must be broken for your wish to come true — which, by the way, might be the origin of the phrase "getting your lucky break."

Several TV shows have depicted characters cracking wishbones together. However, when it comes to children's programming, the term "wishbone" is mostly famously tied to a Jack Russel terrier.

In the 1990s, "Wishbone," a PBS TV show, featured a little dog named Wishbone that made his way into works of classic literature, including "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," "Northanger Abbey" and "Oliver Twist." Originally, the show's creators hoped to have the series revolve around a lucky dog, but they eventually scrapped the idea, opting to set the episodes inside the world of books.

"When I arrived, the idea was that he was a lucky dog named Wishbone," showrunner and head writer Stephanie Simpson told Texas Monthly. "Whenever you got close to him, he made good things happen for you. I went off and tried to write a story with that idea in mind and didn't get very far. Having a dog that was lucky made everything happen too easily."