Origin of knock on wood

Factual Questions
1

I was watching a Discovery channel show about trees when the narrator says
Something like “To this day, Nobody knows the origin of knock on wood”.
Obviously the folks over there at the Discovery Channel don’t Know Unca Cecil.
But neither do I, I only know OF him, because he doesn’t answer my mail.
So how bout it folks, where did this phrase come from.

2

Although there is no one definitive answer, here is a collection of theories on the origin on this phrase:

http://features.learningkingdom.com/word/archive/1999/04/16.html

see alsoL
http://www.cam.org/~jennyb/lasto2.html

3

First off, welcome to the board Janx

I believe the answer you seek is that evil spirits were thought to dwell in wood and in trees especially. So if you said something that could come back to haunt you, it was because the evil spirits heard what you said and wanted to make it come true. By knocking on wood you either exorcised them or made them deaf…

At least that’s what I know of it.

punk snot dead,
broccoli!

4

Thanx Diamud - that was fast,

I had heard most of these before, just as the page authors
state - “it is said that”, “another theory is” etc.
I´m wondering about when it first appeared in print
and all the other official hallmarks of real knowledge!
Not theory, reality. I suspect thats why the Discovery
Folks whimped out and said the origin is unknown.

That’s because NO ONE KNOWS, except you know whom,
and if it sounds like I’m “Trolling” the great one
You’re right!

Just the facts mam.

5

We’ve done this one before.

The obligatory links:
Origin of ‘Knock on Wood’
Knock on wood?