The Auburn University Seal is rich in myths and history. The Seal is associated with
many superstitions, particularly among Auburn students. The origin of the superstitions is
rumored to date back to the 70s, when the new seal was placed in front of Langdon Hall. The
superstitions are: If you walk on the seal, then you will not graduate in four years, you won’t find
your true Auburn love, or even be cursed with up to seven years of Alabama fans. (McCarthy
and Esposito n.d.) Another superstition includes class rings. After you get your class ring on ring
night, go to the seal and touch the ring to the seal. Doing so absorbs Auburn’s history into the
ring. (Auburn Family Portal n.d.) All of these superstitions are seen as curses. And the only way
to break these curses is to jump into the president’s fountain at midnight on a leap year.
(McCarthy and Esposito n.d.) For the first three superstitions, it washes the student free of the
curse. For the ring, you dip it in the water to wash the curse away, but keep the Auburn spirit.
(Auburn Family Portal n.d.) Some graduated students still won’t step on the seal, even though
when you graduate, you aren’t affected by the curses anymore. Just as superstition, either to
respect the seal or in case they came back for grad school. These stories come from campus tours
or from other students just sharing stories with their friends. Brings a little extra fun to college
life and gives stories to pass around to freshmen or family who visit campus. And no one really
knows where the superstitions come from. It’s assumed by some to have started sometime in the
1970s after the seal was added to the front of Langdon Hall. Once started and just continued to
be passed down from generation to generation. Whether they are real or not, these stories have
caused thousands of students to be extra vigilant around the seal. (Auburn Alumni Association
2017) These stories serve as fun little tales, or possibly myths, you can spread without any harm.
Like stories told by a campfire. Ment to be continuously passed down from generation to
generation.
Now, the less fun historical aspect of the seal. The original seal was created by an
alumnus and adopted by the Board of Trustees on May 30, 1921. (Auburn Alumni Association
2017) This seal was created when it was named Alabama Polytechnic Institute. (Kappa Kappa
Pis History n.d.) The seal was then adapted in the 1970s when the university became Auburn
University, formerly known as the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. (Auburn Alumni Association
2017) The seal that holds all the superstitions ranges from the 1970s to the present.
