In later times it might have involved superstitious abuses.
"The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Exodus"
G. A. Chadwick
No people could be more superstitious, as they believe that the caves of the half-inaccessible mountains about them are peopled by giants and evil spirits.
"Due North or Glimpses of Scandinavia and Russia"
Maturin M. Ballou
"I wouldn't care to tell you all they say," she answered; "for in a dull town, like this, a great deal is said when a mysterious man arrives, and takes up his residence in a house that has been regarded with superstitious fear for twenty years."
"The Mystery of the Locks"
Edgar Watson Howe