Author Archives: Jeremy Katz

Folk Medicine – Transylvania

Remedy—Transylvania
“Ocean and Sea water have special healing and curative powers.”

Philip informed me that he learned this folk remedy from his grandfather Adolph Katz, who was born and raised in the mountains of Transylvania, what is present day Rumania.  Perhaps it was because Pop (as Philip referred to him) was born in the mountains, he believed that the oceans and seas (he was familiar with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean especially) had mystical curative powers.  Philip used to travel with him every morning and they would walk along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Jones Beach, and Adolph would make sure that Philip’s feet were in the water.  He would also make sure that Philip scooped ocean water into his hands and “snorted” it up his nose—especially if he had any type of cold or cough.  Through Adolph’s eyes, this was sure to clean out the throat and nasal passageway.
This is a great example of a folk remedy because there has been no proven scientific research that seawater or ocean water can cure individuals of their illnesses.  However, through what his family and members of his community in Transylvania told and showed him, snorting such water was an assured way to be cured through the eyes of Adolph Katz.  It is a form of folk medicine both because it is only believed to be true and because it isn’t written anywhere in any popular medical publications, but has been passed down through word of mouth.

Legend – Transylvania

Legend—Transylvania

“Sigoasuara is the alleged birthplace of the legendary Rumanian warrior Vlad the Impaler, who turned back Turkish invaders by capturing enemy soldiers and impaling them on a mountainside, thus frightening the Turks into submission.  He is more well known for his nickname of “Dracula,” which was later made famous when it was given to the infamous fictional vampire.”

Simon told me that he first heard this legend from his father Adolph Katz, who was born and raised in the Transylvanian town of Sigoasuara, which is said to have been the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler.  While the legendary existence of Dracula came over four centuries before Adolph, the legend was a popular subject for the residents of his community.  Adolph studied history in school and learned some about the history of Vlad the Impaler.  Vlad was also a popular topic of conversation amongst him and his friends, as they would always speculate as to some of the legendary and horrifying things that he did.  There is a clear distinction however between the portions of Vlad’s reign that were well documented and those were not, creating a sometimes dissolving line between the “real” and the “legendary.”

What we do know was that Vlad the Impaler was a power-hungry ruler who is said to have been “unmatched for his cruelty” as he eliminated all people who posed threats to his authority (Romano, 58).  Furthermore, we know with some certainty that he forced the Turks out of his native land in 1462, only to have his thrown revoked soon thereafter.  As a ruler, he did considerable damage, but failed to get the land of Mehmed, his primary target. He praised men who had been wounded in the front of their bodies but called those wounded in the back women and had them impaled (Romano, 59).  Five and a half centuries after his life, Turks and Transylvanians associate the name with evil.
Other portions of Dracula’s rule however, are not documented and have thus paved the way for legends and horror stories.  One such example came in the fall of 1462, when Vlad withdrew his troops along the southeast portion of the Arges River toward Poienari.  This came during one of his battles with Turks, and during this war, the Turkish infantry dispensed an immense amount of cannon balls and gunpowder to Dracula’s castle in Poineri (Romano, 59). As Adolph told Simon, and popular legend has it, when Dracula’s wife received word that the castle was destined to be destroyed, she cried, “I would rather have my body rot and be eaten by the fish of the Arges then be led into captivity by the Turks,” and threw herself into the river and perished (Romano, 59).

Romano, Will.  “Vlad Dracula’s war on the Turks.”  Military History Oct. 2003: 58-60

Folk Belief – Thailand

Belief—Thailand

“People who have long earlobes live long, fulfilling lives.”

Ben told me that he first learned this belief from his aunt when he was 6 years old.  He was living in his hometown of Bangkok at the time.  He informed me that this is a very common belief amongst his friends and family.  While it may have Thai origins, the belief itself, has Buddhist roots.  Ben has extensive knowledge of Buddhism.  He is an avid Buddhist and event spent a small portion of his life studying to become a Buddhist monk.  At age 12, he studied the religion at a temple outside of Bangkok.  He lived this way for almost an entire year, abiding by a strict code of rules and conduct. He says it was a great experience and it helped him gain a more profound understanding of the religion.

The theory behind this folk belief comes from Siddhartha Gautama (a.k.a. Buddha) himself.  Because worshipping Buddha and his teachings have resulted in an abundance of statues, paintings, and other forms of decorative art, Buddhists pay particular attention to his physical appearance.  In virtually every representation, he is shown with these great big drooping earlobes.  As a result, Buddhists have come to believe that massive earlobes is an indicator that an individual is destined to have a strong, prolonged existence.  Ben informed me that there are some who believe that Buddha is depicted this way because it was and is a sign of royalty and power to wear earrings that stretch one’s earlobes.  This theory however, is not nearly as common.  Ben told me that his entire family sees earlobes as an important indicator of the length of an individual’s life.  His older brother was born with enormous earlobes so his family is always praising this physical trait and telling him to cherish the gift he was born with.  This belief is a unique example of folklore because it is extremely common amongst Buddhists—many wouldn’t know that it isn’t formally written anywhere, but has been accepted as truthful and ordinary because Buddha is constantly depicted in this manner and the theory has offered an answer to why Buddha appears the way that he does.

Pick-Up Line – USA

“Pick-Up” Line—USA

“Did it hurt?”

“Did what hurt?”
“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

Marysia first heard this pick up line from one of her male friends at high school.  While her friend did not use it in an effort to “make a pass at her,” she has been told of instances where the line has been used to engage a member of the opposite sex.  The theory behind pick up lines is simple: say something clever to someone whose attention you want to get.  While they are usually used by males on females, there are indeed female pick-up lines.  Above all else, pick-up lines are supposed to be funny.  Some writers and comedians spend countless hours developing funny ones, usually not having the intention of making them operational.  It is for this reason that there are a number of pick-up lines out there, many of which were created for comedic purposes.  There are however, lines such as this one, that some individuals (usually males) use if they feel confidant enough saying them.  There are a number of dirty and inappropriate ones, and Marysia cautions all males to be weary of insulting a girl with a pick-up line.  While I am personally not a big fan of pick-up lines as a way of initiating communication with members of the opposite sex, I do think that there are some funny ones out there.

I think it interesting to note that amongst all of the vulgar and offensive ones, this line “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” emerged as a favorite in Dallas, Texas.  In her opinion, this is because people in Texas are into politeness and as a result, don’t see the significance of saying something inappropriate and potential rude to someone.  The pick-up line can be seen in the 1996 film Bio-dome.  In the film, Pauly Shore’s character Bud uses the line to try to sleep with the girl of his dreams.  Though the line exists in this form in the film, it has certainly demonstrates the folkloric quality of multiplicity and variation.  While I had not heard the exact same line before I had come to school, I had heard a varied form of it back in my hometown of Scarsdale, New York.  In this form, a male examines the tag on the back collar of a female’s shirt, and when she asks “what are you doing?” his response is: “Just as I had thought…made in heaven.”  The line has clearly traveled and evolved through word of mouth and is thus an excellent example of folklore.

Biodome. Dir. Jason Bloom.  Screenplay by Kip Koenig and Scott Marcano.  Perf. Pauly

Pauly Shore, Steven Baldwin.  Miramax, 1996.

Tradition – New Orleans, LA

Folk—Tradition

“In the city of New Orleans, a body is never buried below ground.”

Michael told me that he has been familiar with this tradition all of his life.  As he explained to me, it is customary in New Orleans for bodies never to be buried underground.  This is in part due to the fact that New Orleans is below sea level, but also in part to a tradition, and to voodoo.  Because New Orleans is located below sea level and is frequently flooded, coffins that were buried below ground would sometimes get pushed upward through the ground.  This occurs because the coffins are filled with air and science has proven that oxygen rises in water.  After a while, bodies were everywhere and a solution was needed.  The only one that worked at the time was to bury all bodies above ground.  Though most people are familiar with this reasoning, less know that the first settlers to New Orleans had a custom of burying bodies exclusively above ground.  The reason for this custom is unknown but it was a tradition among the founding fathers of New Orleans.  As if that wasn’t enough, there are all sorts of legends and stories about Marie Laveau, the alleged “Voodoo Queen” who may or may not have been buried in a New Orleans Cemetery (Cities of the Dead).  While there are all sorts of legends surrounding her life and death, no one is sure whether or not her remains are present in one of the cities’ cemeteries.  In not wanting to wake her or disrespect the “Voodoo Queen” it has become a folk tradition in New Orleans to burry bodies above ground.

I would consider this a folk tradition, but interestingly enough, the tradition has a legend (the “Voodoo Queen”) within it.  In this respect, folklore has resulted in more folklore.  Other than the physical problems with burying bodies underground, no one knows for sure why the tradition has been kept.  There are theories, but nothing is definite.  Still the tradition keeps running strong and the city has come to respect and embrace this tradition instead of continuing to look for solutions to change the burial system.

“Cities of the Dead.”  Experience New Orleans! Compucast Web Design, 1994-2002.