Author Archives: Shea Brennan

Irish Leprechaun Folk Belief

Main Piece:

“If you follow a rainbow there is supposed to be a Leprechaun’s pot of gold at the end. I first heard that from my Father or grandmother, who was from Ireland. Leprechaun’s were thought to tricksters and when my children were younger, they would make traps with sticky surfaces in attempt to catch them, so they could lead them to their pot of gold.

Background:

My informant is a 53-year-old Chicago native. Her grandmother, on her father’s side, was born in Ireland before immigrating to America. She does not remember exactly when she first heard this tale but it was from one of her Irish parental figures. She recalls how around St. Patrick’s day she would use this knowledge and help her children try to trap them. She said she never really used the knowledge else-wise.

Context:

The informant is my mother. I acquired this information during a Facetime call with her, on which I asked if she had any folk knowledge or beliefs.

My Thoughts:

Leprechauns are widely known mythological, folk figures. Especially around St. Patrick’s Day in at least America, many younger children will try to capture them and some people will even dress up as them. Their role as tricksters is relatable to many other cultures that have different figures that represent the trickster stereotype. I think the association of Leprechauns with money, meaning their gold, might show an Irish opinion of money as being hard to keep hold of and as often being lost to swindlers. I also think its likely that the traditional depiction of Leprechauns was very possibly tweaked by American capitalist to better advertise St. Patrick’s Day as a holiday.

Upset Stomach Remedies

Main Piece:

“My grandma would tell me to drink prune juice if you are constipated. Or if your dog has stomach issues feed them rice and real chicken instead of dog kibble.”

Background:

“The informant is a 53-year-old woman living in Chicago, IL. She has never tried the prune juice in her adult years so cannot speak to its effectiveness, but does use the dog remedy, which does in fact work. Her grandmother was Italian and either born there and immigrated to the US at a young age or was born in the US soon after her parents immigrated. She remembers any time she had an upset stomach, her grandmother would make her and her sister drink prune juice.

Context:

The informant is my mother. I acquired this information during a Facetime call with her, on which I asked if she had any folk knowledge or beliefs.

My Thoughts:

I think that these folk recipes are classic examples of people using un-official knowledge to cure illnesses. Upon some research of my own on google, it appears that prune juice is now advertised for alleviating constipation. I doubt the knowledge would’ve been as easily accessible in the 1970s. I think that is also is interesting to think about the transition where people might’ve been more inclined to use prune juice as a remedy before now most people might just use a laxative.

Italian Grandmother’s Pasta Recipe

Main piece

“Onion, Garlic, Tomato, Olive Oil. You dice up the onions finely, mince the garlic. My grandmother didn’t put quantities down. Put some oil olive at the bottom of a pot, put the onions in first and cook until transparent. Then put the garlic in and cook until fragrant. Then add canned Marzano tomatoes. Cook down the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and Italian seasonings. Taste. If it needs more seasoning, put in more seasoning. And then put into a blender and blend to preferred consistency.”

Background: 

Informant: “Even though, my grandmother lived in America, since she was Italian, at any holiday she would always have a pasta with her sauce on it for the holiday dinner.  To this day, I use this simple recipe often when making pasta dinners.”

The recipe can be made at any time. Its not necessarily a holiday meal, despite the informant’s grandma making it on every holiday. The recipe can likely be found online but the informant specifically learned it from her grandmother, who learned it from her mother. The informant grew up living in a split house with her grandmother so often could witness her cooking.

Context:

The informant is my mother. I learned of the recipe over a Facetime call in which I inquired after any folk knowledge she had.

My Thoughts:

This is a fairly simple Italian pasta sauce that has been passed down through a family. I think it shows some different aspects of Italian culture. The first one is the importance of family. This recipe was specifically passed down and taught by females of a specific family line. Also the environment in which the recipe was often cooked, meaning holiday dinners, indicates a highly social family that is close-knit and spends at least holidays commonly together. Another aspect of Italian culture that might be shown is the importance of certain foods, in this case a pasta sauce. Considering it was always made at special events, including all holidays, many of which usually have their own specific cuisine that one is supposed to make, its possible that this meal was seen as a delicacy or important in indicating the celebratory nature of the event in which it was being eaten.

Thump, Thump, Drag

Main Piece:

“Okay so this girl was left home alone and for comfort she would put her hand down by the side of her bed and so her dog could lick her hand so she could feel safe. Um, then after the licking would happen she would been to fall asleep and she would hear a “thump, thump, drag”. She didn’t know what it was. One night after the dog was licking her hand, she decided to go downstair to get a class of water before the thump, thump, drag happened. And she saw her dog sitting on the couch- so she was very confused. Okay so then as she was making her way back upstairs she saw a man with no legs dragging himself across the floor. Usually when hearing the story, people will imitate the sound of the thumping on the floor and whisper jag.

Background:

The informant is a 19- year-old female who was born and continues to live in Los Angeles, CA. She first heard this story at Gold Arrow Camp around the Sierra National Forrest. The informant was in sixth grade and was told this story by another camper while the group was telling a myriad of scary stories.

Context:

The informant is a close friend who happened to be over at my apartment and who I asked if she knew any bits of folklore or knowledge.

My Thoughts:

This is another typical American scary story that gets told around the country with subtle differences depending on the region. I think that it has a main message to always check the source, be skeptical and investigate strange things. All of these qualities I think are very reflective of American values and this story works as a warning tale to never be too trusting. The story can be heard with different twists, some of which make it less disturbing and some that make it even more disturbing.

The Purple Hooter

Main Piece:

“It’s a vodka, a raspberry liqueur and lime juice. It all goes in a single shot. On the night before my parents wedding night, my dad was feeling really sick so he went to the bar and the bartender said that this would cure all his ills. I guess it’s a panacea.”

Background:

The informant is a 19- year-old female from St. Louis, Missouri. However, she now lives in Los Angeles and attends the University of Southern California. She lived in St. Louis Missouri for the first 18 years of her life. It was here where her father first told her the story of the Purple Hooter. He said that it worked and the next day he felt a lot better. The shot is to be taken at any time that someone needs a pick-me-up. The informant herself, not being 21, has never tried the shot.

Context:

The informant is one of my college roommates, who I asked to relate any folk beliefs or legends she had for the purpose of a project.

My Thoughts:

I think that this is a classic example of folk remedy, where an unexpected drink acts as a panacea. It’s a remedy that has little scientific backing but was reported by the informant as successful. I think considering the proximity of the event to a wedding, it could possibly be explained as alcohol helping pre-wedding jitters. However, I also think that a lot of cultures have different beliefs surrounding alcohol as a remedy for illness, particularly alluding to its ability to kill germs.