Monthly Archives: March 2011

Belief – Kansas City, Missouri

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Kansas City, MO
Performance Date: April 24, 2008
Primary Language: English

Original script/version:

You only use 10% percent of your brain.

James heard this folklore last year from his uncle who also lives in Kansas city. The topic came up as they were talking about James ability to study of the SAT. His uncle, Sam Meiners, told him this as a factual statement.

James said he also heard this same folklore when he was in fifth grade. It seemed to be a rumor that was going through the school at the time. He did believe it when he heard because he felt it would account for why some people are a lot smart than others, because somehow they had figured out how to use more of their brain. However, it wasn’t until he talked to one of his high school teachers that he found out that it was in fact a myth and not actually a fact.

Folklore about the body seems to be more popular with younger children as they haven’t had the same education about biology that adults have had. For this reason, they make up answers for some of the bodies more confusing attributes – like why there is such a great range of how smart people are.

For reference in text, see:

James, William. The Energies of Men. New York: Moffat, Yard and Co., 1907. Pg 12.

Proverb

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Kansas City, MO
Performance Date: April 24, 2008
Primary Language: English

Original script/version:

“Give an inch, and i’ll take a mile.”

James said he heard this quote from his high school Lacrosse coach. While at practice in his sophomore year, his coach was giving a talk on defensive positions when the phrase came up, “If you give an inch, I’ll take a mile.” In this context, he was referring to if you were even a little weak on defense, the offense would take advantage and attack even harder.

James thought this was an insightful proverb that could be a lot more effectively to everyday life than lacrosse. He said, “I was on the debate team in high school, I am surprised I never heard this throughout the course of being on the team. It is so true in debate. If you give even a little ground on your argument, your opponent will see it as a weakness and focus on that.”

I think it is obvious that this proverb has nothing to do with inches and miles, but the comparison of something big and something small. The proverb seems to most applicable to arguing or trading. For example, if in an argument, and one person admits to that there might be slightest truth in what the other person is claiming, their opponent gains a lot of credibility and will continue arguing with a new sense of power.

Remedy

Nationality: Caucasian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Hilsboro, OR
Performance Date: April 05, 2008
Primary Language: English

Original script/version:

“I was told that gargling salt water when you have a sore throat will help it feel better and heal sooner.”

When I asked Holly where she heard this, she said she had heard it from her 7th grade P.E. teacher who was originally from Great Britain. She had a really bad sore throat and when she asked to sit down during class, the teacher gave this advice. She has continued to gargle salt water when she has a cold ever since.

Holly was born and raised in rural Oregon, but she said that this piece of folk medicine originally came from somewhere in northern England. I think putting salt on an open wound hurts badly but also cleans it. I don’t how this would translate to a sore throat, my initial reaction would say it wouldn’t help, but I have never tried it.

Lullaby – Swiss

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Pittsburg, PA
Performance Date: April 18, 2008
Primary Language: English

Original script/version:

Latvian Lullaby

Aija zuzu / laca berni

Pekainam(i) / kajinam(i)

Tevs aizgaia / bisu kapt(i)

Tevs parnesa / medus poudu,

Mate – uogu / vaceliti

Tas mazam(i) / berninam(i)

Par mierigu / gulesanu

Translation:

Lully, lully, / getting sleepy,

Tiny wee(ee) / baby bear(ie)!

While daddikins / looks for honey,

Mummy hunts for raspberries (ie)

And daddikins / will bring honey,

And your mummy / will bring berries

For darling (ie) / babykins (ie)

Sweet, sweet, sweetly / getting sleepy.

“”My brothers and I all grew up hearing the same Latvian lullaby every night before we went to bed; it is called “Aija Zuzu” It’s about a little bear cub and his parents. Every Latvian kid in my family(immediate and extended) heard that song every night before they went to bed.  I’ll probably sing it to my kids when I get old.””–   -Kate

This is a neat, if incomplete, Latvian lullaby. This is all Kate could remember, and with the help of the internet, we pieced together the translation. This is only the first verse, so there are 2-3 verses missing.

The main theme in this portion of the lullaby is the parents supporting their child. The parents get food for the baby while it sleeps. This seems an appropriate theme for a child’s bedtime song. The use of “Daddikins” because in American culture, you don’t hear that used often.

For further reference in texts, see:

Leonovich, Mikhail. A History of European Versification. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Pg. 12.

Archivist Additional Annotation (April 27, 2020):  https://youtu.be/HGNeIVyOsig

Myth – Hindu

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Phoenix, AZ
Performance Date: April 02, 2008
Primary Language: Hindi (urdu)
Language: English

On a certain day in the Hindu calendar, which usually falls in October, you are not supposed to look at the moon for the entire night. If you do look at the moon you will receive bad blessings. The only way to get rid of these bad blessings is to if another person tells you the mythological story of why not to look at the moon.

In Hindu mythology there is a story of a god who one day ate too much. He ate so much that he fell off of his vehicle. When he fell the moon started to laugh and make fun of the god. Then the god cursed the moon saying that no one will look at the moon’s face. So on that day, the day the moon laughed at a god, no one is supposed to look at the moon. But if they do, they will receive bad blessings.

Upon hearing this story I decided to look further into the specifics and found another, very similar version of this mythology in Hindu Feasts and Festivals by Sri Swami Sivanadanda. In this version, Lord Ganesha is the god mentioned. He is an embodiment of  wisdom and bliss and has a small mouse as his vehicle. Ganesa is the first god, he has the head of an elephant- the biggest of all animals- and rides on a mouse- the smallest of all animals. This denotes that Ganesha is the creator of all creatures (Sivanadanda 43).

On his birthday Ganesha was going to different houses accepting offerings of sweet puddings, which he loved. After eating a lot of pudding he set out on his mouse at night. Suddenly the mouse stumbled because it saw a snake and Ganesha fell off. Ganesha’s stomach burst open and all of the sweets spilled out. Ganesha stuffed the sweets back into his stomach and used tied the snake around his belly. The moon and sky laughed after witnessing this. Annoyed, Ganesh pulled out one of his tusks and hurled it against the moon and cursed that no one should look at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day or else they will earn a bad name. If someone does look at the moon by mistake then the only way he can be freed rom the curse is by repeating or listening to a different story of   how Lord Krishna cleared his character regarding the Symantaka jewel. (Sivanadanda 44)

This story also has central ties to the Hindu doctrine of Karma, essentially “what goes around comes around.” In this case, if you laugh at a high god, you will be cursed. This story also serves to teach respect for the spiritual superiors despite mistakes or faults they may have, scoffing at any high god will not go unnoticed.

Ganesh Chaturthi day is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar and as mentioned earlier, usually falls in the fall, in October.

Annotation:

Sivanadanda, Swami Sri. Hindu Feasts and Festivals. Himalayas, India: The Divine Life Society: World Wide Web Edition: 2000. http://chidananda.org/ download/ hindufest.pdf.