Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Legend
- “Well I always was scared of the Moth Man, he’s a legend or myth or something. It’s basically a shadowy figure or silhouette that would appear right before something bad or terrible would happen. The Moth Man, driving or something. So if you’re driving at night and you see the silhouette of a man on a corner, or on a tree, or something, you’ll crash your car. Something like that. I was scared of him as a little kid and still when I go camping or backpacking someone will tell a story about the Moth Man. He is in many different ghost stories/scary stories that you tell around a campfire.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Clay spends a lot of his free time outdoors: camping, hiking, backpacking, kayaking etc. Him and I also spent many camping trips together when we were younger, and we told each other ghost stories. Clay said he heard the Moth Man legend from kids at school, and from friends around the campfire.
- Clay grew up in a forested, suburban environment, and the legend of the Moth Man seems to be unique to his hometown (but it may not be). Shadow figures in the forest are much more frightening than a shadowy figure in a big city against city sky scrapers. From what Clay told me, this is something that is told around campfires and younger kids, not so much something that is passed around adult communities.
- This piece of folklore confuses me but it also intrigues me. I am drawn to the concept of seeing something as a warning, but I am frightened by the silhouette shadowy figure. I have never heard of this before and therefore do not believe it, although, apart of me wants to believe this.
Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Legend
- “In elementary school there was a big urban myth I guess is what I would call it. So near my elementary school there was a willow tree, and there was this whole willow man myth. All the kids were scared of it. Kids were not supposed to go near the tree but we did anyway. There was a forest next to my elementary school and the only way to get in was to go under the willow tree because the grass was too tall. Yeah we weren’t supposed to but we all would, go run around, and explore the forest. There was this urban legend of the willow man, I guess he lived in the forest and if you went into the forest you would see him sometime. It was a creepy thing but there was no explanation, no ‘take you away’ it was just the willow man. He was just there, living in the forest near the willow tree and he just would creep us all out.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Marin County is nationally famous for its breathtaking natural elements (forest, beaches, lakes etc.), and all his schools as well as his home is surrounded by forest basically.
- This piece of folklore, according to Clay, is incredibly popular among the kids at his elementary school. It is passed down grade to grade and is therefore kept “alive.” Now that he and his friends are older, they no longer believe in the willow man myth, as their age and height allows them to explore the forest and it is no longer scary for him and them. This legend is unique to Clay’s school, and therefore will probably not exists in other schools to this exact detail, but I and he is sure that other schools probably have similar legends.
- I never had never heard of any legends like this when I was in elementary school, but in high school I had many legends about teachers and substitute teachers. None of which were scary or frightening like the willow man legend. Either way, I think that these types of legends like the willow man bring students closer, and they establish a unique basis for communication within this specific community.
Nationality: American
Age: 21
Residence: Marin County, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Legend
- “There is the holiday 4/20, when everyone smokes week (laughter). So apparently, 4/20 started near me, in San Rafael. A couple kids in San Rafael at San Rafael High School, would smoke everyday at 4:20. After lacrosse practice or something, they would go sit next to some statue, a statue of a person, some famous person I think. Yeah everyday after practice at 4:20, and ever since then 4/20 became a holiday. I don’t know how it became so famous but I heard that in Marin and in other parts of California, especially San Francisco, friends of friends started doing it.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my cousin Clay. Clay is a year older than me, and grew up in Mill Valley California, which is located in Marin County (just North of San Francisco). Marin County is nationally famous for its breathtaking natural elements (forest, beaches, lakes etc.), as well as being known as a more earthy, “hippie” place, in which San Rafael is also located. Clay heard this legend from friends at school, as well as siblings of friends. San Rafael is only about 20 minutes away from where Clay grew up, and he told me that he hears this legend all the time.
- This piece of folklore is usually passed throughout high school groups. I grew up about 45 miles south of San Rafael, and I heard a very similar story in my high school group of friends, as well as my siblings telling me. The legend is most popular on the actual holiday of 4/20, in which many people are curious to how the holiday became a holiday. No one really talks about when the holiday became a holiday, just that kids at San Rafael High School was the origin place.
- I have heard this legend numerous times and I firmly believe it is true. Even on Wikipedia it talks about San Rafael High School and some statue. Everyone in Northern California basically knows this piece of folklore, it is very common.
Nationality: American
Age: 57
Occupation: High School Teacher
Residence: San Francisco/Bay Area
Primary Language: English
Type: Folk Tradition/Superstition
- “When we lived in Japan, we learned about this tradition. On the last day before spring, you get a can of beans and throw them out the window, or just anywhere outside. Everyone did it and we were VERY confused at first, but after we asked around, by the second year we were living there we picked up on it. The idea is that you are throwing out the bad spirits. This tradition goes back hundreds of years. If you throw beans out your window at home for instance, that would signify removing the bad spirits you’re your home specifically.”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my mother, who spend two years living in Japan as a child. Her father, my grandfather, was a psychiatrist in the air force and they were stationed in Japan, in the city of Tachi Kawa. They lived on an army base but they made many Japanese friends that living in the area. My mother obtained this folklore by first observing it and then eventually, her parents asked around. She remembers being incredibly confused about it as a child—seeing beans all over the street outside the base.
- No one in my family knows or remembers why beans, or the context behind the tradition. All they knew was that many Japanese people did that, and so many people believed that it worked. My grandparents have been back many times since the 1960’s when they left, but they have never been back in the spring and so they essentially forgot about it.
- I love this tradition. I think it has a lot of character and it is unique. I have never really heard of anything else like it. I am also drawn to the idea of purifying places from bad spirits which are believed to bring back luck and bad health. It might be a placebo effect but it would still make me feel better about my life and those around me.
Nationality: American
Age: 85
Occupation: Retired Psychiatrist
Residence: San Francisco/Bay Area, CA
Primary Language: English
Type: Folk Belief/Superstition
- “My parents always told me about traditions and beliefs among the Orthodox (Jews) community in Europe and in America. One thing that I will always remember is how the Orthodox adults talk about children, but babies specifically. The tradition is very strange but this is it: Orthodox Jews never compliment babies—they will only say bad things about others’ babies. Things like ‘how ugly,’ or ‘he/she is not cute,’ ‘gross looking,’ etc. They do this because they believe that saying good things about another baby will bring evil. That saying good things will actually curse the child, and the opposite will come true. The compliment is somehow representative of the evil eye. And so, to avoid this, Orthodox adults will say bad things about other babies, but everyone knows that they are actually complementing. This was my mother’s generation, in both Europe and America. I still think this is common among Orthodox Jews today!”
- I obtained this piece of folklore from my grandfather Don. Don was born in 1932, and his whole life has been very active in the Jewish community. Don has also been actively Jewish his whole life, and cares deeply about his faith. He heard this piece of folklore from both his parents, who lived in both Poland and New Jersey. Both places had and still have a prominent Jewish Orthodox community. Don’s parents were conservative Jews, but had friends and neighbors who were Orthodox, and is how they knew of this superstition.
- The evil eye and bad luck are common themes throughout the Jewish faith. Many Jews wear hamsas to ward off the evil eye, put them in their homes, and sometimes even on their bodies. Fearing the evil eye is common among Jewish people, and in both Europe and America this tradition exists, exemplifying this.
- I do not like this superstition, I think it is a little too much. I don’t think saying good things about a baby will bring bad luck or a curse, but that is what superstitions are all about!
