Author Archives: Jasmine Gaeta

Silverhill Hospital

Context: The informant, AC, talks about Silverhill Hospital, a mental asylum where the rumor of “the melon heads” originates from.

“There’s a mental asylum kind of in my town called ‘Silverhill Hospital’ and there’s kind of like a common saying that if you’re not careful or if your alone in the road, the ‘melon heads’ will come get you. I don’t really know what melon-heads refers to, but I guess there’s this legend that a long time ago, a group of insane people escaped a mental asylum and I’m not sure if its my town or one nearby, but they just started living in the woods…they’re suppose to have these big heads and if you see something at night, its going to be a melon head. I feel like more older people talk about it like it wasn’t the kids talking about it. I remember my friends’ parents talking about it more than they did.”

Analysis: The Silverhill Hospital in Connecticut. has had many different rumors surrounding, one of which being the “melon heads”. If you’re alone or not careful at night, the melon heads will come get you. From what the informant explains, the story seems to be more familiar with the older generation than the younger generation. The Silverhill Hospital rumors seem to have originated from long ago, where many would talk about the rumors, It has since then declined from the current youth.

Throwing coins in car

Context: the informant, AC, describes a tradition where you throw coins inside of a new car.

“When you first get a new car, you’re suppose to take a bunch of coins and like throw it in the backseat so that it gives you good luck when you’re like driving so you don’t, its usually like parents or friends.”

Q: How did you first hear about?

“It was when I first got my car and my dad just came running out of the house and he had a bunch of coins and he just threw them in the back…I had never heard of it before. I was like ‘dad, what is happening?’ and he was like ‘Oh I don’t know its just good luck so you don’t crash.’ It like came from back then you had to put coins into tolls and so in this way people give you coins so you don’t run out of money when you have to pay a toll.”

Analysis: Throwing coins in a car seems to be a tradition done by many after someone purchases their own car. People close to the person, such as family or friends, begin to throw coins in the back of a car in order for the person to be protected from any car crashes. The ritual originated from when people had to pay tolls with coins. In this way, throwing money in the back of the car not only ensures your safety and protection, but makes sure that you have enough money with you whenever you need to pay a toll.

Slit Mouth Woman

Context:

MV: “So there’s this slit mouthed woman from Japan who around the 70s and 80s there were several reports of her walking around Japan with a pair of scissors or a long knife and asking children ‘am I beautiful?’ and if they responded no she would kill them…and if they responded yes she’d take off her mask and show her mouth which was cut from ear to ear and she’d be like ‘am I still pretty?’ and if they said no…she’d kill them and if they said yes she would carve their mouths like hers.”

Q: When did you first hear about the story?

MV: “I personally remember researching about it when I was super into urban legends and was looking into folklore in Japan. I found out about the legend online.”

Q: Have you seen this story told anywhere else?

MV: “Not that I know of. I would love to see one though.”

Q: Have you shared the story with others?

MV: “When I was a bit younger, I would yap on and on about this kind of stuff since I found it super interesting. I think I would just tell people about the legend but not get into detail since I don’t know folktales by memory.”

Q: What significance do you think the story has?

MV: “It’s thought that these occurrences happened due to masculine insecurity from the rising role of women in Japan in the 70s.”

Analysis: The Slit-Mouth Woman (Kuchisake-Onna) tells the story of a woman who in the 70s-80s would roam around Japan with a pair of scissors or a long knife. She would ask people if she was pretty and if they said no, she’d kill them and if they said yes, she’d carve their mouth similar to hers.

Stan Character Edit Posts

Context: The informant, MV, explains the Phenomenon of online videos depicting characters from different pieces of media in “stan edit posts” that show their admiration for said character.

MV: “Online, there’s a bunch of different videos that basically consist of putting different pictures of a character and adding different transitions in between which makes it an edit. Basically a bunch of different fandoms make stan edits of their favorite characters in said fandom and post it online for others to see. They usually add really popular music to help the edit gain more attraction. I think they first started on twitter where people were making edits of different Kpop idols since stan culture is super popular in that fandom but I think that’s a different topic. They’re pretty much everywhere on social media like if u opened Insta [Instagram] right now, you’d probably find one within like a few scrolls. I honestly wish I could edit like some people can I think it’s a really great way to show your devotion to a specific character. “

Analysis: “stan character” edit videos have become a popular style of short videos through social media, mainly seen on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. These short usually consist of rapid transitions between clips and high uses of effects. The edits are usually accompanied by pop music, usually music that’s recognizable enough to be seen by others. The edits of characters are created in order to show admiration towards the character and express appreciation towards the specific media being depicted. These edits first originated online on the platform Twitter/X, where users online made different edits/compilations of different Kpop idols. This type of editing style has since then dispersed onto other forms of media such as for characters in pop culture such as in TV Shows or video games.

La Llorona

Context/Q: What do you know about La Llorona?
GV: “I heard about it from like different stories that my grandma used to tell me. It was about a lady who drowned her kids in a river and now she haunts different kinds of rivers.”

Q: How did you hear about the story?

GV: “Yeah again, my grandma from my mom’s side would tell the story to me and my brothers. She also used it to like…scare us I guess. If we were being bad, our grandma would tell us that La Llorona would get us in our sleep.”

Q: Have you heard of the story anywhere else?

GV: “I guess basically every form of media. They’re pretty much all retellings of La Llorona but in their own way so like in the form of a book, movie, tv show, and more probably. I’ve also heard that other countries have their own interpretation of La Llorona.”

Q: Are you familiar with those interpretations?

GV: “No I just saw a TikTok explaining the different ways La Llorona is told in different countries. It might actually just be more Latin countries that have their own version of it.”

Q: Why do you think the story is so memorable?

GV: “I feel like it has to do with the story being really creepy and hearing about it super young. Like I think I might have been 8 or 9 when my grandma told me about La Llorona. I guess it just sticks with you I don’t know.”

Analysis: The story of La Llorona is widely known in Latin countries, telling the story of a woman who drowned her own children and now roams different bodies of water in search of them. It’s become widely recognized for its unsettling nature and being a myth passed down through different generations.