Author Archives: Kendra Kodira

Mud on a Bee Sting

Context:

The informant’s family is incredibly spiritual and has beliefs in the natural world. They do not rely as much on traditional medicine and have alternative ways to deal with pain and healing.

Text: On a camping trip, the informant got stung by a bee and her family put mud on the bee sting to draw out the bee sting.

Analysis:

By putting mud on a bee sting, the informant’s family practiced folk medicine and healing. In folk medicine, natural materials are used to treat injury outside of institutional settings. This connects to Frazer’s account of homeopathic magic, where the mud draws out the sting with its physical healing properties. In this way, folklore allows for alternative practices that do not arise from scientific knowledge, but rather from culturally meaningful practices that directly respond to the body’s needs in that moment.

Crystal Healing Properties

Context:

The informant’s family was very spiritual and held belief in angels. They believe in the healing properties of crystals and nature. Her grandmother, specifically, would often gift crystals and essential oils to her.

Text:

In one of the crystal stores from the informant’s hometown, their family would put their hands on a large crystal for clearing the energy within them. The informant also notes that she has crystals in her car, home, and constantly around her.

Analysis:

This belief is a ritual belief in material culture as crystals act to influence inner emotions and balance. By placing their hands on crystals to “clear energy”, the informant and her family treat crystals as symbolic objects that produce intentional effects. This belief in the power of crystals creates meaning and a sense of comfort as seen in “Placebo Studies and Ritual Healing” by Ted Kaptchuk. The crystals themselves gain power through proximity, mirroring Frazer’s idea of contagious magic. As a belief held amongst the family, the act of buying and displaying crystals reinforces their sense of shared identity.

Knocking on Wood Superstition

Context: The informant considers herself very supposition and aware of what others say. If her or her friends say something she is worried will happen, she and her friends must engage in this superstition.

Text:

A: “Ok, well I am a big believer of knocking on wood. To the point that I will make all of my friends anytime they say it, I will make them knock on wood.”

K: “Do you say it before you don’t want something bad to happen?”

A: “Yeah yeah yeah. So if they say something like ‘Oh this won’t happen” or ‘Hope that doesn’t happen’, I will literally look at them and say ‘Like find some wood’.”

K: “Like a tree or just wood?”

A: “Usually a tree”

Analysis:

This practice is a magical superstition and conversion ritual, where knocking on wood attempts to prevent future bad consequences. These small physical acts try to control for luck and uncertainty. Knocking on wood specifically connects to Frazer’s idea of sympathetic magic as contact with wood or a tree carries a sense of protection. The informant reinforces this behavior amongst her friends to create shared beliefs in smaller folk groups, highlighting the social and relational nature of folklore. This superstition demonstrates how belief is continually performed and situational, helping people manage uncertainty through everyday actions.

Huntington Beach Cult Legends

Context:

Two years ago, the informant went with her friends to Huntington Beach. When they took a walk on the beach, they noticed something washed up on the sand.

Text:

The informant and her friends noticed that there were dead birds with their heads cut off all along the beach. She cites seeing “at least thirteen dead bodies with their heads cut off” and the birds included doves, roosters, and pigeons. The informant asked the lifeguard on duty about the dead birds and the lifeguard noted that a local satanic cult practices at night. Additionally, the lifeguard admitted that he was not allowed to move or remove the heads since it is a state beach and the birds are presumed to have died naturally.

Analysis:

This account is a memorate, or personal experience narrative about a legendary event. The informant themselves was unsure of how much to believe the legend of satantic cults residing in Huntington, indicating how legends are presented as believable but their truth is ultimately debated. The involvement of the lifeguard adds vernacular authority to the story and reflects how legends help people make sense of disturbing events. As Lindahl examines in the cases of Hurricane Katrina legends, such narratives often act to process uncertainty and assign blame when events lack explanations. The story demonstrates how belief is fundamentally shaped by our interactions and stories that we tell.

Nicaraguan Saying – God Save Me from Innocent People

Age: 20

Context:

The informant’s family is from Nicaragua and has many culturally important sayings that are passed down from her grandmother and mother. In times of uncertainty or distress, they both tend to say the below in response to general circumstances.

Text:

A: “So the second saying – still from Nicaragua is : ‘Del agua manza libreme Dios que de la brava me cued yo’ and that basically means you’re asking God to save you from calm innocent looking people similar to the other one, because you stay away from turbulent waters. “

Analysis:

This saying is a form of verbal folklore that communicates cultural knowledge surrounding trust and deception. The contrast in the metaphor and symbolic imagery shows how calm appearances usually mask hidden dangers. The proverb circulated through the informant’s family, reflecting how proverbs can help to interpret difficult social situations in moments of uncertainty. The continued use of this phrase within the informant’s family reflects how diasporic communities hold onto culturally significant phrases as a way to make sense of unexplainable cultural phenomena and human behavior.