Author Archives: Shane Munson

Sailor Ritual- Crossing the Equator

Nationality: American
Age: 68
Occupation: Professor
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 30, 2019
Primary Language: English

Piece:

CM: I have two stories about my grandfather. He told me a story from when he was a very young man, when he was a deep water sailor, sailing a steel hauled clipper around Cape Horn. When he left the Mediterranean to sail south, the ship had to cross the equator. The tradition went that whenever a sailor crosses the equator for the first time, he goes through a traditional ritual where he is put through a series of comical trials— for example, being doused with water— and other hazing-like activities. The Captain dressed up as Neptune and the ceremony was used to initiated the sailor into the club as a true deep water sailor.”

Context:

The speaker’s grandfather was a sailor during the early 20th century. The ship was likely American, although the informant’s grandfather was from Austria. The ritual was done on the ship whenever there was a sailor who had not crossed the equator before. The informant’s grandfather took trips through the equator working as a sailor multiple times.

Analysis:

Being a sailor is a high-risk job, particularly so in the early 20th century when the informant’s grandfather worked. This initiation ritual supports the idea that the equator was a meaningful marker to sailors. Furthermore, the ritual is an excuse to have a celebration, which on a ship with no technology to communicate with the outside world would be important for morale. The somewhat silly ritual contradicts the otherwise dangerous life of a sailor. A discussion of the various ways this ritual has been performed, especially pointing out the fact that the ritual is somewhat of an initiation practice for “landlubbers”, can be found on pgs. 154-159 of Keith P. Richardson’s 1977 article for the Western Folklore journal (Vol. 36, no. 2) titled “Polliwogs and Shellbacks: An Analysis of the Equator Crossing Ritual (Western States Folklore Society).

Sword and Sheep- A Trinity Reward

Nationality: American
Age: 68
Occupation: Professor
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 30, 2019
Primary Language: English

Piece:

CM: “I attended Trinity College, Dublin. There was this ritual, for undergraduates only. If you took the first (which means highest score) on your exams, you had the right to wear your sword to the commencement ceremony and you could graze your sheep on the college commons. I don’t know if anyone ever did it, it was kind of antique, but it was on the books if you wanted to.”

Context:

The informant is American, and attended graduate school at Trinity in the 1980s. While he was not an undergraduate, he knew of the tradition from other students. He took the first in his exams, but specified that the tradition was specifically for undergraduates only, so he did not do it.

Analysis:

This tradition speaks both to when Trinity was founded (in 1591 by Queen Elizabeth the First) and the importance ‘land’ held at this time. The grazing of sheep shows a dominance over the land of the College, as though the student who took the first now had some ownership over College grounds. The inclusion of the sword marks the importance of appearing powerful and able to defend yourself.

How The Spider Got Its Long Legs

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Occupation: Music Industry Assistant
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 10, 2019
Primary Language: English

Piece:

JG: Want to know why a spider has long legs?

I: Sure.

JG: My dad told me this story when I was little. Here it is: Once, there was a spider named Anansi and Anansi was a greedy spider. He was about to have dinner with his wife and his wife was a great cook. But he was greedy and wanted to go out and try his friends’ food. So he leaves his wife at his house and he goes to Rabbit’s house. He is drawn in by the smell of something cooking. He finds Rabbit cooking delicious greens. “Oh rabbit,” said Anansi, “those greens look mighty fine.” “Well they are going to be really good and you can wait for them to be done,” says Rabbit. Now, Anansi knows, if he were to wait, Rabbit would just give him a lot of chores to do. Anansi hates chores. “Oh no,” says Anansi, “I got some chores to do on my own. But I don’t want to leave these greens. So I have an idea” “What’s your idea?” said Rabbit. Anansi made a string of web-material. He tied it to one of his eight legs. “Now when you are done cooking the greens, pull the web and I will know it’s done.” So he left. Down the road, Anansi smells something really good, so he goes down the path to Bear’s house. Bear is cooking some delicious looking porridge and invites Anansi to wait for it to be done. “Oh yeah bear I would love to have some, but I still got some chores to do. So why don’t I just tie this string of web around my leg. When it’s done, you just pull on it and I’ll come on back.” And on Anansi goes visiting all of his friends. In the end, Anansi ends up with a string of web tied to each of his eight legs. Anansi thinks, “Now I just need to wait for one of them to pull the string and I can have some delicious food. Then, his foot pulls. “Oh Rabbit must be done.” Then, four of the strings get pulled, and then stretch out his legs, then 5, then 6, then 7, then 8, until all 8 of his legs are being pulled at one time. And they pulled and they pulled. And Anansi finally pushes himself down to the water, which dissolves the webs. When he comes out of the water, he finds he now has 8 very, very long legs.”

Context:

The informant was told this story as a child by his father. The informant believes his father likely read it in a book of fables and used it to teach about greed as well as tell a funny story. The informant thinks of it as a silly fable, but says it stuck with him until now, so therefore it must have been entertaining enough to remember since childhood.

Analysis:

This is a classic fable that uses fairytale-like elements– for instance, talking animals and an element of suspended reality. There is no explanation for Anansi’s greed, which implies that perhaps greed is a natural “human” urge (or an urge of living beings) we all must fight. The use of animals rather than people connects the theme of the story– greed– to an element of nature outside of humans, especially as greed causes a visual result on the spider children can recognize.

Bad People Go In The Freezer

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: March 20, 2019
Primary Language: English

Piece:

My informant begins by specifying: “Also, my family’s not crazy”

JK: “I don’t know if this is a Columbian thing or just my mom, but whenever there is someone that has wronged someone in my family or is really bad for someone in my family, she will write their name on a little piece of paper and put it in the freezer. That is supposed to keep that person away from you and out of your life.”

I: “Would she take them out ever?”

JK: “No. We have a bunch of people in our freezer!”

Context:

The informant grew up in Newport Beach, CA. Her mother only started writing names for the informant after the informant started college. The practice is saved for serious offenses. The informant’s mother is 56, from Columbia, and grew up in New York. The informant learned of this practice when her mother starting writing and freezing names for the informant.

Analysis:

This is a practice of protection, with a somewhat magic-like element. Something literal (the freezer)  is used as a means of bringing about an emotional catharsis (blocking someone out of your life/ emotionally detaching) and consequence (being left alone by Person X). While the names literally get put in the freezer, the hope is that the person represented by the name will be frozen from interacting in your life. To me, this practice seems like it helps the person doing it attain an emotional state of peace rather than cause an actual result from the practice (singularly causing an actual result would be the possible magic- like element within this). It reminds me of the phrase “self-fulfilling prophecy”– if you put that person in the freezer in your mind, then they will stay out of the rest of your life, likely because your actions toward that person are reminiscent of of you putting their name in the freezer. Perhaps keeping names in the freezer is similar to holding a grudge, or it is a symbol of a betrayal of trust and therefore a reminder to not let that person back into your life!

 

Money Pinning for New Year’s Eve

Nationality: American
Age: 59
Occupation: Writer
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 10, 2019
Primary Language: English

Piece:

KE: “Every New Year’s Eve, my mom would pin money to me because it was believed that what you had on you at the new year is what the new year would bring you.”

I: “How much money would she give you?”

KE: “Like a dollar. But they would literally pin it to me. Her parents taught her as a tradition. We had a party on New Years most years and all my relatives kept waking me up to give me money. But I just wanted to sleep!”

Context:

The informant’s mother’s family was from Ireland and Whales. The informant’s mother was born here as a second generation American.  The informant did not feel the practice brought particular good fortune, but that it was meaningful for her mother to give her something to go into the New Year with.

Analysis:

This falls in line with the practice of gift-giving on New Years as explored on pg. 39 of Anne Ross’ 2001 Folklore of Whales (The History Press). While Ross’ text focuses on gifts outside of money, I think this story exemplifies how the tradition transferred to the United States. The emphasis went from gift-giving to money-giving. Money is not as personal as a chosen item, yet the adapted tradition also made it so that the same gift was given to all (money). The tradition could be seen as a way in which parents could give children some insurance for the future, which in a way makes the practice a bit dark, as though the children might not have their parents to rely on soon. At the same time, the act of pinning the money makes it a bit silly and also seem as though the money is a proud factor of the family’s life and/or worthy to ring in the New Year with as a symbol of good fortune.