Author Archives: tokemper

Kelpie (Scottish cryptid)

Nationality: Pushaw
Age: 56
Occupation: Artist
Residence: Malibu, CA
Performance Date: 4/27/16
Primary Language: English

The Kelpie is a mythical water-beast from Scotland which is supposed to take the appearance of a gray or white horse, notable because, unlike a real horse which would likely not be found near water or at least swimming in it, the Kelpie’s mane and tail are always dripping wet. The Kelpie was said to drag people underwater, drown them and eat them. Some versions of the story have it that the skin of the Kelpie is an adhesive and anyone who touches it will be stuck to it, hence being dragged underwater; therefore, the only way to escape a Kelpie is to cut off one’s own limb that is attached to it and then–if one makes it back to shore– to quickly find a surgeon before blood loss leads to death.

THE INFORMANT: The informant is a woman who grew up in Ireland hearing both Irish and Scottish legends, although she said this one is mainly from Scotland.

ANALYSIS: The kelpie is a well-known cryptid (animal whose existence has been suggested but never proven by scientific methods). A commonly accepted explanation for the kelpie myth is that, historically, many people in Scotland lived by the coast or by a lake, of which Scotland has many, but were unable to swim, hence causing a cultural fear of water and drowning. Ironically, even fishermen were unlikely to learn how to swim,  because they believed that knowing how to swim was tempting fate and that they would be caught in an accident where they would need to swim for their lives. The kelpie could simply be a manifestation of that fear, told to children as a warning so that they would not stray too close to coastlines without being able to save themselves in the event that they fell into the water. Scottish folklore is a very robust part of the country’s industry, showing up perhaps most notably in the case of the Loch Ness Monster, who has even been suggested to be a relative of the kelpie.

Moment of silence before a trip (Russian Jewish superstition)

Nationality: American
Age: 25
Occupation: Graduate student
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Performance Date: 4/26/16
Primary Language: English
Language: Russian

Before leaving the house on a long journey, the entire present family must sit in silence for a period of time (which varies by family and local custom) in silence. This is often considered a useful custom because in the frenzy of preparing for a trip, this time allows for people to think carefully about whether they have forgotten to pack a useful item, but it is also considered good luck to sit with the departing family in order to protect them on their upcoming journey or, if they die during the trip, to attain closure so that one does not retroactively regret not taking time with this person before they leave.

THE INFORMANT: Mid-twenties woman who has studied Russian and Georgian culture for many years, despite not having grown up in either cultural group. She currently works in diplomacy and is researching Russian Jewish superstitions for an unrelated project and out of intellectual curiosity. She says this is also put into practice in Georgian communities in which she has lived and it is mostly considered a time of meditation and respect for the traveler putting themselves in the risky situation of long travel.

ANALYSIS: Due to the anxiety that the prospect of a long trip can often induce, it is unsurprising that so many superstitions have developed as pre-travel rituals. Furthermore, the focus on familial relationships that pervades Jewish culture, as well as the many folktales and superstitions from Russian culture, have combined here to create a more or less secular experience that is still retained in many families (both in Russia/Eastern Europe and in immigrant homes) as a way to protect the departing travelers. Many cultures have similar customs, such as the Christian blessing or prayer to be said before a journey, asking for protection. In the Catholic tradition, this idea of protection is translated into a physical emblem, as the St. Christopher medal is used to protect weary travelers from potential harm.

The Leper Tree

Nationality: Irish
Age: 57
Occupation: Artist
Residence: Malibu, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/16
Primary Language: English

PP: There’s the Leper Tree in Malawi, we used to go there when I was younger. Well we went to the park it was in– I have to look it up, what it was called–

TK: Liwonde? I just googled it.

PP: That sounds right. It was this big tree with human skulls, skeletons in a kind of pit at the base of the roots, and we would have to look at them. If I remember right it was because one of the tribes that was living in the area had an outbreak of leprosy and they would put them in the tree, tie them up and make them stay there until they died.

TK: When was this?

PP: Honestly I think it was pretty recent, definitely in the last century. Maybe the 1930s? The worst part was they had a justification for doing it, they didn’t have the medicine or healthcare available to treat the disease and it was very contagious, so it was like this horrible quarantine where they said they were protecting the healthy people. It was for the sake of everyone else. But it was still a terrible thing to do.

THE INFORMANT: The informant is a woman who lives in America now, although she grew up in Africa and Ireland. While growing up in Africa with her family in the 1960s, because her father was a missionary doctor, they were often exposed to subpar living conditions, local legends and true stories like the one about the Leper Tree.

ANALYSIS: The Leper Tree is a very real place, not a legend, but has become part of the folklore of the country due to the gruesome nature of its existence. Visitors to the park who come for the wildlife and beautiful natural settings are often brought to the tree and asked to look down upon the skeletons of those who were trapped in it as recently as the 1950s. It is commemorated by a plaque on the trunk that says simply, “The Grave For People Who Suffered From Leprosy in the Past.” Burial and the proper disposal of bodies has always been a cultural hallmark– many cultures develop incredibly specific rituals around burial rites, which makes things like the Leper Tree stand out and be recalled even now for how barbaric and unrelated to traditional notions of respect for the dead it is.

Never Put a Hat on a Bed (superstition)

Nationality: American
Age: 45
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Beverly Hills, CA
Performance Date: 4/24/16
Primary Language: English

Growing up my mom always told me never to put a hat on a bed because it brings bad luck. I am always very conscious if I’m wearing a hat never to place it on a bed, and I really notice it when I’m packing for a trip–I always put the hat far away from the bed. If I’m with friends and they place a hat on a bed I will always be aware of it but won’t say anything because I don’t want to impose, but it does make me nervous. My mother was passed down this superstition from her mother, who has plenty of superstitions from growing up in London.

INFORMANT: My mother, via her mother.

ANALYSIS: Research has provided several examples of cultures who find this superstition particularly strong, especially cowboys, boxers and actors/theatrical workers, three groups who are notorious for retaining superstitions. The origin of the prohibition of this behavior has been explained as “preventing the spread of head lice” as well as possibly originating in the 20s when gangsters hid guns under their hats on beds in hotel rooms, preventing them from being found if they were frisked, yet examples from Jamaican student essays from the 1890s show the superstition being used even back then, so it is likely to have developed far before the 1920s gangster heyday.

Peppermint Patty (child’s song)

Nationality: American
Age: 14
Occupation: Student
Residence: Beverly Hills, CA
Performance Date: 4/24/16
Primary Language: English
Language: French

TK: What are you singing?

JK: A song from when I was in 4th grade.

TK: And?

JK: It goes:

My name is Peppermint Patty
I come from Cincinnati
I have 24 toes and a finger up my nose
And this is how my story goes:

I was walking to my boyfriend’s house
He was talking to another girl
He said I L-O-V-E love you
I’d K-I-S-S kiss you
I’d D-A-T-E date you at 11 o’clock tonight.

I kicked him into Paris,
I kicked him into France,
I kicked him into Disneyland and saw his underpants

TK: What did people say this for?

JK: It was like a hand game (starts motioning)

TK: Did you used to play this?

JK: Mmm… (shaking his head no). Well I played it sometimes, but it was a thing everyone in the grade knew how to do.

TK: Did you play it with your friends?

JK: Ya a couple times (laughing/shameful).

 

THE INFORMANT: Julian is 14 and was enthusiastic to remember this information, he was laughing at the recollection of it.


ANALYSIS: This chant and accompanying hand gesture game spread throughout the class when Julian learned it in 4th grade from a friend, Sophia. He was always more into sports, kind of a boys’ boy, so it’s funny that he can remember this chant (with a hand game that was more of a girl’s thing) from years ago. Although for Julian it originated with a girl who told him the chant, it quickly became something that, as he says, “everyone in the grade knew how to do,” bringing to mind the pervasiveness of elementary school culture, in which trends like this appear and are spread rapidly. Both I and those I have talked to who are older than Julian don’t know this particular chant, and neither does my little sister, indicating that it might have been an anomaly for his year. However, we do remember the classic chant “I see London, I see France, I see _____’s underpants,” which seems to be referenced in the last part of this song.