Category Archives: Magic

Ritual actions engaged in to effect changes in the outside world.

Tell It to Running Water

Interviewer: What should I do if I have a bad dream? 

MJ: Well, something I do that I was taught as a kid is to tell whatever is mothering me to running water.

Interviewer: Tell it to water? What do you mean?

MJ: Well, you find running water, which can be a river or more commonly a bathroom faucet. And you tell it all the bad thoughts that are bothering you. The water will take the bad thoughts with it, and the bad dreams should stop. I promise you this works. I’ve been doing this my whole life, and I’ve never had trouble sleeping. 

Interviewer: I’ll be sure to try this next time I’m feeling anxious about something.

Context:

The conversation is between me and my grandma. She inherited many such beliefs and practices from her mother, who was Polish. This conversation happened during our weekly phone call. 

Analysis:

This is an example of folk belief because it assumes that anxious thoughts can be transferred, in this case to water, through a symbolic action. The water removes bad thoughts through transference. This practice can be described as apotropaic; it is meant to ward off fear and negative energy. We can choose to disregard this practice as outdated or see it as an analog to therapy of the past. Talking about the problems that are bothering us, even to the water, helps us suppress the immediate alarm system, work through them, and find solutions we wouldn’t otherwise have found.

Bad Juju

Interviewer: Did your family ever warn you against any supernatural beliefs such as ghosts or evil spirits? 

E: I guess Nigerian is a very spiritual culture, so we have things like juju.

Interviewer: What’s juju? 

E: It’s a spiritual system of belief, I guess. My relatives used to tell me that some people have certain capabilities that they can use for evil.

Interviewer: Have you ever been warned to be careful so that somebody doesn’t use their capabilities against you? 

E: Absolutely. It was always vague and never fully described to me how somebody might hex me, but it sure did scare me as a kid. I guess it’s a good thing because I was extra careful with strangers. 

Context: The informant is a student at the University of Southern California, majoring in business of cinematic arts. Her family is Nigerian, but she grew up in England. 

Analysis:

Juju is a supernatural worldview that involves using charms and spells that are believed to hold power. The informant didn’t grow up in Nigeria, so her relationship with this belief was limited to her family. An interesting thing that she mentioned during the interview was that it deterred her from interacting with strangers. This belief functions as a form of protection. Warnings about possible bad juju might have protected her from trusting strangers. Folk belief can function as a way of enforcing social norms.

Splitting the Pole (walking)

Main Text:
Superstition: Splitting the Pole

Background on Informant:
My informant is a 20-year-old who was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and is currently serving in the United States Air Force stationed in Ramstein Air Base, Germany. We know each other through a Counter-Strike Discord group. I asked him about any superstitions he believes in or practices, and he brought up the idea of “splitting the pole.” He explained that he first learned this superstition from a friend in elementary school, and that his friend had learned it from his parents.

Text:

Interviewer: Do you believe in any superstitions?

Informant: Yeah, splitting the pole when walking because it’s bad luck.

Interviewer: Splitting the pole—can you explain what that means?

Informant: When you’re walking with someone and there’s a pole or sign, you have to go on the same side as them, or it’s bad luck.

Interviewer: Where did you first learn that?

Informant: One of my friends told me when I was around 9 years old.

Interviewer: Do you know where it came from?

Informant: Not really, I think his parents told him.

Interviewer: Why is it considered bad luck?

Informant: Because it kind of means you’re separating from the person you’re with. It’s like symbolic of your relationship with them.

Analysis:

This superstition is a form of customary folklore because it’s a behavior people follow in everyday life. It represents symbolic thinking, where physically separating around an object is believed to represent separation in a relationship. This connects to the idea of sympathetic magic where symbolic interaction can affect the outcome. The superstition is passed through both horizontal transmission, friend to friend, and vertical transmission, parent to child, which gives understanding to how these superstitions may persist over time. It also functions to promote social awareness, since following the superstition leads to a heightened sense of relational awareness leading to more of a considerate and cohesive experience.

Ancestral Lucky Bracelet Norse

Main Text:
Material Folklore: Lucky Charm Bracelet

Background on Informant:
My informant is a 40-year-old student from California. I know him from discord and we play video games together. He told me about his lucky family bracelet that his Norwegian grandmother gave him.

Interviewer: What is the object, and what does it look like?

Informant: It’s a bracelet made of round stones on a strip of leather.

Interviewer: Where did you get it?

Informant: It was a gift from my grandmother, passed down from her grandfather.

Interviewer: Who told you it was lucky?

Informant: My grandmother told me it has been passed down for generations, and when I wear it, I have all my ancestors looking out for me.

Interviewer: What ethnicity are you?

Informant: Norwegian

Interviewer:  So like Viking Norse tradition?

Informant:  Yeah, I guess but I don’t like worship Odin or anything.

Interviewer: When did you start believing it brought you luck?

Informant: When I started wearing it. I don’t know if it’s because I became more aware of my luck, or if it actually works.

Interviewer: Why do you think it brings luck?

Informant: I’ve noticed little things out of the ordinary happening consistently, and they usually benefit me.

Interviewer: Do you use it in specific situations?

Informant: No, I wear it every day.

Interviewer: What if it breaks it must be so old?

Informant: It has broken in the past the stones are the significant part, My Grandma said if it ever breaks to collect the stones and put them on a new strip of leather.

Interviewer: Do you feel different when you don’t have it?

Informant: Yeah, I feel kind of naked and vulnerable. I’ve gotten so used to having it I can’t even remember the last time I wasn’t wearing it.

Analysis:
This is an example of material folklore because it’s a physical object that has some meaning and is believed to bring luck and protection. The bracelet isn’t just something he wears, it represents a connection to his family and ancestors tied to Norse traditions. This ties into sympathetic magic, where an item can change outcomes based on its special properties it represents. The bracelet and belief were passed down through vertical transmission, since it was his grandmother who gave it to him. The fact that he says he feels naked or vulnerable without it shows how it functions as a source of comfort and protection.

New Years Kiss

Main Text:
New Year’s Kiss

Background on Informant:
My informant is my younger brother, who graduated from UC Davis. While in college, he was part of a fraternity and regularly attended social gatherings and parties. I asked him about any traditions he could think of, and he brought up the New Year’s kiss at midnight. He explained that it is something he first experienced and learned about during his time at UC Davis but he truly believed in it.

Text:

Interviewer: Do you have any traditions you follow on New Year’s Eve?

informant: Yeah, the New Year’s kiss at midnight.

Interviewer: What is that exactly?

informant: When the clock hits midnight, you’re supposed to kiss someone.

Interviewer: Where did you learn that?

informant: The first time I really learned about it was at Davis. Everyone was talking about who’s going to be your New Year’s kiss, and I was like, “what?” Then my friend told me you got to kiss a girl at midnight to start the new year right or you’ll have bad luck with girls next year, like a serious dry spell.

Interviewer: Did you get a kiss that night?

informant: Of course, and let me tell you my freshmen year was outstanding! After that I always made sure to set up my new years kiss.

Interviewer: have you ever not had a new years kiss?

informant: yes, sometimes it just doesn’t work out, and those years I definitely notice a difference.

Interviewer: I wonder how much of that is maybe manifestation from belief?

informant: Hmm, that’s a fair point. I don’t know but I notice a difference for sure.

Analysis:

This is customary folklore due to a certain behavior that seems to repeat during a specific event, New Year’s Eve. It is believed to bring good luck, especially in relationships, which shows symbolic thinking. The tradition is learned through horizontal transmission, since the informant picked it up from friends in a college. He believes in it because of the experiences he has had, such as the difference he noticed in years when he wasn’t able to follow it. It also functions as a way of stimulating social interaction and increasing the bonding between individuals on New Years through shared beliefs.