Category Archives: Magic

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

Nigerian Red Handkerchief

Text:

T: “In Nigerian culture, there’s this, like, there’s a significance behind, like, a red handkerchief, right. That’s like if you’re carrying it, it’s kind of like a sign that, like, you have, like, powers, like, certain, like supernatural powers. It’s like, like a charm almost … It’s like a medium to, like, exhibit those powers, you know. And it’s like, and there’s this thing called, they call it, like, juju or jazz where it’s like, it’s just, it’s basically just witchcraft. Like … Yeah, that’s the best term to call it. Just, like, use certain charms and things, like, you know, to, like, do magic.”

Context:

T comes from a Nigerian family and has heard the legend of the “red handkerchief” passed down through the generations. In the culture, it is believed that if someone carried a red handkerchief then they had supernatural or magical powers. It is almost like a Scarlet Letter, in the fact that it symbolizes something else.

Analysis:

The Nigerian Red Handkerchief is a legend because it something believed to be true, based in the real world. This legend seems to be both emic and esoteric as it is an insider’s perspective of the significance of a red handkerchief and it communicates something within the group, not to those outside of the group. It carries cultural significance since it is predominately recognized with the Nigerian community. It also carries familiar significance as it is a legend passed down through generations of a family.

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.

University of South Carolina Game Day Tradition: Burning Tiger

Context:

The informant attends the University of South Carolina, which has an intense football rivalry with Clemson University. This ritual is performed a week before the rivalry game each year.

Text:

Before the rivalry game between Clemson and the University of South Carolina, the students in the engineering school build a large tiger out of natural materials. The informant recalls that most recently they built this tiger out of wood. The tiger represents the mascot of Clemson University. The tiger is burned a week before the game occurs on the practice football field in front of all the students.

Analysis:

This ritual is a ritualesque performance that represents a sense of rivalry and shared group identities through the collective action of building and burning the tiger. This act connects to Jack Santino’s idea in “The Carnivalesque and the Ritualesque” that some events intend to create real effects (i.e. USC winning the rivalry game). Additionally, the construction and burning of the tiger reflects a form of homepathic magic that Frazer describes, where destroying a representation of Clemson’s mascot attempts to show superiority over them. This ritual helps reinforce both in-group and out-group boundaries by showing how folklore can strengthen group identity, while simultaneously sowing divisions within larger regional communities.