Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

“The Golem of Prague”

1. Text

This narrative, known as The Golem of Prague, was told to me by my friend, who identifies as Jewish and grew up hearing this story from relatives as part of their cultural tradition. It is a well-known legend within Jewish folklore, particularly among Ashkenazi communities, and centers around themes of protection, mysticism, and unintended consequences.

The story is set in 16th-century Prague, where the Jewish community was facing persecution. According to the legend, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, a learned and devout man also known as the Maharal of Prague, created a golem—a humanoid figure molded from clay—to protect the Jewish people from violence and false accusations. Using secret knowledge from the Kabbalah, the rabbi brought the golem to life by inscribing the Hebrew word emet (truth) on its forehead or placing a sacred parchment in its mouth.

The golem served as a guardian, carrying out tasks and defending the community. However, over time, it became increasingly difficult to control. GR informed me that in some versions of the tale, the golem becomes violent, threatening innocents and no longer responding to the rabbi’s commands. Ultimately, Rabbi Loew removes the divine spark or alters the inscription—changing emet (truth) to met (death)—rendering the golem lifeless once more. This narrative is so famous that tt is said that the body of the golem still lies in the attic of the Old New Synagogue in Prague.

2. Context

This story was shared with me by GR, a close friend and practicing member of the Jewish faith. They first heard the tale from their family, yet they can’t pinpoint exactly which relative it was. GR emphasized it as both a cultural touchstone and a cautionary myth. He explained to me that it was often told to them around Jewish holidays, especially Passover, as a reminder of historical persecution and the importance of community resilience. Although the story was told in English, he described it as deeply rooted in Jewish cultural identity, with elements of Hebrew language, religious symbolism, and ancestral history woven into the telling.

For GR the narrative was not just historical or fantastical—it held contemporary relevance. They viewed it as an allegory about power, responsibility, and the dangers of losing control over one’s creations. The figure of the golem represented both hope and danger, an expression of righteous protection that must be balanced with humility and ethical restraint.

3. Interpretation

This narrative fits clearly within the category of a legend—a story believed to have some historical grounding and often featuring supernatural or extraordinary elements. It originates from Jewish folklore but has circulated widely, especially in diasporic communities, where it continues to serve as a source of identity and reflection. As discussed in class, the golem legend intersects with themes common to folk narratives, including the moral ambiguity of power, the intersection of magic and religion, and the social function of storytelling in preserving communal memory.

On a symbolic level, the golem represents the tension between human ingenuity and spiritual responsibility. Rabbi Loew’s ability to animate a lifeless figure speaks to the desire for control and protection in the face of existential threat. However, the golem’s eventual disobedience serves as a cautionary element: even well-intentioned actions can spiral out of control when driven by fear or unchecked authority.

The continued telling of this legend—even outside of its original religious context and in contemporary, often secular settings—demonstrates how folklore can adapt across time while preserving cultural values. In this case, the golem functions as a reflection of Jewish historical trauma and perseverance, embodying themes of survival, ethical complexity, and divine intervention. GR’s retelling illustrates how folklore is not static, but evolves through individual voices while maintaining its cultural core. The story’s endurance reinforces its role as both a protective myth and a moral inquiry—a living narrative that speaks to the past while remaining relevant in the present.

Date of performance: 3/30/25
Language: English
Nationality: American
Occupation: Student
Primary Language: English
Residence: San Francisco, CA

Finish your bowl of rice

Age: 46
Occupation: Chemist
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text

“Growing up, my parents would always say that If you leave behind grains of rice or you don’t cleanly finish your bowl of rice, the more marks your spouse will have on their face. The marks can either be scars, pimples, moles or anything that would make them unattractive.” 

Context

My informant’s Taiwanese parents would always say this to her when she was young as a way of scaring her into finishing her food. Not doing something you are supposed to will lead to you having an unattractive future spouse. 

Interpretation

This tale is related to Chinese and East Asian superstitions that associate not finishing a bowl of rice with bad luck. Rice symbolizes prosperity and success in Chinese culture. Additionally, not wasting your food is something that all families try to preach to kids, so this tale is likely told to scare kids into doing what they are supposed to. This story also conveys east Asian beauty standards, as Asian culture tends to value a fair and even complexion with minimal marks. A fair complexion is often associated with greater wealth, so perhaps marrying someone with an unfavorable complexion reflects the fact that not finishing your bowl of rice will lead you to marry someone from a lower class. Not doing what you are supposed to may lead to social repercussions.

The Zodiac Calendar Race

Age: 46
Occupation: Chemist
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text

The cat and mouse are going to participate in a race to decide the ordering of the Zodiac calendar. The two of them were good friends who decided to go together. They had to cross a river, so the two jumped on the back of an ox. The mouse wanted to win, so he pushed over the cat into the water, which led to the mouse coming in first in the race, followed by the ox. The cat ended up coming in 13th place. From then on, the cat hated the mouse and that’s why the cat is excluded from the Zodiac calendar. And that is why Chinese people believe cats eat mice. 

Context

My informant learned this story in elementary school in Taiwan. She learned it from a teacher in elementary school. She believes that it is a story used to explain why cats eat mice.

Interpretation

This legend is an origin story about a legendary event that explains the order of the Chinese Zodiac calendar and why the cat is not included.Although this event definitely did not occur, the story, it serves as a possible explanation for why cats and mice are often seen in opposition in Chinese culture, as well as across cultures. This story reflects the importance of  values of loyalty, friendship, and honesty and how betraying those values can lead to an unfortunate fate. This story is widely known and taught in schools as a part of Chinese history.


Kaguya – Legend

Nationality: Korean
Age: 20
Occupation: Film & TV Production Major Student at the University of Southern California
Residence: Orion Housing at the University of Southern California
Language: English

Text:

The popular tale of The Bamboo Cutter features an old man who finds a bamboo stalk with a girl inside the stalk. The girl grows to become one of the most beautiful people in the entire empire, catching even the attention of the emperor. To win her over, she makes her suitors do insane tasks. She eventually reveals that she is extraordinarily beautiful because she is from the moon. After falling in love with the emperor, she realizes she must go back to the moon, and offers the emperor immortality so that he may not forget her. However, the idea of being tortured by an eternity where he lives forever knowing he can never be his lover is too much for the emperor to handle and he burns the immortality token she grants him.
Context:

The performer witnessed this lore in Japanese culture originally before looking into its origins within Korean folktales as many “Kaguya” characters in Japanese media are beautiful women who seem out of the male lead’s league. One of the mediums he watched with involved this type of trope was the movie Princess Kaguya. He felt that while the Kaguya trope has many supernatural elements, the idea of being “banished” somewhere such as the moon, the feeling related to the universal duty one sometimes feels toward their “point of origin” (family).

Analysis:

A common theme within East Asian cultures is the idea of family and societal duty. The moon is representative of “home” or family in which Kaguya must return to and sacrifice her hopes of love for in order to serve a power larger to herself.
Additionally, Korean Buddhist ideas of balance, harmony, and impermanence are represented through this tale as at first, Kaguya resists her role of being a “submissive” beautiful object in society. However she can only resist for so long before nature runs its course and that beauty is taken away and sent back to the moon. While bittersweet, this story serves as a tale to remind Koreans to keep their realities in check. Sometimes it’s okay to dream big and long for more, but at the end of the day, family and loyalty to your origin should be at the forefront of one’s values.

Balete Drive – Ghost Story

Nationality: Filipino
Age: 51
Occupation: Software Engineer Directing Manager
Residence: Naperville, Illinois
Language: English

Text:

“Me and a couple of my friends were driving along from a late night gig and we’ve had a great fill of drinks but not that intoxicated (as far as I remember). There aren’t a lot of vehicles at this time, especially on local roads, but still decided to take a shortcut just for kicks.

The road was plain and looks maintained enough since it’s a less busier street than most, maybe due to its reputation of having paranormal activities.

Balete Drive has several stories about ghost sightings and ‘white ladies’ haunting passersby, and a big abandoned haunted mansion right in the middle of the stretch. Most of them likely fabricated of course – to keep the mystique going. We’re not full-fledged studs I as I recall but we thought it’ll be fun to test it out while we’re in this state and certainly less inhibited.

Just before we reached the big house, one of my friends unceremoniously said he needed to pee…

We stopped right in front of the worn out hedges bordering the house front yard. It was a bit dilapidated and dark. But he had to pee. And he did. We all did.

As we drove past the house after relieving ourselves, we noticed two headlights following us seemingly out of nowhere. We casually stayed at a constant speed, but the vehicle kept inching closer. We gathered some speed, turned the corner and lost the trailer. We looked at each other and grinned- that was much ado about nothing. We hit another long stretch of road and to our surprise, we ended right back in front of the big house at Balete drive. The headlights turned up again and right back on our tail. This felt weird. We tried to step on a bit and turned the other corner, lost the stalker and relaxed a little.

Things just got weirder – we were right back at the house (what the…) and the lights were back. We were starting to panic, our collective senses restarted, and we were yelling at each other- harassing the driver and redirecting him in all directions. We cant seem to get off this road and always take us back to the same house. What are we to do? Have we been cursed? Are the stories real? The vehicle following us isn’t letting up either. Now they’re honking, the passengers now animated in the other car, signaling for us to stop. What is happening? There’s no way we’re stopping here, not now. Fear has definitely crept in and we’re way past panic. This has gone on at least 5 times now. We sped through the same street and the same house- the facade looking more menacing and creepy each time we see it, slowly dealing us a mortifying feeling of defeat.

With one more rush of adrenaline, we held one last bit of composure and drove straight ahead until we hit a dark narrowing alleyway that seems to swallow us every meter we travel. We finally saw a different exit, merged onto the main road and drove farther from the damned place. The morning sun has started to peep. We can feel a collective sigh of relief until we realized the other vehicle had been on our heels throughout. This startled us and panic reignited inside the car. We discussed our options incoherently but concluded we couldn’t be any worse since we got out of that insanity loop. So we stopped at the next gas station. And the other car followed suit.

Fear has turned to relief, then discomfort and now annoyance. We’re back in the real world now and this unwarranted stalking has got to stop. We decided to confront them. There are 3 of us, all back to our consciousness – to the point where we question if what we witnessed even actually happened. We chalked up the courage to unstrap, picked up some “weapons” and stepped out of the car. We approached the other car as the driver stepped out to greet us. His face is lined up with a mix of dread, exhaustion, and… gratitude? I saw the lady on the passenger side looking like she’s been screaming her eyes out and now just sits in shock staring nowhere. My buddies now also joined me in the huddle as the other guy quivered to say something…

“We’ve been driving around that block for we don’t know how many hours… my girlfriend had just about lost it – I can still hear her trembling voice almost surrendering to the inevitable… until we saw you drive by and stopped at the house. We were reluctant to follow you thinking you may be part of this, but then when you drove past again, we thought you might also be in the same predicament as us. (Again? We saw you trail us as soon as we left the house… what are you talking about?). We tried to let you know that we are also lost and would like to join you… but each time we gained we had to hang back…” – then the guy started to sob. “We had to each time the lady in white following you would turn her head around to look at us… she had a knife or dagger in her hand and seem intent to get to you. We mustered up enough courage to just step on it as soon as you did and followed you all the way through here… and we can’t thank you enough.” And he broke down to his knees in front of us.

My friends and I looked at each other in weary unison – “what lady?” We turned around to find our car… the dagger still lodged at the back of it.”

Context:

The performer was born and raised in the Philippines, and often told stories with his High School friends in lui of not having a one or access to the internet in the 80’s. They heard it from an older male classmate who heard it from another classmate and so on and so forth. The performer tweaked the tale to have it sound like a 1st person narration with the intention of scaring his kids with “stories from his youth.”

Analysis:

Balete Drive is a well-known street in Quezon City because it often features the white lady who is the universsal Filipino depiction of the traditional “white ghost.” Balete Drive is a brilliant tale because it connects the many small islands and spread out diverse regions of the Philippines. The Philippines has withstood colonization and are a group of people who vastly range in appearances. From looking Mestiza to Chinita to Morena to having different dialects, ghost stories such as Balete Drive are an iconic ghost symbol that unifies the Philippines.

Additionally, balete trees are often connoted with spirtual energy as being something either feared or respected. The tale of balete drive serves as a sort of memorate for this sacred perception of balete trees as the more stories such as the one the performer said are told, the greater the fear and veneration for the trees grows. The reputation toward balete trees only increases as more and more people tell and believe in these tales.