Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Swedish Stereotypes

Nationality: Swedish
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: United States
Performance Date: April 25, 2016
Primary Language: Swedish
Language: English, French, Portuguese

Informant was a 20 year old female who was born in Sweden and currently lives in the United States. She came to visit me.

Informant: There’s a lot of stereotypes of Swedish people. Everyone always says that we are blonde, skinny, tall, and have blue eyes, which is not true. It’s really not true. Most Swedish girls do highlights, which is why everyone thinks we are. Many people are blonde-ish but not like blonde blonde. Swedish girls are said to be like this, but this is only really in the big cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg. People just care more about appearances in bigger cities. In smaller cities, people do not look like the Swedish stereotype. They’re not like that. People are not as high class, people do not really care about being skinny or healthy. People think of these stereotypes because people only go to the big cities and they don’t visit the small cities only the bigger ones, so they see these people and generalize.

Collector: Has this stereotype ever affected you in any way?

Informant: I mean, it doesn’t affect me in a bad way, people think that Swedish people are really cool and pretty and Sweden is known. Everyone used to always ask me why aren’t you blonde? Why don’t you have blue eyes? But people always know that I’m Swedish, they can usually tell with my accent. Also there’s stereotypes of Sweden working well too, with the government and life being easy. Teachers are always asking me questions about Sweden. When they need a good country to compare another one to. I mean, it’s true it does work well, but there are a lot of downsides that people don’t really see, like the immigrants have so many rights, a lot of people are really worried about the amount of immigrants and how they affect our country. Sure, they are acceptive of immigrants, but it’s making Sweden less safe and taking away rights from the Swedes, but all that the outsiders see is that it works so well.

Collector: You sound like Donald Trump.

Informant: (Laughs) No, it can’t be compared. Like the size of the United States is too big compared to Sweden. Like we are very acceptive of immigrants, but it just needs to be regulated, like no one wants to kick them out.

I like that my friend told me about Swedish stereotypes because I have often been the target of Brazilian stereotypes. Not only did she talk about the stereotypes involving physical appearance, but she also mentioned how people perceive the country in general. I think what she said about immigrants is really enlightening because of the situation that is going on in the United States right now with the whole issue of immigration. I think that her perspective – not kicking out immigrants but just regulating it more – would be a great perspective for the United States to take on this issue. It’s really interesting how certain aspects of another person’s folklore and culture can be attributed to current problems in society today.

Ravin (Myth)

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Performance Date: 4/5/16

My informant is Marc. Marc is a 19-year-old student at USC but was born and raised in Mumbai, India. This year was the first time he lived in the United States but he still speaks very good English but with a noticeable accent.

 

Marc: “So there was this King of Lanka, which is now Sri Lanka, that was a ruler but the gods had given him gifts so he wasn’t mortal and then he got greedy and he tried to steal someone’s wife. After this happened people tried to kill him by chopping off his head but every time someone would try and decapitate him he would grow a new head. In his final form when he fights a god he had ten heads. I don’t know the whole story exactly but that’s where he came from so people use him to scare little kids now.

How do they do that like by dressing up?

Marc: “No it’s more like you have to eat all your food or Ravin is going to get you!”

Oh so they just use him as like a monster?

Marc: “Yeah exactly but there is a story behind it that the kids know and they know he is bad”

Why did the gods give him power if he was bad?

Marc: “I think he used to be pious and really good but turned and reached his downfall like Lucifer”

How old were you when you first heard of Ravin?

Marc: “I would say I was about seven”

Do people still say it there?

Marc: “Yeah throughout India it has to be super common and its mostly grandparents or parents saying it to kids not kids to kids”

Does this have any meaning to you?

Marc: “I mean I had heard it a few times when I was a kid but I never took it seriously it was more of a joke that would scare younger kids”

 

This myth of folklore is an ancient figure being used as a scary monster to persuade children into doing something. I feel like in the United States we do this a lot to persuade children but less with monsters and more with positive reinforcement. For example, “If you don’t eat your vegetables you won’t grow”, which isn’t true but children want to grow and believe it. It makes the world feel smaller knowing in India they use the same methods because it could just as easily be another country and another monster but the same general background.

Tea Home Remedy (Folk Medicine)

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Performance Date: 3/7/16
Primary Language: English

My informant is Olivia. Olivia is a 19-year-old freshman at USC from Palos Verdes, California. She is of Irish and Italian descent and lived in New Jersey for a small amount of time growing up.

 

So what is this home remedy you were talking about?

Olivia: “So when I have a cough, or a sore throat or like I’m congested, my mom boils bourbon then puts water, honey, lemon, and I think that’s it and she makes a tea type deal”

Where did she get this?

Olivia: “She heard that from her grandpa who got that from his dad who is from Italy”

So it originated in Italy?

Olivia: “Yeah”

And your family has been doing that this whole time?

Olivia: “Yep and my cousins do it and everything”

Does it work?

Olivia: “For me yeah. I had it a few months ago and it was great, it’s soothing”

Does it have any meaning to you?

Olivia: “Umm no, just a remedy, maybe tradition. I think of my grandpa when I drink it because I would never think to give my kids alcohol”

 

Olivia’s folklore was folk medicine that had been passed down in her family for generations and originated in Italy. It’s cool to be able to track where these remedies and folklore come from when people are able to continue performing the folklore even when they move from it’s birthing place. To Olivia it is just a drink her grandpa made to help sooth a sore throat but she carries on this folklore by making and drinking the remedy and in turn telling me.

 

Black Neck (Protection)

Age: 26
Performance Date: 3/18/16
Primary Language: English

My informant is Betsy, a 5’3, white female. Betsy is 26 years old and grew up in Los Angeles her whole life. She is of Irish and Eastern European descent.

 

Betsy: “When I was a little girl my grandma would always tell me to wash my neck in the morning, like she made sure I did it. She said that if I didn’t my neck would turn black because when she was growing up she knew a girl who never washed her neck and everyone would make fun of her at school because she had a black neck”

How old were you when she first told you this?

Betsy: “Ever since I remember she told me that story! She really wanted me to wash my neck”

Did you actually do this?

Betsy: “Yes! Every time I took a shower, to this day, I remember my grandma Florence saying “Wash your neck!” so I always did it”

Did you think your neck would turn black?

Betsy: “When I was younger I did and I would really scrub but now I know it won’t but I still wash it every morning out of habit”

 

Betsy’s folklore is a superstition her Grandma told her about how if she didn’t wash her neck it would turn black. This seems like any normal persuasive saying a parent or grandparent would tell a child but she took it really far, enough to where Betsy continues to this day remember that warning and wash her neck appropriately. It’s interesting how we keep the same habits even though we find out they do not work.

The Evil Eye (Folk Belief/Protection)

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19

My informant is Marc. Marc is a 19-year-old student at USC but was born and raised in Mumbai, India. This year was the first time he lived in the United States but he still speaks very good English but with a noticeable accent.

 

Marc: “So in India a big belief all around is the Evil Eye. So I guess if you are bragging to someone especially if it is something you can do or you have that they can’t do or don’t have. Basically you need to be humble because if you are bragging or being arrogant about this stuff then the Evil Eye will transfer like a negative energy to combat whatever you were bragging about”

When was the first time you heard about the Evil Eye?

Marc: “Well it’s really common and well known in India there are trinkets and stuff but like the first time I think was a friend saying to another friend like bragging and someone warned him about the Evil Eye”

So is the Evil Eye a person?

Marc: “No it’s more like a negative energy or like the reasoning to why things go wrong but the eye is the face that we put to it. And you can ward it off too with like necklaces and jewelry that a lot of people wear.”

Do you believe in the Evil Eye?

Marc: “I don’t know. I believe in the idea of like if you are doing a bad thing it will catch up to you but I don’t know about the evil eye or if that’s real”

 

To me the Evil Eye in India is our form of Karma in the United States. It is the idea of if you do bad things then bad things will happen to you but Karma also has the reward aspect: do good and good will come. Marc claims how widespread the idea of the Evil Eye in India is and I think it has to do with parents teaching humbleness. Those who brag will be punished and children are far more concerned about an “Evil Eye” then their parents. It has progressed to a culture in India which brings along the merchandise such as the necklaces and trinkets for protection.