Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Ratoncito Pérez

Language: Spanish

“I don’t remember the story super well, but it’s kind of like a version of the tooth fairy. The story goes that there once was a mouse that wanted to be a dentist, but couldn’t find any teeth to use. He then saw that children’s teeth would fall out, so he would go to collect them during the night. He felt bad for just stealing the teeth, so he would leave money or candy behind as sort of like a “thank you” for being able to keep the teeth. After that, children would leave their teeth underneath their pillows for the mouse”

Analysis:

I think it’s so cool that there are so many versions of “leaving your teeth for a creature to collect for money” around the world. When I think back on it, I think that losing teeth as a child can be an incredibly traumatic thing, so involving a reward and a mythical creature of some kind definitely makes it a lot easier for younger children to understand. I also think the inclusion of him being a dentist is beneficial, as since children (and even many adults!) fear the dentist so much, having kids feel like they’re “helping them out” may help them overcome some of these fears.

Don’t cross your eyes!

Nationality: American

Age: 22

Occupation: Student 

Residence: Orange County, CA, USA

Date: 04/05/2025 

Language: English

Description: 

When I was a kid and still now, because now my mom just finds it funny. But when I was a kid, it was like a pretty serious topic. She used to say that if I cross my eyes and someone slaps you on the back, then your eyes would stay crossed that way. And so sometimes, like when I was joking about it as a kid about across my eyes she’d threate to like, come back up and like, uh, hit my back. Not in like an abusive way, but in, like, a funny way. She would tell me how she had this one friend. This boy. And he was like making fun of that or something, and was like walking around crossing his eyes being, like, see, see, like, you can’t get me because it’s not real. And then, he was crossing his eyes, and someone came up and hit him on the back, and he stayed cross-eyed, and she would say he stayed cross-eyed forever, and he could never go to school, he could never do his work, because he couldn’t see straight. And glass never fixed it, and you can’t get surgery to fix it. And it was like something she used to tell me a lot. So, now sometimes we have a bit where I cross my eyes and she’ll come back and then hit me on the back and then I get all nervous about it still. Like, I still get nervous that my eyes are gonna stay that way.

Subject’s Opinion 

Subject: I don’t know who told her that story. It had to have been like, a friend of a friend. It was like, probably one of those things you know where you hear down the grapevine. 

Analysis 

This cautionary tale, as the subject points out, becomes legend as it’s spread through parents to inform each other’s children about the “dangers” of crossing your eyes. In this case, the form of ostention the subject’s mother participates in to this day led me to consider the lingering effects of these cautionary legends. Even though the subject, now an adult, no longer believes in the legend, she still has some anxiety when the ritualistic slap is performed. This indicates that since the subject once believed in the legend, it’s difficult to dispel the belief completely, which in turn reminds me of ritualistic practices that reverse or undo these legendary effects.

Kissing Bench

Age: 17

Date of Performance: 4/01/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: United States

  1. Text

The informant is a high school student. She referenced a myth at her local university regarding the “Kissing Bench.” It’s said to give couples good luck if they embrace while sitting on the bench in the center of the university campus.

2. Context

“I heard this one from a friend when we were walking around the campus, actually not too long ago, probably a few months ago. They basically just said that both of their parents went here and they told them about this tradition on this bench but apparently, it can also be applied to friendships and if you hug on it you’re supposed to have good luck in your friendship too. I don’t know, it’s kind of wholesome, I like it.”

3. Analysis

This is a myth, in that, it is not subject to literal truth, but rather rooted in a playful, social commentary. It is a fun, light-hearted tradition to engage informants with the university campus and create tradition in the environment. We talked in lecture about the role of folklore in formulating tradition and how it shares culture through storytelling across generations. The Kissing Bench feels like a myth that transcends generations in that it can be applied to various points of time, and it involves a long-standing object, making it more applicable to multiple people.

Dream about Grandfather before Passing

Age: 59

Folklore: “Two nights before my grandfather died, I had a dream about him sitting on my bed and he was saying goodbye to me. It was a very real dream and he and I talked for a long time, although I don’t remember what about. He said that it was time for him to go. Two days later, my grandfather passed away. I got the message on my answering machine that he had died, but I already knew he was going to die because he and I had talked about it.”

Context: This story came from my mother, who experienced this when she was 21 years old in college. It felt real to her and her first dream where she was actually communicating with someone so it felt unfamiliar. She was in her dorm room and her grandfather was in Germany. 

Interpretation: This memorate reflects a common motif of the dead appearing to loved ones in dreams before or after their death. It feels more than just a coincidence because of the timing of the dream. It was both a supernatural experience where she connected with someone far away and personal closure as she was away from her grandfather. This is her own personal experience that validates a greater folk belief.

Man on the Moon

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Waitress
Residence: Glendale, AZ
Language: English

“when i was younger my dad told me when he was in a really bad place he saw this man in the moon and he basically told my dad to keep going and just a bunch of advice so i’ve always kind of believe in a ‘man on the moon’

he always just looked to the sky and thought that was where we ended up when we passed, i think the man in the moon thing kind of goes with the fact he thought each star had a family of souls and when u passed u’d be with your family in the stars again. he just had really nice outlooks on the afterlife, he grew up Christian but i think he created his own beliefs as we all do in life”

Context: As far as the informant knew, her dad had always seen the man on the moon. He would tell her about the man all throughout her life. She had been extremely close to her dad growing up, and he passed away when she was in 6th grade. 

Analysis: In many places around the world, there has been a myth or legend about the man of the moon. This is often attributed to the face-like patches on the moon called lunar maria. The informant’s dad seemed to have strong beliefs in the cosmos, always turning to the man on the moon during dark times. This belief might have been passed down through his family, stemming from traditional beliefs present prior to Christianity. Solar cosmology was highly prevalent all around the world, and many people still follow these beliefs. The informant keeps this myth alive now in honor of her dad, so she will always be reminded of him by just looking up to the night sky.