Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

Contemporary Legend – American

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Houston, TX
Performance Date: April 22, 2007
Primary Language: English

In Disney’s Aladdin, Aladdin says “good teenagers, take off your clothes” while visiting

Jasmine on his magic carpet.

I heard this urban legend at the age of eleven in my fifth grade French class.  While we were watching Aladdin in French, my friend turned to me and told me this urban legend.  However, she told me you could only hear Aladdin say it if the volume is turned all the way up; when the time came for Aladdin to say “good teenagers, take off your clothes,” I could not hear it because our class was listening to the movie at a normal volume level.  I have heard this urban legend from several other people; however, I cannot remember when or where.

I have heard other urban legends that suggest Disney has put sexual references into several of their children’s movies.  I believe that it is possible for Disney to have sexual references in their movies; certain employees may find it entertaining to sexual subliminal messages in children’s movies.

Recently, I researched this urban legend on the Internet to see whether or not it is true. According to the Urban Legend Reference Pages, this urban legend is false.  Disney claims that the real script at this part of the movie is “C’mon, good kitty. Take off and go.”

Contemporary Legend – American

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Marcos, TX
Performance Date: April 23, 2007
Primary Language: English

“So my friend was babysitting for this family for the first time.  She called the parents to ask if she could watch TV and they said that after she put the children down for bed, she could watch TV in their bedroom since the TV downstairs did not have cable.  She asked them if she could put a sheet or something over the clown statue in their room because she was afraid of clowns.  The parents then told her to take the kids and get out of the house immediately; they would call the police.  My friend did what they said and as soon as the parents got home, they told her that they did not own a clown statue and that it must have been someone dressed up as a clown.”

My informant heard this urban legend from a friend around the age of twelve or thirteen from a friend of hers in Houston, Texas.  She found this urban legend particularly frightening because she and her friend both babysit.

My informant says this urban legend is mostly told to teenage girls who babysit as a job or who babysit to earn extra money.  It is scary for these girls because many already feel uncomfortable being alone in a strange house with children as their responsibility.

After researching this urban legend on the Internet, there are several websites that tell of the same urban legend.  I do not believe this urban legend actually happened to my informant’s friend; I believe she told it from a first person perspective to make it scarier.  Since she tells the urban legend as something that happened to her, it makes the legend seem more like reality.  It is just like saying “If it happened to me, it could happen to you.”

Legend – Vietnamese

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 58
Occupation: Mother
Residence: Downey, CA
Performance Date: March 10, 2007
Primary Language: Vietnamese

The Legend of Hai Ba Trung

The Legend of Hai Ba Trung refers to the Trung sisters.  Around 111 B.C. the Chinese annexed Vietnam.  The Chinese sent officials to govern the province of Vietnam.  The Vietnamese were not allowed to keep their own system of government.  In 39 A.D., the Chinese governor of Chiao Chi wanted to scare some of the Vietnamese landlords by assassinating one of them.  The man who was assassinated was the husband of Trung Trac.  She was very well educated and strong minded.  She also was very familiar with the military arts.  She called her sister, Trung Nhi, and together they formed an army with the help of other lords.  This was the first Vietnamese revolt.

My informant first heard this legend when she was a child.  She heard it from her parents when she was around the age of 8.  She heard it from her father, who was telling all her brothers and sisters some war stories in Vietnam’s history.  Vietnam was annexed by China for many years and this legend is so popular because not only was it the first legend of Vietnamese people fighting for their freedom against China but because it was two women who first started the rebellion.  My informant’s father told his children this story to remind his children of Vietnam’s past and what the country of Vietnam has been through.  My informant’s father told his children this legend to teach them to be grateful for those who fought for Vietnam’s freedom.  If it was not for the many historical heroes who fought against the Chinese, Vietnam would still be under the powers of China.

The Trung sisters are now celebrated today as Vietnamese heroes.  There are many statues and shrines that are dedicated to them in Vietnam.  The revolt of the Trung sisters is one of the most celebrated in Vietnamese history.  It is the most celebrated because the victory of the Trung sisters secured independence from China for the first time in a century and a half.  However, their victory was cut short when in 43 A.D. the Chinese returned to retake Vietnam.  Instead of being captured by the Chinese, the sisters drowned themselves in the Hat-Giang River on the 60th day of the second lunar eclipse.  Every year, a festival is held in honor of the Trung sisters.  The festival is held on the 15th day of the first lunar month.  The festival is held every year to remind the Vietnamese culture who these women were and what they did for the country of Vietnam.  They fought for what they believed in and this legend helps teach Vietnamese people to fight for what is right.  This legend is meant to help people have faith in themselves and give people motivation to fight for what they believe in.

Legend – Vietnamese

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 60
Occupation: Father
Residence: Downey, CA
Performance Date: April 15, 2007
Primary Language: Vietnamese

informant’s parents would usually tell their children a story, fairy tale, or legend.  On one of those occasions, my informant’s parents told him the legend of King Le Lot’s Sacred Sword.  My informant also heard this legend while in grade school from his teacher.  Most people in Vietnam use this legend to tell the story of the capital.  In the Vietnamese culture, many stories and legends are used to teach children and students the history of Vietnam.

Many Vietnamese legends use animals to represent gods.  In this legend a turtle represents the lake’s god.  Compared to other culture’s legends and myths, like Greek legends, gods are represented with humans.  For example, in Greek mythology, Poseidon is the god of the water.  He controls the way the water moves.  In this Vietnamese legend, a turtle replaces Poseidon.  The turtle controls the way the water moves and flows.

Many cultures as well as Vietnamese culture use legends or stories to teach how capitals of countries arose or even how the country came to be.  American culture uses stories of historical to teach people how this nation came to be.  Many stories of our founding fathers are told continually throughout people’s lives.

Legend – Vietnamese

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 60
Occupation: Father
Residence: Downey, CA
Performance Date: March 10, 2007
Primary Language: Vietnamese

people in Vietnam could not understand why it rained so much.  Therefore, this legendary story was invented to help people understand the weather of Vietnam.

As my informant was growing up, my informant believed that the reason why it rained so much in his hometown was because the Water spirit and the Mountain spirit were always fighting.  This legend is mainly told to children to help them understand the fickle weather in Vietnam.  As my informant grew up, he realized this legend was not true and stopped believing it.  However, when younger children especially nieces and nephews ask about why it rains, my informant always tells them this legend.