Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

Robin Hood – Legend/Tale

Context: The informant, AQ, shares their experience with hearing the legend of Robin Hood and how it has impacted them personally and how it has helped them practice their Islamic beliefs.

Text: Robin Hood – Legend/Tale

Interview: The one legend that I can think of growing up is the legend of Robin Hood and what he did for the people of his community and what he stood for. From what I can remember, the legend was told to me in elementary and it consisted of an archer who fought against the wrongdoings of wealthy people by stealing from them and giving back to the less fortunate. Despite my little knowledge of the legend, I did take a lot from the story growing up as I was also less fortunate compared to others. Hearing how Robin Hood dedicated himself to giving back to those who didn’t have much, I learned how to be appreciative of what I did have and to give back when I had the chance. The legend inspired me to develop my cultural identity and practice what I learned by being consistent with what I wanted to do to help others and to spread the word about why giving back is necessary and helpful to not only the individual but the also community. Along with practicing zakat and sadaqa, Islamic practices that remind one to always give back to the less fortunate.

Analysis: The informant, AQ, shares their connection with the story of Robin Hood and how the story has impacted them to do better for their community and to spread the awareness of giving back to others. AQ took the story of Robin Hood and put it into practice, helping develop and become closer to zakat “Obligatory charity” and sadaqa “voluntary charity.” This relates closely to the beliefs of Ethiopian culture that Dignity matters more than wealth. The story of Robin Hood has helped AQ get closer to cultural practices and has pushed him one step closer to a connection with Islamic teachings.

Nightwalkers – Legend

Text: Throughout Kenyan villages there are legends of nightwalkers causing turmoil throughout the night. These nightwalkers are believed to be ordinary people who become possessed by spirits or spirits of people who have passed. The nightwalkers typically try to scare people by making noises and throwing objects.

Context: “I heard about nightwalkers when I was still a kid living in Kenya. The kids in my village would tell stories of nightwalkers yelling in the night. I remember my sister would joke and say she’d throw me to the nightwalkers if I was bad.”

Analysis: The legend of the nightwalkers is similar to the western belief in ghosts. It’s likely that the nightwalkers are an explanation for people attempting to play pranks or acting strangely. Despite this the nightwalkers may have some legitimacy as ghosts and possession are seen throughout various cultures and folklore. Regardless of if the legend is true the nightwalkers serve their purpose of providing an interesting story and a ward from children playing at night.

The Ghost of Camp Daner – Legend

Text: Long ago there were a group of campers who wanted to take a swim late at night. The campers decided to dive in fully clothed as a test of courage. But when they jumped in and tried to climb out a ghostly hand had grabbed their legs. Before any of the campers were able to escape they were pulled in and drowned. They say to this day the ghost still lingers in camp waiting to drown unsuspecting campers.

Context: “I heard this story during summer camp in New Jersey when I was maybe 10. All of us were sitting around the fire telling scary stories and one of the campers who had been there before told this story.”

Analysis: This legend seems to be your typical ghost story used to scare young camp visitors. Telling ghosts stories is an intriguing folk tradition that has continued for quite some time. It is also special in the fact telling ghost stories is a folk tradition in a variety of cultures and regions. Ghost stories serve as a means for people to bound and share emotions even if it is fear.

Summoning a Plymouth Colonist Ghost through Song (Legend, Memorate)

Text

Collector: “Do you have any experiences with ghosts in your childhood?”

Informant: “Yeah, I was probably about 10 or 12 years old. I was in a town called Duxbury Massachusetts, which is right outside of Plymouth. In Duxbury, there is a little memorial park [for] one of the founding colonists on the Mayflower named Myles Standish he was a military general of Plymouth Colony. The cellar hole where his house used to stand, you can kinda walk down this cliff face to this beach. I was kickin’ it there with my buddies, swimming [in the water] and such, and the sun started to set. A friend of mine started telling this freaky ghost story he had heard on the internet. It was like a song that was starting to haunt people. He got the the end of the story and then started playing the song. The sun sets, it’s dusk, we look up at the cliff face and there’s this like dark pilgrim-looking figure standing up there and we started freaking out. We all saw it. It looked like someone was standing at the top of the cliff. So we [run] up the stairs and get to our bikes, we start peddling down the streets. That’s my ghost story.”

Context

The Informant is a 21-year-old male college student who grew up in Boston Massachusetts. As a child, he would visit Plymouth to see family and frequently heard legends about the land, its bloody history, and spirits who came back to haunt it. The informant’s friends summoned a colonist spirit by playing a song. 

Analysis

The Informant’s story is an example of a memorate because this spiritual encounter was a first-hand experience. The Friend’s “freaky ghost story” about a song was a legend that the group then decided to test. What intrigued me about the story was where the test took place. There was a memorial site on the land for a brutal colonist military general, Myles Standish. The English general was infamous for the ruthless slaughter of Neponset Band Natives in The Massacre at Wessagusset. Standish lured Natives into a small building where he stabbed and hung them. The general even (my Informant shared this with me during a different conversation) stuck a well-respected Neponset Band Warrior’s head on a pike to scare the Natives. The dead bodies did not get a proper “send-off” into the afterlife. According to our class lecture, some cultures believe that the absence of a ritual or funeral ceremony for the dead means spirits cannot transition into the afterlife. Instead, the spirits are condemned to haunting the land where they died. Plymouth is not only haunted by spirits but by its history. The story of Myles Standish delegitimizes the land and calls into question rightful ownership. This supports Professor Thompson’s commentary on why Americans do not encourage or embrace the practice of folklore. 

Miracle During Birth and Visit from an Angel (Memorate)

Text

Informant (talking to daughter): “When you were born, they took you away to check you. They did a scan and they said there were calcifications in your brain. I was really sad and really worried, plus you were premature— you were born early— so you were really tiny, you needed oxygen and all different things. But anyway, when I was in my bed in the hospital, I was crying because I was just sad and I had been worried about you and I was sleeping. In the middle of the night, I felt a smooth whisper of wind go across the side of my left cheek and a Voice said, “Trust and believe.” It woke me up out of my sleep and I was like, ‘Oh my god, oh my god,’ so I rang for the nurse and I said ‘Was somebody here in my room?’ The nurse said ‘No, nobody came into your room we’ve been sitting out here.’ And I said, ’But I heard somebody I heard a voice, I felt them.’ The nurse said this was the cancer ward prior and you’re not the first person who has felt things on this floor. So somebody was there and somebody wanted me to be okay. The next day, they took you in for scans again and the calcifications were gone.”

Context

The Informant is a 48-year-old Black-American woman who is having a conversation with her daughter about the girl’s birth. This story is from the Informant’s personal experience. Informant believes this was an interaction with an angel, rather than a “ghost” or “spirit.”

Analysis

Similar to other memorates I collected, this spiritual experience took place when the Informant was sleeping. The dream space seems to be a common realm for spiritual contact and connection. The Informant’s experience also took place during a significant life event (birth) and time of uncertainty (medical complication). During emotional turmoil, the words “trust and believe” communicate faith and signify guidance. This may be a reason why the Informant classifies the Voice as an “angel” rather than a “ghost “or “spirit.” The reversal of fortune shortly after, when the baby’s medical complications magically resolve, could be another reason why the Informant perceives this as a divine interaction.