Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

La Difunta Correa

Context:

J first heard about this from her Honduran brother-in-law that spoke about it during a get together. She enjoys talking about the legend because she believes it would bring others good.

The context of this piece was over a work shift when a song named “La Difunta” come over the music playlist.

Text:

J:” Wait what’s the name of this song? It sounds like I know it”

Me: “Uh its called ‘La Difunta,’ my boyfriend showed me it since hes into these types of songs”

J: “You know there’s a legend with that name, but its called La Difunta Correa. My brother-in-law told me about it the other day. I guess it’s a legend he had heard but it’s like a sad story. You sure you want to hear it? “

Me “Yeah I don’t mind”

J: “ So there was a lady called Correa, that’s her last name but I don’t remember her actual name. It was like Tiodolinda or something linda. But anyways she lived with her husband and their little baby son but one day her husband was forced to be a soldier. Correa was like so young and pretty and so once her husband left she was like so vulnerable. So she ends up following the way her husband had left and she even took her small little baby with her. After walking for like so long int the desert she ended up sitting next to some random tree. The thing is she never gets up! She died there. 
 Me: And what happened to the son?

J: He was still alive and was found by some people. But this is why she became like a really big legend, few years after she died, a farmer lost his cattle right where she had died and asked her for help and the very next day he got all of them back. So, people basically like think it was her answering his cries for help so now people like call to her when they need something. I thought that was pretty cool to hear”

Analysis:

I found this interview really interesting just because this lore itself was based upon an actual person. After doing some research, I discovered that it was created after a Deolinda Correa and that she actually lived in Argentina and passed away during the mid-1800s. This was especially interesting just because I got to hear and see how the lore was formed after an actual person and how it spread to different countries and regions with time. I also found it really interesting that it’s connected with folk Catholicism because people dub her a popular saint for the needy, so I thought it interesting to see how lower and religion connected in this sort of aspect.

En el Muelles de San Blas- Folk song by Mana

Context:

A is a Mexican immigrant from the state of Nayarit. They heard of this legend when they lived in the city of Tepic, which was about an hour away from where the legend takes place. San Blas is a well-know beach and was frequently visited by A.

The context of this piece was over a dinner when we were discussing future plans to visit Nayarit, specifically which beaches we were going to. A mentioned the legend and showed me the song.

Text:

Uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh

Ella despidió a su amor
El partió en un barco en el muelle de San Blas
El juró que volvería
Y empapada en llanto, ella juró que esperaría

Miles de lunas pasaron
Y siempre ella estaba en el muelle, esperando
Muchas tardes se anidaron
Se anidaron en su pelo y en sus labios

Uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh

Uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh

Llevaba el mismo vestido
Y por si él volviera, no se fuera a equivocar
Los cangrejos le mordían
Su ropaje, su tristeza y su ilusión

Y el tiempo se escurrió
Y sus ojos se le llenaron de amaneceres
Y del mar se enamoró
Y su cuerpo se enraizó en el muelle

, sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con su amor el mar
(Sola), en el muelle de San Blas

Su cabello se blanqueó
Pero ningún barco a su amor le devolvía
Y en el pueblo le decían
Le decían la loca del muelle de San Blas

Y una tarde de abril
La intentaron trasladar al manicomio
Nadie la pudo arrancar
Y del mar nunca jamás la separaron

, sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con su amor el mar
(Sola), en el muelle de San Blas

, sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con el sol y el mar
(Sola), ¡Oh, sola!

Sola en el olvido
(Sola), sola con su espíritu
(Sola), sola con su amor el mar
(Sola), en el muelle de San Blas

Se quedó
Se quedó sola, sola
Se quedó
Se quedó con el sol y con el mar

Se quedó ahí
Se quedó hasta el fin
Se quedó ahí
Se quedó en el muelle de San Blas

Uoh, oh-oh-oh

Sola, sola se quedó
Uoh, oh-oh-oh

// Translation:

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh

She said goodbye to her love

He left on a boat at the pier in San Blas

He swore he’d come back

And drenched in tears, she swore she’d wait

Thousands of moons passed

And always she stood on the dock, waiting

Many afternoons nested

They nested in her hair and on her lips

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh, uh-uh

She wore the same dress

And just in case he came back, he wouldn’t be wrong

The crabs were biting him

Her clothes, her sadness and her illusion

And time slipped away

And her eyes were filled with sunrises

And she fell in love with the sea

And her body took root on the pier

Alone in oblivion

(Alone), alone with her spirit

(Alone), alone with her love for the sea

(Alone), alone on the pier of San Blas

Her hair bleached white

But no ship to her love returned to her

And in the town they called her

They called her the madwoman of the pier of San Blas

And one April afternoon

They tried to transfer her to the asylum

No one could tear her away

And from the sea they never ever separated her

Alone in oblivion

(Alone), alone with her spirit

(Alone), alone with her love for the sea

(Alone), on the pier of San Blas

alone in oblivion

(Alone), alone with her spirit

(Alone), alone with the sun and the sea

(Alone), Oh, alone!

Alone in oblivion

(Alone), alone with her spirit

(Alone), alone with her love the sea

(Alone), on the pier of San Blas

She stayed

She stayed alone, alone

She stayed

She stayed with the sun and the sea

She stayed there

She stayed until the end

She stayed there

He stayed on the pier of San Blas

Uoh, oh-oh-oh-oh

Alone, alone she stayed

Uoh, oh-oh-oh

Analysis:

This text describes the legend of the crazed woman of San Blas. This song was made by the well-known Mexican rock band Mana and is around the folklore of the madwoman of the pier of San Blas. It was said that she was a young and beautiful woman that had fallen in love with a young sailor, possibly a fisherman. The two fell madly in love but their time together was brief as he left once his work was done in Nayarit. His departure was set to be from the shores of San Blas, a popular beach in Nayarit.  Before leaving, he promised he would come back for her and marry her. As the song says, she stood there for a thousand nights and spent the entirety of her life waiting for him to come back. The legend says that the overwhelming feels of sadness, nostalgia, and desperation drove her into madness. It was said that in her state of madness, she began to head to the pier in a wedding gown with a veil and bouquet to wait for her groom to return to her. I found this song especially interesting as it was able to turn a somewhat niche local lore and publicize to the masses. I enjoyed how the band was able to transform the lore into a musical piece that captured the lore’s essence.

Bill Clinton and the Nine Horse Mountain

Informant (N) is a 53 y/o Chinese woman who is a first-generation immigrant to the US and has lived in the US for around 23 years.

I: Can you tell me about the story about 九马画山 (jiu ma huà shān) we heard by the tour guide when we visited Guilin?

N: (trans.) The Nine Horse Mountain’s rock face has a lot of plants and colors, which is why it’s known as 画山. Legend has it that on this mountain you can “see” nine horses on the rock face, and it’s said that the more horses you can see, the farther that person will go in terms of accomplishments. When President Bill Clinton visited Guilin, he was very excited to see the mountain, but when he got there he wasn’t able to see a single horse, which is saying he’s not very bright.

九马画山的石壁不是有各种植物，颜色啊，所以就称为画山。在这座石壁上呢，传说是能看出九匹马，看得越多人就走的越远，也说越成就。说是Bill Clinton去桂林旅游的时候，他很期待去看这座山，但一到的时候一匹马都看不出，就说他很笨。

I: Why is it that he’s not very bright?

N: (trans.) You can at least see one horse in the mountain, but he couldn’t even see one. But of course, seeing horses is really just saying the person has a vivid imagination.

这因为多少可以看到一匹马的，但他一匹也看不到。当然，能看得出马也只是证明你这个人很有想象力的。

Context:

This conversation took place over the phone. The original performance of this folklore was given by a tour guide while on a boat on the [] River.

Analysis:

The story my informant tells me is a legend, a narrative that is based in the real world but isn’t necessarily factual—both Bill Clinton and the mountain exist, but the number of horses he saw is highly debated. This legend also acts as a subtle dig towards Clinton, which, given the fact that the original performance was in Chinese and given by someone Chinese, makes reasonable sense. Placing a person of importance in such a location also gives the location a heightened sense of fame, making it more alluring to international tourists and participate in the legend (counting the horses on the rock face), which is how belief in this legend also continues.

Why Conductors Use Batons

Background:

Informant (M) is a student at USC who plays the trumpet.

Main Piece:

M: So the way that conductors used to conduct was like with a big stick, and they used to bang it against the ground to conduct, literally, like for the beats, and someone hit the stick, and it hit his foot, and contracted like, a disease and died from it—

I: Like tetanus?

M: It was probably tetanus, and yeah they stopped doing that.

I: So I guess that’s why they wave it now?

M: I guess, yeah, I think so.

Context:

“That’s also I think something I recall from a story told by my conductor…”

I asked my informant whether she knew of any composer-related folklore, which she couldn’t think of, but did know about this story.

Analysis:

This folk narrative gives explanation as to why a baton, perhaps the most symbolic object tied to conductors, is used in conducting, which is an essential part of any orchestra. As a legend, it is very much based in the real world, with the exact specifics of who this conductor is and what disease they contracted remaining as unknowns. As a simple narrative, this story has been passed down to my informant orally, and the conductor that told my informant this story most likely had a different performance. Since the story deals with conducting, it makes sense that my informant heard it from a conductor. While this story probably isn’t the singular reason why conductors now use batons, the aspect of death would be enough to convince people it is, or at least a primary reason why.

Eli Broad and Living Forever

Background:

Informant (L) is a neuroscience major at USC double-majoring in art history.

L: This is a folk tale that’s very important to me, um, that I am convinced of is a fact. So, let me set the scene. I used to volunteer at a neuroscience research laboratory that was in one of the two newest buildings at the USC Health Science Campus. Um, and those two buildings are: the Zilka Neurogenic Institute and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine. Now, Eli Broad, for the unfamiliar, large, like real estate insurance magnate in California, billionaire billionaire, who just passed away in like, April of last year, I think. And so, is there like any more stereotypical, like on his deathbed, billionaire thing, to like write a giant grant for, then for like a fucking STEM cell research, like make-me-live-forever research institute, right? So I’m convinced that when like Broad wrote that grant, there were strings attached. It was not just to build the building. Like there is definitely a couple of USC doctors that are taking care of the body. And here’s the scene: If you go to Grand Ave., to downtown LA, which is like, Broad’s whole mission, was to like make that area upscale, which it is now, you can go to the Broad Museum, which is where his whole collection is. And part of the appeal of it is that you take this miniscule elevator that goes up from the ground floor to the top floor, and you can see through this little window, the large middle one, the large middle floor, which is where they keep all the art that’s in storage, under temperature and humidity control. Now how convenient to have all that temperature and humidity control technology laying around with a reason for it to be there? Is it possible that maybe hidden between all the sculptures, there’s a little case with the cryogenically-frozen head of Eli Broad? Is it possible that this museum is actually a pyramid to this dead man where they keep his corpse and there’s a little live-feed at the end? A video camera or two, sensors, and you got people in the regenerative center that are monitoring that feed and doing their research and just waiting for the day where they can bring the man back?

I: So like the Walt Disney thing?

L: Completely!

Context:

Informant was discussing a tale that he claims is true and intends to spread it to as many people as he can.

Analysis:

Fascinations with the mystery surrounding the elite upper echelons of society have been deeply embedded into our culture thanks to media and entertainment news. My informant tells a story about Eli Broad and his supposedly cryogenically-frozen state (which I relate back to Walt Disney). This conspiracy theory is somewhat similar to a memorate, taking observed experiences (the Regenerative Medicine Center, the Broad Museum, and the fact that Broad was extremely rich) and relating it to a traditional narrative belief system (cryogenic state and moderation of Broad). While this tale may be utterly false, my informant’s delivery of the story is particularly interesting—it first uses personal relation to the topic as ethos, then pieces together information in such a way to prove his point, then ends on rhetorical questions to his audience. Such a performance moves the audience emotionally to potentially believe in this theory. In general, the concept of living forever is also a point of fascination to humans, with objects like the Philosopher’s Stone supposedly being able to bring about eternal life. Such a fantastical element is also a compelling point of the narrative.