Category Archives: Myths

Sacred narratives

Navajo folklore

Text:

Interviewee: “The family I was with (on a service trip to Arizona) owned around 8,000 acres of land. They told me that about 200 years ago, their ancestor, who was Navajo, helped the U.S. government locate other tribes. In return, the government gave their family that land, and they’ve been living on it ever since.

When I was on the mountain with them, they told me about this snake god that protects the land. The mountain we were on in Arizona had many small gemstones on it. They said that if you try to take anything from the mountain, you’ll be cursed for generations.

They also talked about Wendigos in the wooded areas of their property. From what I understood, they described them as people who were cursed or did something terrible, and after death, they transform into these beings that hunt or harm others.

They also explained that the land had been occupied by different tribes over time, including the Anasazi and the Hopi, before their Navajo lineage. There were stories about caves in the mountains that had been used by earlier groups.

On the reservation, there was also a lot of talk about aliens. We visited a national park with ancient drawings on the walls, which were said to represent a creation myth from the Anasazi, but many people today interpret those images as aliens.”

Context:

The interviewee is a white male aged 18. He was on a school service trip to Arizona, where he spent time with families residing in the area.

This narrative comes from an experience of visiting a reservation. The interviewee is recounting stories, beliefs, and historical explanations shared directly by the people living on the land. These include spiritual beliefs (snake god, Wendigos), historical memory (land ownership and tribal succession), and interpretations of ancient sites (cave dwellings and rock art).

Analysis:

The snake god and curse function as a protective legend tied to the land, discouraging people from taking from it. The Wendigo represents a moral warning figure, reflecting fears of greed, violence, and transformation, which reinforces social norms.

The references to different tribes, such as the Hopi, as well as stories about caves and past inhabitants, show how folklore is tied to the historical landscape. The interpretation of ancient rock art as aliens reflects a modern reinterpretation of traditional symbols.

Bloody Mary

Age: 22

Text:
As a younger sibling, my sister would always do things to try and scare me. But the one thing that I knew that she didn’t, as a mere four-year-old, was Bloody Mary. What you do is you go into one bathroom, and you spin someone around in the dark eight times, saying, “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.” Then you turn the lights on for a quick second so you can see the reflection of Bloody Mary in the mirror. I did it to my sister, and she screamed. She ran out of the bathroom while the lights were flickering on and off, and then you keep flicking them on and off. Then they believe that the Bloody Mary is actually trying to scare them.”

Context:
A boy from Kansas City, Missouri discussing how to scare people with the Bloody Mary legend that he learned at school.

Analysis:
He used a folkloric myth/legend/ghost story that he learned through his classmates to scare and prank his sister into thinking there was a demon ghost woman with a bloody face in their bathroom. You start by doing a ritual (turning the lights off, closing eyes, and spinning three times), making the person disoriented and confused when the light starts flickering. Children often see a woman because they are so scared and imagine it even though she’s not actually there.

Santa Claus

Age: 22

Text:
“I started to really believe in Santa Claus, and I was very adamant about finding him when he came down my chimney. So I brought out my sleeping bag and put it under the tree and tried sleeping the night under my Christmas tree. My parents got really mad at me and told me that he wouldn’t come if I did that. So I reluctantly went back into my room, and just before I fell asleep, I heard a clomping on the shingles of my roof. To this day, I will never forget the sound of the hoofs, and knowing that Santa was about to come down my chimney. I had so many butterflies.”

Context:
A girl from Phoenix discussing a core childhood Christmas memory that she knows is fake but swears is real.

Analysis:
This is a demonstration of myths serving to keep children well behaved. She believed in Santa and wanted to see him so badly in real life, so she brought her sleeping bag under the tree. Since this is a naughty act, what Santa Claus monitors, her parents were able to use that as a ploy to get her to sleep in her bedroom, saying that he would not come at all if she did not sleep in her room. This served to keep the Christmas magic alive and also to maintain good behavior. I wonder what caused the “hooves on the roof” noise.

Catholic School Christmas Tradition

Age: 22

Text:
“When I was in grade school, I went to a Catholic School, so they taught us about the history and the tradition of Saint Nicholas. Around Christmas time, we would all have a set time where we would put our shoes outside, and then we’d have classes normal. All of a sudden, the teacher would say, ‘Oh! Saint Nicholas was just here. He left you guys gifts.’ We’d go back to the hallway, and our shoes would be filled with candy and gifts.

Context:
A boy from Kansas City, Missouri discussing a Christmas tradition/legend he experienced in his Catholic elementary school, celebrating the holiday through Saint Nicholas.

Analysis:
It is interesting to see that rather than discussing Santa Claus, the more commercial version, the Catholic school was pushing forward Saint Nicholas. It also reminds me of a holiday/tradition that I used to celebrate (a Latina girl from LA), called Dia de Los Reyes Magos, otherwise known as The Three Kings Day, which is celebrated on January 6th, commemorating their long journey to baby Jesus. You place your shoes outside, overnight, and the Kings fill them with candy and gifts. Christmas is typically celebrated with family, so this Catholic school adapted and combined the tradition of Santa bringing gifts and The Three Kings filling shoes with gifts to create a new Christmas tradition each year at this Catholic school.

Adam’s first wife.

Main Text:
Myth: Lilith Adam’s first Wife

Background on Informant:
My informant is my younger brother he is 26 and is a college graduate from UC Davis who is currently working as a longshoreman. He has a close friend who is Jewish, and his friend told my brother about the Kabbalah, a book about Jewish folklore and mysticism. He told him that Adam had a wife before Eve, my brother then shared that story with me. I found it especially interesting because it presents a slightly different version of events than the traditional Christian narrative.

Text:
Interviewer: Tell me the story of Adam’s first wife

Informant: Yeah, Lilith. She’s supposed to be Adam’s first wife before Eve. So God made Adam out of dust, right, like from the dust you are born and to the dust you shall return
Interviewer: yeah

Informant: ok well we were always taught that Eve was created from Adam’s rib, right? Not from the same dust that Adam was created from, have you ever wondered why?
Interviewer: Why?

Informant: Because, God made Adam’s first wife from the same dust as Adam and so she saw herself as equal to Adam, like she refused to be subservient, this is made obvious to Adam when they were having sex, she was on top of him and he said, “what are you doing on top of me get below me” and she said with disdain, “I will never be below you”. Adam said to God that he did not like Lilith and he did not want her near him anymore, so then God is like bros before hoes and Lilith is kicked out from the Garden of Eden.

Interviewer: for clarification, God didn’t say bros before hoes, right, because I have to record what you say.

Informant: haha, No, he just like told her to leave the garden and she does then becomes a powerful demon. Meanwhile God makes Adam a new wife from his rib so she would be like him and love him more and be subservient.

Interviewer: How does she become a demon?

Informant: I don’t know, I don’t think it says how? but some say if you live a life too corrupt you become a demon and serve the evil that damned you in the after life.

Interviewer: What where did you hear that.

Informant: online.

Interviewer: so unrelated to this story ok, So what do you think this story is trying to say?

Informant: Honestly, I think it’s a control tactic. Like, its always been male dominated world and if you have a story like this in the very beginning you know, Lilith didn’t want to be beneath Adam, she wanted equality and that caused the whole problem. It kind of shows how her way of thinking, like feminism, autonomy and whatever is being portrayed as like divergent or problematic and it makes sense if you’re trying to manipulate and control people. Its all about who controls the narrative.

Interviewer: So you don’t think it actually happened?

Informant: Are you serious right now? No, I don’t but it is pretty interesting.

Analysis:
This myth deals with religious beliefs and ideologies from Christianity, Islam and Judaism but with a twist. The story of Lilith tells a different story about women, offering a more subjective explanation for gender roles. It reinforces the idea belief is social, and not fixed, since some people believe these stories, while others see them as symbolic representations of the expectations from man . The story also shows how folklore is passed between different groups, since the story is primarily Jewish tradition but is being shared through conversation. This story shows how myths can reflect cultural values like the desire for subservient women within Christianity Judaism and Islam, challenge existing beliefs by offering an alternative story or a prequel, and continue to spread through informal transmission such as word of mouth.