Category Archives: Narrative

Legend of Flight MH370

Text: Below is a performance about a Legend of Flight MH370:

Interviewer: So what conspiracy theories have you heard or do you believe?

Interviewee: This is not one that I believe, because, I think there is no definite conclusion on what happened, but, for sure one I’m interested in, like, the disappearance of flight MH370, an airplane that took off in, like, Singapore, or something like that, and, like, rerouted and no ones knows where it’s been, no one can find out any materials of its crash, or anything, and it’s, like, really fascinating because that points to so many other conspiracies, like aliens, or other life on Earth, or whatever it is, like, for a flight to completely lose contact, and, like, for no one to be able to find the people in it, or find the remains of it, is very scary, very interesting, given that it hasn’t been solved yet. It’s, like, a conspiracy theory that really interests me, and, I mean, I sometimes want to, like, try to think on my own, like, what could have happened?

Interviewer: Do you have any, like, belief of what’s possible, of what could’ve happened, any theories?

Interviewee: I feel like, definitely, it was not related to aliens. I think it was probably, like, an inside job, or something, by like, you know, I don’t know who I might’ve been because, like, a lot of those controls that you have to turn off for it to get off the radar, are stuff you can only do from the cockpit, so, like maybe, along those lines, but, it for sure probably crashed somewhere where it’s going to be really hard to find, and they probably crashed there because it’s hard to find, and, in general, I think, like. barely anything of the ocean has been explored, so given that, it’s probably somewhere in the ocean.

Context:

This question was asked to a fellow USC Forms of Folklore student after a class discussion.
This interviewed student grew up in America and is from a Southern Indian immigrant family.

Analysis:

This example illustrates how mystery naturally leads to the creation of folk narratives. Because there was no definitive, full explanation of the crash, multiplicity and variation arises as everyday people try to gain understanding about the flight. We also are able to see how folk narratives overlap each other, as bearers of this legend about the flight use other folk beliefs, like aliens, to make sense of the disappearance.

Haunted Film Camera

Interviewer: “Tell me more about this haunted film camera”

TN: “Ok so basically I heard this story of this girls creepy experience with a film camera. She allegedly bought the camera from an estate sale for like 20 bucks because it was a dead guys camera. When she was on vacation she took pictures on it. It was a really old like vintage film camera where you have to get it developed.”

TN: “When she got it developed they shipped the photos to her house and in the package with her pictures was like old photos from the guy who died. Photos of him with family and like his kids, and some really blurry pictures it was really weird cause she didn’t know the camera was used.”

TN: “But the thing that was scary is that his face showed up in pictures she took of her and her parents. Like a shadow behind her in the pictures, and you could see his teeth and his eyes on a lot of the photos, like he was haunting her.”

Interviewer: “Wow thats really creepy, thank you for sharing!”

Context: The informant learned this story on a trip with friends. They all told ghost stories and tales at the fire at night, and this is one of the stories that was performed. The informant is aware that there is no verifiable truth to this story as it came from a friend of a friend of a friend, as is the nature of folklore. However, it has become a ritualistic practice for him where he tells the story whenever prompted, essentially acting as a mechanism for entertainment for audiences.

Analysis: This story is a classic example of contemporary legends or “urban legends” because it blends supernatural horror with relatability and modern technological mediums. This makes the story feel more modern and accessible because cameras are engrained in every aspect of daily life, making it feel visceral and contagious. The story also has “friend of a friend credibility” which isn’t completely valid, but the storytelling nature and the transmission of the story makes it folklore, regardless of its truth. The story essentially is a warning tale, cautioning listeners to not take from the dead, and to leave the past in the past.

New North Ghost

Interviewer: “So tell me more about this story, how did it start and become this huge legend?”

MA: Basically, I live in New North, and there’s always floods, or leaks, or water damage happening in the building. There’s this story where this girl died in the communal showers a long long time ago, and her ghost haunts peoples rooms. If your room gets a leak or water damage, she’s picked you to be her next victim.

Interviewer: Interesting, do a lot of people in your dorm believe this or is it more of a joke amongst residents”

MA: “Yea, honestly it’s a big deal and people get kind of freaked out going to the bathroom or showering late at night. My friends place had a leak and people have been teasing her about slipping and dying in the shower so she’s been extra careful”

Context: The informant first heard this story from her RA, and was told the entire dorm flooded the year before. She, and other residents her age tell this story for entertainment value, however some residents, including the one interviewed, believe the story enough to be wary and cautious when in the communal bathrooms.

Analysis: This is a classic ghost tale, however this could be employed from the RA’s to redirect attention from the water problems and convert it into folklore, as its transmission amongst residents is rapid and it seems to have grabbed their attention. This cautionary tale functions beyond a warning, it creates communitas between residents allowing them to bond over their shared belief, and the story evolves and changes the more exposure it gets, feeding more into the folklore.

Weaving Air – Muslin

Age: 25

Date Collected: 04/30/2026

Context:

My informant is a good friend of mine who immigrated from Bangladesh for his college education. He was telling me about the story of a legendary fabric from his hometown, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He told me when we were hanging out outside of the USC Fisher Museum of Art.

Text:

Me: Okay. So you were telling me a little bit about back home in Dhaka, that’s where the muslin fabric comes from. Right?

EJ: Yeah, thats where its from. There used to be like this whole area kind of like the Arts District in LA like a municipality where they would make this cotton fabric. It’s unique because it was so thin, they called the skill “weaving air” because it was so light and thin, and that’s like one of the things that we’re very proud of culturally. They used to be able to weave it so tight the thread counts were really high. You could fold it up into a matchbox.

Me: You told me earlier that they don’t make it the same anymore right? Can you talk a little more about that.

EJ: Yeah for sure.. I don’t know the whole story, but I just know that it originates from Bangladesh. Dhaka is exactly where it comes from. Dhaka used to be like a hub of culture and and money and then in about sometime in like whenever, the the English colonized it. They took the fabric for their royalty. The royalty and wealthy used to wear this in Bangladesh. The English took it and brought it back home and they cut off the hands of the weavers who would make this fabric.

Me: Jesus. Why do you think they’d do that?

EJ: I think they just didn’t want people who were wearing the same things as their royalty.

Me: Yeah, that sounds like the English hahaha. So there’s no more muslin makers in Dhaka.

EJ: No, not like that. The old ways were lost. After loosing their hands, they couldn’t make any anymore, so they retired and the art was lost.

Me: But, is it extinct?

EJ: No, there’s new places that make them still by hand. But it can’t fit into a matchbox and isn’t the same. They can’t do the same techniques.

Me: Do you have any in your family, or have you seen it before?

EJ: No, I don’t think we have any. But, I’ve been to weddings and they have it there.

Me: That sounds like a terrible thing to accidentally misplace. Oh also earlier you were also showing me that Instagram reel that was kind of showing appreciation for Bangladeshi culture, right? Like how it’s reflected in modern life and also in the future.

EJ: Yeah, yeah, that reel was kind of just talking about how the muslin was used on the first airplane that the Wright brothers flew, and also on the Artemis II, which is really cool.

Me: How do you feel about seeing part of your culture being used by other people? Is it like something that makes you happy or a little upset?

EJ: You know, it’s really cool to see Bangladeshi culture being represented, especially on huge moments in like this.

Me: Yeah, I can imagine there’s a lot of pride in that, cause I mean, this is essentially the future of humanity, and your culture is playing a huge role in that. Man might not have been able to fly or land on the moon if it weren’t for those weavers and your culture’s history.

EJ: Exactly.

Analysis:

I did a quick search to see what is true, and what might be more folklore from the story. From what I could tell, Dhaka is genuinely one of the most impressive textiles ever made. The Wright brothers did not use any Dhaka Muslin; they used an “Americanized” version that was derived from the impressive tradition. The muslin used on the Wright brothers’ plane was taken to the Moon by Neil Armstrong and later to Mars by the Ingenuity rover.

What might be more folkish is that the Wright brothers did not actually use Dhaka’s muslin. Also, the hand-cutting story is not historically verified, but that doesn’t mean it never happened. What is true is the major damage done to the Bangladeshi people as a result of the English colonists.

The history of muslin reflects the beauty and majesty of old Bangladesh. As my friend mentioned, it thrived culturally and economically. Then the English East India Company came and colonized the country. In the process, many fine folk arts were lost. The story of the cutting of hands might be true, but whether it is literal or not, the imagery is symbolic for what the English colonization of Bangladesh did to the Bengali people. The cutting of their hands represents the stripping of culture, practices, and traditions. The legend of cutting hands doesn’t have to be historically accurate to be insightful and meaningful. It is a way to deal with the loss of identity as well. Hands are essential for making a living; they hold our fingerprints and identity. When the English “cut off” their hands, they were cutting off the ability to live and continue as they had before.

My friend had pride in saying that you could fold a full muslin outfit into a matchbox size. The image is impressive and impossible, showing the value of the golden pre- colonial era. The pride in calling it “woven air” seems to stand in for the old ways as a whole. Traditions were lost; they weren’t all perfect, but they were irreplaceable and, most importantly, they were Bangladesh’s. The fact that no one has ever been able to accurately replicate the hand-woven artistry of Dhaka’s weavers once again communicates that something irreplaceable was lost when Bangladesh was colonized.

It’s an interesting choice in story to tell me. I had been asking him for examples of Bangladeshi culture, foods, festivals, stories, jokes, sayings, and more. From all of them, he told me this one, which is quite interesting. When he first told me, he made sure to mention the impact he learned from the Instagram reel. That THIS is his culture and it had an undeniable impact on human history. He didn’t have to explain what the muslin meant culturally, and I didn’t necessarily even need to understand. The story communicates Bangladeshi pride in a way that anyone can understand and appreciate.

Looking at the full arc is quite interesting too. We saw a folk art that was a people’s pride that got stolen by outsiders and used to dress their royalty. The creators were no longer able to make it, and the tradition seemed lost. But centuries later, it was brought into the limelight as part of humanity’s journey into space. The story reframes the tragedy and pain into a story of how Bangladesh made something that monumentally changed human history forever.

Big Larry the Uber Driver

Age: 22

Date Collected: 4/16/2026

Context:

My friend is a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is in a sorority up there, and we have known each other for about seven years now. Once, when I was up there visiting, she had told me about a legendary Uber driver that everyone in SLO tries to get when traveling to the bars. I asked her about it later over the phone.

Text:

In SLO, there’s one Uber driver, “Big Larry”, who became very popular with the students. My friend explained that he rose in popularity mainly because he was really funny, and his car had colorful lights, great speakers, and a karaoke for passengers to use. He is instantly recognizable with his huge cowboy hat, sunglasses at night in his “funny-looking minivan.” My friend said that “if you get an Uber with Big Larry, you have to take a pic.” Big Larry also makes and posts compilations of the riders with their consent on Instagram and TikTok. He’s “promoting his side hustle,” personal driving service. He does a great job branding his rides, and it has become a ritual for passengers to take a selfie with him. He also posts crazy AI videos of himself doing wild things to get people excited for big events like the Fourth of July, Spring break, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Big Larry typically works weekends, from what my friend explained, and typically around that time and location, drives around kids going or coming from parties. But he does drive during the day and on weekdays too. She believe that “riding in Big Larry’s Uber will guarantee a legendary night out.” They’ll take pics with him and post them on their Instagrams. My friend explained that some of her friends said they had very memorable nights out after riding in his Uber. Also, in her sorority, when someone is out having too good a time, they’re on “Big Larry’s wild ride.” The story gets passed around by students to the point where almost everyone who went to SLO knows Big Larry, and knows how lucky they are when his name pops up on the app.

But not everyone loves the legendary character Big Larry. My friend got to ride with him once, she said that the ride was kind of awkward. They hopped in and asked, “Are you big Larry? He was like yes, want a picture.” They didn’t really want one, because the vibes were off, but took one regardless because it’s what everyone else has done. That said, my friend said that she wouldn’t give him legend status; in fact, he’s kind of a creep-o in her mind based on the encounter and his demeanor. But I guess they do say, never meet your heroes.

Analysis:

From my understanding, Big Larry is something of a local legendary figure in SLO. He is something like a patron Saint of the nightlife and social scene in SLO. He is an omen of luck, and students are happy to see him as their rider. Students learn about his character from friends in casual conversation or on their Instagram. This reflects the traditional word of mouth and more recent digital spread of folklore. But Big Larry represents a new wave of folklore. What was interesting to me was how Big Larry uses Instagram and AI to further bolster his reputation and public image. For example, a recent St. Patrick’s Day post shows an AI video of Larry carrying a pot of gold, calling himself “The Big Shamrock”, and giving gifts to everybody. Big Larry is very much an active participant in forming his own legendary reputation in the neighborhood.

The legend functions as a way to unite the social scene in SLO. Friends can bond over their experiences with Big Larry, or just laugh about how silly his persona is. Either way, it helps people bond and creates a unique community of students who have a distinctly SLO identity. We have strange and unique Uber drivers in LA, and we had some when I went to Santa Barbara, but nothing like Big Larry. It also gives students a way to control the unexpected. They can’t pick their Uber driver, nor can they decide how fun their night out will be. But getting Big Larry is an omen that helps alleviate those anxieties and doubts. When they see him, they know they’ll have a great time, so just relax and enjoy.

Some might believe that the man really is magical, and you should buckle up for a great night when you take his wild ride. But my friend is more of a realist; she doesn’t think anyone else can make or break your night out. That doesn’t make the character any less of a legend, though. People generally remember the hits and forget the misses. Everyone who had the awkward encounter still says their out-of-control drunk friends are on “Big Larry’s Wild Ride.” So the legend still does mean something to them. But, in that context, the legend is kind of flipped and used ironically. We learned that legends aren’t always what the grand stories make them out to be. My friend’s awkward encounter essentially counters the legend; she didn’t have an especially amazing night out. The encounter was awkward, mundane, and altogether just didn’t feel right. But, I would say that her encounter humanized him. In reality, Larry was just a tired guy on a weekend driving students. Larry can curate his online persona, but he can’t mediate every real- world interaction he has. At some point, his persona outgrew his ability to maintain it. In reality, he’s just another guy. Legendary stories don’t focus on these more mundane aspects because people sensationalize them. We often want to believe in larger-than-life figures because it makes the world feel that much more special. When we encounter one of those legendary figures, we might take something from it. In this instance, we might leave our anxieties about the night behind.