Category Archives: Narrative

Crooked Man

Nationality: American

Age: 53

Primary Language: English

Residence: San Antonio, Texas

Text

“So for some info about the nursery rhymes… Basically, my parents would read ‘Mother Goose’ rhymes to me or sing nursery songs to me at bedtime. Or they would read Aesop’s fables, which often had a moral or parable or lesson tied to them. Once I started learning how to read, they would have me read them (kind of like what I did with you all with Harry Potter). And they both loved to sing, so there was lots of singing nursery songs. One of my favorites was:

‘There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a crooked house.’

I guess the most memorable thing with my parents was their love of reading and promoting that with us at an early age, and their love of music and singing. My dad would even sing some of these to us while playing the guitar.”

Context

This informant is my mother. Her parents were scholars/teachers and musicians, so she grew up reading stories and creating music. She taught music for 20+ years at both secondary and collegiate levels, and she’s now a full-time composer for marching bands and symphony orchestras.

Analysis

Based on her recounting of the most memorable nursery rhyme from her childhood, I believe these ballads are how my mother learned to read, create music, and connect with her parents. Ballads bridge music and storytelling – they are songs with a story. My mom’s introduction to nursery rhymes – which rhyme, tell a simple story, and have a simple tune easy enough for children to pick up (such as Crooked Man) – developed by mom’s reading skills and ear for music at an early age, as well as her love for music. As an adult, she used her skills to pursue music as a career. Additionally, these ballads served as a way for my mom to connect with her parents. Given that her parents were also musicians, music was a language they deeply understood and preferred to communicate with.

Escaping Tartarus

Nationality: American

Age: 19

Primary Language: English

Residence: Lubbock, Texas

Text

“One of my favorite video games of all time is Hades, a roguelike based on the myth of Zagreus, son of Hades and Persephone. When Zagreus was born, he wasn’t ‘alive’. Persephone left the Underworld after his birth (due to grief and other emotions), and Hades valued her choice and allowed her to leave. Zagreus was then ‘reborn’ through the help of Nyx, but since the family story was all too complicated to resolve, Hades told Zagreus that he was a son of Nyx, and purposely hid evidence relating to Persephone. Zagreus ultimately finds out his story of birth and the existence of Persephone, and starts his struggle to escape the Underworld. The Olympians, oblivious of the truth, thought Zagreus was escaping to reach Olympus and lent their help to Zagreus – which is how the game begins. Whenever Zagreus dies in his attempt to escape the Underworld, he is reborn and tries again, fighting the undead ‘til the bitter end. I find his story very inspiring.”

Context

This informant is my brother. We grew up playing video games together.

Analysis

I believe my brother uses mythology as a motivator and as inspiration. As discussed in class, myths are often used to describe the natural world, and although my brother doesn’t believe in mythology in any religious or scientific sense, he is drawn to and resonates with mythological stories. For him, myths serve as parallels for his everyday life… And in the case of the Greek Zagreus myth, Zagreus’ determination to see the outside world inspires my brother to keep “keep fighting”. Zagreus’ character offers something to aspire towards.

Visitor, 4:30am

Nationality: American

Age: 19

Primary Language: English

Residence: Lubbock, Texas

Text

“I have a ghost story so vivid I remember all the details to this day. It was my first year of college, and I was living in a tiny dormitory room. I shared the room with my roommate, but he was visiting family that weekend, so I was alone. At 4:30am, I woke up to knocking at the door. I wasn’t sure if I’d heard correctly, so I waited a minute, then heard knocking again. Checking the time, I thought it was weird that someone would be knocking on my door in the middle of the night… or so early in the morning. They knocked again, so I went over to the peephole – there was a little peephole in the middle of the door – and looked through… And no one was there. Trust me, you can see EVERYTHING through this peephole… And yet, there was no one on the other side. I moved away from the door, and the knocking continued. I wondered if some college student was playing a prank on me, so I checked again, and while I was looking through the peephole (which was still empty), the knocking continued. At this point my heart was pounding out of my chest, and I slinked into the corner of my room. The knocking became louder and more aggressive… It almost seemed like whoever was at the door was trying to break it down. Eventually, the knocking stopped and the invisible person went away. I wasn’t able to sleep for the rest of the night.”

Context

This informant is my brother. He attends a university in Lubbock, Texas. Around the time of this experience, we lost a family member.

Analysis

In class (and readings), we’ve discussed ghosts as representations of familial ancestors. Similarly to my father’s ghost story, I believe this is one of those instances. Around the time my brother had this experience, we lost a family member. Although the family member had no attachment to or ownership of my brother’s college dorm room, the dorm was still associated with my brother, and the timing matched up almost perfectly with the family member’s death. Regardless of whether or not the ghost actually existed, I believe my brother’s perception of this desperate ghost was an outward expression of his coping with the family member’s passing.

The Ghosts of July

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/31/2024

Text:

“During the month of July, the gates between the afterlife and this world open, and ghosts come to the roam in our world at night. You have to close your windows and blinds, or they’ll come into your room.”

Context:

The informant heard this story from her roommate, who grew up in China. The informant was told this story one night when they were trading various cultural stories and legends, and recalls that this was a legend believes deeply in. She also recalls that her roommate felt a ghost in her room when she was a kid and didn’t close her window. The informant doesn’t necessarily believe in the story, but thinks that all ghost stories could be possible.

Analysis:

The context of this legend being from China adds a level of cultural significance as it is tied to the lunar calendar. This means that the story has been canonized in cultural lore, but continues to shift. For example, the informant was told a “quick” version of the lore, that holds deeper cultural significance, demonstrating the popularity and easy ability to spread ghost stories. This story spreads easily both as it as a ghost stories, but because families are likely to tell their kids this story in the culture out of caution and true belief in the story. I think that ghost stories are most certainly plausible, but the notion of a singular month of “ghosts” holds less plausibility for me.

The Bellwitch

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/31/2024

Text:

“There is a cave near [the informants home] where a witch-ghost supposedly haunted the Bell family, and would communicate with various members of the family. She would also send weird abnormal things like animals with the heads of other animals.” The witch-ghost would reside in a cave, that is now called the “Bell Cave.” Apparently someone ended up taking their life in the cave, but there is no clear record of that.”

Context:

The informant heard this story from her classmates in high school, as their town held proximity to the Bell Cave. The informant is relatively spiritual, and recalls feeling unsettled when she and her friends drove past the cave later that month. The story of the Bell cave has been spread widely and has made its way into popular media, but the informant recounts that the people who told her heard the story from their families who had it recorded in passed down journals/via word of mouth from elder family members, dating back to the time of the “hauntings.”

Analysis:

By nature of being a ghost story, the story of the Bell Cave and the related witch-ghost is hard to verify, especially as it was adapted into popular media and spread throughout the country. However, I think that it is extremely interesting that the informant held a different perspective coming from the region of the lore. Ultimately, I think that ghost stories most certainly hold some truth, although this is of course unverifiable and solely Is supported by the belief of the orator. I think that ghost stories are “popular” because they serve as both a cautionary tale, and hold entertainment value. Specific to the informant, though, is a historical and geographical significance, adding a layer of nuance to the spread within her home.