Category Archives: Narrative

Domestic Detroit Ghost Stories

Age: 20

TEXT:

Informant- “I have seen a ghost before. I remember when I was moving out of my second home that I ever lived in to move into the home that we currently live now. I was, I got into an argument with my sister and I was sleeping by her feet and my feet were by her head and I was looking at the hallway because the door was right in front of where our feet should be, but by my head because I was mad at her. And I was on my phone and I looked up and I remember, it happened for two nights, the first night, it was these two white girls and they were like from the shining and they were like laughing like “hee hee hee” it was almost at like slow-mo and they rushed past me and it was like instant. I screamed and then I turned around and I went to bed. Second night, same thing, I had my head where (my sister’s) feet was. And I was looking up the stairs that’s like right in front of, um, right on the side of the doorframe. And I see this little black boy and I’m thinking it’s my younger cousin, J. And I’m like,” J, like, what are you doing here? Like, how did you get here?” And same thing, he just starts laughing, “ha ha ha ha.” And he skips down the stairs and runs past me. And that was the first and last time I ever seen ghosts. It was the most craziest thing I ever, like, whoa, I never experienced anything like that in my life. Even now, like, it feels surreal because it’s like, did that really happen? But it did.”

CONTEXT:

These ghost stories happened to the informant herself and in her adolescence in her home in Detroit, MI. The informant later shared with me that the previous owner of the house that these occurrences happened in, had gotten very sick and passed away, but had not died at the house, which I feel like is helpful to add to the story.

ANALYSIS:

Because these occurrences only happened once it is hard to say if they are true, but because my informant believe so deeply in the validity, of them, so do I. Ghost tales and legends traditionally are spread throughout time and repetition, but because the informant still lives in the house where these occurrences took place one could say there is still time for repetition.

鬼压床 or gǔi yā chuáng

Age: 24

TEXT:

鬼压床

gǔi yā chuáng

CONTEXT: Informant-“One thing relative to ghost is like in Chinese sleep paralysis is often called “gǔi yā chuáng”, which literally means a ghost pressing on your bed. So scientifically, it means your mind wakes up before your body fully does, so you feel like unable to move. But in folk belief in China, like people describe it as a ghost or spirit sitting on your chest. So this is interesting because it shows how people use like folklore to explain scary bodily, bodily experiences before scientific explanations became common. And I heard it from my family when I was a little. I think if it’s in both ghost stories and folk-like explanations of strange experiences”

ANALYSIS:

The informant explains that gǔi yā chuáng, at least to her, is a cross between folk belief and a ghost story as it, in some ways, has to do with the paranormal. Learning the story from her family, she has grown up with this belief and come to understand it as a dated way of understanding the more scientific world around us at a time that we lacked the means to fully comprehend sleep paralysis.

La Caballota or The Horse Lady

Age: 21

TEXT:

Informant- “There are a few like little stories about creatures and ghosts in Guatemala. My favorite one is called La Caballota, or the Horse Lady. My great grandma would tell me the story when I was a little girl. And pretty much just my great grandmama and my great grandpa saw her once. They were at the beach and they saw beautiful women with gorgeous, long hair. And when she was, they were just walking, right? And then she turns around and they see her face. She had a horse face, right? They got really scared and they started running away. But as they were running away, their feet got really heavy and it felt like they had bricks on their feet. So they were slowing down. Thankfully, they made it out. That was not the only time they met her, though, but I just find it really interesting because supposedly, this, like, ghost or creature or whatever, it only appears to men usually driving by themselves at night. So I thought it was really interesting that it appears to both my great grandma and great grandpa in a very different circumstance.”

CONTEXT:

A Guatemalan ghost story about a beautiful woman with long hair and the face of a horse, who traditionally only appears to men driving home at night. This story was told by a person of Guatemalan descent and nationality who currently resides in Chicago.

ANALYSIS:

The informant shares her connection with a ghost story that’s close to home as she has been told it from family members and her great grandparents have stated themselves that it happened to them and shared their account of the tale with her. This has created a stronger belief in the ghost story itself and cemented it, not as just a tale, but rather a legend.

塞翁失马，焉知非福 or sài wēng shī mǎ，yān zhī fēi fú

Age: 24

TEXT:

“塞翁失马，焉知非福” or “sài wēng shī mǎ，yān zhī fēi fú”

CONTEXT:

Informant- “Another Chinese proverb called “sài wēng shī mǎ，yān zhī fēi fú” meaning “the old man lost his horse, who knows if it is not a blessing”. So the story is about an old man whose horse ran away and his neighbors felt so sorry for him, but he said, “who knows if this is a bad luck?” And later the horse came back with another horse. The neighbors congratulated him, but he said, “who knows if this is good luck?” And then his son wrote the new horse and broke his leg. And again, everyone thought it was terrible, but soon after a war broke out and all the young men were drafted except his son because of his injured leg.

So this message is that like luck can change and we should not judge events too quickly. This is like, I’ve heard it from my parents, but we also taught, we also like teaching this story to little kids in school. So it could be seen as a proverb of moral tale and folk philosophy about fate.”

ANALYSIS:

This proverb provides a fluctuating understanding of fate and destiny, as well as provides a tale that instructional listener not to be too quick to judge and rather to wait to see how things play out in the long run. It makes a lot of sense to me that this proverb would be taught in schools and two young children because young children are often very quick to judge a book by its cover or react in haste rather than process their emotions and respond accordingly. This folk speech reminds me of the reading, Mechling, “‘Cheaters Never Prosper’ and Other Lies Adults Tell Kids.”

The Skinwalkers of Colorado Deserts

Text:

“Just tell me everything you know about skin walkers.”

Interviewee: “I have friends who would go camping a lot in the desert in, like, places around Telluride, and were genuinely scared of them. Some people, like some, are not friends, but people I knew would cuss you out if you said the word “skinwalk” and be like, why are you saying that?”

“Just saying it summons them?”

Interviewee: “Yeah. And they’re supposedly, like, some sort of mythical creature that’s in the wilderness and, like, this area.”

“The deserts of Telluride?”

Interviewee: “No, if you drive like 2 hours outside Telluride (a town in Colorado) you’d be in a desert.”

“And that’s Colorado?”

Interviewee: “Yeah.”

“And they are only in deserts?”

Interviewee: “Just like campgrounds, I feel like.”

“What do they look like?”

Interviewee: “They’re, like, very tall. They live on ranches. They’re like shape-shifting, witches, and they can transform into wolves and coyotes. Like people say they see them in the form of like a coyote, like they’ll be driving a car and they’ll be something, and then they’ll be driving a car in pitch black and they’ll see something running next to their car and it’ll slowly morph into something else. It’ll morph in and out to all fours, like a wolf or something. The skinwalker will then follow the car.”

“Do you have any specific stories that your friends have said?”

Interviewee: “No.”

“Have you ever been scared of them while camping?”

Interviewee: “No.”

“Have your parents?”

Interviewee: “Not to my knowledge.”

“So, if you say their name, does it summon them?”

Interviewee: “I’m not sure.”

“Why can’t you speak it?”

Interviewee: “I think maybe, like, people don’t like to just hear about them because they believe in them, and if you speak their name, it reminds them of the concept.”

“So did kids at your high school believe in them?”

Interviewee: “Yes. But it’s more like adults believe in it.”

“Really?”

Interviewee: “Yeah, like, *insert friend’s name*, you might have met. He’s scared of them.”

“Really? Does he go camping a lot?”

Interviewee: “Yeah. He thinks that they’re gonna try to kill him and eat him.”

Context:

The informant grew up and lives in Colorado. He is familiar with camping in the area, as he would camp with his father and brother a lot growing up.

The interviewee recounts what he and his friends have heard about skinwalkers in desert and campground areas in Colorado. The story reflects a mix of local beliefs, especially among adults and camping communities.

Analysis:

This is an example of a legend in belief-based folklore. Skinwalkers are described as shape-shifting witches that can take the form of wolves, coyotes, or humans, and are associated with fear and danger. The taboo against speaking their name reflects a magic superstition, where naming a supernatural being is believed to summon or draw attention from it.

The legend regulates behavior in wilderness areas, keeping people alert, cautious, and respectful of the land. While high school students might treat it as a scary story, adults and frequent campers treat the skinwalker as a serious potential threat. The legend blends supernatural fear with practical warnings about the wilderness, creating a shared cultural narrative within the community.