Category Archives: Tales /märchen

Stories which are not regarded as possibly true.

Speaking with the Dead

Age: 52

Context

This story was told to me over call while I was catching up with my family. I received it from my father, who used to live in rural Korea before moving to the US for education and work. He stated that the region was naturally superstitious and strongly spiritual, and many other ghost stories populated the area. Because it was conducted over call and not a formal interview, the story is written here more as a stream-of-thought.

The Story

When I was young, your grandfather passed away from a motorcycle accident. I was only just entering high school when it happened. In the time after, all of the members of my family had mysterious encounters, like voices and strange dreams with your grandfather. I think it was because he had an improper death because he died so young. Eventually, when I left to study abroad in Australia, your grandmother and my siblings in Korea visited some sort of mystic, I think he was a shaman. Buddhism was very strong in my village. He set up a pig’s head on a spike, and then shoved belongings of your grandfather up its nostrils. Then, he began shaking, and when he stopped, his entire demeanor had changed. He was talking differently, moving differently; I think he was channeling the ghost of my father. He said that he was cold, so cold. He asked for his coat to fight the cold and his notebook that he carried around with him everywhere in life. We threw them into the fire, and the spirit left the shaman. After that, we never had any of those strange dreams or encounters again.

The Informant’s Thoughts

My father believed that the shaman was being possessed by the ghost of his father. The fact that because the shaman’s demeanor shifted so much and that he requested very specific things from his life, there was definitely a link between the shaman and the world of the dead. He did mention that he was not there for the ritual himself, but heard of it through his relatives and vicariously experienced it.

My Thoughts

I found this to be a fascinating example of spirit possession and using mediums to speak to the dead. It reflects other Korean traditions where the spirits of great generals are invoked by shamans through ritual. In both, the shaman exhibits the personality of the person they are possessed by, seemingly transforming into another person entirely. The use of items connected to the person to connect with them also reminded me of voodoo magic, where related items can connect two disparate things. The idea of improper death also appeared, which made sense to me personally, as I remembered hearing about his passing at the time and feeling that it was all too abrupt and not a true ending.

How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes

Text: A chipmunk and a bear once had an argument. The bear was bragging that he was the strongest animal in the forest, and that he was so powerful he could stop the sun from rising. The chipmunk didn’t believe him. The bear stayed up all night telling the sun not to rise, but the sun came up anyway, as it always does. The chipmunk laughed and mocked the bear. The bear got angry and chased the chipmunk. The chipmunk dove into a hole at the base of a tree, but the bear caught its back with his claws just as it disappeared, leaving five long scratches. That is why all chipmunks have stripes today. 

Context: EL is a 22-year-old USC student originally from Maryland. She could not identify the specific source she had heard the tale from, only that it was encountered somewhere in childhood, as it took some effort to recall the entire story. 

Analysis: This is a classic tale whose function is to explain a natural phenomenon, in this case the chipmunk’s striping. The bear-and-chipmunk version is the most broadly disseminated version in American children’s literature. The tale’s structure is highly stable: large boastful animal versus small clever animal, the boast humiliated, the chase, the claw-marked stripes. The folkloric interest is in how a tale rooted in Indigenous oral tradition has been absorbed into a generic American children’s literature canon, where it now circulates among non-Indigenous children largely without sense of its origin. 

Elf Under the Bed

Age: 50s

Text:

I was alone in our creepy apartment in Buffalo, New York, this apartment always gave me the creeps, it was cold and drafty and dark and spooky. My husband was out working or something, I don’t really remember. Anyways, I was laying alone reading my book, one of The Rift War Saga books and, oh! I was pregnant, forgot to mention that. I always have weird things happen to me when I’m pregnant. When it was time for bed, I got up to check that all the doors were locked and to turn the lights off. I turned around from the lightswitch and, in the dark, there was an elf crouched down by the bed that said “you forgot about me”.

Context:

This story was told to me over Thanksgiving break by my aunt, it’s her story and from her perspective. It takes place in my aunt’s old apartment in Buffalo, New York at the time she was pregnant with my cousin, so around 1999.

Analysis:

My aunt is adamant that she saw something but she is also a very rational person so she chalks it up to “pregnancy brain”. The atmosphere of the creepy apartment combined with the book she was reading and pregnancy delusions makes her think that the setting was prime for imagining weird things. 

The Rift War Saga that she was reading is a fantasy series so I theorize that that is the reason a fantasy character manifested itself in real life. This manifestation might be a ghost of the book or of the story, as the elf does not seem to be a specific character from the book. Pregnancy can be seen as a liminal time in between being childfree and being a parent, especially since my aunt was pregnant with her first kid at the time. Being in this liminal stage, alone, in a creepy apartment, and reading a book that challenges the mind to think beyond reality, creates the perfect atmosphere for otherworldly beings to make an appearance. While my aunt may think it’s “pregnancy brain” I find it interesting that all her weird, spooky stories come from the same apartment, she now lives in Oregon and has no stories from her home there. I think this spooky apartment had a specific type of energy that encouraged the supernatural and the manifestation of the creepy elf. 

This story could serve as a lesson about personal safety, my aunt was alone in an apartment that she didn’t feel safe in and pregnant, a state that many societies would deem vulnerable. The moral of the story being don’t be left alone as a woman, especially a pregnant one; or don’t be the one leaving your pregnant wife alone in your spooky apartment or something might come for her. In this interpretation, the elf would serve as a warning for what could happen, as this elf was non-violent but said “you forgot about me” which could be a warning to always check on your and your loved ones’ safety.

The Tortoise and the Pepper Soup

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Story:

IJ: “Once upon a time, the animals in the forest decided to have a big feast. There was all kinds of food, but the main dish was pepper soup. Oh, that soup! It was so spicy that even the strongest animals couldn’t eat it without feeling it. But they all agreed on a game—whoever makes the sss sound while eating loses the game. You know, that sound when something is so hot that your tongue wants to cool down, and you say sss? Yes, that one.

Now, the Tortoise, he’s very smart, you know. He’s always looking for how to trick others. So, when the challenge started, everybody was eating, and the heat from the soup was too much! But nobody wanted to be the first to make the sss sound. Everyone tried to hold it in, even though their tongues were burning!

But then, the Tortoise, hmm, he’s clever, oh. He turned to them and said, “Remember, oh, nobody should sss!” And every time he said it, he would stretch out the sss sound and use it as his own opportunity to cool his tounge down, but nobody thought twice. They didn’t even realize that he was making the sound too! And so, one by one, the other animals couldn’t hold it anymore. They would make the sss sound, trying to cool their tongues down.

In the end, only Tortoise was left. He was the winner. And do you know what he did? He ate the whole pot of pepper soup by himself! All the other animals had lost because they didn’t think twice about what he was doing!”

Context:

This story was told to the informant by her teacher in school, as part of the oral traditions passed down in the Igbo community. The informant, now a mother, remembers the story vividly because it always made her laugh as a child, and she often retells it to her own children as a way of teaching them about cleverness and the importance of using their minds. In her family, it’s seen as a fun story but also one that reminds them to be mindful of trickery and to always be sharp.

My Interpretation:

This story really highlights the cleverness of the Tortoise, a character who appears often in Igbo folklore. The Tortoise is known for using his intelligence and wit to outsmart others, rather than relying on strength. In this tale, he doesn’t cheat; instead, he plays with the rules of the game. By repeatedly saying, “Nobody should sss,” he himself makes the sound while pretending to remind the others of the rule. The other animals, focused on the heat of the soup, don’t realize what he’s doing and end up losing.

What stands out to me is how this story emphasizes the value of cleverness and quick thinking. It shows that intelligence can be a powerful tool, sometimes even more effective than physical strength. The Tortoise, as a character, isn’t about tricking others maliciously, he simply knows how to navigate a situation with strategy. In Igbo culture, the Tortoise is often seen as a symbol of wisdom, and this story reinforces how using your mind can lead to success, even when others don’t see it coming.

Día de Los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day)

Transcript of Interview with my Informant:

Each year on January 6th, my family celebrates Día de Los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day, a tradition with roots in Catholic faith and Hispanic culture. The story goes that Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar–guided by the star of Bethlehem–brought gifts to the newborn Jesus. In honor of this event, our family gathers at someone’s home (sometimes mine) and shares a special sweet bread called Rosca de Reyes. The bread is circular, topped with colorful dried fruit, and contains hidden figurines of baby Jesus inside.

During the celebration, each family cuts a slice of the Rosca. If someone finds a figurine inside their piece, they’re “chosen” to host a gathering later in the year–symbolizing both a blessing and a responsibility. It’s a mix of excitement and groaning laughter when someone finds one; some are honored, others jokingly curse their luck.

On the night before, January 5th, children place a shoe near the door or under the Christmas tree, awaiting small gifts from the Three Kings by morning–just as kids do with Santa Claus on Christmas. While we’ve adapted parts of the tradition for our life in the U.S., the essence remains: a celebration of faith, family, and culture that marks both the joy of giving and the hope of a new year.

Context:

My informant first became aware of the significance of Día de Los Reyes Magos as a child, but admitted they didn’t initially recognize it as a distinct or formal “tradition.” Growing up in a Hispanic family in the U.S., the celebration felt like an extension of everyday life–something “normal,” even if classmates or neighbors didn’t understand it. The ritual of gathering around the Rosca and the playful suspense of finding the baby Jesus figurine stood out as moments of connection and community.

Celebrations would rotate between family members’ homes, often becoming larger events when someone “won” the figurine. These gatherings served not just as cultural practice, but also as a form of reunion–bringing relatives together after the holidays for one more festive moment. The act of putting out a shoe for gifts was a quiet, joyful echo of Christmas traditions, but with its own spiritual undertone tied to the biblical Magi.

The informant noted that these rituals, though modest in scale compared to holidays like Christmas, carry a different kind of emotional weight. They blend the sacred with the familial, and even the humorous–like the yearly joking dread of having to host the next party. Though they didn’t see their upbringing as “filled with traditions” at first, reflecting on this holiday made them realize how layered and meaningful these recurring events are.

Analysis:

The Día de Los Reyes Magos tradition functions as a cultural bridge, connecting the informant’s Hispanic heritage with their life in the United States. Like many diasporic traditions, it has been adapted to new social contexts–reshaped by work schedules, school calendars, and community life–yet remains firmly rooted in Catholic ritual and familial bonds.

The act of sharing the Rosca de Reyes and discovering the baby figurine exemplifies how folklore can use food as both a symbolic and functional tool. The bread becomes more than a treat–it’s a ritual object, one that assigns roles (the future host), invites storytelling, and reinforces familial obligations through humor and fate. In this way, the tradition embodies both luck and labor: blessings that come with responsibilities, just as faith comes with commitment.

Furthermore, the informant’s reflection illustrates the invisible ubiquity of folk practices–how traditions can be so woven into daily life that their significance is only recognized when viewed from outside or upon reflection. The use of shoes to receive gifts also echoes other folk traditions (like Dutch Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas Day), showing the shared human impulse to mythologize generosity and moral reward during midwinter festivals.

Ultimately, this tradition is not just about religious observance. It is about identity–how faith, food, family, and folklore sustain cultural memory and offer moments of grounding and joy in the midst of American life. It’s a celebration not just of the Three Kings, but of the endurance of heritage in a changing world.