Category Archives: Tales /märchen

Stories which are not regarded as possibly true.

The Nain Rogue Demon

Text

AB: From what I know – which isn’t the most accurate account – is that the Nain Rouge is a disgusting hairy and horned demon. The story goes that the first time it showed up was before some battle where the demon danced on the corpses of the dead soldiers and turned the river bloody. Since then, it shows up prior to devastating events in the city as like a bad omen. The 1967 Race Riots were the most common example I heard since my grandparents moved out of the city due to them.

Context:

AB: The Nain Rouge is one of those myths not really in circulation in my family. I know growing up it was used as a boogeyman for a child’s bad behavior, which deviates pretty heavily from the original myth of it being a foreboding omen. I mostly just thought it was my parents needing a local legend derived from their parent’s catholic backgrounds. I lived in the suburbs surrounding Detroit but I did live close enough to the Rouge River for cultural osmosis to propagate. Myth went from chastising bad behavior to a reason to be back home before sundown (I used to bike up and down the Rouge River at Hines Park). Eventually my parents kinda just grew out of it, I didn’t really believe in it so they stopped using it.

Analysis:

There are a lot of similar boogeyman type stories in American folklore. Other common examples include stories like the Jersey Devil. The most likely origin for these stories is from somebody who witnessed a tragedy and wants some way to rationalize what occurred. Seeing a battlefield is damaging to the psyche, it isn’t too unbelievable that people would tell stories about the aftermath. As the stories grow popular, there are more “sightings” of the monster because more people know about it. Though, these stories are rarely believed, and like AB mentioned, are mostly used to scare children into behaving.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Text

“I think it was basically like, a boy would be outside playing, and he would always, you know, yell that a wolf was coming, or a wolf had done something bad, or he would do something bad and blame it on the wolf that was there. So he kept crying that there was a wolf, or yelling out that there was a wolf, and then people started- they’d always come running and there was no wolf, and he [the boy] thought that was really funny. And then eventually the wolf DID come, and when he cried that there was a wolf, nobody came to pay attention to him because he had lied so many times, and then the wolf ate him.”

Context 

J, my mother, currently lives in Seattle, Washington in the United States, but grew up in various towns in Ontario, Canada. She is the oldest of three siblings, and first heard this tale from her father when she was very young. When asked about the context in which she first heard the story, J provided the following: 

“I’m having a little bit of difficulty remembering the exact context, but Grandpa always was a big, like, moralistic storyteller, so he would use examples. So often when [her brother’s name] and I would fight, um, we would try to accuse each other of all kinds of outlandish crazy things. And, you know, sometimes I, as the older sibling, would try to work things to my advantage. And Grandpa would get frustrated with us because he knew that we were exaggerating or blaming each other for things. So he would basically talk to us about the story of the boy who cried wolf, because he was trying to enforce in us the idea that if we exaggerated or said things that weren’t true, that, you know, when something actually did happen we wouldn’t be believed.”

Analysis

As J stated in her own interpretation of this story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf fits closely within the common notion of a tale: a story with a moral value or lesson that is told primarily to children. In this instance, the tale’s moral is cautionary, showing a young boy who transgresses numerous social boundaries and is punished (eaten by the wolf) as a result. In a slightly simplified application of Levi-Strauss’s paradigmatic theory of structuralism, this tale features a binary opposites pair of honesty and dishonesty that correlate to safety/community and danger/isolation respectively. When considering J’s observations about truth-telling, this tale ties into the trust involved in sharing knowledge within a group; the boy’s lies not only made him an unreliable source of information, but threatened the integrity of the information passed around the group as a whole, and as a result, the boy was cast out through a refusal to believe his cries for help. J’s statement that the boy found lying funny also suggests that finding humor in serious situations or not taking things seriously is frowned upon in her family and society.

UFO Over Bridge Sighting

Text 

“Alright, uh, so this was my middle school teacher in 7th grade, whatever, who was an English teacher. Um, and he was like an old man who would just tell random stories about his life. This one time, him and his girlfriend at the time were like, hanging out, I guess, just in- they were on like a bridge in a city on a date, you know, like a romantic date, looking at the stars on the bridge. 

They’re hanging out on this bridge, they’re sitting, they’re chatting, um, and they see in the sky this moving, like, thing. It looked sort of like- well, it looked like a spaceship, is what they said. It had- it was like, some kind of thing in the sky and had like, lights underneath it, and it was moving in sort of like a figure eight pattern in the sky, just like right above the bridge, uh, above the city. And they both saw it for a while, and they were watching it, and eventually it left. Um, and he- I remember my teacher followed the story up with like ‘kids these days- you guys wouldn’t have seen it because you would be on your cell phones!’” 

Context

C is a University of Southern California student who went to middle school in Mercer Island, Washington in the United States. While unsure exactly when his teacher experienced these events, C guessed it happened about twenty to thirty years ago. He also guesses that his teacher has told this story to other classes of students. When asked about his and his classmates’ reactions, C said their reaction was skeptical but interested and polite.

He then followed up with an explanation of his teacher’s own stance on aliens: “Um, I don’t think he thinks it was aliens, necessarily? I think he believes- or, he told us he thinks it was a stealth plane, because they had like government stealth planes, and apparently he looked up what government stealth planes are like nowadays…and it apparently looked pretty similar to a stealth plane, so he thinks maybe it was that. Because it was kind of like black and V-shaped, I guess.” To explain the final part of his retelling, C also added that his teacher was very anti-cellphones.

Analysis

Folklorists have discussed how alien beliefs are often indicative of the US’s societal predispositions towards the future, upwards direction, and technology, and this memorate has several elements that seem to support this notion. C’s teacher’s explanations for the ‘true’ identity of the UFO as a stealth plane seems to indicate an air of mystery, intrigue, and perhaps even fear surrounding unknown government practices and technology. In addition, the way that C’s teacher ended the story with a jab at the cellphone usage of today’s children showcases the fluidity of narratives and how the meaning behind a narrative comes from one’s mind. While C and his classmates see the memorate as an entertaining (if unlikely) legend, C’s teacher, with his anti-cellphone moral message and skepticism towards the truth of the event, seems to have refashioned his experience to somewhat resemble a tale.

Text: In 2004, a vengeful spirit forces a Bhawanigarh family to abandon their mansion. Decades later, Ruhaan and Reet, mistaken for dead, hide there, uncovering the spirit’s true identity as a family betrayal. The climax reveals a switcheroo between twins Anjulika and Manjulika, leading to a spectral showdown and a plea for forgiveness.

Context: My brother told me about a tale set in Bhawanigarh, where in 2004, a malevolent spirit forced a family to abandon their mansion. Fast forward to 2022, Ruhaan and Reet, who narrowly escape a fatal accident, seek refuge in this very mansion. Ruhaan becomes known as Rooh Baba, believed to communicate with spirits, amid the family’s misconception of Reet’s demise. The spirit’s identity is revealed to be Manjulika, Anjulika’s jealous twin, skilled in black magic. The plot thickens when the family discovers Reet is alive and Ruhaan’s pretended possession by Manjulika, who had been impersonating Anjulika all along. In a dramatic turn, the true Anjulika’s spirit traps Manjulika, advising the family to forgive Reet for her deceit. This tale, weaving through themes of supernatural revenge, mistaken identities, and familial bonds, culminates in a haunting yet poignant resolution, where the spirit’s entrapment brings an end to the family’s curse, leaving a lingering question of forgiveness and redemption.

Analysis:

The tale from Bhawanigarh intertwines supernatural vengeance with familial betrayal, reflecting deep-seated cultural values surrounding family dynamics and redemption. The malevolent spirit, Manjulika, driven by jealousy and skilled in black magic, embodies the dark consequences of familial discord, resonating with Domino Renee Perez’s observation that folklore figures “wield power by making often incomprehensible and at times contemptible choices” (Perez 155). The narrative’s twist, revealing Manjulika’s identity through a twin switcheroo, delves into themes of deception and truth, showcasing the cultural fascination with doppelgängers and the supernatural as mirrors to human psychology.

The climax, marked by a spectral showdown and a plea for forgiveness, underscores the cultural emphasis on reconciliation and the healing potency of forgiveness. This aligns with the belief in redemption’s possibility, highlighting the transformative power of understanding and absolution within personal and cultural realms. Furthermore, the mansion’s role as the story’s backdrop, abandoned due to the spirit’s wrath, emphasizes the significance of space in spiritual beliefs, akin to Ülo Valk’s analysis of how environments shape folklore (Valk 31).

Text: A gold idol that might be cursed is placed in Mahadev Mandir (temple) in India and the idol has been stolen 7 times but mysteriously always returned within 24 hours.

Context:my friend from Kolkata shared a fascinating tale about the Mahadev Mandir in his city, nestled in the eastern part of India. This temple houses an intriguing gold idol, rumored to be cursed. The enigmatic charm of the idol has led to it being stolen not once but seven times. Yet, each theft is shrouded in mystery as the idol inexplicably finds its way back to the temple within a mere 24 hours. This recurring phenomenon has not only deepened the mystique surrounding the idol but also led to widespread speculation and lore among the locals, who regard the idol’s inevitable return as a divine or supernatural intervention, ensuring its presence within the sacred confines of the Mahadev Mandir.

Analysis: This tale encapsulates more than just an intriguing story; it embodies the intricate interplay of faith, mystique, and cultural heritage that pervades many Indian communities. This narrative, shared among friends and locals, transcends the boundaries of mere folklore, touching upon the deep-seated belief in divine intervention and the supernatural that often characterizes Indian spiritual and cultural ethos.

The idol’s uncanny ability to return to its sacred abode within 24 hours of being stolen, a phenomenon that has occurred seven times, resonates with Domino Renee Perez’s observation that folklore figures or objects wield power by making “often incomprehensible and at times contemptible choices” (Perez 155). Here, the idol, though inanimate, assumes a persona imbued with a divine or supernatural will, challenging the rational and inviting speculation about higher powers and the sacredness of objects within religious contexts.

Furthermore, the community’s reaction to the idol’s return, viewing it as a divine or supernatural intervention, underscores the cultural and historical value placed on such artifacts. It reflects a collective belief in the sanctity and divine protection of religious symbols, underscoring the role of faith in shaping communal narratives and practices. This shared belief system, woven into the fabric of daily life, serves not only to affirm faith but also to bind the community together through shared stories that underscore a common cultural heritage and identity.