Tag Archives: memorate

The Man in Black

Age: 21

Folk Narrative: Memorate

Text: The Man in Black 

“The rancho (in Los Mochis, Sinaloa) we used to live in was owned by a middle-aged man before we bought it. He lived in a small house with his crops and cattle. He had a rifle, and one day, while he was cleaning it, he shot himself. It was a slow death because there was nobody there to help him, so he eventually bled to death. My dad then bought the rancho from his brother. Now, they call the man the Man in Black because you can only see his shadow when he appears. Our rancho was close to the rest of the town, so it was widespread knowledge that the Man in Black might appear. Years passed, and people said they sometimes see the Man in Black, just a shadow of a man walking around. In 2013, we celebrated my sister’s birthday party at the rancho. We were in the back of the truck, and I saw a shadow behind me. When we got home, I ran inside and told my mom what I had seen. My sister said she saw it too. My dad’s workers were inside the house, and they said not to worry because that was the Man in Black. I’ve seen him, my sister, brother, and dad’s workers have all seen him.” 

Context: When asked, my informant told me that this is an individual experience affecting only those connected with the rancho, yet it is widespread knowledge. He mentioned that when he first saw the shadow in 2013, he did not know what it was because nobody had told him until it happened. People knew about it because they were close enough in time to witness the man’s funeral. They all accept his existence and act normally around him. There is no curiosity about it because there is no purpose in looking for an explanation for what happened since it happened so long ago. People in the small town live complicated lives and need to worry about their crops, cattle, and next meal, so they don’t have time to worry about the Man in Black. My informant mentioned that these stories appear during parties or social gatherings, but not in day-to-day life. He noted that people need to focus on their survival so they are not bothered by him. When asked how he interprets this, my informant also mentioned that part of his culture in Los Mochis involves understanding entities and supernatural beings. The community believes some people are stuck in limbo and can’t pass on to the next life. They think the Man in Black stays around the property because that is all he knows. The entity does not understand ownership, so it cannot distinguish between its old rancho and the one that now belongs to my informant’s family. Being a very Catholic town, they grew up believing in the afterlife, and during uncertain moments of one’s existence in space and time, they resorted to less institutionalized beliefs. Because of this widespread understanding of these beings and the communal teachings of wishing them luck and light, the members of Los Mochis have peacefully co-lived with the Man in Black. 

Analysis: Looking at this narrative, we can see how it fits the criteria of a memorate. First, it is a personal story that my informant and his family experienced at different times. This reinforces that the encounter with the Man in Black is not just folklore passed through hearsay but something rooted in lived, personal memory. My informant is connected to the memorate by having ties to the rancho where the Man in Black died and still wanders. Additionally, it is rooted in a real-world place—Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and is tied to a specific, known individual’s death. It is grounded in firsthand experience and is not widespread or passed down enough to be considered a legend. However, it could become one. Because the figure has taken on well-known characteristics such as a shadowy presence and always wearing black, it suggests that the narrative could eventually develop into a legend. This memorate also reinforces the idea that ghost stories exist because people keep seeing ghosts. Others like my informant may see a shadow on or near the rancho and translate it into seeing the Man in Black because that is the widespread communal knowledge. This narrative also fits into the Friend of a Friend (FOAF) property because the family members are reassuring each other that what they saw was indeed the Man in Black. They continue believing this narrative by reinforcing the narrative amongst those closest to them. 

The Red String

Age: 21

Date: 03/272025

Language: English

Nationality: Ecuadorian

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: Spanish

Residence: United States

1. Text:

“When my mom thought I had nightmares because of ‘evil eyes,’ she tied a red string around my wrist. It had to stay on until it fell off on its own. I wore it for weeks. She also put salt in the corners of the room. And I stopped having bad dreams.”

2. Context:

Told by Adriana, whose mother is originally from Ecuador. She remembers this happening when she was six or seven years old. She wasn’t sure what she believed at the time, but looking back, she says the ritual gave her a sense of comfort and protection , even if it was symbolic.

3. My Interpretation:

This is a clear example of a memorate tied to cultural ritual. Protective objects like red strings are common in many cultures and often used for children. Even when the supernatural belief fades, the memory of care and intention remains. It’s a powerful mix of personal experience and communal folklore, blending magic and motherhood.

Hospital Room

Nationality: Indian- American
Age: 63
Occupation: Physician
Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada
Language: English

Text: When I was a medical student training in Philadelphia, there was a specific room in the hospital that was never occupied with a patient. Even during the winter time, when the hospital filled up, I never once saw or attended a patient in this room. It was located at the end of the hallway I would typically make rounds in, and it was always well maintained and kept. I asked an attending what the deal with the room was, and he explained that he was also unaware of why patient’s were never placed in the room. Training at Hahnemann for such a long time, I began to feel a sense of nervousness when I walked past this room. I never found out what was wrong with it, if anything was, but the mystery around it- at least for myself- made me feel physically uncomfortable when in its proximity.

Context: Informant first became exposed to this room during his second year at Hahnemann Hospital. He was allowed to begin making rounds completely unaccompanied, and this independence made the lack of presence in the specific room very noticeable. Informant admits to never getting closure over what was wrong with the room, if anything was wrong, but does recognize that its mystery caused some degree of discomfort in his daily life. He, in a logical way, believes nothing was wrong with the room. He believes that he simply became overly- aware of its vacancy, which led him to ponder any potential mishap that could have occurred.

Analysis: This memorate is representatives of common themes in hospital folklore, particularly the mental toll of uncertainty and the fear of holding another’s life in your hands. For new healthcare workers, early clinical experiences carry a much larger emotional weight, as they tend to form the foundations of one’s career. In an already stressed filled setting, an unusually empty room becomes distinctly unexplainable. Though it is very possible nothing was wrong with this room, its vacancy was viewed as a mistake in the mind of someone who was fearful of encountering mistakes on their medical journey. For this reason, these memorates tend to be shared, individually, within the healthcare community.

Staircase Ghost

Nationality: Korean- American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Language: English

Text: When I lived in Missouri, my room was located in the basement. My bed was positioned opposite to my doorframe, which was right next to the staircase. If my door was open, which it often was, I could see most of the basement and the first few steps at the bottom of the staircase. On numerous occasions, mostly when waking up from naps, I would see a black figure quickly move up the stairs and out of sight. I was never motivated enough to pursue it, but I always ended up closing my door to avoid the perceived threat. When informing my parents about this, they would always act like they went to check the basement out, but I was aware they didn’t believe me. I, truthfully, didn’t know if what I was seeing was real or not.

Context: Informant was in elementary school during this time of her life. They recall the previous owners of the home being of older age, and correlate this with the potential ghost near the staircase. Informant was never terrified of the figure, as they were not certain it was real. However, they felt a close- relationship to its presence because of their parents lack of belief in her sightings. Informant believes that, whether the figure existed or not, the chance of its presence promoted her habit of closing her door.

Analysis: This memorate reflects the turbulent boundary of deciphering the known and unknown. The informant cannot be sure of the existence of the figure, but it is clear that the events described had a long term impact on the informant. Drawing a possible conclusion that the figure could have been a past resident of the home, we can see a perpetuation of the commonly held cultural ideas revolving around property ownership and death. This retelling highlights the ambiguity of memorates as legends. Their truthfulness is not essential to their ability to shape behavior. In many cases, proof of presence is not needed for significance.

A Ghostly Warning

Nationality: Iranian- American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Language: English

Text: I was sleeping on my mom’s bed with my older brother. I woke up to the sound of a creaking door and looked through the doorframe to see the figure of tall woman. She had the most wrinkly skin I had ever seen, and a distinctively red lipstick. She was looking directly at me, but her hand was pointing elsewhere. I followed it to my brothers sleeping body, and when I looked back to where she was standing she had disappeared.

Context: Informant was in elementary school when this event occurred. Informant’s parents had recently divorced, and this was the reason him and his brother were sleeping in the same bed as their mother. Following this event, the informant was worried for the safety of their brother. They believed the figure was warning him of something bad to come. Informant is now indifferent to the situation, as the brother is well, but still remembers the event vividly. They now believe the experience was likely fueled by emotions relating to their parent’s crumbling relationship.

Analysis: This memorate follows a typical structure in which the informant interprets a ghostly figure as a messenger. What makes this account particularly significant is the way it demonstrates how supernatural experiences are shaped not only by what is perceived, but also by the emotional state of the individual experiencing them. At the time, the informant was dealing with the emotional impact of his parents’ divorce, which may have heightened his sensitivity to perceived threats or signs. It’s possible that the figure pointing at his brother was not just an insignificant gesture, but a projection of the informant’s deeper fear of losing his sibling relationship. Without the emotional strain of that situation, the event may not have been interpreted, or even remembered, in the same way. I find this especially compelling because I have a similar memorate tied to my parents’ divorce, which leads me to believe that memorates can be shaped not only by cultural tradition, but also by shared emotional experiences. In this sense, supernatural encounters can become deeply personal expressions during times of internal trouble.