Tag Archives: warning

Purdue University Bell Tower Superstition

Text

At Purdue University, there is a long-standing superstition that if you walk under the Bell Tower, where the university seal is, you will not graduate within four years.

Context

My informant is a 20 year old sophomore at Purdue University studying mechanical engineering. I was interested in learning about folklores surrounding other universities, and asked him if he could recall any fun ones he heard at Purdue. He shared that he learned about this superstition during his official freshman orientation, and that while he isn’t superstitious, he actively goes out of his way to walk around the tower just in case.

Analysis

What I found most interesting about this superstition is that compared to other university superstitions, which are often vernacular and informally transmitted throughout students, this legend was told to the students during their official freshman orientation. It may be possible that this legend started vernacular but became so famous that the university incorporated it as a “fun fact” at official meetings, which mirrors some of our lecture concepts of how folklore can often become commercialized, like Native American cultures often being popular costumes.

Another interesting component of this superstition is its function; at its surface, it functions as a warning with serious consequences, yet also creates a strong sense of school culture implicitly. To start, this superstition is transmitted to the new members of the Purdue students folk group, showing that it is an important element that only insiders can relate to. In addition, since the reason walking under this tower bringing bad luck is because it forces students to step on the university seal, it indirectly sends a message for the students to take pride and respect their university, as stepping on the official logo could symbolically be seen as a sign of disrespect.

Finally, such superstitions of not walking under a certain building or a touching a certain statue exists in various universities. Beyond the multiplicity of this genre of folklore, the fact that such superstitions continue to exist and influence the actions of students like my informant shows the power of long-standing folklore, regardless of the levels of belief. All in all, I find this tradition to have great cultural value in terms of school pride for students, but also a great exemplification of the key elements of folklore like multiplicity and the sense of belonging they create.

Fuck Around, Fuck Around Go Home Crying

Text: “Fuck around Fuck around go home crying”

Context: My dad, 60, white, living in Washington State, learned this in college, it was his set design teacher’s favorite saying. It’s about when you’re painting and it doesn’t look quite right so you try to fix it but it goes badly and you keep fixing it and fixing it but it gets so bad that you’ve gone completely away from what you wanted. You just spent way more time trying to fix something then you did just continuing to paint. So this saying means: Stop, just stop, leave it, go do something else, go find another area to paint. My dad brought it home and it became a part of the family vernacular. 

Analysis: This is an example of folk speech, a saying that is meant as a warning or advice.  It is unknown if my dad’s teacher created this saying or learned it from somewhere else, but since he learned it in this context that will be analyzed. Artists are known for being non-traditional, alternative, or off the beaten path. This saying reflects that, in its use of tabooist language, swear words. My father and his teacher might have been drawn to it because of this subversion. It is a saying meant to teach and my father learned it in an educational setting but it is not appropriate for kids. I think that is part of the fun, many sayings are all ages but this one ensures that the space is adult only, in the context my dad learned it in that these college kids are adults, and art is a serious business. The repetition also makes it fun to say, excluding the need for any rhymes and making it easier to remember.

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.

Black Eyed Children

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Boat Mechanic
Residence: Glendale, AZ
Language: English

Story:

“I believe they’re called the black eyed children. Its a set of two or three kids or however many. One of them will walk up to you and they’ll as you for like food or to play with them. If you oblige, they’ll be happy, but the second day another set will show up and be really mean to you, super nasty. If you don’t be nice to them still, they’ll mess with you and be angry and stuff” 

Context: The informant heard this legend from high school friends around the age 15-16. He assumed this was a Native American legend because he heard it from his Native friends while travelling to the reservation in New Mexico.

Analysis: The black eyed children are a common urban legend in America. They signify an innocence that has been twisted for evil intentions. They are often described to be children or teenagers with black eyes and an older sounding voice. For my informant, this legend seems to be a warning against the children. A little different from the most popular legend, this one suggests for the informant to always be nice to the black eyed children. The general fear of the children comes from not knowing their intentions. 

In regards to the origins of this legend, the story of the black eyed children stems from an account of them written by a journalist in 1996. As this post spread, more and more stories popped up, claiming to have encountered the children. Because the informant heard this story from his Native American friends on the way to the reservation in New Mexico, he assumed it to be their local folklore. His friends were likely sharing spooky stories on the drive for entertainment purposes, and this story was big at the time since Creepypasta was still very popular. This story had also been big on Creepypasta since that’s where I heard this legend from myself. Notably, Irish changelings and Native American groups around California’s Lake Tahoe and Nevada’s Pyramid Lake with legends of evil water baby spirits are the most similar examples of traditional folklore to the contemporary legend of the black eyed children. All of these legends stay consistent with taking advantage of people’s desire to care for or help someone smaller or younger than themselves, regardless of their intentions. 

“Denial is a river that runs deep”

Nationality: American
Age: 47
Occupation: Student
Residence: Glendale, AZ
Language: English

Text: “Denial is a river that runs deep”

Context: “It is a reference to the Nile River. My mom used to say it when people were denying the truth. Like when you’re blindly following somebody and not seeing through them. When someone is only following one perspective.”

Analysis: This proverb uses word play to reference the Nile river with ‘denial’. Using it as a warning, the informant gives advice on the consequences of denial, which blinds people to the faults of others and leads to hurt. The pain caused by ill-intentioned people can leave lasting consequences, like how rivers leave a mark on the land. This proverb could have deeper symbolisms to the Nile river and the underworld, representing how denial may lead to deeper ruin or death.