World Folklore and Folklife


 

World Folklore and Folklife

 

This page provides link to the folklore we discussed in class.  The comments attached were from the the e-mails sent to Dr. Kintz.

(1)
Charlie Genao Cg7@geneseo.edu

Carribbean----Adam and Eve-----Bahamas

 

(2)

 Rebecca Coons rsc2@geneseo.edu

I went to the Africa list and found an article on Anansi. I remember
hearing stories about the "trickster spider" when I was growing up and
I've read a couple of fantasy novels with reference to Anansi so I thought
this would be a good article. Anansi is similar to the trickster coyote in
North American myths. There are tons of stories about Anansi and they all
serve to teach children a lesson.
(3)
Shamiran Warda sw11@geneseo.edu
This is a myth about a African spider who origianted in Africa but
migrated to the new world with the enslaved. This spider who oddly merry's
a brer rabbit,intersting, soon became the folk hero representing both the
strengths and flaws of the caribbean people. Anancy represented the
character that was formed from the result of colonialism, platation system
and experience of slavery, and many to this day relate to anancy. Honesty
this is the frist time that i have ever heard of this myth. It is actually
intersting how all the caribbean culture can relate to one African spider.
(4)
Jennifer Ritzenthaler jkr5@geneseo.edu
Anansi was an African spider that was the hero of folktales that
originated in Africa and was brought over to the Caribbean with the
slaves. Anansi stories are used to the depict the negative consequences
of flawed character traits, the special qualities needed for survival, or
explain how things came to be as they exist now. Some say Anansi
represents the Caribbean people whose strengths and weaknesses are a
result of slavery in the colonial system. It is a symbol of people's
ability to beat the odds and succeed given the direst of circumstances.
Carribbean----Anancy/Anansi
 (5)
Isobel Connors icc2@geneseo.edu
I went to the Asia section of World Folklore and Folklife.  The story was
entitled "A Lac of Rupees For a Bit of Advice." I found the tale quite
interesting, as it depicts aspects of Indian culture that may be
monotonous if read in a textbook. The story's intertextuality emphasizes
the importance of story-telling in the culture. I was surprised to find
that I saw this story performed in "The Arabian Nights" on campus last
year.
Asia----A Lac of Rupees For a Bit of Advice---India
 (6)
Brendan Ryan bmr4@geneseo.edu
I read the story "A Pottle O' Brains" which is a English folktale that was
put into writing by Joseph Jacobs in 1890. I liked it a lot, I thought it
was clever and amusing and had a good message.
Europe---A Pottle O' Brains---England
 (7)
Nicole Rothman mgr1@geneseo.edu
This legend was about how people buy alligators and when they get to big
to keep as pets they flush them down the toilets. this was interesting
because if the alligator is too big to be kept as a pet, how is it suppose
to fit down the toilet? Hm... allegations of alligators in the sewers
started in the 1840s and was still happening in the 1990s.
Europe---Alligators in the Sewers---England
 (8)
Heather Warren hrw1@geneseo.edu
This article talks about how many myths and legends refer to humans who
have transcended this plane of existence into a new one. This is refered
to as ascension. There are many different symbols involved with this such
as mountains, crosses, rope, thread of a spider, etc. It’s a nice
encyclopedia entry and I like how it gives you links to more indepth
articles.
Latin America---Ascension
 (9)
Johnathon Baker jlb22@geneseo.edu
I enjoyed the fable, originally from Haiti, the moral of which is not to
deceive others. I thought it was very interesting that most of the story
occurs in a dream. Also, the Zange is judged in an afterlife for his
actions just like in Western religions.
(10)
Stephanie Aquilina sma8@geneseo.edu
I traveled to Latin America and read the Haitian folktale, "A Zange
Disguises as a Snake." It was about a supernatural being who dressed up as
a snake in order to scare a peasant, who finally attacked the snake in
self-defense. Afterwards, the man had an elaborate dream the spirit
(Zange) who took the form of a man this time, taking the peasant to trial
for causing him injury. The judge found the snake-spirit guilty for
anatogonizing the peasant, and sent the Zange to prison. The judge
apologized for the Zange's bad behavior and sent the peasant home freely.
When the peasant awoke, was still frightened. I found this to provide very
interesting insight into the culture.
Latin America---A Zange Disguises as a Snake---Haiti
 (11)

 Larkin Kimmerer  llk5@geneseo.edu

 

I searched under North American Creation Myths, and found one I had heard
of but never knew anything about called "White Buffalo Woman". It is the
story of a woman who taught the Sioux about ritual uses of the pipe and
the altar in the medicine lodge. After she left, a herd of buffalo offered
themselves to be killed.

North America---Creation Myth---White Buffalo Woman---Sioux

 

 (12)

Elen De Oliviera emd10@geneseo.edu

 

I went to the Latin American section and found a Brazilian folktale.   I
was called 'A Party in Heaven'. This definitely interested me because my
mother is from Brazil and always tells me different folktales that her
mother used to tell her. This one was about a turtle who wanted to go to
a party in heaven and had to sneak his way in. The purpose of the story
was to explain why turtle's shells look the way they do.

Latin America---A Party in Heaven---Brazil
 (13)
Jennifer Mahoney jrm30@geneseo.edu
This is the aboriginal creation story for the famous rock, uluru.  I found
this especially interesting because while studying abroad in Australia I
was able to visit this Uluru. They say that sandstorm's turned Alinga's
boomerang into the enormous, red rock in the center of Australia.
Australia---Boomerang: Alinga, The Lizard Man
 (14)
Dilek Canakci dc11@geneseo.edu
Focusing on the area of Asia, I picked the article "A Frog in a Well."  It
was interesting because it talked about how certain people are close
minded and go through life thinking they know everything that there is in
the world. It shows a lesson about expanding your horizon and be able to
learn from others even if you are not able to travel to other places than
your own.
Asia---A Frog in a Well---China
 (15)
Dan Lilly djl5@geneseo.edu
I read an article under Europe entitled simply, "Gypsies." It was more so
an article about them rather than just telling one of their folk tales,
but I did learn that at one time, Gypsies were highly respected people
that were welcomed into cities and kingdoms as talented storytellers and
musicians. It also recounts a number of rituals centered around trees and
an Easter Sunday celebration that involves a dead snake.
Europe---Gypsies
 (16)
David Wright dmw4@geneseo.edu
Here is an article from North America about American Proverbs about women
(Bad Women Versus Virtuous Women). I found it kind of boring, but it
brought up some good points about the stereotypes of women in our society.
North America---American Proverbs About Women---Bad Women Versus Virtuous Women
 (17)
Al Dilluvio ajd12@geneseo.edu
I just went to World Folklore and Folklife and went to Asia. After
that i clicked on a myth called A foolish old man tries to remove
two mountains. It basically tells the tale of a man named mr.
foolish and his family who are farmers who farm a territory many
miles away. Two large mountains, both of them covering 700 sqare
miles collectively made it difficult to travel in the region. This
man goes out one day with his family to remove the mountains with
shovels and picks. They dont get very far and another local man
comes down and says how silly they are. Mr foolish replies that he
understands they will never move the mountains in his lifetime, but
his bloodline will continue the work long after it is done. The man
goes away after he cannot say anything in response. The Gods
worshipped by these individuals takes pity on mr. foolish and is
greatly impressed by his answer and thinks his task is noble. He
asks two giants to move the mountains for mr. foolish and from then
on, he can see his farmland from the back of his house. It is a
nice story which talks about human and nature relations
Asia---A Foolish Old Man Tries to Remove Two Mountains---China
 (18)
Anne Kim ak13@geneseo.edu
This story describes how the giants perished from the Earth.
There is irony in the story because what seems to be a blessing from God
at first, turns out to be a curse in the end. I found this story
interesting because it portrays the different beliefs of a different
country.
Africa---A Blessing May in Fact Be a Curse---Ethiopia-Sudan
 (19)
Skye Naslund sjn1@geneseo.edu
I read the tale "A Woman's Quest" in the Africa section.  It was about
a man who decided that he would marry the woman who knew his birthname.
All the women tried to guess his name. One woman on her way to his
house stopped to scrub an old womans back and the old woman told her
the man's name. The man agrees to marry her but on the way back to her
town she refuses to scrub the old woman's back and the woman turns her
into a leper and her new husband runs away from her. She chases and he
turns into a reed. She turns into a fiber that binds reed and a mat
weaver makes them into a mat for a new mother. To this day the mat
still makes noises showing that the chase is not over. I like the
story because of the moral it presents. There are many similar fables
in our culture that are more relevant to life in our society.
Africa---A Woman's Quest
 (20)
Lok Yam ly5@geneseo.edu
I found a Caribbean (Haitian) folk tale called AyAyAy!, where an abusive
aunt looks for reasons to beat her nephew. In this tale, she makes him
look for AyAyAy! at the marketplace, or she'd beat him. The boy ends up
putting crabs and pine cones in his bag, and when his aunt reaches in for
it, she exclaims: "AyAyAy!"

This tale is amusing, and seems more like a sitcom than a "traditional"
myth/folktale. This feels like the sort of story parents tell their
children, or a story I would have read in elementary school.
(21)
Dave Roberts dlr4@geneseo.edu
I did an Haitian folktale called AyAyAy! I'ts about a mean aunt who always
beats her nephew. She sends him out to get some AyAyAy! even though he
doesn't know what that is. If doesn't return with it she will beat him. So
he fills a bags with crabs and pine needles and brings it to his aunt. She
reaches in the bag and screams AyAyAy! YAYYY
Caribbean---AyAyAy---Haiti
 (22)
Jeremy Heady jdh6@geneseo.edu
I read a legend from Latin America called "A Loup Garou Disguises as a
Beggar." It was a short, simple story about a powerful figure disguising
himself as a lowly beggar. There didn't seem to be any important moral
lesson to take away from this tale, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
(23)
Kaitlyn Northrop krn3@geneseo.edu
I went to the Caribbean section to look for a folklore.  The one that I
read was titled: A Loup Garou Disguises as a Beggar. This was about a
chief disguised as a beggar who gives a young woman a gift to travel the
area with proper authority. In return for this gift, the young woman
brought back the beggar food and money, proving that she was worthy of
receiving this gift in the first place. I really liked this folklore
because it demonstrates gratuity and willingness to help others.
Caribbean---A Loup Garou Disguises as a Beggar---Haiti
 (24)
Lanh Nguyen ltn2@geneseo.edu

This article was actually really interesting, even though it was so short.

 

"Typically, children are abandoned because of poverty, illegitimacy, incestuous or supernatural parentage, jealousy, or fear of a prophecy. Some such as Moses”are abandoned for their own protection (see EXODUS). The children usually return later, sometimes for revenge, sometimes with forgiveness and riches."

 

This quote basically summarizes the entire article. It's so true how all abandoned children in folklores and folktales all return to their homes either for revenge or for forgiveness/riches. The Hansel and Gretel story was used as an example.

 

Africa---Abandoned Children

 

(25)

Laurie Sadofsky las22@geneseo.edu

 

I went to the Latin American list and chose a tale called Ambeco and Aguati.  The tale is from Cuba and similar to that of the tortoise and the hare. Aguati means turtle, and Ambeco means deer. In the story, the conceited deer is humbled by the wisdom of the turtle. It's a cute story especially with the specific things the deer does during the race.

 

 Latin America---Ambeco and Aguati---Cuba