Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for P438.12 returned 136 results.
TO MEET A CROSSED EYED WOMAN (ESPECIALLY FIRST THING IN MORNING)
IS BAD LUCK. SHE MAY CAST THE EVIL EYE ON YOU.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; RIVER ROUGE
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Number BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance |
Date learned: 02-10-1968
EYE COLOR
"BLUE" EYES- SIGN OF SINCERITY AND INTELLIGENCE.
Where learned: HOME
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Sign Color |
Date learned: 11-11-1968
IT IS AN IRISH SAYING CONCERNING PEOPLE WITH BLUE EYES
WITH GREY FLECKS:
"GOD PUT THEM IN WITH A DEITY FINGER."
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; SOUTHGATE
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye PROVERB -- Blason Populaire |
Date learned: 10-00-1971
IF A PERSON HAS AN EYELASH ON THEIR CHEEK, TELL THEM TO MAKE TWO
WISHES, ONE FOR EACH SIDE.
THE SIDE THAT THE EYELASH IS ON IS THE SIDE
THE WISH WILL COME TRUE.
Submitter comment: ROMANIAN BELIEF
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): CHANCE ; WISH ; WISHING
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Prayer |
Date learned: 09-15-1969
SMALL EYES PLACED CLOSE TOGETHER INDICATE AN EVIL MIND.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye |
Date learned: 01-29-1970
BELIEF
IT IS BELIEVED THAT DEEPSET OR CLOSELY SET EYES ARE AN INDICATION
OF A PERSON'S DISHONEST NATURE.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; CAMPUS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye |
Date learned: 10-27-1969
EVIL EYE
ANYTHING BLUE OR WEARING THE EVIL EYE WILL KEEP PEOPLE FROM GIVING
YOU THE EVIL EYE
Submitter comment:
ALSO SOMEONE WITH BLUE EYES WILL NOT GET THE EVIL EYE
Data entry tech comment:
Updated by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Blue ; COLOR ; DEVIL ; EVIL EYE ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Curse BELIEF -- Emblem |
Date learned: 10-00-1977
BODY PART BELIEF
EATING CARROTS WILL HELP EYESIGHT
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; BIRMINGHAM
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye |
Date learned: 00-00-1965
BODY PART BELIEF
BURNT TOAST WILL MAKE YOUR HAIR CURLY OR IMPROVE YOUR SINGING VOICE.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; BIRMINGHAM
Date learned: 00-00-1968
IF YOUR LEFT EYE BEGINS TO TWITCH, IT MEANS YOU WILL RECEIVE
GOOD NEWS.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; CAMPUS
James Callow Keyword(s): POSITION DIRECTION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Good luck |
Date learned: 03-00-1982
EAT A LOT OF CARROTS
IF YOU EAT A LOT OF CARROTS YOU WILL HAVE PRETTY EYES.
WAS A WAY MOTHERS IN ITALIAN FAMILIES GOT THEIR CHILDREN TO EAT FOOD
IF THEY DID NOT LIKE IT>
Submitter comment: PASSED DOWN FROM MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 12-00-1982
EVIL EYE
WHEN MY BROTHER WAS ABOUT A YEAR OLD, OUR FAMILY WENT TO VISIT
SOME RELATIVES IN CANADA. WE STOPPED AT A SMALL GROCERY STORE
IN CANADA. THE OLD MAN IN THE STORE KEPT SAYING WHAT A
BEAUTIFUL BABY MY BROTHER WAS. MY FATHER HURRIED US ALONG.
WHEN WE GOT IN THE CAR, HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY THE
MAN LOOKED AT MY BROTHER AND WAS WORRIED THAT THE MAN HAD
AN "EVIL EYE."
AFTER WE CAME HOME THAT NIGHT, BY BROTHER BECAME VERY ILL WITH
DIARRHEA. BY THE NEXT DAY, HE WAS DEHYDRATING AND HAD TO BE
HOSPITALIZED. HE ALMOST DIED. HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR
ALMOST A MONTH. MM
A FEW MONTHS LATER HE PICKED UP A BOTTLE OF LIQUID FURNITURE
POLISH WHILE MY SISTER WAS CLEANING HOUSE AND DRANK IT. HE
HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED AND HAVE HIS STOMACH PUMPED. MM
A FEW MONTHS LATER, MY BROTHER CAME DOWN WITH TONSILLITIS AND
WAS GIVEN A PRESCRIPTION FOR PENICILLIN. HE TURNED OUT TO BE
ALLERGIC TO THE PENICILLIN AND ENDED UP BEING RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL
AGAIN. MM
THROUGHOUT THIS TIME, MY FATHER SWORE THAT THE MAN IN THAT STORE
HAD GIVEN MY BROTHER THE "EVIL EYE" AND THAT THE ONLY THING THAT HAD
SAVED HIS LIFE WAS MY FATHER'S CONSTANT PRAYING. I DON'T BUY
THE EVIL-EYE THEORY, BUT I DID AT THE TIME.
Submitter comment:
MY FATHER WAS BORN IN SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA IN 1909 WHILE HIS
PARENTS WERE VISITING THE UNITED STATES. THEY ALL WENT BACK TO
LEBANON A YEAR LATER. HIS MOTHER AND THREE BROTHERS DIED IN AN
EPIDEMIC WHEN HE WAS 3 YEARS OLD, AND HE WAS RAISED BY HIS
GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS VERY SUPERSTITIOUS.
MY FATHER'S NAME WAS SHERIFF MAHSSNEY. HE DIED IN 1980.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Curse |
Date learned: 00-00-1954
THE EYES ARE MUCH REVERED IN LEBANESE CULTURE. PEOPLE OFTEN SWEAR
ON THEIR MOTHER'S EYES, THEIR BABY'S EYES, ETC., TO CONVINCE
PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH. MM
LEBANESE PEOPLE ALSO REFER TO THE EYES WHEN PROFESSING GREAT LOVE.
"I LOVE YOU MORE THAN MY EYES," IS A COMMONLY HEARD EXPRESSION.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN
James Callow Keyword(s): ASSERVATIONS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye SPEECH -- Formula PROVERB -- Proverbial Comparison |
Date learned: 00001950S
IF PEOPLE PRAISE YOU TOO MUCH THEY ARE REALLY JEALOUS OF YOU.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY WISHING YOU HARM SO THEY ARE GIVING YOU THE EVIL
EYE.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; EAST DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal BELIEF -- Curse |
Date learned: 11-00-1982
IF YOUR LEFT EYE JUMPS SOMEONE WILL MAKE YOU MAD, IF YOUR RIGHT
EYE JUMPS SOMEONE WILL MAKE YOU GLAD.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Sensations and involuntary actions Eye twitch |
Date learned: 00001950S
IF YOU LOOK AT A BABY UPSIDE DOWN IT WILL END UP CROSSED EYED.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): POSITION DIRECTION
| Subject headings: | Observation BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Date learned: 00001950S
"Certain people have the power to give the evil eye.
Some would give it to you to make you sick, bring you
bad luck, etc. or they would say not to look in their
eyes so you would not get the evil eye (they could not
help themselves from giving the evil eye --- it was
beyond their control). Mr. DiSantis had the power. He
told my Dad and others about it when he was young,
(maybe age seven)."
Submitter comment:
This is a verbatim account from Maryann Leisner detailing
a story told many times by her Italian father, Mr. Phillip
Melone. Mr. Melone believes this to be true.
Where learned: ILLINOIS ; SKOKIE
Keyword(s): Curse, magic, harm
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Curse BELIEF -- Bad luck Body parts and functions |
Date learned: 00001930S
When a person in Saint Thomas gets in trouble or is "put
down" by someone else, another person will pull the bottom
of his right eye down quickly and say "Bo Bo."
Submitter comment:
The collector has no idea what it means but the gesture is
done frequently among children and the adult usually does
not see it.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): RIGHT LEFT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye SPEECH -- Formula SPEECH -- Gesture |
Date learned: 04-00-1991
It has been said that if you urinate in the middle of the
highway, you'll get a star (pimple) under you eye.
Submitter comment:
Everytime I saw someone with a pimple under his/her eye I would
think about this old saying.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Pimple
James Callow Keyword(s): Stye
Date learned: 00-00-1970
IF YOUR LEFT EYE JUMPS SOMEONE IS GOING TO MAKE YOU MAD.
IF YOUR RIGHT EYE JUMPS SOMEONE IS GOING TO MAKE YOU GLAD.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Belief BELIEF -- Body part Senses Eyes, evil eye BELIEF -- Sensations and involuntary actions Eye twitch |