Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for P542 returned 854 results.
Superstition
If a pregnant woman is frightened by fire, the baby will have a red or purple birthmark.
Submitter comment:
Belief: Means of Cursing
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P740] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; COLOR ; CURSE ; FEAR ; FIRE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Purple ; Red ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition
Pregnancy Superstition:
If a pregnant woman is frightened her baby will be born marked in some way.
Submitter comment:
This is a superstition common in the Oswald family
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BABY ; BELIEF ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; jinx ; Mark ; Offspring ; PREGNANCY ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition
My grandmother has a mark, which she calls a "fire mark" on her upper arm. It is oddly similar ro a birthmark, bu this is the story of its origin according to my grandmother:
When her mother was pregnant with her, there was a fire in the Russion town where they lived. Her mother went out to look at it, and the night was quite cold. She grasped her upper arm because of this cold, and so my grandmother was born with a mark in the same place her mother had held her arm.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P840] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Where learned: Myself
Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; Cold ; CURSE ; FEAR ; FIRE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Russia ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition
Belief:
If you're frightened during pregnancy after the 7th month the child will be born with a birth mark such as a strawberry or in the shape of a thing that produced the fright.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with Current Classification
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition
Superstition:
Pregnant women should not look at strawberries because then their children will develop red blotches on themselves (which look like strawberries).
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P740] crossed out. replaced with current classification
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CURSE ; jinx ; Mark ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; PREGNANCY ; STRAWBERRY ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition
How Many Children?
Thread a needle and hold it at the top, next to your left wrist. If you keep watching for awhile, the needle and thread will move all by itself. If it moves in circles, for example, three times, that means you will have three daughters someday. If it sways back and forth, that means you will have the respective number of sons. If the needle and thread don't move at all, you will be childless.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P542, P860] crossed out. Replaced with current Classification
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BIRTH ; Childbirth, divination ; CHILDREN ; FUTURE ; GAME ; gender ; NUMBER ; Offspring ; Ordaining ; SUPERSTITION ; TRICK
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition: Pregnancy
When you're pregnant is you see a fire there will be a mark on your child.
Data entry tech comment:
motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P870] crossed out. Replaced with P542
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN HEIGHTS
Keyword(s): Birthmark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FIRE ; Mark ; Offspring ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition
"Mouse"
My brother has a birthmark on his thigh. But my grandmother refuses to believe that it did not come about inthis way: She says that when my mother was pregnant a mouse must have frightened her and she must have grabbed her leg at the thigh, in the place where my brother has the "mouse." Her proof is that my uncle has the same kind of mark in the same place on his leg, and she is sure that she was scared by a mouse when pregnant with him.
Data entry tech comment:
motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P840] crossed out and replaced with current classification.
Where learned: Myself
Keyword(s): BIRTH ; Birthmark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; Mouse ; Offspring ; Scare ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Custom/Belief
Tie a diamond ring to a piece of string with the diamond hanging at the lowest point. Hold the string at eye level. Hold it steady and place someone's hand palm down under the diamond. If the ring sways from left to right that is the sign that the expectant mother will have a baby boy. If it sways to and fro, the baby will be a girl.
Data entry tech comment:
motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [F500] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Keyword(s): BABY ; BELIEF ; BIRTH ; DIVINATION ; gender ; Old Wives Tale ; Ordaining ; SEX ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition: Pregnancy
Prediction Belief:
If a pregnant woman looks at an ugly animal, her child may be ugly.
Submitter comment:
Prediction / Belief
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Original BN [P800] crossed out / replaced with current classification
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; BIRTH ; CHILD ; CURSE ; jinx ; Offspring ; Old Wives Tale ; PREGNANCY ; SUPERSTITION
James Callow Keyword(s): Reference
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
Superstition: Pregnancy
Birth Omen:
When you are pregnant, if you thread a needle and hold it over your left arm with your right hand, you can learn what the sex of the child is. If it swings across the arm, it is a boy. If it swings up and down the arm, it is a girl.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Reference
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; BIRMINGHAM
Keyword(s): BIRTH ; CHILD ; DIVINATION ; gender ; Ordaining ; PREGNANCY ; SEX
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Birth |
SIGN
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT EVERY TIME A SHOOTING STAR FLASHES
ACROSS THE SKY, A CHILD HAS BEEN BORN TO REPLACE SOMEONE WHO HAS
DIED.
Submitter comment:
INFORMANT DOES NOT BELIEVE THE ACTUAL STATEMENT.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): DISBELIEF
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Comet BELIEF -- Birth BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
Date learned: 02-23-1972
Curse of a Cat
There lived a man with his face covered with black fur like a cat in the village of agricultural district of Japan. His mother extremely hated a black cat before he was born and treated it very badly and cruelly killed it. After she bore him she was dead with severe pain and everybody was surprised at seeing the baby's face covered with black fur.
Data entry tech comment:
Informant and collector share the same surname.
Where learned: JAPAN ; HIROSHIMA
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Animal BELIEF -- Birth |