Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for BELIEF returned 508 results.
Superstition: Animals
Resurrection of a Snake Belief:
If you kill a snake it will come back to life after sundown
Submitter comment:
The letter B is crossed out in the upper left hand corner of the submission card. Possibly intended as a BN
Collector's phone number is listed on the bottom right of submission card: XXX-5459
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; DEATH ; Resurrection ; Serpent ; Snake ; Sundown ; SUNSET ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Superstition: Animals
There is a legendary snake with a crown on its head and the crown had bells on it. The snake has a beard like a nanny goat. It is a huge and fearsome snake. It is said to come out once a year on a holy day and few have seen it.
Submitter comment:
My father's dad claims to have seen it. He saw the ground shaking all around a house and he saw the head of this snake come out of the ground. He claims that 10 to 15 feet of ground was shaking.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Crown ; Fearful ; Holy ; Legend ; MYTH ; Serpent ; Snake ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal BELIEF -- Mammal |
Belief: Animal
Snake:
When a snake wishes to hurry down a hill, he grabs his tail in his mouth, and, forming a circle, rolls down.
Submitter comment:
The words Rapid Transit and Item Card are written in the top left and right hand corners (respectively) of the card. They are all crossed out.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [M247] crossed out. Reoplaced with Current Classification
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Serpent ; Snake ; SUPERSTITION ; Tail ; TRAVEL
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Superstition: Animals
There is said to exist an animal which is snake-like in form and which crawls up a cows leg and drinks all her milk. This it has its name the milk-snake.
Submitter comment:
A Sly Poacher
and Item Card are written in the top left hand and right hand corners of the card, respectively. A Sly Poacher is crossed out.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P440] has been crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Cow ; Drink: consumption ; FOOD ; Milk ; PUN ; Serpent ; Snake ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
A hoop snake puts its tail in its mouth and rolls; Anything hit by it will die.
Submitter comment:
Perswon remembers as a child being afraid of this snake and always running in a zig-zag path to avoid being struck by it.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: CLASS
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; DEATH ; MYTH ; Serpent ; Snake ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Entry filtered.
Entry filtered.
Superstition: Pregnancy
Remedy:
If a woman is frightened during her pregnancy, the child will have a birth mark.
Submitter comment:
Learned at home on the farm.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BABY ; BELIEF ; Birth Mark ; CHILD ; CURSE ; FEAR ; Frightened ; Offspring ; PREGNANCY ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Remedy |
Superstition: Pregnancy
Superstition:
A Polish pregnant woman must be shielded from the sight of cripples, any people that are ugly, abnormal or diseased for fear of "marking" the child.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Keyword(s): Able-ism ; Able-ist ; BELIEF ; BIRTH ; ETHNIC ; Ignorant ; POLAND ; POLISH ; PREGNANCY ; PREGNANT ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Ethnic:Polish Superstition
Superstitions:
A Polish pregnant woman must not eat twin pears, apples, or other fruits for fear of bearing attached twins.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
The card has been stamped as KEYPUNCHED, but the word has been crossed out.
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BABY ; BELIEF ; Conjoined ; CURSE ; Eat ; ETHNIC ; FOOD ; FRUIT ; Newborn ; POLAND ; POLISH ; PREGNANCY ; SUPERSTITION ; TABU ; TWINS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Retort
...Says the pretty little bird on Nellie's hat.
(Variant of "Who are you kidding?")
Submitter comment:
Informant heard this often from Nellie Gaffney, a friend of informant's Irish grandmother, Rose Brady.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; FERNDALE
Keyword(s): BIRD ; COMEBACK ; DISBELIEF ; Hat ; INSULT ; RETORT ; SARCASM ; Wisecrack
| Subject headings: | SPEECH -- Formula |
Proverb
Seeing is believing.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Duplicate
Keyword(s): Aphorism ; Apothegm ; BELIEF ; Maxim ; PROVERB ; Seeing ; Sight ; VERSE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Proverb
Seeing is believing.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): Aphorism ; Apothegm ; BELIEF ; Believe ; Maxim ; Proof ; PROVERB ; See ; Sight ; VERSE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Proverb
Seeing is believing.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Keyword(s): Aphorism ; Apothegm ; BELIEF ; Believe ; Believing ; Maxim ; Proof ; PROVERB ; See ; Seeing ; Sight ; VERSE
| Subject headings: | PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim |
Belief
IN GERMANY YOU CANNOT KILL A TREE.
TODAY THIS IS A LAW, BUT IS BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT
THE GODS INHABITED THE TREES.
Data entry tech comment:
Updated by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [B400] crossed out. Replaced with curretn classification.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GROSSE POINTE
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; GERMAN ; Germany ; God ; Inhabit ; Law ; Live ; Origin ; SPIRIT ; Tree
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 02-11-1970
Belief: Weather
Morning red and evening gray / means the sun will shine all day.
Morning gray and evening red / will bring the rain upon your head.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P800] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Evening ; Gray ; Grey ; MORNING ; PREDICTION ; Rain ; Red ; Sun ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Weather sign or control |
Belief: Weather
When an entire group or herd of cows is seen laying down in the pasture it is said to be a prediction of coming rain.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Cow ; PREDICTION ; Rain ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Weather sign or control |
Belief: Weather
It's raining cats and dogs.
Submitter comment:
The phrase refers to a hard rain. I don't know where the symbolism of animals comes in.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Cats ; Dogs ; METAPHOR ; PREDICTION ; Rain ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Cloud Fog Mist Rain Hail Ice Snow Frost Dew |
Superstition
The fisherman have two kinds of folk belief: magic and empirical. Magic have no rational explanation-porpoises bring good luck. Empirical can be explained or have a rational line of thought - Circle around moon means bad weather. There is a rational connection between moon, ring, and bad weather.
Beneath the instrumental function of beliefs (to explain something) there is a phycological [sic] function (to ease the dangers of their hazardous occupation.)
Black suitcase is a very bad taboo object. Going out (in boat) on Friday - bad luck. The word alligator - bad luck. Throw change overboard - good luck.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: The Function of Magic Among Texas Coastal Fisherman ; Journal of American Folklore
Keyword(s): Alligator ; BELIEF ; Boat ; Change ; Empirical ; Fisherman ; Friday ; LUCK ; MAGIC ; MONEY ; MOON ; Ocean ; Porpoise ; Sail ; Sailor ; SEA ; Ship ; Suitcase ; SUPERSTITION ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Still water Large body. BELIEF -- Bad luck |
Society
The author, Lee Hardin, argues the case that Greenwich Village in New York was the first of America's Bohemian communities, that the west coast bohemian villages were offspring of Greenwich Village.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: Journal of American Folklore ; Folk Music Revival
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Bohemian ; Greenwich Village ; NEW YORK ; Social Class ; Social Group ; West Coast
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |