Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for B returned 4320 results.
Tale of Kate Elshender
A woman in the highlands, Named Kate Elshender, went to
a quarry hole to wash her clothes. As she passed the
village shop, she went in and bought a half pound of
soap and proceeded to wash; the soap slipped from her
hands, and she went back and bought another half pound.
The shopkeeper warned her to be careful, remembering the
old superstition...(when soap slips from your hand it
means death)...It slipped from her hands once again and
she returned for a third half pound of soap. This time
the shopkeeper was thoroughly frightened and begged her
not to go back again, but Kate went. Shortly after the
shopkeeper went to the quarry to find no one there. She
gave the alarm, and Kate Elshender was discovered drowned
at the bottom of the quarry hole.
Where learned: ENGLAND ; LONDON
Keyword(s): BAD LUCK
| Subject headings: | Observation PROSE NARRATIVE -- Still water Small body. Lake, pond.... BELIEF -- P447 BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial BELIEF -- Measure of time Working |
Date learned: 00-00-1991
If your soap breaks in two, it's a true sign of parting.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; SAINT CLAIR
Keyword(s): breaking up, end
James Callow Keyword(s): SYMBOL
| Subject headings: | 686 Seconds / Twice / Two BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Marriage |
Date learned: 00-00-1991
It is unlucky for the newly married couple
to go home from church on the same road they came.
Submitter comment: She was told this on her wedding day.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BELIEF
| Subject headings: | 686 Properties attributed to specific numbers or numerals individually. BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Marriage |
A FRIEND OF MINE USES "GREETINGS AND HALLUCINATIONS" AS A
GREETING INSTEAD OF "GREETING AND SALUTATIONS."
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ROSEVILLE
James Callow Keyword(s): DELIBERATE MALAPROPISM
| Subject headings: | SPEECH -- Formula |
When the New Year arrives put a spider in your purse, and you
will have money all year long.
Submitter comment:
The informant can't remember when she learned this superstition,
but she has been doing it for about 20 years.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; FERNDALE
Keyword(s): bugs
| Subject headings: | Favorites CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- January 1 New Year's BELIEF -- Insect BELIEF -- Measure of time Year |
Date learned: 00001950S
"Once a dog from a meat market stole a piece of meat and began to
run. On the road, he encountered a small bridge. As he looked down
into the water he saw a larger piece of meat. (Unknown to him, it was
just a reflection of the meat he had in his mouth.) As he opened his
mouth to grab the 'larger piece of meat,' he lost the piece he had.
Moral: Whoever wants more than he or she has loses the little he or
she does have."
Submitter comment: The moral loses much in the translation.
Where learned: GREECE
James Callow Keyword(s): animal fable
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Animal Tale |
Date learned: 00001950CA
Humorous "Jingle Bells"
Jingle Bells, Batman smells./ Robin laid an egg./ The
batmobile lost its wheel/ And the Joker got away. This song is
sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells."
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GRAND RAPIDS
Keyword(s): Comic book characters
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ill humor Ridicule Mockery |
Date learned: 00-00-1981
Autograph verse
(Any name may be inserted here) had a little lamb,
And now the lamb is dead.
Now she takes it to school,
Between two loaves of bread.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Sandusky
Keyword(s): Sandwich
James Callow Keyword(s): parody of "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Autograph Verse |
Date learned: 00-00-1965
It was said if you wore two hats you were going to get a double
whooping.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; RIVER ROUGE
James Callow Keyword(s): Punishment -- beating
| Subject headings: | 686 Seconds / Twice / Two ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Dress Head |
Date learned: 00-00-1955
Entry filtered.
New Year's Eve
In the Steubenville and Toronto, Ohio areas, it is traditional
on New Year's Eve to eat a dinner of keilbassi, sauerkrault and
mashed potatoes.
Submitter comment:
I remember hearing that this is a German tradition that is
followed to ensure good luck throughout the coming year.
Keyword(s): SAUERKRAUT
James Callow Keyword(s): Kielbasa
An old family graveyard had to be dug up and moved to make
room for a major highway that was being made in the Detroit,
Michigan area. It was found that one woman had been buried while
she was still living. This was known to be true because the
deceased had rolled over on to her abdomen in her casket and had
pulled all of her hair out of her scalp.
Submitter comment:
This was told to the informant by a Grosse Pointe teacher who
knew it to be true because the deceased was her grandmother.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; GROSSE POINTE
James Callow Keyword(s): PREMATURE BURIAL
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Body part Senses Hair, on head, mustache, widow's peak BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
Date learned: 00-00-1983
The Legend of the Shoe Tree
This is the Legend of the Shoe Tree: If you drive down a
certain back road (road name not known) in Northville, Michigan
you will come across a tree with hundreds of shoes thrown up into
it. Legend has it that a murderer used to kill his victims and
leave his mark by throwing each victim's shoes into the tree. It
is also believed that anyone who touches the tree or anything in
it will be cursed and then die.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; LIVONIA
James Callow Keyword(s): Touching tabu
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Outlaw Criminal Bandit Pirate BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal BELIEF -- Curse BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Date learned: 00-00-1990
Do not eat fish and watermelon together, do not drink corn
liquor and eat bananas, do not eat fish and milk together.
James Callow comment:
"If you eat bananas after drinking beer or whiskey, it will
kill you (... student, Negro, Cleveland, 1959)"; "if you eat
bananas after drinking whiskey, you will die in agony" (...
barber, Negro, Cleveland, 1956)" -- Puckett, Ohio, nos. 27489,
27490.
Where learned: Camben ; Arkansas
James Callow Keyword(s): Incompatible foods
| Subject headings: | Favorites Food Drink -- Kind of Food and Its Preparation BELIEF -- Fish BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Date learned: 00-00-1945
The Ant and the Grasshopper
All day long all through the warm days of summer, a green
grasshopper went happily about. Whenever the grasshopper was
thirsty, he would sip nectar from any plant he saw. One
afternoon, as the grasshopper was leaping from flower to flower,
he saw beneath him a little black ant struggling to carry a fat
leaf bigger than himself. "Little friend," said the grasshopper,
"What are you doing down there?" "Why, I am carrying this leaf
off to my nest. I must fill my nest with food to last through
winter." "Winter?" said the grasshopper. "Who cares about
winter? Why don't you climb up to this flower and enjoy its
sweet nectar? Winter will take care of itself." "That isn't the
way things work in this world," said the ant. "Winter will be
here soon. The flowers will be gone, and there will be nothing
to eat." "Well, suit yourself," said the grasshopper. And off
he went, singing happily and having no cares at all. The ant
returned to carry each leaf, but he did not mind. He knew he
would have enough to last the winter. Soon the cold weather
came. The ant was snug in his
nest with plenty of food to eat. The grasshopper? He had
nothing to eat and soon was no more. A WISE PERSON KNOWS THAT
SUMMER DOES NOT LAST FOREVER.
Submitter comment: My informant remembers reading this fable in Aesop.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Lansing
Keyword(s): Nectar = A sweet liquid secreted by plants
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Animal Tale BELIEF -- Measure of time Winter |
Date learned: 11-00-1991
I was told that if you killed an ant, especially a black ant,
it would cause rain to come.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Bug superstitions
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Insect BELIEF -- Cloud Fog Mist Rain Hail Ice Snow Frost Dew BELIEF -- Color |
Date learned: 01-00-1978
Thunder is God's way of showing anger at the wrong and sin
happening on Earth.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Nature Beliefs
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Gods BELIEF -- Lightning Thunder |
Date learned: 02-00-1992
Sweeping one's foot is cause for never being married.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Broom superstitions
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Feet, toes, toenails BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal BELIEF -- Marriage |
Codfish and garbazos were a tradition at my house during
Christmas time.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): garbanzo beans?
| Subject headings: | CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 21 solstice to March 20 Menus Food Drink -- Typical menus for the various meals For meal hours, see F574.84. Special or festive meals |
Date learned: 03-00-1992
Chin Tickler
I remember this little game my grandmother played on my face
and head. She would knock on my head and say, "head knocker", then
touch my eyes and say, "eye peepers," then pinch my nose and say,
"nose blower," then place her finger on my mouth and say, "mouth
chopper" and tickle under my chin and say, "chin tickler."
Submitter comment:
The two of us would continue the little game, laughing until
one of us would finally give in due to stomach pain from laughter.
I did the same with my children.
Where learned: Grandmother
James Callow Keyword(s): Names for body parts
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Athletic sport and exercise Gymnastics SPEECH -- Vocabulary |
Date learned: 00001950S