Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for B returned 4320 results.
Superstition: Animals
Turtle:
If a turtle clamp your toe or your finger, it won't let it go until it thunder.
Submitter comment:
Informant learned from childhood
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P752] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Bite ; BODY PART ; Finger ; SUPERSTITION ; Thunder ; TOE ; Turtle ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
Warding off Snake Belief:
If you see a snake, say "my back, my belly" ten times and it should go away.
Submitter comment:
Informaer has tried it several times and it worked
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P752] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Serpent ; Snake ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
A snake having been killed will not die until sundown
Submitter comment:
Informant was skeptical as to this belief
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: NEW YORK ; POUGHKEEPSIE
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; DEATH ; Kill ; Serpent ; Snake ; Sundown ; SUPERSTITION ; Time of day
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Superstition: Animals
If you kill a black snake and throw him in a tree, it will rain until you take him down.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P435, P447] crossed out. Replaced wtih current classification.
Where learned: ALABAMA
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; DEATH ; Kill ; Rain ; Serpent ; Snake ; SUPERSTITION ; Tree ; WEATHER
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal BELIEF -- Cloud Fog Mist Rain Hail Ice Snow Frost Dew |
Belief: Animal
Snake won't die until after sundown.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Where learned: PENNSYLVANIA ; SCRANTON
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Night ; Serpent ; Snake ; Sundown ; SUNSET ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
The Hoop Snake:
It is believed that a certain snake in the Southwest, the hoop snake, can travel by rgabbing its tail in its mouth and rolling like a hoop.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
Collector last name possibilities: Ston, Stan, Star, Stor, Stair, Stain, Stoin, Stoir.
Where learned: UNKNOWN
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Hoop ; REGIONAL ; Serpent ; Snake ; Southwest ; SUPERSTITION ; TRAVEL
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Belief: Animal
Snake Legend:
If you kill a snake you have to do it late in the day, because otherwise the snake would suffer until sunset.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [B440] crossed out. Replaced wtih current classification.
Where learned: HOME ; MINNESOTA ; SAINT PAUL
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; DEATH ; Kill ; Serpent ; Snake ; Sundown ; SUNSET ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
Superstition: Animals
Reunion of Snakes Belief:
If you cut a snake in two it will come back together after sundown.
Submitter comment:
Original Title was; Reunion of Snakes Bodily... The word bodily was crossed out and replaced with Belief.
The letter B is crossed out in the upper left hand corner. Possibly intended to be a BN.
Collector's phone number is listed at bottom right of card: XXX-5459
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRL
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Serpent ; Snake ; Sundown ; SUNSET ; SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal |
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 |
Superstition: Animals
La Cicilia (Snake Belief):
This is a little short snake (type of viper) which is blind and hisses. It comes out once a year on the feast of the Madonna degli Angeli. On this feastday no child is left alone for the people believe that these vipers seek babies and small children. The vipers are believed to have the spirit of the devil within them and seek little children's souls.
Submitter comment:
My mother really believes this story and claims to have seen them.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Written on the right hand side of the card: Date? Unknown.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): Babies ; CHILDREN ; Feast ; FESTIVAL ; holiday ; Holy Day ; Prey ; Serpent ; Snake ; Soul ; Viper
| 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 |
Belief: Animal
Belief About Snakes:
In many parts of Mexico and South America the snake serves as a symbol of fertility.
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [B400] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; ETHNIC ; FERTILITY ; Mexican ; MEXICO ; REGIONAL ; Serpent ; SIGN ; Snake ; SOUTH AMERICA ; South American ; SYMBOL
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Mammal |
Entry filtered.
Superstition
12 came around for study of Friday the 13th
Data entry tech comment:
[unknown if pencil mark is meant to cross out the entry or if it is a simple accidental mark of the pencil.]
Entered by TRD
James Callow comment:
Pencil mark through entry
Keyword(s): DATE ; Friday ; NUMBER ; Numeral ; Twelve ; Weekday ; Weekend
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Number P686.1.17 |
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
Birth Marks:
After giving borth to a child, an Italian woman will ask the doctor, "are there any marks?" Immediately, if there were any, they would disappear.
Submitter comment:
This is another Italian "in" story
Data entry tech comment:
Motifs added by TRD
James Callow comment:
Original BN [P740.542, F542] crossed out. Replaced with current classification
Where learned: HOME
Keyword(s): BABY ; BIRTH ; Birth Mark ; CURE ; CURSE ; Delivery ; ETHNIC ; Italian ; PREGNANCY ; REMEDY
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |