Years ago, people had rainbarrels. They would use the water for many purposes. With this old aunt of mine, she kept frogs in this rainbarrel. (If anyone asks, there were floats of cork in the rainbarrel that the frogs could hop on; they can't stay in the water all the time of they'd drown.) She had a good reason for it, too!

Because she was tiny and worked very hard, she had a weak back. When she would get a severe backache, she would send her son out to the rainbarrel to get a frog. Then her son would put the frog in her girdle. Now, she was tiny and wore a girdle for back support. Wherever the pain was, the frog would go and it would sit right where the pain was. When the frog died, the pain was gone. (It took about 15 minutes for the frog to die.) The frog would take the pain away!

Submitter comment:

[Question by Collector:] How did the frog know where the pain was?

[Answer by Informant:] The frog always goes to where the pain is localized. This never failed to work with her and all her children do the same. Men do the same with a tightly wrapped sheet around their backs in stead of a girdle.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL CURE ; BACKACHE ; CURE ; FROG ; Girdle ; MEDICAL ; Medicinal ; PAIN ; Pain Remedy

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Animal

View just this record

Ghost Belief

A ghost won't enter your house if a camel's bones are buried beneath the doorstep.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original letter of the Boggs Number [B429] has been crossed out and replaced with a P.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BONES ; Camel ; GHOST ; House ; Protection ; PROTECTION AGAINST EVIL FORCES ; SUPERNATURAL

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Ghost Spirit Phantom Specter

View just this record

Little Rabbit Foo Foo/Hopping through the forest/picking up the field mice and bopping them on the head.
Then down came the good fairy and she said/Little rabbit Foo Foo I don't want to see you picking up those field mice and bopping them on the head/I'm going to give you three more chances and if you continue I'm going to turn you into a GOON.

Same except for 2 then 1 then no more chances [sic].

Now I'm going to turn you into a GOON..."poof!"

Moral: Hare today, Goon tomorrow.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs and BN added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Submission Card was located in a pile marked To Be Classified.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; animal fable ; Fable ; Fairy ; Moral ; Rabbit ; THE RABBIT THAT WAS CHANGED INTO A GOON

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Animal Tale

View just this record

Superstition

Superstition:

That warts come from handling frogs

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P880.440] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURE ; Fallacy ; FROG ; HEALTH ; ILLNESS ; MEDICINE ; SUPERSTITION ; Touching tabu ; Warts

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness

View just this record

Destiny

Killing an albatross while on a ship means that the ship is going to meet disaster.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P870] crossed out and replaced with current classification.

Where learned: LIBRARY ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT

Keyword(s): Albatross ; ANIMAL SYMBOL ; DESTINY ; Disaster ; Lore ; LUCK ; Nautical ; OMEN ; Sailor ; SEA ; Ship

Subject headings:

Observation

View just this record

Superstition

Always cross your fingers when passing a black crow.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P880] crossed out and replaced with current classifications.

The question For Good Luck? is written underneath the submission.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BIRD ; COLOR ; Crow ; OMEN ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Bird
BELIEF -- Color
SPEECH -- Gesture

View just this record

Belief: Animal

When you see a white horse you lick your fore-finger and wipe it on your left palm, then double up your fist and hit your palm.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P880] is crossed out/replaced with current classifications

Written next to BN: [Since the collector used this nuimber himself, we must assume that this is done for luck.]

Written underneath the text of the submission: For Luck??

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; COLOR ; CUSTOM ; HORSE ; jinx ; LUCK

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Mammal
BELIEF -- Color
BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance

View just this record

Ethnic:Ugandan

Cocks and Misfortune:

If a family keeps poultry, and is a cock among them crows between sun-set and mid-night [sic], that particular bird must be strangled immediately to overt misfortune!

Submitter comment:

The superstition is proper to the Batooro tribe of about 100,000 poeple of Uganda.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P530, P880] crossed out/replaced with current classifications

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMALS ; BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; ETHNIC ; FARMING ; MISFORTUNE ; Omens ; Poultry ; SUPERSTITION ; Tribe ; Uganda

Subject headings:

Observation
BELIEF -- Bird

View just this record

Superstition: Pregnancy

Cats:

Cats shouldn't be allowed in the same room as a sleeping baby because the smell of milk on a baby's breath will cause the cat to suffocate the baby when the cat attempts to suck the milk out of the baby through the baby's mouth.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P400] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; DEATH ; FEAR ; Feline ; FOOD ; Kill ; Milk ; Newborn ; Offspring ; Suffocate ; SUPERSTITION