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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

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Belief: Animal

Warts/Toads:

This is the belief that a person gets warts on his hands from handling toads.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P740] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; SUPERSTITION ; Toad ; Toads ; Wart

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Animal

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Belief: Animal

Cause for Warts:

If you touch a frog or a toad, you will get warts.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P400] crossed out. Replaced with P440

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; FROG ; SUPERSTITION ; Toad ; Warts

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Animal

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Belief: Animal

Toads give warts.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P600] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: UNKNOWN

Keyword(s): Amphibians ; ANIMALS ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; SUPERSTITION ; Toads ; Wart

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Animal

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Belief: Animal

Some people believe that handling toads will give a person warts.

Submitter comment:

I do not believe this statement

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P740] is crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: UNKNOWN

Keyword(s): AMPHIBIAN ; ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; CURSE ; Disfigure ; SUPERSTITION ; Toad ; Wart

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Animal

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Superstition: Animals

If a household lizard falls into the soup and the soup is accidently eaten, the person will develop scales on his body.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P800] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; BELIEF ; Consume ; CURSE ; Eat ; FOOD ; Lizard ; PET ; REPTILE ; Soup ; SUPERSTITION

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Animal

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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

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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

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Birthmarks:

Mother always said "if a child was born with a birthmark, to do this, before the child got into the bath or anything." Take the afterbirth, the sack the baby grows in, take the lining from the sack and rub the baby all over with that. The skin would come out clean and the birthmark would be gone.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P720, P760.750] crossed out. Replaced wtih current classifications

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Afterbirth ; BABY ; BIRTH ; Birth Mark ; CURE ; CURSE ; Delivery ; Labor ; Newborn ; Placenta ; PREGNANCY ; REMEDY

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Remedy

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Ethnic:Polish Superstition

Curing a Spell:

To cure a spell, especially the evil eye, cast on a small child, you remove all the clothes, and dress the baby again with all the clothes inside out. This is a Polish belief.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CHILD ; CLOTHING ; CURE ; CURSE ; ETHNIC ; EVIL EYE ; Fashion ; MAGIC ; POLAND ; POLISH ; REMEDY ; Removal

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Method of Curing

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Ethnic: Isreali Superstition

The Druse, a tribe in Isreal, protect their babies from the Evil Eye by painting a circle around each eye of the child with a dye called Kehl.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): BABY ; CHILD ; CURE ; CURSE ; Druse ; Dye ; ETHNIC ; EVIL EYE ; Israel ; Israeli ; Kehl ; Protection ; REMEDY ; SUPERSTITION ; Tribe

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness

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Superstition: Pregnancy

To Spit on a New-Born Baby:

Whenever a woman looks at another's new-born baby, they must have a little saliva fall on the child. If not, the evil-eye is cast upon the baby.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Written in the bottom left hand corner of the card: [IA25 Mark again for S600 + S644]

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BABY ; CHILD ; CURE ; CURSE ; EVIL EYE ; Newborn ; PREVENTION ; REMEDY ; Saliva

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness
SPEECH -- Gesture
SPEECH -- Shame

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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

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Proverb

An open foe may prove a curse but a pretended friend is worse.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Located in pile marked Duplicates adn Other Rejects

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): CURSE ; ENEMY ; Fake ; Foe ; Friend ; HYPOCRISY ; pretend

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Proverb Proverb

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Legend

CROSS ON WHICH CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED WAS SUPPOSEDLY
OF DOGWOOD. THUS THE DOGWOOD FLOWER IS SHAPED LIKE A
CRUCIFIX AS A REMINDER OF THE CRUCIFIXTION. THE TEAR
DROP IN THE CENTER OF THE FLOWER REPRESENTS A TEAR
WHICH IS SHED FOR THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

Submitter comment:

ORIGIN: UNKNOWN

Data entry tech comment:

Updated 02-22-2011 by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Christ ; CRUCIFIXION ; CURSE ; DEATH ; Dogwood ; FLOWER ; Legend ; RELIGION ; Story ; Tale ; Tear ; Tree

Subject headings: PROSE NARRATIVE -- Plant

Date learned: 07-30-1964

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Legend

CROSS ON WHICH CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED WAS SUPPOSEDLY
OF DOGWOOD. THUS THE DOGWOOD FLOWER IS SHAPED LIKE A
CRUCIFIX AS A REMINDER OF THE CRUCIFIXTION. THE TEAR
DROP IN THE CENTER OF THE FLOWER REPRESENTS A TEAR
WHICH IS SHED FOR THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

Submitter comment:

ORIGIN: UNKNOWN

Data entry tech comment:

Updated on 2011-02-22 by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Christ ; CURSE ; Cursed ; DEATH ; Dogwood ; FLOWER ; Legend ; RELIGION ; Story ; Tale ; Tear ; Tree

Subject headings: PROSE NARRATIVE -- Plant

Date learned: 07-30-1964

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MAGIC BELIEF

IF COWS WOULD NOT GIVE MILK IT WAS BECAUSE A WITCH HAD CAST A
SPELL. THE ONLY WAY TO RELEASE THE SPELL OR BREAK IT WOULD
BE TO PUT PINS IN THE MILK STRAINER, AND THIS WOULD HURT THE
WITCH. THUS SHE WOULD HAVE TO RETURN AND RELEASE THE SPELL.

Submitter comment:

INFORMANT SAID THIS TYPE OF MAGIC WAS USUALLY RECOMMENDED BY THE
FORTUNE TELLERS IN POLAND.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Cows ; CURSE ; MAGIC ; Milk ; Pins ; POLAND ; Spell

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Witch Shaman

Date learned: 02-07-1971

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MAGIC BELIEF

IF A COW DOESN'T PRODUCE MILK, IT'S BECAUSE THE WITCH
HAD CAST A SPELL, THEREFORE, BEFORE ALL HOLY DAYS, POLISH
VILLAGERS WOULD BURN BLESSED HERBS IN AN INCENSE BURNER IN THE
BARN, BELIEVING THAT THE SMOKE WOULD CHASE AWAY THE WITCH.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Cow ; CURSE ; FARMING ; MAGIC ; Milk ; POLAND

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Typical Elements of a Festive Pattern
BELIEF -- Witch Shaman

Date learned: 02-07-1971

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