Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for CURSE returned 37 results.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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
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
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
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