Supernatural Folklore

Question 1

What is Folklore?

Answer 1

Beliefs or customs that are passed down through generation primarily through oral tradition

Question 2

What did early scholars view as folklore?

Answer 2

Part of everyday life

Question 3

What are characteristics to help define folklore today?

Answer 3

Stories that are learned through oral tradition or performance

Question 4

Who are the folk?

Answer 4

-European peasants
-Uneducated people
-Native Americans

Question 5

What is the difference between pop and elite culture?

Answer 5

Pop culture is everyday life lived through mass media
Elite culture is having more access

Question 6

3 Major Genres of folklore

Answer 6

1. Myth: considered true
   2.Legend: told are true or false, told about real people and place
   3.Folktale: passed down by oral tradition, includes fairies

Question 7

Features of haunted houses.
Example from folk, pop and elite.

Answer 7

Old, abandoned, broken parts on house
Folk: walking house on chicken legs
Pop: Movies, Adams family

Question 8

What is liminality? Examples.

Answer 8

Betwixt and between.
Ex. basement, attic, bathroom

Question 9

3 Major belief genres

Answer 9

1. Folk
2. Pop Culture
3. Elite Culture

Question 10

Characteristics of a legend

Answer 10

-Told about real people and places
-Told as true or false

Question 11

Characteristics of a myth

Answer 11

-Sacred narrative
-Told as true

Question 12

What is a memorate?

Answer 12

Personal experience narrative about a supernatural encounter.

Question 13

What is ostension? Example

Answer 13

People act out themes or events found in folklore
Ex. Devils Tramping Ground

Question 14

What is legend tripping? Example

Answer 14

People travel to the place where a supernatural event was believed to take place
Ex. Rail Road Children

Question 15

What is a relational believer?

Answer 15

Someone who believes something based on logic

Question 16

What is the relationship between tradition and belief?

Answer 16

-Shared stories/events
-Can be invented but also die out

Question 17

Cultural Source Hypothesis

Answer 17

People are influenced by their culturally informed beliefs

Question 18

Experimental Source Hypothesis

Answer 18

The experience people describe should be taken at face value

Question 19

What is Worldview?

Answer 19

The way we understand ourselves and our relationship to the world around us

Question 20

What is a moccasin telegraph? Example

Answer 20

Network of native permutation supernatural communication
Ex. Through native Americans

Question 21

What is a fairy?

Answer 21

-Fallen angels
-Wondering dead

Question 22

Where do you find fairies?

Answer 22

Fairy rings, megalith and rath

Question 23

What do fairies do?

Answer 23

Dance, play, sing, attend wedding and funerals, ride horses

Question 24

What is changeling? Examples

Answer 24

Old fairy baby who takes place of a young human baby.
Ex. The Good People and Irish Fairies

Question 25

How has the views of witches/witchcraft changed over time?

Answer 25

In modern time it seems to be mostly women who will just curse people instead of older times when witches used to help find stolen items and help heal the wounded

Question 26

3 Types of Appalachian Witchery Examples

Answer 26

1. White Witchery 2. Black Witchery 3. Witch Doctoring Ex. Uses all natural things for healing

Question 27

What is commodification? Examples

Answer 27

Belief given in exchange value for something that can be bought, traded or sold Ex. Shirts or cups with the belief printed on it

Question 28

What is trivialization? Examples

Answer 28

Belief traditions that are made to seem over the top ex. Hollywood movies vs folklore

Question 29

What is a cryptid? Examples

Answer 29

creature belonging to unconfirmed species

Question 30

What is cryptozoology? Examples

Answer 30

The study of unconfirmed species

Question 31

What is a hybrid? Examples

Answer 31

Product of cross breeding Ex. Ligers and tigons

Question 32

What is a cyborg? Examples

Answer 32

A hybrid that is part human part machine

Question 33

What is species problem?

Answer 33

Failure of biologist arrangement of identification for half human half machines

Question 34

What is bigfoot?

Answer 34

Large, hairy, heavy, tall, big foot creature

Question 35

Theories of bigfoot

Answer 35

-Largely footed -Becomes harmful if disturbed

Question 36

Evidence of big foot

Answer 36

-Large lock of hair -Unusual large footprints