The Daily Banner, Greencastle, Putnam County, 26 December 1968 — Page 7

Thursday, December 26, 1968

The Daily Banner, Greencastle, Indiana

Page 7

a- ** x* .^r ^

I.U. students study folklore

Bloomington, Ind—The story is told that an American astronaut met his Martian counterpart in outer space and they stopped to talk. The American, seeking to establish friendly relations with the Martian, asked, “Have you heard the one about—?” The Martian listened, then said, “We know the same story only it was a migglewump instead of a ghost.” Story-telling has a universal appeal, according to Indiana University folklore specialists. The I.U. Folklore Institute here is internationally known. Students come from 21 countries as well as many states to do advanced studies in folklore. “People are very much the same, whether they are modern or old,” Dr. Linda Degh points out. She is editor of “Indiana Folklore” and professor of folkIn the current issue of “Indiana Folklore” there are accounts of mysterious, unexplained happenings. These stories were uncovered by LU. folklore students. Many of the stories have a number of variations which have been noted by the folklore researchers. One has become a kind of classic which has international variations. This is the story of “The Runaway Grandmother." Basically the story concerns a family on vacation. Included in the group is an aged grandmother who becomes ill and dies. Complications in all the various versions of the story require that the grandmother be wrapped in canvas or a blanket and put on top of the vehicle for transportation to a place where proper arrangements can be made. During its travels the family stops to eat. While they are in a restaurant, the car with the dead grandmother on top is stolen. Dr. Degh said one or more versions of the story can be found in at least 10 European countries as well as in many areas of the United States. She told of publication of the story in a Copenhagen newspaper. The editor was quite indignant over denial of the truth of the story by a Danish folklorist who saw it in print, Dr. Degh said. The story has appeared in American newspapers and in American and European maga- . zines, Dr. Degh pointed out. The story, or one of its variants, has spread rapidly during the past 15 years. Folklore students at I.U. have found variants of stories concerning supernatural events in many parts of Indiana. Some common examples include eerie sounds from a concrete bridge in which a body reportedly is buried; a lonely vigil over a coffin outlined in blue lights; the mysterious playing of an organ; a face and a pair of hands on the tombstone of a murdered woman and the strange death of a younp lover. “There are many beliefs which are not rational but their existence makes us human,” Dr. Degh said. “These beliefs belong to us and are a part of general human conditions which develop into different patterns according to our national background and environment. “Supernatural stories and jokes are the most common folklore themes. There are really very few new jokes. Jokes are flexible. They are adjustable. You might say they are immortal. Many of the antecdotes we hear today can be traced to medieval times when preachers used them to make their sermons more interesting.” The study of folklore is not just a hobby or diversion. At LU. it is very serious business, and both the master’s and the Ph.D. degrees in folklore are offered. The I. U. Folklore Library, with its more than 11,000 volumes in many languages, is one of the largest of its kind in the world. “Folklore is the culture of the people,“Dr. Richard M. Dorson points out. He is professor of history and folklore and director of the Folklore Institute. “Folklore is the hidden submerged culture lying in the shadow of the official civilization about which historians write,” Dr. Dorson says. “Official religion is found in ecclesiastical creeds and doctrines, but the religion of the folk lives in legends of saints, miracles wrought by the prophets, blessings and charms and rituals learned in the family as safeguards against demons.” Stories about “the good old days” aren’t necessarily folklore, Dr. Degh points out. Neither are deliberately created stories about such heroes as Paul Bunyan or Pecos Pete. The story of Casey Jones, an engineer in a famous train wreck, has become part of American folklore, Dr. Degh said. Dr. Degh would like to see more interest in folklore collecting in Indiana. She hopes “Indiana Folklore,” which will be published

twice a year, will encourage the collection of what she considers a rich store of folklore in Indiana. She encourages her students to do research in their own

communities. This (folklore) is a history of the people,” Dr. Degh said. It’s not an official history. Historians are reluctant to use folklore and

this is wrong. People won’t remember how they lived—their way of life, what they thought— but folklore will tell. It’s a human document. It’s something to cherish and be proud of. It’s not backwoodsy. It’s not anything to be ashamed of.”

Even Dr. Degh’s students, who are objective in collecting stories of the supernatural and mysterious happenings, hang on to some folklore customs. Some have certain “security” objects with them when taking an exam. They impose restrictions

on themselves on exam day by not laughing all day or by closing the door with the back of their hand. “People do a lot of things that may not do any good but they don’t do any harm.” Dr. Degh said. “Maybe people don’t

believe in the safeguards they take. On the other hand they feel these actions can do no harm and mayl)e they help.” Folk legends are not meaningless survivals of the past, Dr. Degh declares. She explains what they really are:

fr ^'olk tales always were and still are tliecompanions of man, as they necessarily are adjusted to social changes through the ages. They are flexible enough to cater t£ the needs of people living in ^rjqjjh^y civilized industrial sbciety.V

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