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A Celtic Invocation: Cétnad Naíse, Ernst F. Tonsing

e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies

Very little has been written about the baffling text of the Celtic invocation, the Cétnad nAíse, for the reason that it is abstruse, and the allusions in it resist sure explication. Despite the obstacles to interpreting the Cétnad nAíse, however, a close examination of the poem can yield some clues as to its sources, purpose, and, perhaps, authorship. To do this, the lines of the prayer will be treated in three groups: the four "invocations," the "petitions," and the "I am" sayings. It can be concluded that, contrary to some analysts, the content of the poem is derived …

White Snake, Black Snake Folk Narrative Meets Master Narrative In Qing Dynasty Sichuanese Cross-Stitch Medallions, Cory Willmott

Cory A. Willmott

The cross-stitch medallion in figure 1 was collected by my grandmother, Katherine Willmott, in the early 1920s when she was a missionary in Renshow, Sichuan Province, West China. Many years after I inherited it, I learned that it depicts a folk narrative called “White Snake; Black Snake” that was traditionally performed both on stage in the legitimate theaters and in Chinese shadow puppet dramas (Highbaugh n/d:6).

The story may be summarized as follows: There were two female snakes, White Snake and Black Snake, who were inseparable friends. They both changed into beautiful young women. White Snake got married and bore …

Deadly Powers: Animal Predators And The Mythic Imagination By Paul A. Trout, Lizzy A. Walker

Lizzy A. Walker

Paul Trout's book on animal predators and myth is well researched and presented in such a way that it is informative and entertaining. He illustrates his assertions with numerous examples of myths from ancient cultures. The content is also meant to make the reader "uncomfortable" with the idea that humans did not start out at the top of the food chain. When applicable, Trout likens myths to some modern tales of terror where humanity must face its fear of the predator in various forms, such as in modern horror and science fiction films.

Maine Folklife, Vol. 17, Iss. 1-2, Maine Folklife Center

Maine Folklife Center Newsletter

The Maine Folklife Center has embarked on an ambitious project to digitize the entire collection of the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History. To that end, the University of Maine has contracted with George Blood L.P. of Philadelphia to provide audio digitization services to create a digital preservation master of each of our sound files for the Library of Congress and the University of Maine from our original copies of analog tapes (reel to reel, cassettes, and VHS). George Blood L.P. was chosen from a group of companies who responded to a request for proposals because his company was …

Hopkin, Rachel Claire (Fa 581), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 581. Illustrated paper by Rachel Hopkin titled “A Reel in a Bottle: The Bottle Art of Chris Wood.” This illustrated project provides insight into the art of creating bottle art, or bottle whimsies. Folk artist Chris Wood’s path from observer to artist is detailed and includes his interpretations of the work of several historical and modern artisans within the genre. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Chappell, Katherine (Fa 582), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 582. Illustrated paper by Katherine Chappell titled “Fine, Folk, or Functional? The Art of Mark Whitley.” This illustrated project provides insight into the art of furniture making and the distinctions between the artistic formation of furniture and mass production. The project details the journey of one craftsman, Mark Whitley of Warren County, Kentucky, from one who makes furniture, into an artist whose work is practical, functional, and enduring. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Spraggins, Cody (Fa 585), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 585. Video by Cody Spraggins titled “The Community of Dungeons and Dragons Players as a Folk Group.” The video is a compilation of interviews with three individuals who participate in the role playing fantasy game. The focus of the video is the sentiment that the “gamers” have created distinct folk groups within their community of play. Typescript of abstract only. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Callis, Mariah (Fa 583), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 583. Illustrated paper by Mariah Callis titled “Grave Decoration in a Bowling Green Cemetery: An Analysis of Children’s Grave Adornment.” This illustrated project provides a brief yet detailed description of the author’s first field work experience. The work, an analysis of children’s grave adornment, provides information specific to Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and categorizes the types of ornamentation placed on children’s graves and the frequency of such decoration. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Hopkin, Rachel Claire (Fa 586), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding Aid and full text paper (Click on "Additional File" below) for Folklife Archives Project 586. Independent study project conducted by Rachel Hopkin on George R. Gibson, a banjo player from eastern Kentucky. The project, contained on two DVDs, includes photos, audio interviews and transcripts, a paper, bibliography, and field notes. Participating in the interview are Gibson and musicians John W. Haywood and Kevin C. Howard, who describe Gibson’s influence on them. This project was executed for the folk studies program at Western Kentucky University.

Faytullayeva, Shamira A. (Fa 584), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 584. Illustrated paper by Shamira A. Faytullayeva titled “A Great Tailor in My Family.” This illustrated project describes the economic benefits of the tailoring skills of a Russian emigrant, Samisiya Faytullayeva. Samisiya’s mother taught her to sew when she was a child, and the skill has provided an income for her family in the years since her husband’s death and their subsequent immigration to the United States. This project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Bolick, Molly (Fa 579), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 579. Illustrated paper by Molly Bolick titled “Embodied Art: Identity, Adornment, and Style in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby.” Analysis of the artistic process of choosing a derby name and the assemblage of dress elements and adornment in the context of the body as a canvas. This project was submitted for the 2011Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Wynn, Katie (Fa 580), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 580. Illustrated paper by Katie Wynn titled “The Art of Cake Decorating: An Examination of the Art of Callie Christian.” A detail account of the process of baking and decorating a cake, with an emphasis on cakes for celebratory events such as birthdays. Discusses the influence of popular culture on cake decorating themes. This project was submitted for the 2011Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Morningstar, Cora Eliza (Gossom), 1866-1926 (Sc 2578), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2578. Christmas diary kept by Cora Eliza (Gossom) Morningstar, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Notations describe the weather, the Christmas dinner menu, and gifts received by Cora and her son Roy.

Slavery - Tennessee (Sc 704), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 704. Photostats of slave narratives which relate a folk history of slavery in Tennessee from interviews with former slaves. The records were prepared by the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938. Originals (typed) are in the Library of Congress.

Interview With Troy Davis Regarding Ccc (Fa 81), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Oral Histories

Transcription of an oral history interview done with Troy Davis related to his work in a Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Mammoth Cave in the 1930s.

Interview With Henry Scott Regarding Ccc (Fa 81), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Oral Histories

Transcription of an oral history interview done with Henry Scott related to his work in a Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Mammoth Cave in the 1930s.

Interview With Joe Kulesza Regarding Ccc (Fa 81), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Oral Histories

Transcription of an oral history interview done with Joe Kulesza related to his work in a Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Mammoth Cave in the 1930s.

Dalton, Callie Lou, B. 1965 (Fa 576), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 576. "The Handmade Paper Doll: A Study in Tradition," a paper written by Callie Lou Dalton for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Browning, Jimmy D. (Fa 157), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 157. This collection includes cassette tapes of interviews with eight women used as research for Jimmy D. Browning’s paper “A Tie That Binds: Contemporary Funeral Foodways In A Rural, Central Kentucky Community.” Two copies of the paper are also included in the collection.

Fitzgerald, Annamary (Fa 158), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 158. This collection contains a paper entitled “Yours truly, Bruno Gernt: A Glimpse At The Development Of A Small Town Through The Eyes Of Its Developer,” written by Annamary Fitzgerald as a part of an independent study class she took at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 1993 with Dr. Lynwood Montell. The paper transcribes the letters Bruno Gernt wrote to James Clarke regarding the development of Allardt, Tennessee from 1882-1891.

Pillar, Samantha R. (Fa 162), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 162. This collection contains a paper entitled “Going Hog Wild in Logan County,” about William Warren Morton Sr. and his work in the swine industry. This paper was written by Samantha Pillar as a part of a class at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 1994. Several photocopied images are included in the paper.

Harbison, Robert Glen (Fa 160), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 160. This collection contains a paper entitled “The Strange Little Stone House: The History Of The Underwood Home – 1529 State Street,” written by Robert Harbison as a part of a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 1992. Also included is a Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory sheet detailing the Underwood Home.

Jackson, Michelle Margie (Fa 159), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 159. This collection contains a paper entitled “Moonshining,” written by Michelle Jackson as a part of a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University in the spring of 1994. Also included is a cassette tape of an interview with Jerry Rhoton, sheriff of Clay County, Tennessee, as well as his informant data sheet and four photos of him.

Lally, Kelly A. (Fa 81), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 81. A history of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Paper and interviews with twenty former CCC enrollees from the four camps at Mammoth Cave and five other related people.

Bemis, Alfred Hall, 1883-1956 (Sc 527), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 527. Photocopies of manuscript entitled “Destiny,” which concerns Alfred Hall Bemis’ five years of residency in Pulaski County, Kentucky, and a brochure used by Bemis to advertise his lecture on the life, philosophy and background of the hill people of Kentucky.

From Roosters To Talking Fish: A Comparative Study Of Hispaniolas Societal Evolution Through Folktales And Myths, Sara Block

Honors Theses

The island of Hispaniola is home to two sovereign nations with a bloody and complex history: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their disparate experiences with European powers and colonization and their different roads to independence fundamentally shaped their cultures and current political status. The evolution of culture and the intrusions of external influences and powers are visible in the popular myths and folktales of the two countries. After a close analysis of the respective folktales through a historical lens, the thematic and structural composition of the stories suggest that Haitian and Dominican cultures are similar, but still characterized by small …

The Sacred Role Of Animal Beings In Iroquois Lore, Melissa J. Martinelli

English Theses

The act of storytelling provides a connection between the spiritual and physical spheres, and the Haudenosaunee people (more commonly recognized as Iroquois) utilize the oral narrative to convey the most sacred truths of their culture. In focusing primarily upon animals and animal beings, one can recognize the deep reverence traditional tribal members feel toward animals as certain legends seek to unite individuals with the spirits, personalities, and bodies of such creatures in narrative form. Too often animals are overlooked as “lesser” beings, yet in legends of the Iroquois they possess potent orenda (great power) that can help one achieve success …

Barefoot, Jeffrey Allen (Fa 78), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 78. “The Middle Bridge Ghost” interpretive paper and videotaped interviews executed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Gipson, Kenneth Todd (Fa 80), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 80. “Occupational Folklore of Monument Makers.” Interviews with Carroll Monument Company employees regarding their occupation and related stories. Includes one summary and one transcript.

Beck, Louis Marvin, 1933-1992 (Fa 76), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and audio file (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 76. Interview with Ophelia Ellen Johnson Hanna about her family and education growing up as an African American in Warren County, Kentucky. Includes taped interview and index.