Folklore of Different Cultures

Every culture has hundreds of stories, myths, and legends. However, each culture has certain qualities, differentiating them from the folklore of other cultures. They tend to have similar themes, story lines, etc. However, they could be very different depending on the culture it originated from.                Army of the Dead is a ghost story from the United States. It takes place in Charleston, South Carolina, soon after the Civil War ended. A laundress and her husband had just moved to town, and every night at midnight, the laundress was woken by a noise outside. However, when she looked out the window, there was nothing there. When she asked another laundress about the noises, she told her of the soldiers that died without knowing that the war had ended. These soldiers rose every night to go off the battle. Although her husband warned her not to look, one night, she decided to watch the ghosts go by, and when they vanished, her arm was paralyzed. There are certain things that we are supposed to see, and there are certain things that we are not supposed to see. If it is not for the eyes of particular people to see, then there is a reason.                Heron and the Hummingbird is a story started by Native American tribes.  It takes place before Darwin had discovered his theory of evolution. The heron and hummingbird were good friends, both sharing the fish and fruit that they ate. One day, they decide that there was not enough for both of them to share, and made a deal. They would race, and whoever won would get all the fish in the world, when the other would have only fruit. The hummingbird was sure to win.  Therefore, he had fun, taking breaks regularly, while the heron flew steadily and constantly. Four days later, the hummingbird arrived at the finish line to see the heron sitting smugly at the end.  The hummingbird took the race lightly, assuming he would win, due to the heron’s awkward, large body and wings, and he lost. He learned to never underestimate anything, because they may not be as they appear to be.                The Wailing Woman is a common story in Mexico. It took place in Mexico, where a Spanish soldier met a native woman. They fell in love, having two beautiful children. However, the soldier came from a wealthy family, and his family did not approve of his marriage and threatened to dismiss his inheritance. He returned to Spain to look for a Spanish wife. Blinded with rage, she drowned her two children in a river. When he learned of the fate of his children, he was furious. The woman ran into the woods, having gone insane, and searched in the river for the children she murdered. When she couldn’t find them, she drowned herself. Instead of going to Heaven, as punishment for her crime, she was forced to roam the land for the rest of eternity to search for the children she would never find. If the Spanish soldier had not left for money but stayed with the woman and children he loved, none of this would have happened. Nevertheless, it did happen, and the woman should have thought before she acted, for there are consequences to be considered for every action, whether good or bad.                There are obviously differences and similarities within these stories. In Army of the Dead, it had a specific time when it took place, while the other two did not. However, Heron and the Hummingbird and The Wailing Woman gave a specific time period in which certain events occurred, when Army of the Dead did not. And yet, Army of the Dead and The Wailing Woman gave a specific place, while Heron and the Hummingbird only gave a vague time. A similarity between all three stories, is that they all had more than one character involved, and each story stressed the importance of evaluating consequences before taking action. --Marie