Lecture 6_Legends and Legend Tripping

Anthropology of the Supernatural: Witches, Zombies and Vampires

Lecture 6: Legends and Legend Tripping

Ghosts and the Dead

• Are “ghosts” supernatural?

• Cultural significance of ghost legends:

  • Reflects our relationship with the dead in Western culture.

  • The role of hauntings in understanding societal views on mortality.

Maxine Miska: “Aftermath of a Failed Séance”

• Focus on the Hakka people (Taiwan and Southern China)

  • Chinese Theology:

    • Monistic approach: one reality and one interconnected cosmos.

    • Contrasts with Western dualistic beliefs.

  • Interdependence of the living and deceased:

    • Miska explores the implications of acknowledging the presence of the dead in daily life.

    • Notable Quote: "How can you ignore what is so clearly present?"

Jeannie Banks Thomas: “The Usefulness of Ghost Stories”

• Explores the relationship between ghost stories and belief:

  • What constitutes belief and how does fiction interact with truth?

  • Emphasis on cultural reflections revealed by ghost narratives.

  • Examines The Amityville Horror as a case study for fiction vs. truth.

Ghost Stories and Place

• Connection to landscape:

  • Legends of ghost pirates protecting treasure.

  • Strengthening bonds with geographical locations.

  • Nature seen as both dangerous and mysterious (e.g., spook lights, Jack o’lantern).

Legend Tripping and Place

• Bob Pyle’s “Where Bigfoot Walks”:

  • An extended legend trip that engages deeply with the landscape.

Legend Tripping and Pilgrimage

• Exploring the concept of pilgrimage in relation to legend tripping.

Legends of Glastonbury: St. Collen versus Gwyn ap Nudd

• Narrative Overview:

  • St. Collen encounters Gwyn ap Nudd, the fairy king.

  • Sanctification through holy water leading to the disappearance of the fairy court.

• Cultural Significance:

  • Considers what truths this narrative communicates about Glastonbury’s spiritual history.

St. Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Thorn

• Legends surrounding St. Joseph:

  • Founding of the first church in England.

  • Associated with the Holy Grail and Christ's blood.

Truth Behind the Legends

• Archaeological Findings:

  • Philip Rahtz’s excavations reveal a monastic community dating back to late 400s CE.

  • Precursor to Glastonbury Abbey, significant for British Christianity.

Glastonbury and King Arthur

• Claims of Discovery:

  • Monks of Glastonbury believe they found Arthur’s and Guinevere's bones in 1190.

  • Motivated by the fire that damaged the Abbey, leading to a boost in pilgrimage and tourism.

• Balancing Folklore and Historical Context:

  • Arthurian narratives evolved through William of Malmesbury and Geoffrey of Monmouth.

  • Oral traditions predate written accounts.

Glastonbury, Avalon and the Springs

• References to Red and White Springs:

  • Significance in local lore and myth-making.

Place, Space and Symbolism

• Role of legends:

  • Convey narratives, symbols, and histories tied to community identity.

  • Create connections to ancestral "land-kin".

Defining Legends

• Challenges in definition:

  • Linda Dégh's distinctions between tales and legends.

  • Legends intertwine the fictive and the real.

Legends as Mixtures of Truth and Fiction

• Friedrich Ranke on Legends:

  • Legends demand belief, aiming to convey factual experiences.

  • Complicates the relationship between legends and objective truth.

• Scholarship Impact:

  • Attempts to debunk legends often overlook their cultural significance.

Belief, Legends and Folkloric Scholarship

• Problems with interpretation of legends:

  • Misattributions of belief claims to original tellers.

  • Legends should be seen as allegorical expressions rather than simplistic truths.

Hermeneutics in Social Sciences

• Philosophical Background:

  • Key figures: Wilhelm Dilthey, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Paul Ricœur.

  • Importance of interpretation in understanding texts and narratives.

Dilthey and the Human Sciences

• Human vs. Natural Sciences:

  • Focus on human experiences and subjective meanings.

  • Need for interpretative approaches in social context.

Key Concepts in Hermeneutics

• Geisteswissenschaften:

  • Human and social sciences with dynamic subjects.

• Erlibnis, Ausdruk, Nacherleben:

  • Concepts focusing on lived experience, expression, and re-experiencing meanings.

• Gadamer's Horizon of Understanding:

  • Each interpreter’s perspective affects their interpretation of texts.

Paul Ricœur on Textual Interpretation

• Text as Action:

  • Treats spoken language as both event and text.

  • Importance in transforming oral traditions into written forms.

Geertz and Symbolic Anthropology

• Understanding Cultural Symbolism:

  • Grasping the symbolic vocabulary necessary for cultural comprehension.

  • Navigating the balance between understanding and explaining cultural phenomena.

Analysis of Glastonbury: A Complex Hermeneutic Case

• Frederick Bligh-Bond's Excavations:

  • Utilization of medium to communicate with ghosts for archaeological guidance.

  • Questions the authenticity of the spectral guidance versus coincidence.

James Thurgill on Spectral Narratives

• Intersections of Spiritualism and Archaeology:

  • Exploring narratives that transcend memory and landscape.

  • The embodied experience in both fields and their collective connection to time and place.