Amidst the constant evolution of human culture, the presence of stories has remained a consistent and integral part of both society and its folk groups. Often passed verbally through the generations, stories act as an indication of the beliefs and concerns of the people, reinforcing their position and role in their communities. I investigated the transmission and belief of prediction stories in Polish families, where they are called przepowiednie. In this essay, I will discuss whether knowledge of these stories was affected by age, gender, or place of origin. Since women show a prevalence of predictive games, such as MASH, in early adolescence and childhood, I predicted that more stories would be known and believed by women. Furthermore, since
…show more content…
As with all folk items, przepowiednie augment cultural values and the importance of certain aspects of life, such as communication. They are a method of expression that does not depend upon physical items, requiring only a performer and an audience. This transmission method therefore calls for the meeting of people across generations. The stories can be passed on with greater ease than physical folk items, but are slightly adapted with each telling to more readily suit the beliefs and values of the audience. As warnings of what could be, przepowiednie engage the audience and promote critical thinking about what should be taken literally and what can be considered an extended metaphor. None of the stories, however, are simply stories as they all promote certain aspects of the Polish culture. People find meaning the either the acceptance or rejection of the przepowiednie, with few worrying about their origin. Prediction stories are valued for the meaning they hold and the performance associated with their …show more content…
The only story that was alluded to or repeated by every individual who knew przepowiednie was that “the end of the world will come when there is a black Pope” (Kasia Pilihiewicz, November 6, 2015). This story had little variation with each telling, potentially due to the length. The importance of the religious aspect can be explained by the enormous role that religion plays in everyday Polish life. 87.2% of Poles are Catholic, meaning that this story affects a large group of people and can be related to with greater ease (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html, 9 Dec. 2015). Greater attention would thus be given to stories that focus on this religious aspect. Przepowiednia can act as a gateway to allow for discussion of topics otherwise considered taboo. The transmission of the Black Pope story, for example, creates a liminal space in its telling; the audience and storyteller are speaking about the destruction of a religion, but veil this discussion behind the guise of a story. To the general populace, stories carry the stigma of being unimportant and based almost entirely on fictitious events, thus making it easier for people to point out the flaws in a system without actively opposing the current establishment. The Black Pope story not only deals with religion, but with the deeply engrained racism present in the culture. In other words, the
As with all folk items, przepowiednie augment cultural values and the importance of certain aspects of life, such as communication. They are a method of expression that does not depend upon physical items, requiring only a performer and an audience. This transmission method therefore calls for the meeting of people across generations. The stories can be passed on with greater ease than physical folk items, but are slightly adapted with each telling to more readily suit the beliefs and values of the audience. As warnings of what could be, przepowiednie engage the audience and promote critical thinking about what should be taken literally and what can be considered an extended metaphor. None of the stories, however, are simply stories as they all promote certain aspects of the Polish culture. People find meaning the either the acceptance or rejection of the przepowiednie, with few worrying about their origin. Prediction stories are valued for the meaning they hold and the performance associated with their …show more content…
The only story that was alluded to or repeated by every individual who knew przepowiednie was that “the end of the world will come when there is a black Pope” (Kasia Pilihiewicz, November 6, 2015). This story had little variation with each telling, potentially due to the length. The importance of the religious aspect can be explained by the enormous role that religion plays in everyday Polish life. 87.2% of Poles are Catholic, meaning that this story affects a large group of people and can be related to with greater ease (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html, 9 Dec. 2015). Greater attention would thus be given to stories that focus on this religious aspect. Przepowiednia can act as a gateway to allow for discussion of topics otherwise considered taboo. The transmission of the Black Pope story, for example, creates a liminal space in its telling; the audience and storyteller are speaking about the destruction of a religion, but veil this discussion behind the guise of a story. To the general populace, stories carry the stigma of being unimportant and based almost entirely on fictitious events, thus making it easier for people to point out the flaws in a system without actively opposing the current establishment. The Black Pope story not only deals with religion, but with the deeply engrained racism present in the culture. In other words, the