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Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans Edwin Miller Fogel, Penn State University Libraries, Penn State University Libraries.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Fogel, Edwin Miller, Author.
- , Penn State University Libraries, Author.
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (387 p.)
- Place of Publication:
- University Park, PA Penn State University Press, [2025]
- Language Note:
- In English.
- Biography/History:
- Fogel Edwin Miller : Edwin Miller Fogel (1874-1949) was a scholar of German language and its Pennsylvania dialects.Edwin Miller Fogel (1874-1949) was a scholar of German language and its Pennsylvania dialects.
- Summary:
- Since its publication in 1915, Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans has been not only a valuable addition to the catalogue of American folklore but also a vital resource in preserving a linguistic culture and traditions that were already fading from the American consciousness. Edwin Miller Fogel's years of research in both Pennsylvania and Germany led to this collection, the most complete of its time, of more than two thousand Pennsylvania German aphorisms.This work displays a panorama of beliefs reflecting every aspect of Pennsylvania German life, from superstitions about childbirth and babies (such as "A child born on Sunday will become saucy") to concerns over marriage, farming, religion, medicine, and death. A section on sex that was originally available only to readers who requested it "for purely scientific use" has been included as an appendix to the Metalmark edition.Each entry in the collection is composed of a saying in the Pennsylvania German dialect and an English translation, followed, where applicable, by a correlated phrase recorded in Germany or the British Isles and a listing of counties in which the phrase was recorded. Fogel's comprehensive introduction explores the historical origins of these superstitions and the intricacies of his methods for phonetic notation and translation to English.
- Contents:
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ABBREVIATIONS
- CHILDHOOD
- FUTURE HUSBAND
- MARRIAGE
- DREAMS
- OMENS AND WISHES
- LUCK AND OMENS OF LUCK
- OMENS OF DEATH
- DEATH OMENS CONCERNING DEATH
- SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH DEATH
- WITCHES
- DOGS AND CATS
- HOMESICKNESS
- SERVANTS
- STOCKRAISING AND VETERINARY MEDICAL SUPERSTITIONS
- MILK AND BUTTER
- COOKING AND BAKING
- VINEGAR
- PLANTING, SOWING AND REAPING
- TREES
- BEES
- SNAKES
- WEATHER
- MOON
- SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC
- SPECIAL DAYS AND SEASONS
- HORSESHOE
- HUNTING AND FISHlNG
- FOLK MEDICINE AND MEDICAL SUPERSTITIONS
- FRECKLE
- TEETH
- WARTS
- RHEUMATISM
- CROUP
- CONVULSIONS
- WHOOPING COUGH
- HAIR
- SEX
- MISCELLANEOUS
- Notes:
- This eBook is made available Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
- Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed November 07 2025)
- ISBN:
- 0-271-10116-4
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