Despite changes in culture, all three stories have been used to entertain, to frighten, to excite. La Corriveau is the story of a heartless woman who haunts innocent men, even in death. Marie Corriveau had become tired of her husband, and consequently murdered him, leading to her own execution. After her death, villagers started avoiding the road in which her corpse resided. However, one innocent traveler, Dube, decided to venture along this path one evening- much to his disadvantage. The ghost of La Corriveau attempts to murder poor Dube, but he manages to hold her off. The story is resolved when the holy Cure performs exorcises the spirit. Pele’s Revenge is much more mellow and melancholy. The tale starts with two lovers- Ohi’a and Lehua, who fall in love and get married. However, their bliss does not last long, as Ohi’a catches the eye of the goddess Pele. In her intense spite and jealousy, Pele turns Ohi’a into a tree. Lehua cries for her beloved back, and the Gods grant her wish by turning her into a flower on the tree. In the western folklore Hold ‘Em, Tabb, a dazzling mixture of silliness and mystery blend nicely to resolve in a wacky ending. Tabb decides to spend the night in a haunted house, while his friend chickens out and sleeps outside. Halfway through the night, a ghost suddenly appears and attacks Tabb! After an intense battle, Tabb and the ghost disappear, never to be seen again.
As you can tell, these amusing pieces of fiction all have many things in common. For one, all of these stories are told in the North American region. Also, all three pieces feature male victims. Dube is attacked, Ohi’a is turned into a tree, and Tabb disappears. All unfortunate ends to practically defenseless characters. These three tales also feature supernatural beings; the ghost of Marie Corriveau, the goddess Pele, the random spirit. Hold ‘Em, Tabb! and La Corriveau both feature violent scenes of attack. Also, it appears the motive for said attacks are nonexistent- the victim just seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. La Corriveau and Pele’s Revenge are both are related to love- or lack thereof. The antagonist in both stories is a woman. On a literary note, La Corriveau and Pele’s Revenge are both written in third person. However, Hold ‘Em, Tabb! is written from the standpoint of Tabb’s friend.
Despite the stunning amount of similarities, unique features set these stories apart. The conflict is not resolved in Hold ‘Em, Tabb!, and the purpose of the story is mainly to entertain, whereas La Corriveau was created to frighten, and Pele’s Revenge was told to explain the creation of the Ohi’a tree. Various themes, such as jealousy, death, play out in Pele’s Revenge and La Corriveau, respectively.
It is fascinating to read different folk legends. Not only will they provide endless hours of entertainment, but a wide expanse of knowledge on different cultures is retained. After reading a few legends, you'll learn to relate and acknowledge similarities and differences; it's quite interesting to notice how despite a variety of geological locations, many stories in essence sound the same. La Corriveau, Pele’s Revenge, and Hold ‘Em, Tabb! are only a few of the diverse folk legends that are out there, but I would heartily recommend any three of these short stories to anyone who is literate, including you!
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