Title: “Fan Death”
General information about item:
- Bad luck superstition
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: Korea
- Informant: Kyu Kim
- Date Collected: 11-13-18
Informant Data:
- Kyu Kim was a Dartmouth ’18 who now lives and works in San Francisco, California as a consultant. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and lived their until he was seven years old. Kyu then moved with his family to the northern Virginia/Washington DC area. During his time at Dartmouth, Kyu studied mathematics and enjoyed playing the bassoon in the orchestra.
Contextual Data:
- Social Context: Kyu experienced this folklore when he was about five or six years old while living in Korea. He thought he was likely taught this superstition by his parents, but the superstition is deeply ingrained in Korean culture, so he attributed this as the reason he still remembers the superstition. Despite the fact this is a very common Korean superstition Kyu does not still believe in it.
- Cultural Context: Kyu shared that he thought this superstition originated because traditional Korean households were heated by burning charcoal which could create smoke if the room did not have the proper air flow. Leaving a fan on while you slept was thus very dangerous since it could change the airflow or suck smoke into the room, causing lung problems or even suffocation. Kyu also shared that this superstition is so deeply rooted in Korean culture that fans are not sold with continuous on switches. Instead fans in Korea are sold with timers that make sure they shut off after a designated length of time.
Item:
- Sleeping with a fan on in your room will kill you. The fan will chop up the air and you will suffocate and die.
- Audio:
Collector Comments: This superstition was provided to us by one other informant in addition to Kyu, but Kyu provided more contextual data for the superstition. Another interesting note is that this is an example of a sign superstition.
Collector’s Name: Will Graber
Tags/Keywords:
- Superstition
- Bad luck
- Korean Culture