Why we chose this topic: 

• Supernatural beings are a uniquely good insight into the morals of a culture
• Common practice to ward off found across many cultures,  but methods vary dramatically

Our process: 

• We each chose a specific culture to focus on and collect stories from (e.g. Chinese, Sri Lankan, Nepali etc.)
• Each of us collected 5 examples, so the seven members of the group collected 35 pieces of folklore total

Similar themes we noticed:

• Spirits and demons the primary cause of many evils, particularly those thought beyond ancient human control like disease and famine
• Across cultures, objects or symbols are used to ward off evil beings.
• Across cultures, another method used to ward off evil beings is through behavior.  For example being naughty will get you punished so do not be naughty.