Title: Greek Idol (Greece – John Zavras)

General Information about item:

• Material lore, religious emblem
• Language: English
• Country of origin: Greece
• Informant: John Zavras
• Date Collected: 11-10-21

Informant Data:

• JZ (myself) is a sophomore (‘24) at Dartmouth and is from Boston. He was born in Greece and lived there for a few years before moving to the U.S. He is ethnically and culturally Greek, and his family has many Greek traditions which have been passed down from generation to generation. He also is Greek Orthodox Christian and his family is religious. 

Contextual Data:

• Cultural context: In Greek Orthodox Christianity, idols are often used to represent Jesus Christ. Holding these idols enables Jesus Christ to be “with you” or “on your side,” which leads to good luck. Idols are often thought of as embodiments of things, and this is a prime example of this. 
• Social context: Idols can signify many things, but in this social context, it signifies good luck on an exam. Idols come in many forms. They can be apparel, pins that one can put on a piece of clothing, various forms of jewelry (a cross/bracelet), etc.. The Greek-Orthodox religion is very beautiful and devotes a lot of artwork and jewelry to create idols. 

Item: 

• The item is a little wool/cotton cross on a pin that one can put inside or on the outside of their shirt. The informant’s (my) family wears these little crosses whenever they have big exams, and it signifies good luck and Jesus’ protection and oversight. If one does not wear the idol to the exam, Jesus is no longer with this person and they cannot be protected from a bad grade. This is a prime example of the law of similarity and homeopathic magic – the item (the cross that Jesus died on) is similar to and represents Jesus Christ, who is a holy entity of hope and good fortune. 

Transcript: “This is one of our most sacred family superstitions. We have a box in my living room full of these little emblems, and we only open it up during special occasions (like big exams).”

Informant’s Comments: There are many other religions that use idols to resemble or signify things that are intangible or supernatural. This is one of the informant’s example of the law of similarity in regards to channeling good luck.

Collector’s Name: John Zavras

Tags/Keywords:

• Material Lore
• Superstitions
• Religious Idol
• Greek Orthodox Religion
• Cross