sympathetic magic | Dartmouth Folklore Archive

Title: Green D (Dartmouth D)

General Information About Item:

Informant Data:

R.L. is a male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He was born in Maryland. During his time at Dartmouth, R.L. enjoys listening to music and hanging out with his team in his free time. While at home he often watches sports and spends time with his family. He has plan to work on wall street after college and is dialing in his schoolwork to achieve a quality education for his work after graduation.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: In sports there is often a logo in the center of the locker room. The logo is meant to represent the school or team and to show respect to the players that have been on the team before. The logo plays a large role in a team dynamic and provides a connection between players.
Social Context: As a team, the Dartmouth lacrosse team has the Dartmouth D for their logo in the middle of the room. The players never step on the D and if anything touches the D then they have to kiss it as a sign of respect. The superstition seems to encourage camaraderie and unity within the team.

Item:

The Green D is a simple logo and is not designed specifically for anyone on the team. Instead it is meant as a symbol to represent the culture built for the program. Players do not step on the D in order to respect the legacy of the program. Furthermore, it is bad luck to step on the D and not kiss it afterwards.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

We never step on the D in the center of our locker room, if someone does they have to kiss it.

Informant’s Comments:

“I enjoy superstitions and traditions as it is a way of keeping the group tied together from year to year. This is because when alums of the program come back they still know not to step on the D”

Collector’s Comments:

I enjoy this superstition because the hockey team has the same tradition. I find it to have a unifying effect on not only the current team, but the program as a whole. Reece specifically outlined the effect the logo has on the Alumns when they come back and it seems to be a profound way to keep the respect for the program alive.

Collector’s Name:

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Dartmouth Folklore Archive