Paper short abstract:

An ecocritical analysis of oceanic folk beliefs in coastal Newfoundland that reconsiders the role of belief in the agency of the natural world, through folk imaginaries, in re-shaping human behaviors of stewardship, care, or destruction of natural ocean environments in the present day.

Paper long abstract:

How do stories implicate our interaction with the natural environment? How does folk belief inform or change our relationship with the natural world in both positive and negative ways? Approaching folklore through an ecocritical perspective can not only reveal historic shifts in the human-nature interaction, but also clarify implicit perspectives that inform current human behaviors toward and interaction with the environment. Further, both ecocritical and critical regionalist approaches allow us to observe local and global implications of folk belief toward care for, or destruction of, the natural world. This paper reviews select folklore collections containing elements of belief in the non-human other, specifically found within coastal Newfoundland and oceanic lores, to help re-consider the force of folk belief on ecological awareness in relation to contemporary oceanic industries in the North Atlantic. We consider whether the prevalence of folk belief supports or undermines local relationships or views of care and stewardship for oceanic and coastal spaces, and specifically how folk belief in the agency of natural entities influences cultural constraints for interaction with natural spaces.