The Traveler

Collected by Molly Morgan (molly.morgan@vanderbilt.edu)

Summary: This is a story about a fraternity legend. He was the only man to successfully complete an impossible pledging task.

Text: Years ago, an unnamed fraternity used to force their pledges to complete the final
task of their pledging, known as, "The Run."  The Run was the final task required of the
pledges during what was known as hell week. One pledge was selected out of the pledge
class to become "The Traveler." His job was to deliver the Golden Brick to the top of a
famous hill. This hill is commonly known as Love Hill.  The traveler was stripped to his
briefs, given the Golden Brick, left 30 blocks from the hill, and was required to present
the brick to the tower at the top of the hill. However, this task was not as easy as it sounds;
along the way, the actives in the fraternity were allowed to do anything possible to prevent
The Traveler from completing the task. This includes punching, kicking, and physical restraining.
Moreover, The Traveler was at no point allowed to drop or leave behind the Golden Brick.
If The Traveler either failed to reach to top, or lost possession of the brick, the pledge class
was forced to continue pledging for an additional month. Only one man in the history of this
fraternity has ever successfully presented the brick to the tower at the top of the hill.

Notes: This tale could have been a farce told in order to give pledges hope that this task could be completed.

CONTEXT
A. Brief summary of tale: This is a story about a fraternity
legend. He was the only man to successfully complete an impossible
pledging task.

B. Tale type and motifs: The tale type is a fraternity story
with the theme of a single participant against many adversaries. Some
of the motifs that made this story different than other fraternity
stories are the specific Nashville setting and the names used such as
"The Run" and "The Golden Brick."

C. Comments on tale: The individual's name and his particular
fraternity are not told to protect those involved.

D. Approximate date informant first heard the tale: The
informant first heard this tale in fall of 1996 (freshman year).

E. Relationship of your informant with the individual from whom
the informant heard the tale: a close friend

F. Circumstances when tale was first heard: The informant was
participating in a discussion about Vanderbilt fraternities.

G. Give the following information on your informant:

Age: 20
Sex: male
Place of birth: Cleveland, OH
Ethnic group: Asian
Languages spoken: English, French, and Hindi
Religion: Islamic
Year in school (or education level if not a
student): Junior
Extracurricular jobs? Fraternity Position, Finance
Club, SGA
Date Collected: 9/13/98