Apr 10, 2023 4:06 PM EDT. Ethelene: You sure enlightened me with some new beliefs from our past. I was about 10, one Sunday our Dream of losing a tooth (pulled or fallen out) portends death. Are you superstitious? Maybe most of us would say, No! Yet we grew up in an area where certain superstitious sayings were often repeated and believed by some people. Popular Native American folklore says that a bloody battle between the Cherokee and Catawba tribes took place on the mountain. This is about 42 minutes long and keeps in theme with the tradition of storytelling, capturing stories from a Cherokee, Scot-Irish, and African-American women. Tipper and Ethelene If you recite the alphabet with each twist of an attached apple stem, whatever letter twists off is the first letter of the last name of the person youll marry. I never heard of a frog in a grave, here where i live in north central Pennsylvania, Lolll Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions is a first-hand report to enlarge our knowledge of the dulcimer's history by searching the hills and "hollers" of Appalachia, looking at old instruments, and listening to the tales of old folks. If someone opens a knife that person must close it. It didnt happen here in Kentucky! Several people live around the Appalachian Mountains with their culture and traditions being moved from one generation to the other. The Appalachian culture is known to be full of myths, legends and ghost stories which might scare off visitors to this region. The event made local and national news, and even prompted an official U.S. Air Force inquiry! Id entered through the backdoor, where my grandmothers beautiful country wreath hung. d) Eat black-eyed peas or collard greens with hog jaw on New Years Day. Thank You, Blacksmithing Work Week Volunteers! Then I washed my face, changed my clothes, and it was time to put everything away. It was thrush in a babys mouth. John Bell grew so concerned by these violent escalations that he shared his story with a family friend, James Johnston. window.mc4wp.listeners.push( Another ghost story about the lights includes one about a Revolutionary War soldier linked to the Civil War ghosts. Instead, the name came from the Goldsboro News-Argusnewspaper in North Carolina. On 15th December 1967, the collapse of the Silver Bridge and the death of 46 people were connected to the Mothman sightings of the bridge collapse. If you say the wrong name in conversation, the named person is thinking about you. These are only a few of the folklore signs, remedies and superstitions that have been passed down to us from our Scots-Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors. The figure made terrifying hissing sounds and glided towards them which made Lemon drop his flashlight making the group run for safety. The first visitor on New Years Day to a home will determine whether the firstborn on that homestead for the year, person or animal, will be male or female, according to the sex of the visitor. ;-D On top of a hill, they saw a pulsing red light which Lemon aimed a flash to it and saw a tall man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape. Appalachia Bare. You can also celebrate the Appalachian myth at the annualMothman Festival, which typically happens on the third weekend in September. Some of these superstitions are mesmerising while others do not have any sense. The Cherokee legend stated that the monster is the cat-like embodiment of a female onlooker cursed by tribal elders. READ MORE:The 20 Best Fall Festivals in Georgia. Wonder what that means? Made famous by a 1997 episode ofThe X-Files and the 2002 film The Mothman Prophecies, the Mothman is a fearsome creature with broad wings and red eyes who originated in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. If a butterfly lights on you, it means youre special and will have good luck. Cold hands, warm heart; hot hands, cold heart. I had high hopes for this but was underwhelmed. Don't throw your hair out! Many other indigenous tribes had their own version of a large, hairy monster, but the myth of the Sasquatch was the first to be recorded by European settlers. Id recommend master the homework. If clouds are low and fog lingers, rain will come. Thank you Ethelene, for a great post! Bartons legend about the moon-eyed people is from a story he heard from Leonard Marbury who was an early European settler in the area. Their eyes were supposedly so sensitive to the sun that they remained nocturnal, which is why theyre called moon-eyed.. listeners: [], Here are a couple that have stayed with me. Required fields are marked *, document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a287555a6a3a090c63bff0669473fbc2" );document.getElementById("jb1fe6f8fb").setAttribute( "id", "comment" );Comment *. I enjoyed Ethelenes folklore of Today, exhibits on the Moon-Eyed People can be found at the Cherokee County Historical Museum in Murphy. She even forced Betsy to break off her engagement with Joshua Gardner before eventually disappearing for good. A rock with a hole in it brings good luck. . Lastly when you dream of death it means there will be a birth Dont leave the house during a full moon. However, the modern-day theory has been deemed to have been built on fictional aspects. Whatever you do on New Years, youll do every day of the year. Grandmother Joy. ), he/she is innocent. Fascinating. Thrash mouth or sometimes known as Thrush is the ailment. Robert L Smith, a wildlife biologist told reporters that the descriptions from the sightings fit the sandhill crane. Strangeways Brewing, which has locations in Richmond and Fredericksburg, Virginia brews a beer named after the Wampus Cat, the Wampus Cat Triple IPA. A UFO writer, Gray Barker described the Flatwoods Monster as 10 feet tall, with a round blood-red face, a large pointed hood-like shape around the face, eye-like shapes which emitted greenish-orange light and a dark black or green body. If you sweep underneath a single persons feet, he or she will never marry. If a picture in a frame suddenly falls and breaks, it is a sign of death. 1970 (F217.A65.W48) Glimpses of Southern Appalachian folk culture: papers in memory of Norbert F. Riedl. He always went in a side door at the loading dock. Appalachian folks blended ancient Celtic rituals from Scotland and Ireland, Protestant Christianity, and African traditions with teaching from local Native Americans into a unique mixture of witchcraft, religion, and earth magic. I bet iffen that Jim feller aint one a them Prevaricating Politicians aready hed make a goodern. Back when children sometimes had seizures, whether from epilepsy or other malady, there was a common belief that if a child has a fit, turn his shirt inside out and burn it. This action was thought to be a sure cure for fits. An evolutionary step up. A sore on the tongue is a sign youve lied. Never ever close a knife you dont open or , never leave one open for someone else to close. For more information on this infamous Appalachian monster, visit the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, where you can take a selfie with the massive Mothman statue displayed prominently outside. All images and content are subject to copyright and are the sole property of Blind Pig & The Acorn. Animals with heavy fur growth in autumn indicates a bad winter. The hauntings began sometime between 1817 and 1821, when the Bell Witch would show up disguised as an animal, such as a dog or bird. APPALACHIAN FOLKLORE GUIDE The Bell Witch Bigfoot The Brown Mountain Lights The Flatwoods Monster The Moon-Eyed People The Moth-man The Wampus Cat Appalachian Superstitions READ MORE: The 15 Best Fall Festivals in Georgia Bell Witch Signs, photo by BRad06 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 1. Hold your feet up when youre crossing a railroad track, or youll lose your boyfriend. Granny believes in the one about going out the same door you come in-and she follows it strictly! If a woman peels an apple in one piece, then tosses the peeling behind her, the letter shape it takes is the initial of her future husband. Never been much on superstitions but have some interest in folk lore. Eat black eyed peas or collard greens with hog jaw on New Years Day. Wonderful post thanks, Ethelene! As the diversely ethnic settlers came into the Appalachian region, a detailed system of folklore was developed by combining signs, superstitions, omens, music, stories and beliefs. Some Common Folklore and Superstitions Held Among Mountain Folk written by Ethelene Dyer Jones If the right, good things are being said. Now Im beginning to wonder what is the difference in folklore and superstition? Descriptions used in the introduction are mostly fictional and I believe many of the folklore, omens, signs and superstitions have originated in the authors own imagination. Therefore, many ghost stories, songs, superstitions, and folk remedies considered "Appalachian folklore" can actually be traced back to places like Scotland or Ireland. Tell no one and itll come true. her youngest sons skills she taught me, so I got to catch a Below is a list of common mountain folklore. The Bell Witch Haunting started when John Bell witnessed the apparition of a strange creature resembling a dog. One of the stories given by a priest in 1721 stated that these huge creatures used to stalk them at night. Appalachia, reminded me of some Jim Casada Eating a piece of "fruitcake" was supposed to bring you luck all . We came in and went out the kitchen door. Ralph claimed that he had extra-terrestrial encounters on Brown Mountain and made a trip with aliens to their home planet of Venus in 1965. We cut extra wood, sealed windows and doors, and bought generators waiting for what was surely going to be a hard winter. Photo by U458625 on Wikimedia. Remember that waterfalls and rocky summits can be dangerous. Im more worried about people with cell phones stuck in their ear than black cats. callback: cb After moving to Knoxville in middle school, her mom slowly introduced her to all things outdoors, including backpacking, hiking, camping, and biking. I have heard quite a few of these, but not all of them. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Appalachia Bare Short Story Contest! If you eat before bed, youll have bad dreams. } She would often focus on Johns daughter Betsy Bell, pulling the sheets off her bed, or even physically harming her with kicks, punches, and scratches. If squirrels gather nuts early, expect a bad winter. Garden spiders write messages on their webs. Another is to sprinkle salt between the sheet and the mattress on the bed he/she is sleeping. Other than the folklore of the Appalachian Mountain, there are more shocking superstitions that have been passed down by several generations. Cherokee Death Cat) is a large cat similar to a mountain lion or cougar, with tan-yellow fur, six legs, and large yellow eyes. k) Never give someone a set of knives as a gift. It reminded me of many superstitions I hadnt heard in years. Given that, this list might call some to your mind. Angie-thank you for the comment! Some stories claim that she promised to return to haunt John Bells direct descendants in 1935, but there were no reports by Nashville physician Dr. Charles Bailey Bell. . Tickling a babys feet will make him stutter. Though threatened by urbanization, the oral tradition of storytelling has been preserved by the tendency for southern men to gather to hunt, fish, and share their stories. Few wanted a spoon to fall. After reviewing the instrument's distinctive musical features, Ralph Lee Smith presents the dulcimer's story . of my folks when I was a kid. Many lives were lost. One is to look up the chimney in the house where the homesick person is visiting or residing. The Mothman is a humanoid creature that was reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 15th 1966 to December 15th 1967 as per the West Virginia folklore. Around 12 books are in the series. When an eyelash falls out, pinch it lightly between your thumb and forefinger, then make a wish and blow. Shes known for standing on her hind legs and using her supernatural powers to drive her victims to insanity. If a pregnant woman carries low, the babys a girl (or vice versa, depending on whos saying it). Photo by Bloodyboppa on Wikimedia. Game Commission, it was a big delay. More Im sure. So if you went out there was a 4 or 5 foot drop to the ground. Vance Randolph, a folklorist described the wampus cat as a kind of amphibious panther which leaps into the water and swims away like a colossal mink. Sole of your foot itching? The bright light made them weak, forcing them to flee into other parts of Appalachia for good. The writings of the author are mere opinions (from information that she has gathered from who knows where?). Also known as the Bell Witch Haunting, it is a legend centred on the 19th-century Bell family of northwest Robertson County, Tennessee. Dont let a pregnant woman see a dead person or the baby will have a birth mark. It includes hundreds of whimiscal superstitions as well as folk cures, charms, and chants practiced by the early settlers of Appalachia. I have seen that several times not in Appalachia but in the Ozarks. Ive heard most of the ones she mentioned-but not all of them. Despite being a story about Cherokee people, the Wampus Cat folktale did not originate with the Cherokee people. I do so enjoy reading all the folk-lore from days past and unless it is absolutely unavoidable I never go out a different door than the one I came inafter all I am of Pa dutch and german people and many of what was written I grew up with so needless to say I sure did enjoy this post. B.Ruth-Thairs them P words agin. It includes hundreds of whimiscal superstitions as well as folk cures, charms, and chants . If a rooster crows at a burial, the one whos buried is a sinner. After John Bells mysterious death in 1820, the Bell Witch continued to haunt his family. 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