Appalachian Folk Magic: Where is it, what is it, why is it, and who does it?

I try to explain Appalachian Folk Magic in a bite size way. Let's see how good I do.

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Sources:

Esoterica - Volume VIII (2006) Folk Magic and Protestand Christianity In Appalachia - John Ricards Page 7

Raitz, Karl and Richard Ulack. Appalachia: A Regional Geography; Land, People, and Development. Boulder: Westview, 1984.

McCauley, Deborah. Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995.

Campbell, Jon The Southern Highlander and his Homeland. New York: Russell Sage, 1921.

Campbell, Jon Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland: Tales and Traditions Collected Entirely from Oral Sources. Detroit: Singing Tree Press, 1970.

Kephart, Horace. Our Southern Highlanders. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1922.
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Images:

[Stepha-Star]

I live in a tiny, ole, coal-town, NAMED Appalachia, in VA... And MAN, am I glad to see this information, making its way around! ...Blessings, Sister!

[OceanKeltoi]

This is a really awesome opening video to your content! Can't wait to see more!

[ashleyhendrick]

Foothills of the NC here, I feel you! Thanks for this video!

[shawnasmith]

My experience was growing up watching and learning about the church circle's in Michigan, and Ohio . sometimes more folk medicine, magic and witchcraft than one would think . some of these lady's have long history's in folk belief's, some in my family were among them . these church circle's, some times numbering 13 members were seen many times as i grew up. We as children spent 6 to 7 days a week at this church, the lady's often formed there circle, talked and exchanged stories, beliefs and idea's . we come from a German, Scots Irish background with a touch of Nordic .thank you, great presentation on a very little talked about subject that could use some attention, before all the older folk pass, and the younger folks memories fade.

[heatherwhitworth]

I'm also from the foothills of NC, and I'm trying to learn more about folk magic. I really appreciate this video.

[ReikiRev]

Omg I found my source!! I’m looking into the Magick of my people!! I too am from the NC foothills!! So this will be my best source!

[TheWildForestWitchery]

I’m some version of a folk witch exploring more each year. I loved this video! I am from any

[fallengraywolf]

From someone that grew up on the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. That learned the cunning folk way, as my grandmother called it. You hit the nail on the head, it is complicated. As I tell people that ask, We are a family of folk practitioners, from a place and or time that the world does not understand. Unless you grew up there.
Thank you for the video.
Blessings and Peace be upon you.

[Darktendolp]

I was really looking forward to this and the video was worth the wait! Can't wait for the next one. Never really knew much about this topic so it's completely new but also very interesting to me.

[PRAneesaZ]

Oh it’s me! My maiden name is Scottish/Irish and my grandparents are predominantly From Tennessee and Mississippi. Folk Magick all day long ♥️

[HouseofChimeras]

Its not Appalachian, but the Ozarks over here also have their special little complicated folk magic traditions brought about by a mixing of folk traditions and so on. Learning about my home regions folk magic has been interesting for both just regional history knowledge reasons and possible religious influences. If you make more videos on the topic, I'll be interested to see how much things are similar or how much thing differ.

[ditty]

Can't wait to see more! 😊 swpa here, with ties to WV. I love Appalachia and our culture.

[stalstonestacy]

I'm from southern West Virginia where AFM is so entwined with our daily life people who openly denounce all forms of magic are daily practitioners and don't even realize it. It will never go away and I'm OK with that 🥰

[ajaxronanpatrick]

I was born and raised near the Apps (North Carolinian, here) and moved away at 18 to Michigan. Every bit of my soul feels called back to them, and I'm just now getting into Appalachian magic. Thank you for helping the rest of us get into it and reconnect with our roots.

[GreenNectarines]

I agree there’s so many different perspectives because from my perspective as a Black Appalachian or “Affrilachian” I find that these discussions are often surrounding culture being commonly associated with a particular experience. When people tell me I’m not Appalachian because I’m from PA or that my culture is more reminiscent of the Pennsylvania Dutch I can recognize some aspects but for the most part, largely due to racism, my family has kept certain traditions alive because they had to rely on each other which meant that as active participants or products of The Great Migration they maintained their cultural identity— oftentimes finding solace in other Black Appalachians who went north as well. Sure, our experiences are different but I feel like it should at some point be discussed why historically we have a different connection to the region and I can’t speak on anyone else’s family but my own when I say that the ways of old have been passed on from Sumner County TN and Winston-Salem in the red (Atlanta, Georgia in the blue in my maternal great grandma’s case), to the steel towns of western PA. I wonder if we had nuanced conversations on race in the region if we’d be able to witness how culture can be preserved and carried in some ways, lost and reclaimed in others?

[キャンマーカス]

Here from Eastern Kentucky! I honestly know nothing about Appalachia since I was born in Cincinnati, but a lot of my lineage comes from here and it's both interesting and at the same time kind of a time warp sort of speak. I wasn't aware that Folk magic was thing until I watched your video. I'll be sure to keep an eye about it around my area!

[CellarDoorWhispers]

So glad to see this getting more... Uh. Well. Just talked about more? I live in north east Tennessee and my family has always had roots in folk magic (even if they don't necessarily call it that or know it). Also I'm really thankful you said Appalachia right lol. Excited to dive into these videos and see what all I might have missed or things I haven't considered!

[VredesStall]

While I have relatives
from the Deep South
on both sides of my family...
I myself did not grow up in
the Deep-South or in Appalachia.

My first (and probably only)
introduction to the people
and 'older' ways of Appalachia
are from Hollywood movies...

most notably...

--"Next of Kin" (1988)
starting the late actors
Patrick Swayze, Bill Paxton
and Liam Neeson who star
as brothers who were raised and
grew up in the hills of Appalachia...

--and the horror movie...
"Pumpkinhead"

with each movie coming out
within about a year
of each other.

While "Next of Kin"
is more of crime/ action movie...
it does have one scene
in particular that was
rather spooky:

At the very beginning of the movie....
Det. Truman Gates (Patrick Swayze)
responds to an apparent
"bar-fight turned murder"...

Gates arrives the apartment of
the main suspect, Billy Simpson,
where Truman & Billy have a chat...
and soon learn they are from neighboring
counties in Kentucky (Harlan & Perry Cos.)...

and Truman claims
that he and his brothers
used to hunt in Willy's
home-county of Harlan
up on "Daggot's Ridge".

Billy explains
that he knows
exactly where Truman
is talking about:

"Hey, there are ghosts up on that ridge.

Yeah...
one time my dogs took me
straight down this hollow (holler??).
There weren't no wind or nothing.
It just got real cold.

Then all at once...
them dogs started to howl.
Like... like they was talking to the dead.
Yeah, man. There are ghosts up on that ridge".

Sure...
it was just a movie...
but that being said...
something was really
eating at Billy Simpson
especially to make him
think of that past memory
that still haunted him.


The next movie "Pumpkinhead"
was supernatural horror film,
starring actor, Lance Henriksen,
who plays "Ed Harley"...
a scorned father who's on the warpath
and seeking vengeance for the untimely death
of his young son at the hands
of reckless teenagers.

Harley seeks out an
(Appalachian??) witch
of Black Ridge named 'Haggis'
who sends Ed Harley
out to "Razorback Holler"...

a cemetery that
apparently served as
an informal resting place
(or dumping-ground)
for those poor souls
who were less-than-loved
or who were downright
rejected and despised.

Or....
as Haggis
put it to
Ed Harley:

"Ever hear of 'Razorback Holler'??...
There's an old graveyard
way back... deep in them woods.
Mountain-folk use to bury kin in there...
kin they was ashamed of!!".

As if that old crone Haggis
couldn't be any scarier...
she wasn't one to mince words
and made no bones about it.

That old woman
looked like she was
nothing but a bag of bones
who couldn't lift herself
out of her rocking chair
even if her last breath
depended on it...

but she easily made the
Wicked Witch of the West
(from the Wizard of Oz)
look sweeter than sugar...
and scared the
living piss out of me.
Holy Sh**!!😳

From what I can recall...
it is never clearly stated
what county, town or state
where the events of
"Pumkinhead"
take place...

That being said...
the only place(s) that
I have ever heard words like
"holler, kin, kin-folk" ect.
has only been in the
Deep South of the US
and especially in Appalachia.

[Freydis-flowers]

I'm over from buncombe and haven't heard of this much.
Neat

[moriahnightingale]

I always wanted to learn more about AFM, thanks for making this!