MountainLore

Tales of witches, ghosts and demons abound in Appalachia. Today we have a story that may have involved all three, and it's a true story to boot! Join us as we tell the true tale of Bertha Sybert from Lee County, Virginia, known in the 1930s as "Bouncing Bertha" for the nightly involuntary shake, rattle and roll of her bed caused, depending on who you asked, Bertha, a witch, a demon or a ghost. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Audible or on...

Today's tale comes from Wise County, Virginia, by way of the Palatinate region of what's now Germany, from which the ancestors of many of today's Appalachian people came. It's an Appalachian retelling of the German story "Ashenputel," which was also the source for the story we all know as "Cinderella." Don't miss any of our stories by subscribing to the MountainLore podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

Tales are told of headless horsemen across the mountains of West Virginia. Today we combine a few of those tales for this weeks ghostly episode. Be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Audible, Goodpods, PlayerFM, or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

The Cherokee once told of a monstrous creature that was part man and part hornet. This being, named Ulagu, would swoop in and feast on the children of the tribe, then go back to its nest in the gorge of the Nantahala River in North Carolina. Today we tell the story of how the Cherokee defeated Ulagu, saving their children from it. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast...

What happens when you mix jealousy, resentment, and the dark arts? Tragedy for an innocent soul. Today we tell a story that's been told in parts of eastern Kentucky for many years, a story about a woman scorned and her use of witchcraft and signs to exact her revenge. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Goodpods, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

The Reed Gold Mine was opened during the first gold rush, in Western North Carolina, back in the first part of the 19th century. And the mine needed workers, one of whom was Eugene Mills, whose wife, Eleanor, was more enthusiastic about his working there than he was. And that led to some really bad trouble, which we'll tell you about on today's episode. You can subscribe to MountainLore at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter,...

Once upon a time, folks here in Appalachia couldn't run down to the Dollar Store or the Dollar Tree or the Dollar Whatchamajig to buy those everyday things they needed. They relied on the peddler, who came into a community a few times a year selling everything from pots and pans to hammers and nails. Today we tell of a couple who encountered one of those peddlers...after he had made an untimely and violent demise. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,...

We have a Jack Tale for you today. Once upon a time old Jack decided to hit the road to find some easy work. This he did, and in the process he encountered a witch and her coven. To find out what happened next, just hit that start button on this podcast episode! You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Sweet dreams, y'all...

In the latter part of the 19th century feuds were common across remote parts of Appalachia, the most well-known of which was the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. They weren't the only feudists, though. In Rowan County, Kentucky at that time two families, the Martins and the Tollivers, were engaged in a bloody feud of their own. Today we tell a tale that sprang from the fighting there, one involving a dead man who, while he could tell no tales, certainly could wink at you. You...

Today we tell a Jack tale about Jack and his most unusual true love, who he found during one of his countless adventures in Appalachia. Thanks for listening and for sharing our podcast worldwide! Be sure to subscribe to MountainLore wherever you get your podcasts... As always, sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

A sailor retired to the Bull Run Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge, in Virginia. With him, the sailor brought many exotic and unusual things and people from far-distant parts of the world. He also, it was said, brought some unusual and odd beliefs as well. What happened to this sailor after his life on this earth was done is our tale today. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Sweet...

We are back from Christmas break with a new bit of folklore for you! If you're in the Asheville, North Carolina, area when it snows, look up at nearby Mr. Pisgah. There you'll see what looks like the image of a man and a woman, known locally as the bride and the groom. That name comes from an old folklore told in that part of North Carolina for years; today, we'll share that tale with you. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast in many ways: on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify,...

Today we tell about the legend of Spearfinger, or U'tlun'ta, the Cherokee witch whose diet included something very, very bad. The MountainLore podcast is available on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcatcher. We're on Facebook and Twitter @myappalachia and on Mastodon @MountainLore@podcasts.social Thanks for listening!

What happens if that bargain you got at a yard sale turns out to be occupied by the ghost of a person who happens to be experiencing the horrors it saw right before death? That's our tale today. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify or on your own favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners.

We're back after the Thanksgiving holidays, ready to head on into the Christmas season. Speaking of Christmas... Did you know that Christmas has a dark side? It does, at least in some parts of not just Appalachia but around the world, in the form of a shaggy, horned man-goat named Krampus! Merry Christmas...and, uh, sweet Christmas dreams, y'all!

Today we tell a traditional "talking animals" story, about Dog, Cat, Jackass, and, ummm, Rooster....enjoy! You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcatcher. We're on Facebook and on Twitter @myappalachia. We're also now on Mastodon @MountainLore@podcasts.social Thanks for listening...sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

Many years ago, it's said, a young woman met and fell in love with a strange, hairy creature in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Today we tell the tale of Annie and the Boojum, Appalachia's own tale of Beauty and the Beast. If you've not done so already, be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, Audible, Goodpods, IHeartRadio, RadioPublic or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

In the fall of 1966 several men digging a grave in a town in West Virginia first spotted a strange being with wings and red, glowing eyes. Over the next year many folks in the state reported seeing the same mysterious creature. Today we tell the tale of Appalachia's most famous cryptid: the Mothman. Be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, Audible, Goodpods or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

Halloween is fast approaching, so Gena and I did a little digging in our archives and found the scariest tale we could find for you...that is 100% TRUE! From 2019 we bring you a tale of ghosts, spirit possession and evil that happened to a young radio disc jockey and his girlfriend in a house they were renting in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early 1990's. The twist? One of the people involved in this story is the one telling it, first hand. The MountainLore podcast is available wherever...

In 1932 a woman's body was found alongside a road in Logan County, West Virginia. The woman was wearing a bloodstained blue polka dot dress. There were two trials of two different men later that year in which salacious gossip about this woman's alleged affairs were told. In the end one man was acquitted and the other man, a black handyman, was convicted of her murder. And ever since that time, it's been said, you can see that woman, Mamie Thurman, walking the roads around Logan looking for...