Download Free Witches Ghosts And Signs Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Witches Ghosts And Signs and write the review.

Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians by the renowned West Virginia folklorist and former West Virginia University English professor Patrick W. Gainer not only highlights stories that both amuse and raise goosebumps, but also begins with a description of the people and culture of the state. Based on material Gainer collected from over fifty years of field research in West Virginia and the region, Witches, Ghosts, and Signs presents the rich heritage of the southern Appalachians in a way that has never been equaled. Strange and supernatural tales of ghosts, witches, hauntings, disappearances, and unexplained murders that have been passed down from generation to generation from as far back as the earliest settlers in the region are included in this collection that will send chills down the spine.
Explains the origins of and relates stories associated with familiar Halloween symbols.
The persecution of Old World German Protestants and Anabaptists in the seventeenth century--following debilitating wars, the Reformation, and the Inquisition-- brought about significant immigration to America. Many of the immigrants, and their progeny, settled in the Appalachian frontier. Here they established a particularly old set of religious beliefs and traditions based on a strong sense of folk spirituality. They practiced astrology, numerology, and other aspects of esoteric thinking and left a legacy that may still be found in Appalachian folklore today. Based in part on the author's extensive collection of oral histories from the remote highlands of West Virginia, Signs, Cures, and Witchery; German Appalachian Folklore describes these various occult practices, symbols, and beliefs; how they evolved within New World religious contexts; how they arrived on the Appalachian frontier; and the prospects of those beliefs continuing in the contemporary world. By concentrating on these inheritances, Gerald C. Milnes draws a larger picture of the German influence on Appalachia. Much has been written about the Anglo-Celtic, Scots-Irish, and English folkways of the Appalachian people, but few studies have addressed their German cultural attributes and sensibilities. Signs, Cures, and Witchery sheds startling light on folk influences from Germany, making it a volume of tremendous value to Appalachian scholars, folklorists, and readers with an interest in Appalachian folklife and German American studies.
Mysterious vanishing hitchhikers, travelers beset by headless dogs, and long-dead moonshiners come alive in this collection of ninety-six Appalachian folktales. Set in coal mines and remote farm cabins, in hidden hollows and on mountain tops, some of these stories look back to the days when West Virginia was first settled; others reflect the rancor and brutality of the Civil War. But most of these tales guide us through the recent past of the uncommonly rich folk heritage of West Virginia. This ghostly collection, with source information and bold illustrations, will thrill longtime lovers of supernatural lore.
A collection of ghost stories and folklore from southern Appalachia.
Professor Hans Holzer, the bestselling author of Ghosts, explores the myriad forms and factions of witchcraft, taking you inside the covens and cults where the ancient rituals are practiced. This compilation of Holzer's decades of first-hand research, which occurred mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, provides a unique insider's overview of the topic. Experience the secrets of the craft, learn spells and incantations, and read interviews and personal testimony from the foremost practitioners. Holzer not only provides the reader with the history of witchcraft, he documents the lives and practices of actual witches pursuing the world's oldest religion. Hundreds of photographs from the author's own collection illuminate the subject and bring the rituals and rites of "the Craft" to life.
In the mysterious shadows of the Appalachian Mountains, ghosts linger long after their bodies have been put to rest. This old, eroded mountain chain stretches from northern Alabama in the south all the way to Maine in the northeast. Veteran ghost writer Susan Smitten has written a spine-tingling collection of tales to thrill and entertain: - in Tryon, North Carolina, a woman's great-grandmother continues to watch over her family from beyond the grave - East Tennessee State University has been called the most haunted campus in the southern United States the old lunatic asylum in Weston, West Virginia, is a ghost hunter's paradise - old habits die hard--or don't die at all--for the founder of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia ...and more, from all over the Appalachians.
In a culture where the supernatural possessed an immediacy now strange to us, magic was of great importance both in the literary mythic tradition and in ritual practice. In this book, Daniel Ogden presents 300 texts in new translations, along with brief but explicit commentaries. Authors include the well known (Sophocles, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Pliny) and the less familiar, and extend across the whole of Graeco-Roman antiquity.
Adults and children alike enjoy a good ghost tale. The Southern Mountain region is rich with haunted legends and superstitions. These short stories are previously unpublished and have been handed down for generations spanning nearly a century. * On a winding, dangerous road in Rich Mountain a lone driver offers a ride to a pale and sad young girl. He soon discovers that his silent passenger hasn't accompanied him to their destination, and he questions his sanity when he realizes she is gone. There is proof that she occupied the passenger seat, but where did she go? Hugh should consider himself lucky that she didn't stay along for the ride. * A coal miner seeks housing and employment in a small camp in West Virginia, but the only house available is known to be haunted. Previous residents report hearing wheezing and coughing from an unseen occupant hobbling on a cane throughout the house. Many families left the house to escape the haunt, but this miner doesn't believe in ghosts. Will disbelief be enough to do away with the ghostly legend, or will Jim actually discover that ghosts do exist? These and 10 more chilling stories of supernatural, superstition, ghosts and phantoms will incite you to consider the question do ghosts really exist? Can a spirit return from the grave to seek justice? Can a proclaimed fortune teller cast a spell of revenge? Can amulets and good luck charms change your destiny? Discover why the people of the Southern Appalachian Mountains delight in sharing stories around campfires at stir offs, pie suppers, and during brush arbor. Take a step back in time, get a chill down your spine next to a warm fire in the dark of night while smelling sweet sugar molasses. Are you ready to wander into the woods alone? Or will the spirits of the ridge keep you at bay?