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Witches, ghosts, and signs : folklore of the Southern Appalachians / [compiled by] Patrick W. Gainer ; with a pref. and motif index by Judy Prozzillo Byers.

GR110.W4 W57 2008

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Format:: Book
Contributor:: Gainer, Patrick W.; Byers, Judy Prozzillo, 1947-
Language:: English
Subjects (All):: Folklore--West Virginia.; Folklore.; Manners and customs.; West Virginia--Social life and customs.; West Virginia.
Physical Description:: xxii, 216 pages ; 22 cm
Edition:: Second edition.
Place of Publication:: Morgantown : West Virginia University Press, 2008.
Summary:: In the introduction to the first edition of Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians, Dr. Patrick W. Gainer wrote, "The material presented in this volume has been collected from people in West Virginia over the last half-century. Long before the tape recorder came into use, I was writing down all kinds of traditional lore as I traveled over the hills and through the hollows of the mountain state."; Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians was first published in 1975 and is the only work thus far to catalog portions of the extensive tradition of folk cures, nature lore, and agricultural signs, as well as a number of witch-tales and ghost-tales. Gainer describes bean stringings, quilting bees, play parties, and infares along with other, more recognizable social occasions such as Christmas and Halloween. These descriptions are extremely valuable to aid our understanding of the textual material that might be passed on at such times. Taken together, Dr. Gainer's material makes the days and atmosphere of long ago come alive and immediate. Even as radio, television and easier travel between communities today tend to standardize speech and tradition, Dr. Gainer's carefully collected and preserved folklore lets readers comprehend more fully what sets the people of Southern Appalachia so proudly apart from the rest of the country.
Contents:: Speech of the Mountaineers 1; Dialect and Accent 3; Words and Expressions 6; Traditional Activities and Customs 19; The Molasses Boiling 20; Bean Stringings and Apple Peelings 21; The Corn Shuckin' 22; Wheat-threshing Time 22; The Quilting Bee 23; The "Literary" 24; Box Suppers and Pie Socials 24; The Singing School 25; Halloween 26; Christmas 27; Wakes 29; Play Parties 30; The Big Meetin' 31; Serenade for Newlyweds 32; The Infare 32; The Party Line 33; Ghostlore 35; Jim Barton's Fiddle 37; The Ghost of Mrs. Green 44; The Woman Who Came Crying 45; The Passing Soul 46; The Ghost of the Jilted Girl 47; The Vengeful Ghost of the Murdered Girl 48; The Ghost of the Peddler on Third Run 50; The Collins Betts Peddler 51; The Crying Infant 51; The Headless Horseman of Powell Mountain 52; The Shue Murder Case 53; The Tragic Story of Ellen and Edward 54; The Lover's Ghost 57; A Haunted House 58; The Poltergeist of Petersburg 59; The Mother-in-Law's Revenge 60; The Ghost Rider 62; The Ghost Rides With Her Lover 64; The Dog Ghost of Peach Tree 65; The Hitch-hiker 66; The Phantom Wagon 67; Add's Image 68; The Graveyard Ghost 69; The Peddler's Ghost of Maysville 70; The Ghosts of Echo Rock 71; Three Headless Ghosts 76; The White Bird 77; The Ghost of the Murdered Storekeeper 78; The Ghost of the Mistreated Husband 79; The Peddler's Ghost of Pendleton County 80; The Old Haunted House of Nicholas County 81; A Mysterious Disappearance 82; The Fireside Ghost 83; The Chain 84; The Haunted House at Renick 84; The Stroop House Ghost 85; The Informing Revenant 86; A Ghost Returns for His Head 87; The Woman in White 88; The Headless Rider of Spruce Lick 88; The Headless Horseman of Braxton County 89; The Ghost of Sally Robinson 90; The Crying Baby 91; The Ghost of the Card Player 91; An Errant Husband is Disciplined 92; The Walking Ghost 93; The Ghost of the Crites Mountain Schoolhouse 94; The Hidden Treasure of Bear Fork 95; Wizard Clip 96; Folk Cures 100; Nature Lore and Rules for Farming 112; Superstitions 121; Witchcraft 135; The White Art 139; Uncle Johnnie Bewitches the Cows 142; Uncle Johnnie Frightens Mrs. Dickens 144; Death and Burial of Uncle Johnnie 145; The Black Cat Murders 146; The Witch of Booger Hole 149; The Sad Death of Mary Fisher 151; The Witch Doctor's Silver Bullet 153; The Violent Witch 154; The Witch of Buck Run 155; The Witchery of Mary Leadum 156; The Mysterious Doe 157; A Witch's Spell Taken Off 158; The Raccoon Witch 159; The Witch's Funeral 160; The Bewitched Pigs 160; The Witch of Bull Run Meets Her Match 161; The Witch Man of Calhoun County 162; The Devil Takes His Victim 164; How Witches Got Milk and Butter 167; The Milk Witch of Wood County 168; The Gilmer County Witch Plays a Trick 168; The Black Cat is Beaten 169; Another Way to Break a Spell 170; How to Kill a Witch 171; White Bear 171; A Young Man Fixes the Witch of Bull Run 174; Recollections of Witchcraft 175.
Notes:: Includes index.
ISBN:: 1933202203; 9781933202204
OCLC:: 141385437

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Witches, ghosts, and signs : folklore of the Southern Appalachians / [compiled by] Patrick W. Gainer ; with a pref. and motif index by Judy Prozzillo Byers.

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