Appalachia

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Snake handling, also called serpent handling, is a religious ritual in a small number of Pentecostal churches in the U.S., usually characterized as rural and part of the Holiness movement. The practice began in the early 20th century in Appalachia, and plays only a small part in the church service. Practitioners believe serpent handling dates to antiquity and quote the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke to support the practice.

Various clans would use the serpents actions and behavior as a divination method

Hellboy: The Crooked Man

Seventh sons of seventh sons are said to have supernatural powers here. Exactly what they're supposed to be able to do isn't well-defined, but they mostly seem to be curative. You hear stories of people going to a seventh son of a seventh son to pray over sick or injured people, or even just a wart.

Sin-eaters are a thing in some parts of Appalachia. They're invited to funerals, and passed a plate of food over the body of the deceased. It's believed that by eating the food, the sin-eater takes on the sins of the dead person, so that they can have forgiveness before God even after death.

Crossroads are considered magical in parts of Appalachia. You're supposed to be able to go to a crossroads and leave behind problems that you have, and the next person who passes takes them on. Also, going to a crossroads at midnight is said to be how one meets the devil to sell one's soul.

>>17958446
Shit op, this is where I am from, and I can tell you, weird shit is rife.

>>17958446
I was born in a hospital that was part of the Appalachian Trial.

>>17958640
Was it in bel air? Where you spent most of your days?

>>17958451
That dude on the right missing his left arm tho.

>>17958446
> Be friends dad
> Be driving to meet son at college in PA appalachia
> Get lost, GPS takes you down a dirt forest road
> Drive 20-30 minutes, only car on road. Nothing but trees and dirt for miles
> Gets SUPER foggy
> Suddenly, in the distance see an old style horse and buggy
> No driver visible. Has fucking candle lanterns
> can see coffin in wagon behind horses
> Nope.png
> GTFO and drive all the way back to the highway

And that's how I learned there is a temporal anomaly outside my town innawoods.

There are all kinds of weird stories about shit living in the woods in appalachia. Monsters, lost hippies, hill people, etc. I generally don't go innawoods unarmed anymore.

Virginia here, live about 5 minutes away from the Appalachian trail. About to go for a hike today actually, might post a pic or two later to give people a feel for what the VA part of the trail is like. Pretty comfy. My boi and I met a forest spirit or something about a week ago at a campsite called sky meadow. It started our fire for us and put logs on when we went away for about 10 minutes, crazy experience, very friendly spirit, overall great guy. Also got attacked by coyotes and had to scare them off after they ate our marshmallows. Overall very comfy area with lotsa good vibes.

>>17958446
I've only been in the Appalachian Mountains a few times, but man, I feel like those mountains hold many secrets and horrors

>>17958516
I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but that could be resident evil.

>>17958694
If only that ever really happend

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>>17958516

>>17958694
it was either an amish coroner or you're a lying faggot.

>>17958512
sin-eaters aren't a thing, anon.

>>17958646
Born in Northwestern Connecticut. We stayed around the Berkshires.

>>17958446

All I remember is Halliburton trucks running rampant and meth. And booze, a lot of booze.

And some crazies, surprised I didn't disapear somewhere in the hollar.

>>17958446
Okay, I will share what I have (many stories).

I was born in VA, but when I was 4 my parents moved to my father's home state of West Virginia and I grew up in Fairmont, close to the mini mountain mecca city of Morgantown where I am once more, as a PhD student and teacher.

I'm not sure if I should start with my personal stories or my father's stories, but I'll start with mine:

First of all, there is something terrifying and beautiful at the same time about West Virginia and you have to come here yourself to really experience it. Anyway.
When we moved to Fairmont, I had a cat I had named Blackie (because I was a retarded little kid) and my parents had a cat named Emily, a beautiful Calico. About 6 weeks after we moved in, Blackie disappeared. We kept cats outside, as was typical for the area. I was horribly sad so we got a new cat some time later, Cally. After a few months, Cally disappeared. Then we had Chase and Sadie, a bro and sis pair. After a few months, they disappeared. Finally, there was Chance, and after only after 2 weeks, he was gone.

I was inconsolable, I missed my cats. We also started noticing strange things about the neighbors. First of all, when my mom and I would leave in the morning, the light was on in their bathroom window and you could see the silhouette of a woman in the window. She was there every morning; staring. Then, one day my mom was backing out only to notice, before pulling onto the road, that the brakes weren't working - they had been cut.

Then came the social service calls. The first time I was pulled out of class, they took me to speak to a woman who asked if I had been raped or given drugs. I had no clue about it. By the 15th time, it had become a routine. Social services said that any time anyone calls, they have to investigate, no matter how many times a family has been reported.

Then, came the cats. First, it was on Halloween. A stuffed cat toy was hung from out lamp at the bottom of the driveway. (CONT)

>>17960024
Then, a few days later, there was a stuffed cat toy covered in a red liquid, probably food coloring sitting on our doorstep. A few weeks after that, we awoke to 6 or 7 cats covered in "blood". Shortly after that, a "bloody" stuffed cat, with its head pierced with a suction cup holder stuck to my bedroom window.

We tried to talk to the police but they said there was nothing they could do.

Finally, we got a new kitten; a kitten with feline AIDs who I wanted to adopt to give her a good home for her short life. She could only stay inside and had her own litter box excluding Emily (who died at the age of 22, years later). We called her Prudence. I didn't expect Prudence to live long - I knew what we were signing up for, but after about 3 weeks, as my mom and I were leaving for school, we found Prudence dead, her tiny insides spilling on our front porch.

The cat was inside only.

They had been inside the house.

We were terrified and the good ole' boy cops didn't care. Soon other things started to change inside our home. Some candles I had made were laying broken on the floor one morning. We would wake to find furniture overturned and books lying scattered in the library. Our bar was raided with GALLONS of booze suddenly vanishing. The house came with a waterbed, which was punctured. Every day were walked around the house in fear of wondering what we would find destroyed.

After a time and in fear, we packed up and we moved to Maryland. My mom and dad were already divorced; he still lived in WV and I still visited. I hated leaving my friends, but I understand why my mom wanted to leave ASAP.

Now, 15 years later, I visited our other neighbor who is a pastor (I was friends with his daughter). His wife told me the neighbor who stared at us had died of breast cancer 10 years ago and shortly after, her two sons and her husband all died in various different accidents and from different diseases. Only her daughter was alive.

>>17960024
I'll tell one more story for tonight
My dad lived in Elkins, which is the seat of Randolph county.
Now, most people don't know this, but there is a government installation under the mountains outside Elkins and in the event of an emergency in D.C., or so I've been told, the first evacuation point for D.C. officials, is Randolf County.

I cannot count the number of creepy things I've seen and heard in Elkins, but I'll tell the most vivid.

I used to play FFXI religiously. I would sit downstairs in my dad's house, in the computer nook, and play FFXI all night, until I feared he would wake up and yell at me. This took place around age 15.
One night, I was playing FFXI and all of a sudden the speakers started to cut out. It became all static - a horrible loud static. Then, suddenly, the speakers stopped and it became completely quiet. I tried messing with them but they were dead.
Trembling in the quiet, I for some reason wanted to look out the window. I could see the light of our neighbors back porch lit, and about 15 feet away, I saw 2 small red lights. Un-moving. Static. I stared at the lights for a good minute, thinking it must be an ATV or something.
Then, in a fucking blink, the lights shot upward and vanished.

I didn't sleep that night and I never looked out that window at night again. I actually would purposefully make sure to close the curtain 100% every night, terrified that whatever made those lights was standing right outside.

>>17959788
I misread that at first and thought you said Ambush coroner.

>>17960166
good stuff man, where in wv did you live if you dont mind me asking? My grandmother and uncles live right outside harpers ferry and they were no strangers to spoopy shit happening

>>17960204
Now? Morgantown. But, I grew up in between Fairmont (mom) and Elkins (dad).
Harpers Ferry is beautiful as fuck.

Just went night hiking at Devil's Marbleyard in Glasgow (I think), SW Virginia.
We were the only ones up there, and it was super creepy at first.
Nothing happened though

I hope this thread grows. My grandparents live in the mountains so I have spent a lot of time there. I also go /out/ to WV sometimes, but have never had any spoops myself.

>>17960024

I definitely know what you mean about WV being terrifying and beautiful. Also, great stories.

>>17960213
cool man thanks for sharing

>>17960024
>>17960108
>>17960166
OP here, thanks for sharing. Would love to hear more if you get some time

>>17960433
You're welcome,
I'll share one last short story
I was at my dad's house in Elkins, playing FFXI. I heard a horrible noise, like someone screaming. Being 16 or so, I was paralyzed with fear. I has no idea how to respond to the scream.
I walked into the kitchen, which had a hude sliding door out to the porch, looking out into the forest.
I saw two white eyes/lights, gleaming in the woods. Under my breath I asked "w-what do you want". I swear to Christ, you guys. I heard no answer, only a shriek and the lights disappeared.
The next day my stepmom's two dogs wouldn't go outside to shit. They whimpered and cried. Stupid fuckers. Later they got a yorkie that literally pissed on them. Still, it was a weird instance.

>>17960166
Sounds like the Mothman to me.

>>17960767
I believe it was Mothman. My first bf lived in point pleasant OH. I am completely convinced that what I saw was the mothman, still hanging around despite having no tragedy to predict.

I actually get a bit irritated when people say it's a joke. I mean it's crazy but there's so much weird shit going on too.

>>17958676
well, it's snake handling, not snake handsdling. he's good.

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>>17958446
Read the Foxfire series of books if you are interested in Appalachian culture and folklore. Vol. 8 in particular I believe has a section devoted to ghost stories and the like.

>>17958451

I grew up Pentecostal. It's true that the Holiness movement is part of the Pentecostal movement, but most Pentecostals would deny it. Most of them consider the practice to be as crazy and reckless as anyone else does. Other than the snake handling and poison drinking their beliefs are nearly identical to every other Pentecostal group.

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>>17960754
>playing FFXI

lolbifrons! loldrg! bstsux RAWR!

Now I'm starting to miss my old Taru Taru. I haven't played in about 2 years. I got burnt out farming ancient currency for my relic horn. I really wanted to do a relic axe or dagger, but the horn would have been more useful since it was pretty much a given that I'd be going to most events as brd.

>>17964081
so they're basically pentecostals that die from snake bites and poison at a higher rate than normal ones?

>>17964119
Pretty much, yea. I'm surprised more of them don't die than do though.

>>17959794
no senpai, they're real

>>17964151
>>17959794
What are they?

>>17958512
>Seventh sons of seventh sons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_son_of_a_seventh_son
European

>Sin-eaters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater
Native

>Crossroads
European and African
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(mythology)

All heritage from other cultures. Nothing truly Americana?

>>17964231

>native
>not truly americana

The only true Americana is Native.

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>>17964231
Appalachian culture is an amalgam of European, Indian, and black cultures. Say what you want about us, but we are one of the only predominantly white groups in the US that can be considered (Anthropologists are beginning to do just this) a truly American ethnicity, and we are certainly the largest one.

Yes, elements of our culture are borrowed from other groups, but that is true of all people. Unless you are from East Africa, then your ancestors originally came from somewhere else, and they brought their culture and language with them. Appalachians may not have called this home for as long as the English have called England home, but it's been long enough that we've developed a distinct and unique cultural identity of our own, and have grown to view ourselves as having an intimate and deep blood connection to the land.

Unfortunately since the end of WW2 we've been becoming more and more integrated into general American society, and losing our own identity in the process.

>>17964345
>>17964461
I was expecting the vitriol of under aged /pol as an answer.
fuck you both for meddling with my immature baiting, desu.

In the Pennsylvania Appalachia there a stories passed down about cannibalistic families from the 19th century.

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>>17958451

Timber rattlers, the type used by snake handling priests, are extremely docile. They are also venomous as fuck but will not strike unless violently threatened.

Think of them as everyday dogs. The lab across the street doesn't want to bite you, and neither does a timber rattler, but both absolutely will if the situation escalates.

Thanks for reading my blog.

>>17958718
Skinwalker detected.

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i have lived in Braxton Co WV for about 20yrs till i left for college. We have the Flatwoods Green Monster (pic related) back in like the 50s or some shit there was people being abducted by aliens