Herein lies a collection of research, firsthand accounts, photographs, and audio samples of strange creatures and phenomena documented in the Appalachian region of the United States.
This region has a long and grand history stretching back to the very formation of the mountains themselves, and includes the stories of every culture that has passed through their gentle peaks and hills in the many centuries since. And with the people came legends, stories of things seen in the night, or on the hilltop, or by the river. From West Virginia to northern Georgia, people have witnessed the unknown in many forms, from floating lights to beast-men to terrible demon dogs.
It is my hope that the stories of these creatures entertain and terrify, but also inform about the folklore of the region, and the experiences of the people that live there.
Some pages will have an attached audio recording, which can be accessed by clicking the small cassette tape.
Near the mountains of North Carolina, locals have reported sightings of a large, shaggy creature, standing about 6 feet high, with dark, dirty hair and a flat, human-like face. These sightings are consistent with encounters of the legendary creature Bigfoot, as reported in other parts of the country.
People speak in hushed tones about the half-man, half-ape that stalks the forest, preying on unwary travelers and livestock. In Cleveland County, they call the creature “Knobby”, due to his appearances near Carpenter’s Knob.
In my own research, I have come across several communities with festivals dedicated to Knobby. The people in the town of Marion especially like to turn out to celebrate the creature. I myself have never encountered any form of Bigfoot, least of all this far east, but the legend lives as long as people believe in him.
Of the more whimsical beasts I have found is the story of the Wampus Cat. The story of its origin varies by location, but it is often described as a large cat like a mountain lion with green eyes and human-like features.
One story ascribed to the Cherokee states that the Wampus Cat was created when a jealous woman was punished for spying on her husband. Whether or not this legend does in fact come from the Cherokee or was simply made up as an explanation is up for debate.
While these could merely be the sounds of an upset stray, there's something oddly sinister to them
It is possible that these people refer to a “catawampus”, which simply refers to any unknown creature that might be causing disturbances in the area. The Wampus Cat has been blamed for everything from chickens disappearing from the yard to curdling sourdough with its cries.
In any case, the legend of the Wampus Cat has been popular in the region for decades.
On some rare nights, one can observe dancing lights over the peak of Brown Mountain, in the deep Appalachians. These lights appear like bright stars broken free of the heavens to galavant across Brown Mountain’s gentle summit.
I myself have yet to see the lights, but I have spoken to many people, most of them academics, who have witnessed the phenomenon. They say it is just as spectacular every time.
In my travels across the Appalachians, I encountered a story of an apparition or creature of some kind that haunts the road near the old stone church in Valle Crucis. Two young men driving through the area were chased by a large, black dog with glowing red eyes.
I’ve spoken to others in the area who had similar encounters, and the reports stay consistent: a large, demonic-looking dog or other such animal chases them down the road until they cross the river, at which point the beast stops and vanishes.
Roughly 100 miles northwest of Cleveland County dwells another sasquatch-like creature. Boojum, the “Bigfoot of the Balsams”, as I have heard him called, dwells within Eagle Nest Mountain of Plott Balsams in Haywood County.
A beast of a man, if man at all, Boojum roamed the woods alone, searching for gemstones. His findings are said to be stashed in a cave underneath the Eagle Nest Hotel. Many guests who stay at the hotel can recall hearing the beast singing in a low groan, growling, and gnashing his teeth.
Locals of Western North Carolina utilize local streams for private bathing. Many women around Haywood, however, have had these sessions disrupted by an intruder. These are the only times that the Boojum has been sighted, staring agape at the women he stalks. While almost every woman he crossed paths with understandably fled, one woman was equally as captivated by the beast as he was with her. Her name is Annie.
Annie claimed to be drawn to Boojum because of the sadness she saw in his eyes. She uprooted her life to join him in the woods. Boojum's love for her is not as great as his love for gemstones, though. For days on end, Boojum leaves Annie to hunt for treasure. While he is away, the lonely woman calls out to him with a wail that carries throughout Eagle Nest Mountain. Some nights Boojum calls back. Perhaps this is where the local expression “hootenanny” came from?
Sirens, mysterious women dwelling within bodies of water, singing songs of temptation to lure men to be drowned to their death, have been purported to exist all over the world. I have come to discover that Appalachia is no exception.
The French Broad River of Asheville is a beckoning location for hikers. I too found myself allured by this spot, though I approached it with caution. For I have heard tales of weary men lured into the waters by a beautiful song coming from a woman with moss-like hair and hypnotic dark eyes.
Before they have a chance to understand what’s going on, likely too worn out to respond keenly anyways, these poor fellows are pulled under. This is the tale that I was told by a shellshocked local, who understandably told me that he has not stepped foot near a body of water since.
This beast has lived for centuries, and possibly centuries before tales of it came to be told. How they maintain these long lifespans is quite morbid. Raven Mockers roam the skies, surveilling for the sick and dying. Appearing as unassuming elderly humans, they are granted access into the homes of victims.
Victims hearts are torn from their bodies, somehow siphoned without leaving any marks, and consumed. However many more years a person would have lived had they not fallen ill, are added onto the lifespan of the Raven Mocker.
Fear of these beasts runs so high that oftentimes when one falls ill, they are left to perish as their own family fears what a Raven Mocker may do to them even in perfect health.
Raven Mockers possess such severe powers that only a small faction of highly skilled Shamen are able to successfully fight them off. Those who survive an encounter still require medical assistance afterwards. I suppose the best way to avoid a fatal encounter would be to maintain good health as best as possible.
Stretching from New York State to the Deep South of Alabama and Georgia is a range of mountains so old, their foundations predate life itself on the planet. Though they may not be as tall or as rugged as other mountain ranges in the country, the mountains of the Appalachian range are ancient, their peaks softened by the wear of time and weather as their roots reach down into the primordial earth just as they were laid billions of years ago.
In their time, the Appalachians have seen entire branches of life come and go, and numerous human cultures pass through their deep old-growth forests. The Cherokee people called them home for millennia, and filled the mountains and deep woods around them with stories. When the European settlers passed through the range on their way out west, they too developed their own legends of wild beasts in the untamed wilderness.
These days, the Appalachians are home to diverse communities in modern cities and in the countryside, but they are no less awe-inspiring in their beauty and their potential for legends; though time may pass, and people come and go, the mountains will remain until time wears them down. And as long as they stand, so too with the stories they hold.