When Death Comes Calling: Death Omens & Superstitions of Appalachia

By Lacey Williams

As first seen in the Society of Spooky Ladies Society Papers 08/26

Death is often seen as something that sneaks up on us, or something that might be lurking just around a corner waiting to pounce. But in Appalachia, we rarely see death as something that arrives unannounced.

Signs in nature, strange sounds in the night, or even unexplained visitors to our homes

can signal that death is near. Some people consider these omens to be fact, and some see them as superstition; but they are deeply woven into our culture and rooted in our region’s rich history in a way that can’t be denied.

One of the most common omens your Mammaw talked about growing up was the cry of an owl. Owls are often called “death birds” or “night messengers”, and a cry by them in the night is thought to signal death is nearby.

Other animals are also thought to sense death in a way humans can’t. The howl of a dog outside a moonlit window means a dog can see a death angel approaching. A blackbird pecking at your window, or worse- flying into your house- is a grim warning that tragedy is impending. Though the presence of a cardinal, by contrast, is a comforting signal that the spirit of a loved one who has passed on is visiting and checking in on you.

Your dreams can offer warnings. A dream of falling snow is a manifestation of a death

shroud covering the area. Dreams of empty chairs signal an absence that will soon become permanent.

Our homes and environments often speak to us in ways easy to overlook. A loud pop or crack from a fireplace ember bursting to the floor is a warning that there will soon be a death in the family.

Blue-white lights seen floating in the night air of hollers and creeks are called “corpse

candles” and are guides to lead the souls of those recently passed towards their final

resting place.

Superstitions surrounding death also have their place in the tapestry of Appalachian

death culture. Bringing flowers home from a funeral invites death into your home. Death always comes in sets of three, and if two women help a third get dressed, the youngest will be the next to die.

Decoration Day, or Memorial Day, is the day you have a picnic with the dead at

their graveside to keep their grave warm. This is a macabre practice my own family

still practices, today.

What happens following death is also thought to be just as important. At the

time a loved one dies; clocks must be stopped to mark their time on earth has

ended and allows them to sever their timeline.

Next, all the mirrors in the house must be covered since mirrors act as anchor

portals and could tie the spirit of the deceased to the home, and because the

next person to look into an uncovered mirror before the deceased has been

removed from the location could be the next to die. Lastly, all the windows must

be opened to allow the spirit to exit the home and follow their death candle.

Coins are also placed over the closed eyelids of the dead prior to burial to pay

the undertaker to ferry their soul to the afterlife. Don’t forget to also tell the bees

about the death or the dead will not have a safe trip to the other side.

Outsiders and maybe some more modern thinkers, consider all these to be nothing more than superstitious wives’ tales. Some consider them to be gospel and accept

them as a fact of life and belief passed down for generations.

Whichever side of the fence you stand, we can all appreciate how these stories

preserve the uniquely Appalachian worldview where the science and supernatural often walk through life hand in hand, and offer caution and comfort, alike to a region of people just trying to make sense of life’s greatest mystery.