Ozark Superstitions

By Vance Randolph

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Apr 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781473388246

Reviews for Ozark Superstitions

[dead_dreamer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a classic study on backwoods folk-magick. It was originally written in the 40s, so the author was able to interview folks who lived in the 1800s. The author lived in the Ozarks (one of the few educated ones) and got to know many of the people he interviewed. He felt it was important that the old lore should be recorded, as most of the practitioners were already elderly or dead -- a dying art. He was able to gain the info because he wasn't an outsider. They would have never spoken a word to him if he hadn't been from the area. It's a wonderful book, though at times it was a tad tedious as it's packed to the gills with info. Some of the best stuff dealt with stories of the mountain witches or "Power Doctors", as they're called back in the hills. The book is 367 pages of strange customs, rituals, spells, beliefs and superstitions. Most of the early white inhabitants of the Ozarks were English stock, so many of their customs and beliefs can be traced back to old British practices. They often used the bible in rituals. However, since very few of them could read, the bible was used as more of a talisman or "spell book" and not in the standard Christian way. The hill folk were (are) strong believers in astrology/the zodiac and would consult the "signs" for everything they did: planting, marriages,.. even repairing a roof or slaughtering a hog. They had their own interpretations, of course. Naturally there aren't any scorpions in the Ozarks, so the hill-folk assumed that the sign of Scorpio was a Crawfish or crawdad and called it the "sign of the Craw Pappy". The early settlers also adopted many local Indian customs and learned tribal medicine. The Ozark hill-folk of the 18th and 19th centuries were a very isolated group and pretty much out of touch with the rest of the world until well into the 20th century. It's very fortunate that the author was able to record all this information before it vanished. Many of the spells and methods aren't for the squeamish! The spells and folk remedies are truly hardcore backwoods conjure. One can almost imagine some hag stewing an awful brew in some old shack way back in the hills. Want to know a cure for a teething baby? Rub rabbit brains over the babie’s gums. Want to get rid of fleas? Urinate all over your clothes and then wear them all day (it may have something to do with the ammonia). Some of the cursing/hexing rituals were really elaborate and fascinating. These people didn't mess around. If someone hexed you, you were as good as dead.