Faerie Lore and Legends

Unsure of why I was on the fence about seeing this spectacular marvel of southern horror lore and mythology … I’m so glad my AMC A-List pass lured me to see it, one of my current favorite at the cinema titles. It has its flaws, but otherwise spectacularly done. Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5*, Oisin Rhymour, Techno Tink Media: www.technotink.com/design/*

Midnight fog drapes the Mississippi Delta, thick with secrets and shadows. In Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ the land itself feels haunted; cotton fields blanch under moonlight, echoing with sorrow and threat. Set in 1932, this horror epic stitches together the nightmares of the past with stories too real to quiet.

Coogler weaves horror and history into every dusty crossroads and winding river, forcing us to confront the darkness that lingers behind southern hospitality. Expect a film that wraps Southern Gothic chills around questions of guilt, family, and hope, while characters search for light in endless night. Movie lovers who crave atmosphere, history, and meaning won’t want to miss this haunting journey. Those who love cult classics like Rocky Horror may also appreciate how stories of place, time, and fear overlap in cinema history.

Story and Setting

The world of ‘Sinners’ swells with heat, dust, and memory, rooted deep in the haunted soil of 1932 Mississippi. Every shot breathes with the weight of history: rows of white cotton shimmer under a bruised sky, and every shadow hints at stories buried beneath. Both the place and its past aren’t just backgrounds, they press on every moment of the film, shaping its night of terror and reckoning. Through the eyes of twin brothers Smoke and Stack, homecoming turns into a collision of hope, guilt, and memory in a single, tense night where past and present bite at the same heels. At first I thought it was a spin-off from the Devil and the Fiddler at the crossroads, but wrong was I … as it weaved Irish folklore in with African American slavery mythos with a twist of True Blood.

A Southern Gothic Canvas: Cotton Fields, Dust-Choked Streets, and Vivid Imagery

‘Sinners’ paints the Jim Crow South with all the weight of lived experience. Rows of cotton stretch far beyond the eye, each plant seemingly thirsty for rain or redemption. The land itself becomes a silent character, heavy with the grief of generations. Dust creeps through open windows, curling around characters’ ankles like regret that can’t be swept away.

• Cotton fields and dirt roads serve as living reminders of both suffering and survival.
• Night falls heavy, and moonlight glances off shotgun shacks and silent porches.
• Small-town streets appear frozen in time, defined by segregation yet filled with the everyday hopes of those who live there.

Ryan Coogler’s camera lingers on these details, letting them settle in the viewer’s memory. The streets of Clarksdale and the Delta are so present, you can almost feel the humidity and taste the blues in the air. The movie’s use of historical setting deepens every emotional note, merging Southern Gothic visuals with horror’s classic tension. The choice to set the story in 1932 Clarksdale reflects real historical trauma—the history behind the film is just as rich as what’s on screen.

Smoke and Stack: Dualities of Brotherhood

At the heart of ‘Sinners’ are brothers Smoke and Stack, played with stunning range by Michael B. Jordan. Their return home is supposed to be a reunion, but it quickly becomes a reckoning.

• Smoke is quiet, all tight shoulders and inward glances. He carries the burden of memory and responsibility, haunted by ghosts only he seems to see.
• Stack radiates energy, quick to defend, laugh, and fight for what’s right. He seeks hope in forward motion, unafraid to ask hard questions.

This push-and-pull brings heat to every scene. Their bond; tested by both family secrets and the horror at their door, anchors the movie’s single-night timeline. Jordan brings out each brother’s pain and love: Smoke holds the past close, while Stack fights for the promise of tomorrow.

Their story becomes a lens through which the movie explores themes bigger than blood:

• Guilt versus forgiveness
• The weight of legacy
• Sacrifice and moral courage

If you’re a fan of complex sibling stories and tense family dynamics, this film sits comfortably alongside atmospheric horror classics like those found in our psychological thriller collection. The night these brothers face becomes a tightrope walk; past and present, love and fear, all currency in the film’s dangerous game.

To explore how ‘Sinners’ draws on the folklore, music, and vampire lore of Mississippi, you may want to check out this thoughtful breakdown of the movie’s cultural undercurrents.

Horror, Vampires, and Symbolism

Haunted fields and moonlit crossroads set the stage for terror in ‘Sinners,’ but the film’s monsters offer more than jump scares. Ryan Coogler uses vampires to unpack deep wounds; turning supernatural hunger into a living metaphor for exploitation and disconnection. Each scene with Remmick and his twisted followers blurs the line between myth and painful reality, pulling viewers into a chilling story with real roots.

The Monsters Among Us: Remmick, His Cult, and a New Vampire Mythos

Remmick is no velvet-caped stranger; he’s an Irish vampire who walks hidden roads and rules his followers with quiet menace. Coogler strips away much of the old vampire style and instead paints Remmick in sweat and dirt, embedding him right into the Delta’s pain. His cult moves through Black communities, preying quietlyal; most businesslike, on those caught at the rough edge of society.

Remmick and his group don’t just feed on blood. They seek out the gifted and the hopeful. The vampires steal more than life; they consume memories, skills, and the very essence that makes their victims who they are. The power is chilling: when the vampires strike, the town loses more than a body. It loses music, invention, and tradition. These scenes are hard to watch, yet strikingly honest about the cost of being haunted and hunted.

Coogler’s take stands apart from most bloodsucker tales by rooting his monsters in the realities of oppression. The cult’s attacks feel surgical, a cold machine set on draining life from communities that history has already bled dry. If classic films like ‘Blade’ or even rock horror icons flirted with genre tropes, ‘Sinners’ plants both feet in a world where the threat is real, close, and unglamorous. The atmosphere is soaked in dread, with myth and history never far apart. To dig deeper into the cultural meanings behind Remmick’s character, check out this insightful take on the Irish vampire’s symbolism.

What the Vampires Represent: Hunger, Exploitation, and Ancestral Loss

Coogler uses vampires to stand in for oppressive forces; systems and people that thrive by draining others. The hunger these monsters show isn’t just for blood. Each attack tears families apart, leaving behind an emptier world. The film makes the vampires’ feeding a layered crime: it isn’t just life that’s lost, but memory, skill, and hope passed down through generations.

Remmick’s hunger reflects the deep costs of exploitation:

• Stealing legacies: Every victim loses not just their life, but the gifts their ancestors struggled to preserve.
• Erasing history: With each feeding, the community grows weaker, as if old wounds are cut open all over again.
• Dividing the living: Fear turns neighbor against neighbor, fueling cycles of silence and grief.

This symbolism is powerful because it’s grounded in truth. The vampires in ‘Sinners’ are more than movie villains; they’re echoes of all the ways Black communities have faced theft, violence, and the loss of culture. By binding horror with these realities, the film calls out exploitation both past and present. For more perspective on how vampires have stood in for real-world power struggles and violence, see this thoughtful review on Black vampires in contemporary film.

Coogler’s approach ties in with other films that use horror to ask what happens when knowledge, craft, and roots are stolen from a people. If you’re interested in similar themes, you might explore movies that play with Gothic and symbolic motifs to critique cultural loss and violence.

The message runs through every haunting image: when monsters feed on memory and skill, entire histories are at risk, not just single lives.

Music, Ancestry, and Cultural Roots

Blues beats in every corner of ‘Sinners’. Ryan Coogler stitches the film together with songs of heartache, hope, and struggle; turning music into both a weapon and a shield. This section digs into how blues, spiritual traditions, and memory breathe life into the story’s haunted Mississippi, connecting the characters to each other and to a history both painful and proud.

Blues as Salvation and Danger: Highlight the links between legends like Robert Johnson, the story’s character Sammie Moore, and music’s role in the fight for liberation and identity.

Music cuts through the darkness in ‘Sinners’ just as it did for Robert Johnson at the crossroads. Sammie Moore, the film’s bluesman, draws on the same haunted genius, fingers flying across strings, voice cracking with every note of sorrow and resilience. The legend of Johnson selling his soul to play the blues finds eerie echoes as Sammie faces supernatural threats, questioning what he might give up to survive.

In ‘Sinners’, the blues isn’t just background music. It’s a living force.

• Song becomes shield; Moore’s music holds the vampires at bay and strengthens the community.
• Lyrics as protest; each verse carries whispers of rebellion against the systems that choke the Delta.
• Sound as memory; his guitar riffs stitch family stories, holding lost ancestors close.

Fans of cinema history will catch nods to film classics where music stands at the edge of danger and deliverance. The soundtrack of ‘Sinners’ is a direct response to the way Black musicians have shaped the sound, and power, of American film. For a snapshot of this heritage, explore how Black music shapes the silver screen and why blues, soul, and jazz always matter when watching stories like this one.

Sammie’s story is more than a tribute; it’s a call for liberation. Every guitar solo, every raw, trembling verse, becomes a stand against horror; both real and supernatural. In the world of ‘Sinners’, the fight for identity isn’t just physical. It’s played out in every note bent toward freedom, echoing through the fields at midnight.

Ancestral Bonds and Cultural Memory: Explore how the narrative uses spiritual reverence, memory, and the supernatural to enrich the film’s emotional core and cultural commentary.

‘Sinners’ doesn’t hide from the ghosts of the past; it listens to them. Through rituals, lullabies, and whispered prayers, the characters keep ancestral bonds strong; even as supernatural forces threaten to tear those ties apart. Spiritual memory, seen in the way family stories pass from eldest to youngest, becomes the heart of resistance.

Coogler’s film draws on real Southern traditions:

• Altars of remembrance sitting quietly in church corners and living rooms.
• Dreams and visions: characters receive signs; sometimes warnings, from ancestors.
• Music as invocation: songs become prayers, bridging the distance between the living and the dead.

This rich layering of spirit and memory gives ‘Sinners’ its pulse. It’s not just about vampires or cotton fields. It’s about remembering who you are, who your people were, and how culture endures; even in the darkest times.

Other Southern tales lean into the mystical, too. For readers interested in pop culture’s take on Southern phenomenon, The Commodore 64 and Rocky Horror story offers a fascinating example where memory, nostalgia, and genre collide.

The supernatural isn’t a gimmick in ‘Sinners’. It’s a way for the community to process trauma, to find hope, and to hold tight to sacred truths. The film sits beside others that use horror for spiritual reflection; whether it’s through haunting, resurrection, or music that beckons the old world back. Those interested in exploring more films where spiritual themes shape stories can check recommendations for modern movies with spiritual or supernatural tone.

This dance of song and story roots ‘Sinners’ deep in Southern soil. It’s what makes the film linger; like the sound of a distant guitar, promising that memory and hope can outlast any monster. For more on how Southern stories weave memory, myth, and culture, you’ll find kindred spirits in reviews of films with deep Southern and supernatural roots like those in our Gothic movies archive.

Style, Tension, and Performances

Ryan Coogler wraps every scene of ‘Sinners’ in mood so strong you almost taste the dust and dread. Here, style bleeds straight into story. Visuals haunt you long after the credits roll, and the quiet tension hums beneath each line. With the cast giving all heart, Coogler’s slow-burn suspense and poetry in motion transform a night of terror into a study of grit and humanity. Let’s explore how these choices shape the film’s impact and immerse you inside this gothic nightmare.

Cinematography and Mood: Haunting Visual Language

The camera in ‘Sinners’ does more than frame cotton fields and moonlit porches; it steals your breath and pins you to the earth. Every shot lingers on the stretch of sultry trees, letting moonlight slice through branches and drape silver across the Delta’s raw history. It’s a world painted in stark contrast: shotgun shacks lost in shadows, sweat-sheened faces flickering in lamplight, tension pooling in silent glances.

Coogler’s direction sneaks fear into the corners of each scene:

• Long takes hold us in place, stretching out suspense like the humid nights. The pressure grows with every heartbeat.
• Shadow and color become silent characters. Blues and bruised purples cloak tragedy and hope side by side, while dirty whites of the cotton fields snap against the darkness.
• Low, wide angles make figures look haunted, swallowed up by the land that remembers everything.

It’s not just beautiful; these choices unsettle. You feel the characters’ isolation in every empty dirt road, every ghost-light corridor. These visual strategies go hand-in-hand with the best horror traditions. For a deeper dive into how horror films use lighting, camera work, and color to spark emotion, check out this guide to the basics of horror cinematography.

The film’s rhythmic pacing; slowing for dread, racing for panic, pulls the audience deeper under its spell. Coogler builds an atmosphere that isn’t just seen but sensed. The effect is poetic, immersive, and deeply Southern. For movie-goers hungry for that blend of mood and meaning, ‘Sinners’ is a rare treat. If you’re into visually evocative horror, explore more genre standouts in this collection of psychological thriller movies.

Heart and Grit: The Cast

The soul of ‘Sinners’ comes into focus through its actors. Michael B. Jordan leads with a dual performance as Smoke and Stack, slipping between vulnerability and strength with ease. Every wince, every silent stare, feels honest. The weight of family history seems to etch itself right onto his shoulders. Audiences familiar with his work in intense dramas will notice the same emotional charge; only now, it’s sharpened by the threat of monsters in the night.

But he’s never alone. The supporting cast stands shoulder-to-shoulder, adding grit and warmth:

• Supporting roles; from the quiet resolve of elders to the unsteady courage of younger townsfolk, bring the community to life. You sense real history between them.
• On screen, chemistry sizzles. Tensions break into raw argument, tenderness, or desperate laughter; raising the stakes for every choice made in the film.
• Even the smallest role feels lived-in, shaped by the place and its sorrow.

Long pauses in dialogue, quick flashes of anger or fear; these choices are as important as any special effect. Coogler coaches every actor to fill space with meaning. The result: relationships that feel worn and real, amplifying the peril when monsters draw near.

Jordan’s partnership with Coogler grows stronger here, building on what they started in past films. This collaboration roots each scene in something permanent and human. To learn more about their creative bond and behind-the-scenes dynamic, take a look at this insightful spotlight on Coogler and Jordan’s evolving partnership.

Through their work, ‘Sinners’ never loses sight of what’s at stake; not just life or death, but the heart of a family and the survival of memory. The performances are a reminder that even in horror, grit and love can be the film’s sharpest weapons.

Legacy and Final Thoughts

‘Sinners’ punches through the noise of modern horror with a vision rooted deep in American soil. Ryan Coogler swings wide; aiming to rewrite vampire myth and tie it to the pain, pride, and music of the Black South. Long after the final frame, the film leaves a chill that’s more than fear; it’s memory and hunger echoing side by side.

Ambitions and Lasting Impact

‘Sinners’ dreams big. Coogler flips the classic vampire story on its head, turning monsters into metaphors that stick with you long after you leave the theater. Instead of simple scares, this film invites us to reckon with the shadows of real history and ask what’s passed down; both the wounds and the strength.

Here’s what stands out about this film’s reach and influence:

• It sets a new path for Southern Gothic horror; mixing ancestral pain, family ties, and supernatural threat in a way few directors have risked before.
• Its myth-building puts it alongside modern prestige horror, where meaning grows out of dread. The world of ‘Sinners’ feels lived-in, haunted by both fact and legend.
• Ambitions are high: this is a story that wants to matter, not just entertain.

Other filmmakers have settled into the safe grooves of spooky cinema; Coogler presses out into rough country. ‘Sinners’ joins films that leave deep imprints—where viewers return not for the frights, but for the questions and images burned in their minds. For readers who enjoy films that fuse myth and memory, revisiting gothic movies that challenge genre boundaries can help draw out these connections.

Modern Reception and Genre Standing

Reviews for ‘Sinners’ point to its bold moves and rich atmosphere. Critics at outlets such as Vulture call the film both “bold” and “distinct,” noting how it brings out the voice of the Black South while also holding back some classic horror punch. Not everyone finds the scares as sharp as the symbolism, but that’s almost beside the point. The film is discussed not just as a horror flick, but as a cultural moment.

Movie buffs and everyday fans on Reddit’s discussion threads praise the motion picture’s ambition, with many saying it hits a sweet spot between thriller and historical drama. Threads buzz with debate over what sticks out most; the eerie mood, the music, or the slow, patient storytelling.

The film’s biggest legacy may lie with genre fans hungry for art that cuts deeper than formula. ‘Sinners’ stands beside modern horror stories that challenge what the genre can achieve, touching the spirit as much as the nerves. Readers interested in atmospheric Southern tales mixed with spooky and smart storytelling will find plenty more inspiration in psychological thriller movies with similar moods.

Where ‘Sinners’ Stands in Modern Horror

Coogler’s film won’t please everyone. Some horror lovers will crave more blood and less heartache. But for those who want fear rooted in something real; where every shiver means something, ‘Sinners’ is a film that sets its own rules. It calls to those who see horror as a lens for truth, not just a source of frights.

The movie stands as a bold torch-bearer for smart, soulful horror. By fusing history, myth, and music, it leaves footprints other directors may one day follow. The story lingers, much like the pulse of blues guitar drifting across a midnight field, daring anyone who listens to remember what was lost; and what can still be found.

Reviewed

‘Sinners’ stands out as a bold blend of horror and history, binding the haunted soil of Mississippi with stories that refuse to be forgotten. Ryan Coogler uses fear not as an escape, but as a lens on memory, culture, and loss. Each frame pulses with lived experience; guilt, music, and hope woven tightly together.

For movie lovers who crave atmosphere and weight, ‘Sinners’ offers more than scares. It’s a reminder that horror, at its best, shines a light on what matters most; roots, resistance, and the hunger to remember. Films that echo this style and ambition often appear in collections exploring gothic storytelling and cultural myth, rewarding fans who chase meaning as much as mystery. I’d give this a full 5 stars, but the only irritant in the film is the adding in of scenes and characters from the future, busting the timeline and era the film portrays. ~ 4.5 stars out of 5, Oisin Rhymour, Techno Tink Media – www.technotink.com/design/

Thank you for joining this journey through shadow and song. If you felt the chill and the call for deeper stories, share your thoughts; and keep an eye out for more films that haunt and heal in equal measure.

So, while on an archaeological survey project in Ohio, I investigated local myths, legends, and urban lore. One of the sites of interest to pop up on my radar was the government take-over eminent domain of a town formerly known as “Boston, Ohio”. It is now fabled in urban legend and called “Helltown.”

I dismissed visiting because, according to Atlas Obscura, all town remnants had been bulldozed and flattened; there’s nothing to see there since 2016. It would have been a 4-5 hour round-trip excursion, so I decided not to go. Plus, rumors of a toxic dump are just not something my asthmatic ass needed during a pandemic. So, it was boxed away in my mind as a lost ghost story.

Then, upon returning to the Pacific Northwest while looking for something to watch … the pseudo-documentary by the Travel channel of Series 1, episode 1: Helltown, popped up on Amazon Prime. It was free since I was subscribed to Discovery Channel, so why not? It was the Blair Witch Project in a different light: the utterly false story, narrative, and made-up mythology based on actual urban lore and legend. No more than one episode was released in 2017. I assume they took a real video of the location before the Park System razed it.

Helltown, Travel Channel’s Documentary?

In 2017, the Travel Channel released a documentary/docudrama to explore the different theories and facts around what had happened to Boston, Ohio, in 1974 and why it was called “Helltown.” It’s true that in 1974, President Ford ordered the evacuation of Boston, Ohio. No one knows why, but the official story was for the preservation of natural beauty to turn into a National Park. There was a chemical spill, but that’s all that is known. Locals claim the Wendigo ran around the site, that there was a satanic cult operating in the town, that there were mutations caused by the spill, that it was a hangout for serial killers, and that it has a crybaby bridge. None of these stories have proof of them. So what did happen?

The docudrama by the Travel Channel claimed “Boston, Ohio,” aka “Helltown,” was inhabited by the “WW” cult that worshipped the wendigo. While the government was clearing the town in the 1960s, there was a Waco-style shootout between the Feds and the cultists, leaving 14 dead. In 2016 a local teenager investigating “Helltown” was attacked on a YouTube live stream and eaten by a Wendigo. According to Snopes, none of this occurred.

The Documentary followed stories of a military cover-up of a mutation causing a chemical spill, forcing the government to evacuate the town for a clean-up and restoration. At the same time, an Irish Catholic turned Pagan turned Satanic Cult started animal sacrifices to a wendigo in the woods, and a shoot-out happened between the military and the locals, leading to death. Not to mention the story of the all too common missing kids. The Docudrama included supposed interviews, re-enactments, fake newspaper articles, fake YouTube videos, and fake professors—all hogwash and “Blair Witch Project” style shock-journalism.

The local legends

All too famous in local lore, Helltown, Zombieland, and many stories run everywhere – especially during Halloween. Every state has satanic ritual stories, as do their intriguing crybaby bridges, missing children, and mutations. There is no evidence of missing kids or Waco-style shootouts between the Feds and cult members. The Army didn’t kill locals. No bear was dead. No teenagers were attacked or eaten by said bear. These parts were created by the “Helltown” docudrama. The locals, however, pre-filming, did have their legends and ghost stories. The 20-second-long YouTube video supposedly uploaded in 2016 depicting a girl screaming amidst flashing lights was faked.

The Satanic Church

There was a local church in Boston, Ohio, that had some upside-down crosses in its architecture, belonging to a typical Gothic style. There were no Satanists operating out of the church or in the town. It was a Presbyterian Church called “The Mother of Sorrows.” It was not formerly an Irish Catholic Church, as the fake documentary dictated.

The Crybaby Bridge

Every town has them. It’s a local bridge where one claims late at night, and you can hear babies crying, either coming from the bridge itself or the nearby woods. Some claim that tiny hand prints would appear on your car windows or hood.

The Murder Bus

Before the town was demolished, there was a graffiti-laden old school bus that locals claimed housed “serial killers.” It was, however, just an abandoned bus that a local family lived in while building their home. There is no evidence of actual serial killers living there.

The End of the World

Many dark roads, especially those with ledges along them, have this nomenclature. The one in Boston, Ohio, was a steep section of Stanford Road, so it could look like someone driving it was dropping off at the “End of the World.”

Mutations

Because the local Krejci Dump was known to have chemical contamination, numerous stories flooded the area with tales of mutated giant frogs, the Wendigo, mutated glowing people that were zombie-like, or glowing head creatures wandering the woods. The dump is genuine. The chemical spill was a problem. The National Park bought the landfill for their waste, but local rangers got sick and suffered chemical burns due to the heavy metals and chemicals in the ground. It was closed and cleaned up by 2015 after it was declared a Superfund site.

The Wendigo of Boston, Ohio

The local Algonquin tribes did have lore about a humanoid creature with deer antlers that would eat humans. The creature lives around the Great Lakes and/or Nova Scotia. However, there has been no scientific documentation of its existence nor real records of sightings in this area outside of what the docudrama claimed.

Real History:

The area’s original inhabitants were the Delaware or Lenape people, an Algonquin tribe known as the Mingo, who had a village next to Clear Creek in Ohio. There was bloodshed between the Euro-American settlers and the local Native Americans, and it was quieted with the Treaty Of Easton. They left in 1755. The settlement was re-founded in the 1770s by the Lenape and was called “Clear Town” after the “Clear Creek” it was established. Some claim that the German word for “Clear” is “hell” and it was nicknamed “Helltown”.

They abandoned the village in 1782 after struggles with Euro-Americans and Colonial American troops. The Gnadenhutten Massacre of 1782 occurred, killing 96 Lenape. After the bloodshed in 1782, the village was abandoned as it supposedly sits along a battle trail that stretched from Sandusky through the Cuyahoga River valley. After struggles vanished, Euro-American homesteaders settled the area and built the town of “Boston, Ohio”. According to archaeologists, in the late 19th century, the village was a high mound composed of sandstone rocks and packed earth. Supposedly, Lenape graves were buried there, but a local farmer plowed over them in 1881. The only artifacts recovered were an iron tomahawk, two iron knives, stone arrowheads, a stone ax, a gunflint, and some brass mountings from a musket.

The town was named after its township and officially settled by Euro-Americans in 1820. In 1821, it was home to a sawmill called Boston Mills. A post office was established in 1825 and remained in operation until 1957.

Congress passed Public Law 93-555 in 1974, permitting the U.S. Government to establish the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. The government purchased the town of Boston and relocated its residents out of the area. This eminent domain action condemned hundreds of homes and businesses, closing the town of Boston. After clearing the town, the Government fell behind on the development of the National Park. This left the area a ghost town with abandoned buildings and empty streets.

Locals came up with their conspiracy theories, claiming the government felt the site was haunted, a wendigo was killing people, serial killers were hiding in the area, and a toxic spill was causing mutations. The government demolished the last structures in 2016. President Gerald Ford claimed the area needed to be turned into a National Park to preserve the environment, taking large swaths of land surrounding Boston, Ohio. However, while by 2016, they finally demolished all remnants of the town, they didn’t turn it into a park for over half a century after taking it from its residents. The U.S. government took it from the indigenous tribes and then took it from its people.

Visiting Helltown

According to Atlas Obscura, nothing exists in Boston, Ohio. It is, however, in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and, therefore, easy to visit, though there is nothing to see. It is in the Boston Township just west of Brandywine Falls. Travel to Brandywine Falls, exit 271, and find the “road closed” sign.

Bibliography/Recommended Readings:

• Atlas Obscura 2019 “Helltown, Ohio”: visited 5/19/21.
• Case, H.B. “Description of Mounds and Earthworks in Ashland County, Ohio.” In Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Anthropology. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. p. 74.
• Didymus, John Thomas 2019 “Is Helltown Real or Fake? Was Ohio Teenage Girl Killed in Wendigo Attack?” Monsters and Critics 23 September 2019.
• Evon, Dan 2019 “Does Helltown Film Document Weird Happenings in Abandoned Ohio Town?” SNOPES. Website referenced: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/helltown-document-real-events/ on 5/19/21
• IMDB 2017 Helltown, Season 1, Episode 1 viewed on Amazon Prime.
• Urbex Underground n.d. “The Actual Truth About Helltown Ohio”. Website referenced 5/19/21: https://urbexunderground.com/helltown-ohio/

Ouija Boards
~ By Thomas Baurley / Leaf McGowan, Technogypsie Research 9/7/2017.

By far one of my most favorite occult tools would be the Ouija Board, made famous throughout history by none other than the game manufacturer “Parker Brothers”. But how old is the Ouija Board? is it just a board game? does it work? Is it demonic? Those are just a handful of questions people have over the instrument made to communicate with the dead. So controversial even Pagans and Witches have mixed reactions to it, from outright scared avoidance to obsessive usage.

In print, the Ouija board was first referenced in February 1891 C.E. in newspaper advertisements promoting the “Ouija, the Wonderful Talking Board” as a new and popular toy that answered questions of “the past, present, and future with marvelous accuracy.” It guaranteed that it would have “never-failing amusement and recreation for all classes”. It was promoted as having a link “between the known and unknown, the material and immaterial”.

It originally sold for $1.50 a board and planchette. It was officially authenticated and patented by the U.S. Patent Office. In order to be approved by the Patent Office on February 10, 1891, it had to be “proven” to work, and it was, so permitted to proceed. Some Psychologists suggest that it may offer a link between the known and unknown. It has been rationalized as operating under the ideometer effect – that automatic muscular movement take place without the conscious will or volition of the individual. This has become the explanation for the successes of other devices as well such as pendulums, dowsing rods, and the more commonly popular fake bomb detection kits.

The Ouija board consists of a flat board with the letters of the alphabet sprawled upon it in either a circle or crescent, arch or straight text, but most commonly as two semi-circles above the numbers of 0 through 9. It also has the words “yes” and “no” on it, most commonly in the uppermost corners, sometimes with the word “goodbye” most commonly placed at the bottom of the board. It commonly comes with a tear-drop shaped device called a “planchette” either of wood or plastic but has also involved downturned cups, glasses, or circular pieces of translucent glass. Some of the planchettes have a small window or clear/translucent piece of glass embedded in it that manuevers over numbers or letters.

The board is often placed on a table, or the knees of two people facing one another, with each person placing their fingertips on the planchette. One of the users would ask the board (actually the spirit(s) being communicated with) a question and the planchette in response would move from letter to letter, a number to number, and spell out the response.

Boards today are usually cardboard, with a laminate printout of the design, but in earlier days was wood, stone, or more durable materials. I used to make them from tree trunk slices and a circular pattern of letters and numbers in a Celtic-styled design. The planchette today is primarily plastic, though earlier and more elaborate boards still use glass or wood.

Historian Robert Murch claims that he’s been researching it since 1992 and most of its history is obscure, unknown, and mysterious. It has been proposed that it is only as old as 19th-century American spiritualism when it became “cliche” and “trendy” to communicate with the dead. While Spiritualism is pretty old in Europe, it didn’t really popularize in the Americas until 1848 when the Fox sisters claimed to receive messages from spirits by rapping on walls answering questions and conducting seances/ channelings in parlors utilizing pieces of paper or cardboard on a table with an upturned wineglass or by means of automatic writing. Back in the day, it was popular to communicate with the dead especially to assist in the passing process of the deceased.

The first producer of the Ouija Board game was the Kennard Novelty Company who sold it to the mainstream audience as a toy. It was promoted by the Associated Press in 1886 as a board with letters, numbers, and a planchette as phenomena being used in spiritualist camps throughout Ohio. The investor Charles Kennard of Baltimore in 1890 rounded up investors such as attorney Elijah Bond, surveyor Col. Washington Bowie, and himself to create the Kennard Novelty Company to exclusively make these bards for profit, rather than spiritualism. It was called the “Kennard Talking Board”. The name “Ouija” was created by Elijah’s sister-in-law Helen Peters. (It was not the combination of the French word “oui” for “yes” and German “ja”.) Apparently, the board itself gave the name “Ouija” when asked what it should be called, and came with the meaning of “Good Luck”.

Apparently, Peters had been wearing a locket during the reading that had a picture of the famous author and women’s rights activist “Ouida” but had “Ouija” (misread) above her head in the picture. Peters apparently was also present to demonstrate to the Patent Office that the board actually worked. The chief patent officer asked the board to spell out his name (unknown to those in attendance) and it did. There was no explanation by the Patent Office how it actually worked, just that it did.

By 1892 the Kennard company expanded from one factory in Baltimore to two, then two more in New York, two more in Chicago, and one in London. By 1893 the Company was managed by William Fuld. Fuld died in 1927 from a freak fall off the roof of his new factory that the board told him to build.

The board became extremely popular in the 1910-the 20s after World War I, Prohibition, and Norman Rockwells illustration of it on the May 1920 cover of the Saturday Evening Post. It came in great demand during the Great Depression as well. By 1944 a single department store sold 50,000 boards in just 5 months of carrying them. In 1966 Parker Brothers bought the game, and by 1967 sold over 2 million boards. Macabre and eerie stories about its use became widespread by then and started to give the board a bad name. Fundamentalist Christianity attacked it claiming it to be the tool of the Devil. This just increased sales and never harmed its distribution.

By 1973, “The Exorcist” hit the theaters and began scaring people from the implication that the 12-year-old Regan was possessed by the devil after playing with the board by herself, leading to people’s fear that one should never use it alone. From this point, the board was feared and became a target for banning. By 1991 Hasbro took over manufacturing and selling the board acquiring it from Parker Brothers. It became commonplace in Hollywood horror films and as early as 2001 in New Mexico was burned on bonfires alongside Harry Potter and Snow White books. Catholic.com calls it even today “far from harmless” and Pat Robertson claims demons reach people through the boards. Infantile and newbie Pagans, Wiccans, and Heathens also think it’s a dark tool. Experienced and well-versed Pagans, Witches, and Druids however utilize it as a very valuable tool, comparable to a cell phone with service to the dead.

Today it has reborn popularity and sales have once again increased. It was made popular again from its use in “Castle”, “Breaking Bad”, “Rizzoli and Isles”, Paranormal Activity 1&2. It became the iconic fashion for the Goth music industry and imprinted on bras, underwear, and shirts by Hot Topic. There are apps on i-phones, programs on the computer as well as the internet to use the game online. (see http://www.museumoftalkingboards.com/WebOuija.html) By 2015 there were glow-in-the-dark versions made by Hasbros.

In May of 2012, City Officials in San Francisco consulted a ouija board to determine the outcome of a vote on whether or not to recommend naming a Navy ship after slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Officials claim they made contact with his spirit and that Milk spelled on the board “Good riddance to don’t ask, don’t tell”. (Harvey Milk was shot in 1978 by Dan White)

Bibliography/References:

• McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez 2013 “The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board” Smithsonian.com. Website referenced 9/6/17 at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/?utm_source=onesignal.
• Wikipedia n.d. “Ouija”. Website referenced 9/7/17 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija.
• Yahoo News: 2012-05-23 “City Officials Consults Ouija Board Before Vote”. Website referenced June 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/city-official-consults-ouija-board-vote-130857601.html.

Wishing Steps
* The Rock Close * Blarney Castle, Blarney, Ireland * http://www.blarneycastle.ie *

Onwards with the quest for charms and blessings, just after kissing the legendary Blarney Stone for the gift of gab we wandered into The Rock Close of Blarney Castle. It was time to visit the wiley old witch of Blarney for a endowment of wishes. The witch requires the wisher to walk backwards up and down the steps with their eyes closed without stopping for a moment or thinking of anything other than the wish – then that wish will come true within a year. Of course I did it, and those who know me can only guess what my wish was … The roughly hewn 21-24 limestone steps climb up through an archway of limestone rocks. The steps can be wet and very slippery. Legend states that the witch was forced to do these blessings on the steps as a way for her to pack for her firewood she uses in the Witches kitchen located at the top of the steps. It is believed that if you go up the stairs early in the morning you will see dying embers in the fire pit of the Witches’ Kitchen and Stone which is supposedly lit every night by the Blarney Castle Witch.

The witch supposedly grants the wish within a year’s time. Others say a “year and a day”. My wish came true in precisely a year and 2 months. On June 28, 2010 I wished to be united with my soul mate and twin flame that previous prophecies said I’d meet. I also always had dreams as a child I’d marry an Irish woman. A year later in 2011 I was supposed to go to Ireland but while in Scotland ran out of money and called to tell my Irish friends I wasn’t able to come for a visit. They asked if I was going to Burning Man to which I replied, “I couldn’t afford it”. They had a position open for me as staff in helping build the Celtic dragon effigy for Ireland at Burning Man, so I went. I had a theme camp set up called “Tir na nOg” and was a base camp for the Irish crew. The night of the Effigy burn, I was a fire guardian and while watching the perimeter, had a friend from Colorado come fire spin for the event and she needed a safety person – unable to assist as I was already tied up with the boundary, I looked around the audience and saw a woman dressed like a leprechaun who was sober – I asked her to assist and she did. Afterwards I invited her back to our Tir na nOg camp, fed her fairy food and drink, and we fell in love. It turned out she was from Ireland, via the Pacific Northwest after working a summer on Vancouver Island, and lived in Cork – a stone’s throw from the Blarney Witch. She was looking for other Irish to hang out with. I moved to Dublin with her, two months later at the Stone of Destiny was inspired to propose to her, and we soon after married and gave birth to a beautiful son. So every year we return to the Blarney Witch to thank her for playing cupid. In our experience, we believe the wishing steps work.

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Witches Kitchen
* The Rock Close * Blarney Castle, Blarney, Ireland * http://www.blarneycastle.ie *

In the enchanted grounds of Rock Close in the fabled lands of Blarney Castle is the infamous Kitchen of the Blarney Witch. Archaeologically it is believed to have been a prehistoric dwelling potentially as old as the Neolithic (3,000-5,000 years old) if there is any connection of it to the The Rock Close Dolmen (Blarney Castle) or the Druid’s Cave and Circle. Atop her wishing steps is her kitchen. It has a chimney and fireplace within.

Offset from the kitchen is her stone. Apparently by legend she is bound and entrapped in the rock in servitude to bestow wishes upon those who walk up and down backwards the wishing steps while thinking only of their wishes and not letting any other thoughts drift in. In exchange, the Blarney guardians provide her firewood for this very kitchen so she can continue her spell craft and crazy brews while staying warm at night for when darkness falls she is magically released from the stone she is trapped within. Some say if you arrive early enough you can still see the dying embers of the fire as she lights a fire every night. Many believe that it was the Blarney Witch who really told McCarthy about the power of the Blarney Stone while others claim it was her who enchanted the stone as a “thank you” to McCarthy for saving her from drowning in the river. No one seems to know how she was entrapped into her rock. The Echoe Ghost Hunters investigated this area in 2010-2011 and claimed very strong EMP’s were recorded in the area of the Witches’ Kitchen. Most of the lore in this area is centered around the Witch of Blarney.

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Rock Close
* Blarney Castle, Blarney, Ireland * www.blarneycastle.ie *

A mystical portal in the heart of the castle grounds of Blarney Castle is Rock Close, a place where faeries dance, Witches’ bless and answer wishes, Druids weave magic, stone monuments made, and magic is alive. The Rock Close garden is not only a site of myths and legends, but of romance and art. A dolmen greets you as you walk along the river after walking through a weaved willow tunnel, with misty meadows, moss covered rocks, and waterfalls. As you walk up the Witches Wishing steps to the Witches Kitchen and where the Witch is trapped in the stone, overlooked by the Druid Cave and by the Druid Ceremonial circle where you can walk around where the faeries play. This is one of the most fun and condensed folklore heavy sites I’ve encountered in Ireland – of course its history is a mystery in of itself. It is also a great romantic getaway from the tourist heavy section of Blarney Castle. Prehistoric dwellings adapted by 10th, 13th, and 19th century adaptations lead a lot to the imagination in this garden. In 1824, Croften Croker wrote in his “Researches in the South of Ireland” about the mysteries of this spot.

“In this romantic spot nature and art (a combination rather uncommon in pleasure grounds) have gone hand in hand. Advantage has been taken of accidental circumstances to form tasteful and characteristic combinations; and it is really a matter of difficulty at first to determine what is primitive, and what the produce of design. The delusion is even heightened by the present total neglect. You come most unexpectedly into this little shaded nook, and stand upon a natural terrace above the river, which glides as calmly as possible beneath. Here, if you feel inclined for contemplation, a rustic couch of rock, all festooned with moss and ivy, is at your service; but if adventurous feelings urge you to explore farther, a discovery is made of an almost concealed, irregularly excavated passage through the solid rock, which is descended by a rude flight of stone steps, called the “Wishing Steps,” and you emerge sul margine d’un rio, over which depend some light and graceful trees. It is indeed a fairy scene, and I know of no place where I could sooner imagine these little elves holding their moon-light revelry. ~ Croften Croker, 1824

It was a highly popular in the early 19th century with antiquarians. The mysteries of the Blarney Witch, the Fairies, the Druids, and the Dolmen are sure to enchant you. Blarney Castle does document that this was a place for Druidic worship. The sacrificial altar of course is hearsay, the Druid’s circle is probably, the hermit’s cave or Druid’s cave is a mystery as is the Witches’ kitchen and wishing steps. It has been documented that in the late 1700’s C.E. (Common Era) that the Rock Close was made into the garden area upon which foundations are walked upon today. Apparently the castle owners landscaped around already existing prehistoric dwellings, stone monuments, and Druid circles to make the magical faerie glen it is today.

* The Rock Close Dolmen
* Wishing steps
* Witches Kitchen
* Witches Stone
* Druid Cave
* Druid Circle
* Fairy Glade

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Cross-posted from Irish Central:

Mark Twain’s ancestor was ‘witchfinder general’ during Belfast witchcraft trial

In the original article listed above, author Michelle K. Smith of Irish Central uncovered in Irish Central news that Mark Twain’s ancestor, his late uncle Edward Clements was the Witchfinder General and participated in a number of witch hunts in Ireland and had Irish Roots. He was especially noted for his participation in the Islandmagee Witch Trial that took place in Belfast during the 18th century.

This discovery was made by Dr. Andrew Sneddon whose research revealed the connection in his recently released book, “Possessed by the Devil: The History of the Islandmagee Witches; Ireland’s Only Witchcraft Mass Trial”.
Dr. Andrew Sneddon discovered that American novelist Mark Twain’s ancestor was the ‘witchfinder general’ during the Islandmagee Witch Trial in Belfast in the 18th century. Itwas during the 1711 witch hunt in Belfast that uncovered eight old women in Islandmagee in Ulster that had been found guilty of bewitching a young 18 year old girl named Mary Dunbar. Mary Dunbar had come to Islandmagee to comfort her cousin after the death of a relative that the locals believed also had been bewitched. Locals had claimed that Mary had been showing signs of possession and bewitchment as she had vomited pins, feathers, and cotton, was continuously screaming and reacted angrily to prayers. He jailed the eight women for a year, holding them in stocks four times a day during the market where the locals could pelt them with vegetables and fruit. Dr. Sneddon believed the that Mary Dunbar had accused these eight women in order to gain sexual attention. During her fits apparently she took company with the local men in her bedroom who held her down writhing on the bed perhaps for sexual pleasure or attention. He relates that Ireland had alot of witch hunts from 1500-1800 C.E.

Pendulums

One of the most common forms of divination, pendulums are used to tell the sex of unborn children, detect pregnancy, tell the future, answer life’s questions, prophecy, divining, and a common place magic trick. No one really fully understands the process of how the pendulum works. Pendulums are easy to make as it simply involves attaching a small weight to a length of chain, thread, or cord. The process of using it is even easier, as all one has to do is place their elbow on a table, face the pendulum which is looped over the index finger, and asked questions – to which the weight will move and provide answers. People often ask the pendulum if they should take trips, make life choices, if someone likes/loves them, relationship issues, if they should make purchases, if they are sick, allergic, and/or pregnant. Some use the pendulum to determine allergies. Others use pendulums to locate lost items, find places on a map, hidden treasure, water, caves, graves, or secrets of the unknown. Albeit easy to use, the pendulum does take a bit of rhythmn, practice, and tuning for precision results. Pendulums can be constructed of simply a lead fishing weight, a coin (such as a Norwegian kronos), a ring, a crystal, stone, or needle attached to a length of string or chain. Some choose to purchase simple to elaborate ones from Metaphysical, Pagan, New Age, Witch, or Occult shops. Some “experts” claim a true pendulum needs to be made using certain guidelines, including requirements of something that weighs at least three ounces and attached to 4-6 inches of cord. In my experience, the cord should be roughly the length of your hand from your wrist to the tip of your middle finger. As far as weight, that varies, as I’ve had much success if a pin definitely weighing under 3 ounces.

The best success with pendulums use I’ve found is to hold the cord between the thumb and first finger of your right or left hand (depending on what handedness you are – though some claim it must be the right hand. I am however left-handed and find it works perfectly with my usual orientation) or drooped over your index finger pinned by your thumb. Then resting your elbow on a table allow the pendulum to swing freely an inch or so above the surface of a table. You can also purchase a pendulum board for clearer and a more “fancy” presentation. Stop the movement of the weight with your free hand and then ask the pendulum your question. Ask it to answer “yes” and make note of the movement of the swing. Ask it to answer “no” and make note of the movement of the swing. Generally though, if it swings the direction of your head when nodding “yes” (to and from your face), then that is a “yes”. If it moves side to side, like the movement of the head in western culture for “no” it is a no. There is some dispute that the movements vary based on cultural views of body language for yes/no answers. The pendulum can also move diagonal meaning “maybe”, “don’t want to answer”, “right question”, or “don’t know”. It can also move in circles (clock-wise or counter-clockwise). Once the pendulum indicates an answer, which can be answered with mini swings to full swinging motions your answer should be revealed. There is also some debate that you should be asking Deity, spirits, ancestors, faeries, angels, and/or the undead directly your question while others believe you can just do it directing the question to the pendulum itself. (A debate similar to the usage of a ouija board) Your questions don’t need to be limited, just make sure you really want to know the real answer to your question. It is also very possible to mentally influence and override the movements of a pendulum if you think to hard on a particular response or too personally engaged with the result. In this case, its best to have someone not attached to the matter to do the pendulum reading for you. It is advised not to use the pendulum flippantly nor to let it rule your life. Place intuition, instinct, and common sense into action for your commitment with results from the pendulum. Pendulums are used also for dowsing. The intent behind the dowsing or divination sometimes dictates whether the pendulum is made of crystal, metal, or other materials. Stage magicians have audience members seal items in envelopes and presented to him/her to which a pendulum is used to “dowse” whether the item belongs to a male or a female. They can be held over a pad or cloth with yes/no written on it as well for audience demonstration. In Radiesthesia, pendulums are used for medical diagnosis.

Scientifically we know the pendulum swings by the influence of gravity, making it swing back and forth along a circular arc. The time it takes for a pendulum to oscillate from the peak of the swing on one side to the other and back is called the period of vibration, which depends on the length of the pendulum, the magnitude of gravitational acceleration where the pendulum is located, and the amplitude of the swing. A small amplitude has no effect on the period and the period is given by the equation T=2p l/g where T is the period of vibration, l is the length of the pendulum, and g is the local gravitational acceleration. The Greek letter ? (pi) is a constant with an approximate value of 3.1416. Pendulums are used in science for the uniformity of its period especially for keeping time, demonstrating the earth’s rotation, and determining gravitational acceleration at a particular location. The first recorded use of a pendulum, according to Science, was in 1620 when the British scientist Francis Bacon proposed using a pendulum to measure gravity, suggesting taking one up a mountain to see if gravity varies with altitude. According to “science” its use for pseudo-science broke out from the knowledge of the foucault pendulum. In 1851, Jean Bernard Léon Foucault showed that the plane of oscillation of a pendulum, like a gyroscope, tends to stay constant regardless of the motion of the pivot, and that this could be used to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. He did this by suspending a pendulum free to swing in 2 dimensions from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris. The length of the cord was 67 m and once in motion, the plane of swing was observed to precess or rotate 360° clockwise in about 32 hours thus becoming the first demonstration of the Earth’s rotation that didn’t depend on celestial observations. After this, it was believed that “pendulum mania” broke out and utilized in various sub-cultures, groups, demonstrations, and New age spirituality.

~ By Leaf McGowan

Bibliography, References, Recommended Reading:
• About.com: How to use a Pendulum. Website referenced July 2012. http://healing.about.com/cs/tools/ht/How_pendulums.htm
• Calacademy: The Pendulum. Website referenced July 2012. http://www.calacademy.org/products/pendulum/page1.htm
• How Stuff Works: Science – The Pendulum. Website referenced July 2012. http://science.howstuffworks.com/pendulum-info.htm
• Llewellyn Publications: The Pendulum. Website referenced July 2012. http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/471.
• Pendulums.com. Website referenced July 2012. http://www.pendulums.com/

Lady Befana, the Italian Witch Santa  was a folkloric myth of a old woman who would travel around the countryside delivering gifts to children throughout Italy. It is believed that once long ago a woman named Befana was approached by the Three Wise Men just before the birth of Jesus. They asked her for directions to where he lay as they had seen his star in the sky, but she replied she didn’t know and offered them shelter for then night. Being the village’s best housekeeper and host, she was invited to go with the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus the next day – but she declined as she was too busy with cleaning chores. Just after they left, she had a change of heart and tried to find them unsuccessfully. It is believed that to this day she has been searching for the child and in her travels, leaves all the good kids toys, fruit, or candy and coal, garlic, or onions for the bad kids. It is perceived in Italy very much like most of the world believes in Santa Clause. However while modern Pagans throughout the world incorporate her into visiting their households on the Winter Solstice or Yule, according to Italian folklore – she’d visit the Italian folk around January 5th, during Epiphany Eve. It is theorized that she was named after the Italian “La Festa dell’Epifania” (Epiphany) Feast Day as a manifestation of the divinity. Folklorists suggest that she may be related to the Roman Goddess Strenia, who was often depicted as presiding over the New Year’s eve gifts which were called “Strenae”. Others have suggested her name being a mispronunciation of the Greek word “epifania” or “epiphaneia”, or after Bastrina, gifts associated with the Goddess Strina. Many times her gifts are depicted as being figs, dates, and honey – which were also commonly depicted or associated with Befana. She was depicted often being noisy, riotous, and licentious. She would visit the children and filling their socks hung at the chimneys with care with candy, figs, dates, or honey if the children had been good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they were bad – just as was similarly depicted with Santa and the filling of his stockings. Sometimes it has been rumored that she’d sweep or housekeep a house before leaving if it was left messy. Instead of a glass a milk like children leave for Santa, they would leave her a glass wine and a plate with a few morsels of food. She is often depicted as a smiling happy soot covered old lady with a black shawl draped over her shoulders and riding a broomstick through the air, sometimes swooping down into the chimneys carrying a hamper filled with gifts and candy. She is supposedly “fairy” cloaked and not to be seen. If children do spy her, they will receive a thump from her broomstick as she doesn’t want to be seen. She is however an Italian national icon. Her figure is associated with the Papal States during Epiphany in the regions of Umbria, Lazio, and Marche with her residing in Urbania. Numerous festivals take place during this time of year celebrating the holiday with Befana images swinging from the main tower of the city center. One such festival, called the Feast of the Befana is held in the Piazza Navona in Rome every year. The National Befana festival is held in Urbania every year between January 2nd and 6th.

Another myth about her origin was that she was an ordinary woman with child whose death maddened her with grief. Once she learned about baby Jesus being born, she set out to see him, delusionally thinking he was her son. As she met him, she showered him with gifts. This pleased Baby Jesus and his gift to her in return was that she would be mother to every child in Italy. A Befana Choir takes place every Winter Solstice at the Kensington Market’s Festival of Lights parade in Toronto, Canada.

As gifts were commonly exchanged in honor of Ianus and Strenia during Roman times to celebrate the beginning of the year. This is a tradition that is believed to have influenced the Befana or Strenae myth. Other Pagan customs surround her legend including the stockings by the chimney, the Yule Tree, New Years traditions, and burning of a old lady character to represent the old year just passed in order to give space for the new one. Many European countries burn a puppet of a old lady at the beginning of the year with Celtic origins. There are also potential origins of her traced to Neolithic beliefs and practices, as well as sharing similarities to Perchta in Pre-Christian Alpine traditions. Some Saturnalia legends claim the Romans would go to the Temple of Juno on Capitoline Hill to have their augers read by Lady Befana, depicted as an old woman reading the augers. During Epiphany, a Pagan festival celebrating the Ancestors was often held and it is also theorized the origin of the Befanotti (representing the ancestors) going from home to home singing the “Pasquella” with the Befana coming down the chimneys took place. She is first found mentioned in classic literature in a poem by Agnolo Firenzuola in 1549.

Bibliography:

• Abruzzo 2000:
  2011 “Christmas in Abruzzo: The Befana”. Website referenced December 2011. http://www.abruzzo2000.com/abruzzo/traditions/christmas/befana.htm.
• Bonvincini, Alice
  2011 “The Befana Comes by Night …”; Italian American Digital Project: http://www.i-italy.org/16375/befana-comes-night/.

• Calandra, John D.
  2009 “The Legend of La Befana”. Italian American Institute. http://qcpages.qc.edu/calandra/community/commbefa.html.
• Giglio, Michael
  2008 “Taking Flight with Italy’s Holiday Witch”. Speigel Online: www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,596060,00.html.
• Illes, Judika
  2009 The Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses. ISBN: 9780061350245.
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
  2011 – Website referenced. en.wikipedia.org.

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