The Old Line State is a curious place for a plethora of reasons too various to name. However, not the least of which being the quaint folk beliefs of its inhabitants. Its singular geography from the grassy shoreline along the Chesapeake, scattered dark forests to the majestic peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains have bore witness to much of the nation's early history. Rumor and legend too are not far absent from this charming folk country, and a long tradition of the otherworldly has excited young and old long before there was ever a state bearing the name.
Maryland today does not alway do justice to Maryland hundreds of years ago. With every passing year, down the streets of a bustling Baltimore or just outside the City of Washington, one can sarcely imagine the virgin wilderness that used to be. But there are still some spots, typically in the rural countryside, wherein one might catch a glimer of the region as it once was. For hundreds of years, it was in these diminutive hamlets and unincorporated areas where the practice of storytelling gave rise to legends that would endure long after the then generation had passed. But, even today, while not suggestive of such, modern Maryland has its legends and myths too. For it was not in too distant memory that a creature, half-man half-goat, was purported to walk the railroad tracks of Prince George's County and a bizarre giant was seen in the vincity of Sykesville.
But of those myths, what have survived the passage of time, are a number of phantasms and bugbears taking shelter in the nightmares of the state's western residents. In fact, a certain Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren, South Mountain, Maryland resident, once so eloquantly penned that:
“... so true is it that the history of superstition, like the history of nations, is constantly ‘repeating itself.’”
Of this one must surely concur, Dahlgren, herself, wrote in length on the subject of the black dog, white woman and headless man, all specters said to inhabit the haunts of South Mountain. Perhaps then, it is no small matter of chance that the same area, of Frederick County, would also be host to the likes of the dwayyo, a terrifying wolf creature, or even the dreaded snallygaster, a bird-reptile of ill-omen.
As for the aforementioned, these may be discuss in this collection, in more detail, in due time. For now, here is a presentation of some other strange beliefs to further attest to Maryland’s stange legacy.
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MARYLAND SUPERSTITIONS
If you sweep your room at night you sweep away your wealth.
Never shake crumbs out of a window after dark. They are supposed to fall into the eyes of the Lord and to disturb the spirits of the dead who wander abroad at night.
Don't wash your hand in water in which eggs have been boiled. You are liable to become covered with warts. — Baltimore Sun.
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MARYLAND FOLKLORE
Superstitions as to Hunting, Witches and Selling One’s Self to the Devil.
Interesting stories drawn from the folklore of Maryland, particularly of
the western part of the state, were told one night lately by members of
the Folklore society at their meeting in Donovan room of John Hopkins
university. Mr. Crum, who is a native of Frederick county and a graduate
student of John Hopkins university under Prof. Newcomb, in the
department of mathematics, contributed a paper on "Witch Stories and
Conjuring." Some of the superstitions he told of were as follows:Superstitions as to Hunting, Witches and Selling One’s Self to the Devil.
“A Hunting Charm—Whenever you kill a bear, dear or turkey, dip a number of bullet patches in the fresh blood of the animal. You must on no account give any of these patches away. When you are out hunting again for the same kind of game loud as follows: Take a bloody patch, well greased, place your bullet on it, then cross yourself, and as you push the bullet home repeat: ‘Father, Son and Holy Ghost.’ You will certainly bring home game of the same kind as that whose blood was on the patch. Do not keep the patches near your bed or in your sleeping room. The spirits make a noise in the box where the patches are and will not let you sleep. The sound is like a watch ticking, but it gets louder and louder, until you cannot sleep.
“Witch Killing.—If horses are so badly bewitched that one dies, the following will deprive the witch of her power: Take the dead horse out onto a field and burn the carcass beside the tree. First cut a cross in the tree, then drive a nail in at the cross. Now take your rifle, which must be loaded with a silver bullet, choose a position so that the fire is between you and the tree, and shoot over the fire at the nail. When you hit the nail, the witch will lose her power, and you cannot miss with the silver bullet.
“To Sell Oneself to the Devil.—Go to the crossroads at midnight alone and play on the banjo. If you really want to sell yourself, two black dogs will appear and will dance as you play. Then you promise something fearful. Any one thus sold himself was said to be able to outplay and outdance any competitors.
“A Method For a Girl to Try Her Fortune.—Put an egg to the fire and site an hour. The wind will howl and the dogs bark, and the man you are to marry will come in and turn the egg around. If the egg bursts, you will die (or possibly, my informant adds, you will never marry).”—Baltimore Sun.
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AN ODD SUPERSTITION
On the eastern shore of Maryland biliousness is cured by boring three
holes in a carefully selected tree and walking three times around it,
saying, “Go away, bilious.” It is a matter of utmost importance whether
the one who performs the spell walks with the sun or against the sun,
but no one knows which is the approved direction. —Exchange.RETURN TO HOME