
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Death in Appalachia wasn’t distant, sanitized, or hidden away. It was intimate, communal, and deeply ritualized. Families washed and dressed their dead, kept vigil through the night, watched for omens, and followed tradition meant to protect both the living and the departed.
In this episode of The Paranorm Girl Podcast, we explore Appalachian death culture and the beliefs, omens and rituals that shaped it — from sin eaters to death omens, black dogs, death doors, and funeral customs that took place inside of Appalachian’s homes.
We’ll examine:
Death in the backwoods was a familiar face. One, which could be anticipated — its approach, recognizable by the signs. And if those failed, it was an inevitability treated with respect, reverence and care. A threshold upon which many worlds met — where communities gathered to participate in a final act of love before sending someone out their Death Door into the hereafter.
Support the Show at:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paranormgirlpod
Merch Store: https://the-paranorm-girl-podcast-sto.myspreadshop.com/
Follow the Show @paranormgirlpod on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/paranormgirlpod/
BlueSky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/paranormgirlpod.bsky.social
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paranormgirlpod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paranormgirlpod
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paranormgirlpod
SOURCES:
Backwoods Witchcraft: https://www.everand.com/read/406077222/Backwoods-Witchcraft-Conjure-Folk-Magic-from-Appalachia
Witches, Ghosts and Signs by Patrick Gainer: https://archive.org/details/witchesghostssig0000unse/page/140/mode/2up
Death Superstitions and Traditions in Appalachia: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/death-superstitions-and-traditions-in-appalachia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
An Old Time Appalachian Burial: https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2023/07/an-old-time-appalachian-burial.html
Foxfire 2; “Old Time Burials”: https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming, Animalraising,Homesteading/foxfirebooks/Foxfire-Book-2.pdf
Death, Dying and Funeral Customs in Appalachia: https://shepherdcomm.wordpress.com/2022/04/26/death-dying-and-funeral-customs-in-appalachia/
Local Legends: Appalachian Death Rituals: https://highlandecho.com/local-legends-appalachian-death-rituals/
Sitting up with the Dead; a Cherished Appalachian Tradition: https://appalachianmemories.org/2024/12/12/sitting-up-with-the-dead-a-cherished-appalachian-tradition/
The Death Culture of Southern Appalachia: https://soar.wichita.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/87c8f977-2543-404b-9a16-83dcd2c2a049/content
Folklore and folk stories of Wales: https://archive.org/details/afl2317.0001.001.umich.edu/page/48/mode/1up
Haunted Kentucky Facebook (Hellhound) Story: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hauntedhistoryofkentucky/posts/4170558262990045/
The Demon Dog Of Valle Crucis, North Carolina; Legends & Folklore of Appalachia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7lr76if7f8&t=68s
Demon dog of Valle Crucis: https://northcarolinaghosts.com/mountains/the-demon-dog-of-valle-crucis/
Reddit encounter story part 1 and 2 with the Demon Dog of Valle Crucis in Modern times: https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/9rx8te/the_demon_dog_of_valle_crucis_pt_1/ | https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/9shysd/the_demon_dog_of_valle_crucis_pt_2/
Direct Link to be notified of upcoming Livestream on Beer, Boos & Boogeymen:
https://www.youtube.com/live/BrARHi2MGS4?si=WqBOpXPeiRa3-RBf
Next Airing: TBA 2026 | 5pm PST/7pm CST
Topic: TBA
Paranorm Girl Theme Music Created, Produced & Played by:
Bear Cline Bandcamp: https://bearcline.bandcamp.com
By Kristen Amanda4.9
4545 ratings
Death in Appalachia wasn’t distant, sanitized, or hidden away. It was intimate, communal, and deeply ritualized. Families washed and dressed their dead, kept vigil through the night, watched for omens, and followed tradition meant to protect both the living and the departed.
In this episode of The Paranorm Girl Podcast, we explore Appalachian death culture and the beliefs, omens and rituals that shaped it — from sin eaters to death omens, black dogs, death doors, and funeral customs that took place inside of Appalachian’s homes.
We’ll examine:
Death in the backwoods was a familiar face. One, which could be anticipated — its approach, recognizable by the signs. And if those failed, it was an inevitability treated with respect, reverence and care. A threshold upon which many worlds met — where communities gathered to participate in a final act of love before sending someone out their Death Door into the hereafter.
Support the Show at:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paranormgirlpod
Merch Store: https://the-paranorm-girl-podcast-sto.myspreadshop.com/
Follow the Show @paranormgirlpod on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/paranormgirlpod/
BlueSky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/paranormgirlpod.bsky.social
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paranormgirlpod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paranormgirlpod
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paranormgirlpod
SOURCES:
Backwoods Witchcraft: https://www.everand.com/read/406077222/Backwoods-Witchcraft-Conjure-Folk-Magic-from-Appalachia
Witches, Ghosts and Signs by Patrick Gainer: https://archive.org/details/witchesghostssig0000unse/page/140/mode/2up
Death Superstitions and Traditions in Appalachia: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/death-superstitions-and-traditions-in-appalachia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
An Old Time Appalachian Burial: https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2023/07/an-old-time-appalachian-burial.html
Foxfire 2; “Old Time Burials”: https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming, Animalraising,Homesteading/foxfirebooks/Foxfire-Book-2.pdf
Death, Dying and Funeral Customs in Appalachia: https://shepherdcomm.wordpress.com/2022/04/26/death-dying-and-funeral-customs-in-appalachia/
Local Legends: Appalachian Death Rituals: https://highlandecho.com/local-legends-appalachian-death-rituals/
Sitting up with the Dead; a Cherished Appalachian Tradition: https://appalachianmemories.org/2024/12/12/sitting-up-with-the-dead-a-cherished-appalachian-tradition/
The Death Culture of Southern Appalachia: https://soar.wichita.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/87c8f977-2543-404b-9a16-83dcd2c2a049/content
Folklore and folk stories of Wales: https://archive.org/details/afl2317.0001.001.umich.edu/page/48/mode/1up
Haunted Kentucky Facebook (Hellhound) Story: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hauntedhistoryofkentucky/posts/4170558262990045/
The Demon Dog Of Valle Crucis, North Carolina; Legends & Folklore of Appalachia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7lr76if7f8&t=68s
Demon dog of Valle Crucis: https://northcarolinaghosts.com/mountains/the-demon-dog-of-valle-crucis/
Reddit encounter story part 1 and 2 with the Demon Dog of Valle Crucis in Modern times: https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/9rx8te/the_demon_dog_of_valle_crucis_pt_1/ | https://www.reddit.com/r/BackwoodsCreepy/comments/9shysd/the_demon_dog_of_valle_crucis_pt_2/
Direct Link to be notified of upcoming Livestream on Beer, Boos & Boogeymen:
https://www.youtube.com/live/BrARHi2MGS4?si=WqBOpXPeiRa3-RBf
Next Airing: TBA 2026 | 5pm PST/7pm CST
Topic: TBA
Paranorm Girl Theme Music Created, Produced & Played by:
Bear Cline Bandcamp: https://bearcline.bandcamp.com

7,031 Listeners

9,465 Listeners

1,544 Listeners

4,763 Listeners

7,710 Listeners

3,501 Listeners

1,160 Listeners

1,438 Listeners

501 Listeners

1,862 Listeners

341 Listeners

1,124 Listeners

58 Listeners

94 Listeners

86 Listeners