In A Graveyard At Midnight: Folk Magic and Wisdom from the Heart of Appalachia

by Edain McCoy

The rich folklore of southern Appalachia contains some of the most authentic magick still available. The Appalachian folk used omens, portents, curses, cures, and protections to achieve non-material goals. Learn to practice this natural magick before it is lost forever Perfect for those intrigued by Anglo-Celtic magick, folk healers and folklorists, and for anyone with an interest in American folk beliefs.

Genres: Witchcraft

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always loved reading about folklore, folk magic, etc. This was a wonderful compilation of centuries old wisdom :)

[Crickett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book on Appalachian folk magic. It also has quite a bit of omens in it also. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to lean a little bit about magic from the mountains.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice book to dip into around the Halloween season. I picked this book up, probably in '95 when it was published, in a "new age" book shop called The Wizard of Odds that briefly opened in my small town.

This isn't the most in-depth book of folklore and superstition, that would be left to books like Newbell Niles Puckett's "Popular Beliefs and Superstitions: A Compendium of American Folklore" or Vance Randolph's "Ozark Superstitions." Still, this book has a certain charm. It contains a black and white "woodcut" type images, stories and beliefs gleaned from the author's own life and family, and some "magick" practices you'll likely never read about elsewhere. It covers ghosts, omens, Appalachian legends, "weather witching," and even more obscure things like egg trees (for removing curses), quilt patterns, how cabin floor plans related to magical beliefs, and some traditional recipes.

[Cinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of Appalachian magical beliefs and practices with a special focus on omens. Useful as an introductory text, but it was off-putting to me for some reason. It might be the fact that it was written before I was born by someone descended from an Appalachian family but who never actually lived there. I kept catching a vibe of condescension, as if these were colorful practices described by an outsider.