#vermont folklore

[swforester]

A vampire. Right in Manchester Vermont!

Factory Point Cemetery 7/2/24

[surrealhaunts]

Sharing its borders with Vermont of the U.S. and Quebec Canada, Lake Memphremagog is rumored to be the home of Memphre, a 50 foot or 15.2 meters serpent-like creature, kinda like the Loch Ness monster.

I made a short video about Memphre. It's less than 60 secs. Check it out.

[lindaseccaspina]

Have You Heard About Champ? --Monster of Lake Champlain --with Clippings 1873-1929

In 2018 the woman who took the iconic photo of “Champ” died. Sandra Mansi lost her battle with cancer when she was 74. On Tuesday afternoon, July 5, 1977, Sandra Mansi of Bristol, Connecticut, knelt on the shores of Lake Champlain somewhere between St. Albans, Vermont, andthe Canadian border, and snapped what is widely touted as the best lake monster photograph ever taken. To the best of anyone’s…

[mecthology]

Enigmatic Bennington Triangle: A History of Mysterious Disappearances.

Starting with the vanishing of 74-year-old Middie Rivers in 1945, the area has witnessed a string of missing persons cases, including the infamous disappearance of 18-year-old Paula Welden in 1946, which remains unsolved to this day. A thorough search was done, but all they found was one rifle cartridge in a stream. They figured Rivers might have leaned over, causing the cartridge to slip out of his pocket into the water. Rivers knew the area well and was skilled in outdoor activities.

Adding to the enigma, 68-year-old James E. Tedford inexplicably vanished from a moving bus in broad daylight, leaving behind his luggage and an open timetable.

The disappearance of eight-year-old Paul Jepson in 1950 further deepened the mystery, with a bloodhound losing his scent at a nearby crossroads, hinting at a possible abduction.

Experienced hiker Frieda Langer's disappearance came 16 days after the disappearance of Jepson, and the subsequent discovery of her badly decomposed body near the Somerset Reservoir only added to the perplexing nature of these events.

There aren't any clear links found connecting these cases, aside from the fact that they occurred in the same area and around the same time. Despite extensive searches, the Bennington Triangle continues to yield more questions than answers, fueling speculation about paranormal forces, serial killers, or even large predators as possible explanations for the disappearances.

Follow @mecthology for more such mysteries and legends.

Source: Wikipedia & allthatisinteresting.com

[roadtripnewengland]

At five miles long, one mile wide, and about 300 feet deep in some places, it was formed by glaciation and is fed by glacial aquifer. Ever since we moved here, I’ve heard about various individuals’ personal experiences with and attractions to this lake. Many report feeling a special spiritual connection to its waters and enjoy going there in an almost ritual fashion to enjoy a swim in its chilly waters. Indeed, its vistas and topography remind me of glacial lakes in my ancestral homeland of Wales, so even for a newcomer like myself, Lake Willoughby evokes a certain kind of wistful nostalgia.

Of course, I would not include an article about this lake was it not known for some paranormal or at least unusual events. You may already recall that it was the location of a Slipperyskin sighting back in the 19th century when some German ministers found themselves face-to-face with the bear-like cryptid. Slipperyskin isn’t the only cryptid lurking in or around the lake, however. Like other bodies of water in the region, Champlain and Memphrémagog included, Lake Willoughby is the reputed home to a water-dwelling monster, or perhaps it’s better to say it’s home to a colony of them.

[stinkyskier-blog]

The Keechiekawa - The Keechikawa (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1391075008-the-keechiekawa-the-keechikawa?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=dirtypelican&wp_originator=Kj1BuKbNdshI1xFzGUQZ1KqiMsdTri5hM%2BsCWLPQhYZQAmwO7nZJk5IhA4%2BSffd5sKBTWC7dYC8h3usMpLp745scHce18Mmv7CC4tWRh3b07Q8Z16sN9YCRueNDLgO0E 

For years the maple syruping business in the small village of Buckwood has been dominated by the enigmatic Peter Cunningham. No one can understand how he's able to produce more syrup than all the other sugar bushes combined, but whispers of a strange creature known only as the Keechiekawa begin to spread as the shadows lengthen one cold March night.

[wenclairfamily]

Travel Blog - Visiting the Real Town Where Beetlejuice Was Filmed

East Corinth, Vermont is a small simple town. There are no sidewalks anywhere, the only public property is the small town library and small post office, and the majority of the town itself is on just one road. However there is one important reason to visit the town... it's the place where Beetlejuice and it's upcoming sequel were filmed!

To be clear, this town isn't designed for tourism. There are no hotels in or near the town, and no real walking paths or sidewalks anywhere. In fact, very little of the town has changed since the filming of the first Beetlejuice movie 35 years ago. However that's not to say the town hides it's association with the classic film. The building that was used as "Miss Shannon's School for Girls" was purchased by a fan years ago, and has been preserved as a fun tourist spot to check out and stop at.

Also, several spots where the movie was filmed have been marked with photos for intrigued people passing through town to see. Although with the exception to the "school for girls", the public library, the post office, and the roads themselves: everything else in town is private property not open to the public. Many sites, including the location where the famous Beetlejuice house was: are located behind drive ways with very explicit "stay away" signs planted by the home owners. I did try to go to the local cemetery, hoping to maybe get some shots of it (as I'm not sure if they used part of this cemetery in the upcoming sequel movie). However there was a real funeral happening when I arrived, so aside from getting the one shot seen above, I quickly left.

One important fact worth noting is that the famous bridge where Adam and Barbara died at the start of Beetlejuice was never a covered bridge. The red cover was added for the movie. However the cover was given to a nearby ski resort (that uses it just for storage sadly and bizarrely enough). So the bridge seen in the movie still survives, albeit in pieces.

One fun fact I discovered though (after rushing across the street from the nearby library), was that the water under the famous bridge is not that deep. If a car did go off that bridge, any individual in the vehicle would indeed get hurt... although it be hard to imagine them getting so wet they'd immediately freeze to death. Also, the road Adam and Barbara were driving on doesn't even lead to the property where the Beetlejuice house was located. So it would seem that Adam and Barbara must've been a little lost in their new hometown in the movie, as they were driving the wrong way home before they died in a creek that must've been filled with ice poison that month. Sorry to ruin the illusion for everyone.

However, during my travels in Vermont: I did travel to other covered bridges not too far away; and it's these bridges that Tim Burton years ago may have been inspired by. I also learned that in parts of the New England area, there are local legends about covered bridges. There's silly folklore tales about how these bridges have mystical properties, and that spirits inhabit these bridges. Some bridges even encourage people to be "bridge fairies" and leave gifts at the bridge for the spirits (with bad fortune coming to those that don't respect the bridge). The strange folklore surrounding these bridges and their unexplainable link to a realm beyond ours could very well have perhaps inspired Tim Burton to make the covered bridge the location where two characters in his movie would enter the strange realm of the afterlife. It's an intriguing thought I never would have had if I hadn't explored this little town and the surrounding areas first hand...

[ultravi0lence14]

White Winter Hymnal

dean winchester x fairy!reader

1.5k | fluff, fem pronouns

summary: a trip to a snowy cottage in vermont has dean finding what he truly yearns for.

the forest cottage you resided in glistened in the winter air. snow decorating your roof and brushing against the plants and flowers you had decorated the front steps with. it was december in vermont, and the snowy weather and cold chill sent most of your forest friends to different, more warm climates

you didn’t seem to mind though, having your multitude of indoor animals to keep you company. you didn’t interact with the townspeople, not seeing the need for you to have your animals to keep you company. yeah, you sounded like a freaky old cat lady but you really didn’t seem to mind.

it came as a shock when a light knock was heard on your front door one morning. you didn’t get a lot of visitors, and you noticed your pet dog winnie charging towards the entryway and started barking and growling by the window.

tentatively, you walked towards your front door and slowly peeked out of the peephole. standing on your porch were two men dressed in suits and really long coats. you didn’t know why they were here, for you’d never met them in your life and you couldn’t think of what they would want with you.

slowly opening the door, you peeked your head tentatively through the small crack of your opened door. there was a tall and a short one, both having looks on their faces like they knew something they shouldn’t.

the shorter of the two didn’t even great you, nor did he let you even speak before he was asking his questions very directly “you’re a fairy right?”

and that was what the looks on their faces were for.

your eyes widened slightly, ushering them in as you opened your door a little wider. “how do you know that?” you spoke as you closed the front door behind you, turning around to see the two men standing by your living room.

“we’re hunters, that's how.” the taller one spoke less bluntly than his companion, and he actually followed up with an introduction. “i’m sam winchester by the way, and this is my brother dean.”

you just nod, taking in the two as you guide them over to your couch. sitting down, the three of you just stare at each other awkwardly. you not knowing the reason they are here and both sam and dean not knowing how to go about what they need to say.

finally, after what felt like ages, sam cleared his throat and began explaining why he and his brother were at your door. apparently there was a witch in your town, and according to folklore fairies and witches were very well akin to each other.

they weren’t wrong. witches did use to reside in forest’s, leaving them to be around fairies more often than not. it wasn’t like some sort of sixth sense type of thing. it was more of a spidey sense in hindsight. when you came in contact with a witch, it was like you just knew. and that’s why sam and dean needed your help.

dean watched as you and sam conversed, not being able to take his eyes off of the way you looked when sam mentioned something you knew a lot about. he couldn’t help but marvel at your excitement, see how your face lit up. though, when he saw sam looking at him funny, he had to act cool and like he wasn’t just being a total creep.

“so basically we just need you to join us around town, see where this witch is.” dean’s words were more straight forward than sam’s, but you really didn’t see the harm in helping them. it was innocent help, and you’d be ridding the town of an evil witch apparently.

getting up from the couch, you just smiled at the two brothers. “okay, i’ll help. just let me get changed first.”

as you walked up your stairs, sam noticed that dean was watching you walk away. he was taking in your features, and sam realized how his brother had been doing this when you were talking to them. he’d stare intently at your face, the way you laughed and watching your hair move back and forth like a hypnotists pendant.

it was quite glaringly obvious what dean was doing, and sam couldn’t help but turn to his brother and give him his classic bitch face.

dean noticed it from the corner of his eye, and he turned to look at sam with a confused and exasperated look. “dude, what is it? why are you staring at me like that?”

“why are you staring at her like that?” sam fired back instantly, watching as dean’s face burned a slight pink colour. “i’ve seen how you’ve been looking at her this whole time. she’s agreed to help us, and i am not letting you bang and dump her. she seems nice, and it honestly would be good to have a fairy on our side.”

dean just looked at sam bewildered, an almost offended look on his face. “i have not been staring at her.” sam gave dean the look, and dean couldn’t help but scoff a little and shake his head. “okay, her hair is very shiny. and i like the little freckles on her cheeks. but that doesn’t mean i just want to use and discard her, i have class.”

“yeah, class cause you like her.” sam’s matter of fact voice had dean giving him the stink eye, and than smacking him in the arm when he tried to get in another jab. “dude shut up, she’s coming back.”

turning his head as you descended towards the living room, dean felt his breath slightly catch in his throat. you were in sheer white tights, a mini denim skirt and form fitting black cardigan with a plain jacket over top. your bootie covered feet shuffled across the floor as you beckoned the two brothers over to your front door, signalling you were ready to go.

dean felt like a middle schooler. he had literally just met you ten minutes ago, yet he couldn’t help but stare at your beauty. the light makeup you had put on brightened up your features, making you look even prettier than before. dean didn’t know if all fairies looked this gorgeous, but he didn’t care because you were in front of him and you were making him weak in the knees.

the rest of the day was pure amusement for sam. watching as his brother — the notorious womanizer — followed you around like a lost puppy. he was like a dog chasing his bone, and you were any the more oblivious to it.

you bent down to pet a friendly dog; dean’s face almost hurt from smiling at your cooing voice. you yapped on and on about fairy lore and your own fairy lineage; dean listened so intently sam had to pull him away from walking into a pole. the best part was when you were telling him and sam all about your forest friends, even the cute little dog and cat you have at home; and dean acted like they were the best creations in the world.

as the sun started to set, sam and dean walked you back to your cozy cabin. you had found the witch in a nearby herbs shop, and the winchester’s decided that hunting her after they drop you off would probably be the best idea; not like you were complaining.

sam had waited by the car, knowingly winking at dean as he walked you to your front door. you stopped before the your entry way, turning towards dean and looking at the complete dopey smile on his face.

that man was absolutely down bad, and it seemed everyone knew it but him.

a light smile dawned on your face, and you couldn’t hold in your gratitude anymore. “thank you for letting me help today. it’s nice to know that i’m out doing good and not staying holed up in my home.”

dean just smiled back at you, one of the most genuine and least cocky looks that sam had ever seen on him around a girl. with a shake of his head, dean nodded his head in thanks and looked back up at you. “well i think your home is lovely.”

he sounded so silly, and you couldn’t help but grab a pen and a piece of paper out of your purse and write your number down on it. “i just got this phone last week,” you started, watching as dean eyed you with curiosity. “but i’m getting the hang of it. so i better see your name on that strange caller id thingy.”

dean found himself genuinely laughing at your sad attempt of a joke, and he took your number with gracious hands. “i’ll put it to good use.” he joked back, watching as your smile brightened and your face practically beamed with excitement.

before you went into your house, you turned around and gave dean a quick peck on the cheek, not even registering his reaction before you were in your house and eagerly waving goodbye.

he was stunned. and as he walked back to the impala, he could see sam’s smug expression written all over his face.

“dude, you are so whipped.”

[vintagerpg]

I was extremely excited about A Time to Harvest (2022) because of what it is not. Practically every Call of Cthulhu campaign of note has one thing in common: international travel. While I love a good globe-trotting, I was keen to experience “Death and discovery in the Vermont Hills.”

Players take the role of Miskatonic University students (or, I guess, faculty) who take part in a dual purpose expedition to Vermont: one team is researching local folklore, the other performing a geological survey. Cthulhu Mythos hijinks abound, but I don’t really want to get into details, considering how recent the book’s publication and how much the plot turns on a certain amount of mystery.

That said, I’m down for outré horror in quaint New England towns. There is a fun jaunt to Quebec as well, and some other surprising locales. It’s also a very agile production. It supports the GM well — a novice should have no problem with this, and a veteran has lots of room to improvise and expand on the material. It also scales nicely from classic CoC to Pulp, which is harder to pull off than I think most folks realize. In terms of construction, there is a nice variety in the scenarios and plenty of twists. The art is very nice throughout as well, though I can’t show you the best bits because spoilers. Ugh.

Bottom line: it is very good, has quite a few surprises and returns the game to a cozy sort of local horror I’ve been hungry for (y’all know how much I love those Lovecraft Country books).

[bigfootbeat]

Bigfoot in New York

New York's diverse terrain has hosted sightings of Bigfoot, a creature often associated with the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest. Because of its large wilderness areas, the state provides a surprisingly suitable environment for one of these creatures. For example, the Adirondack Mountains, spanning more than six million acres, offer a multitude of lakes, rocky terrain, and lush woods. This far-flung and mostly unpopulated area provides the solitude and resources required for a creature like Bigfoot to flourish. Potential habitats include the vast woodlands of the Hudson Valley, the Catskill Mountains, and the Adirondacks. These regions' dense forests, steep gorges, and secret caverns provide the ideal hiding place for elusive creatures. The ecosystem's richness, along with its profusion of fauna and flora, may be able to support a population of enigmatic species.

Reliable witnesses have reported bigfoot sightings in New York for decades. A little town close to the Vermont border called Whitehall is one of the most well-known hotspots. Law enforcement officials documented numerous sightings in the 1970s, including accounts of a big, hairy creature crossing the road. These experiences have strengthened Whitehall's standing as a Bigfoot hotspot, drawing both researchers and enthusiasts. There have also been multiple sightings in the Hudson Valley. It is common for witnesses to report a towering, bipedal figure wandering silently through the woods or watching from a distance at the border of fields. Other enigmatic occurrences, such as odd noises or puzzling footprints, frequently accompany these sightings. Such a creature may stay out of sight from humans thanks to the area's rolling hills and extensive trees, which offer plenty of cover. Large footprints found near isolated hiking trails and strange howls that reverberate through the mountains at night are two examples of the many accounts of Bigfoot encounters in the Adirondacks. Hikers and campers occasionally describe feeling watched, which gives their outdoor experiences a sense of mystery and terror. The remoteness and untamed nature of this area make it a perfect place for anyone interested in learning more about the mythology or experiencing it firsthand.

In New York, conclusive proof of Bigfoot's existence is still elusive despite a plethora of tales. Many sightings, according to skeptics, could be the result of elaborate hoaxes or incorrect identifications of known creatures. Nonetheless, proponents insist that the sheer number of reliable stories raises the possibility that the legend is not as mythical as it seems. The fascination with Bigfoot in New York never goes away, combining the excitement of the unknown with folklore. Whether one believes in ghost stories or not, they maintain the mystery and entice people into the woods to look for explanations. The persistent Bigfoot mythos in New York is evidence of both the possibility of finding something unusual in the natural world and the human curiosity with the inexplicable.

[statecryptids]

THE VERMONT MONSTER GUIDE by Joseph A. Citro with illustrations by Stephen R. Bissette.

I love monster guidebooks, so when I read about this tome I immediately had to track down a copy.

With its extensive forest, glacier-rounded hills, and deep, dark lakes, it’s not surprising that Vermont is allegedly home to a multitude of strange, unknown beasts. Monster investigator Citro and renowned comic artis Bisette delve deep into the folklore and urban legends of the Green Mountain State to bring these creatures to life with writing and illustrations that are as lurid and sensational as pulpy 19th century newspapers breathlessly relating the horrors menacing backwoods folk.

Some of the featured monsters are familiar- Champ, Bigfoot, the Fur-Bearing Trout. Others are more obscure, like the trash-eating Pigman, Memphre of cold, glacial Lake Memphremagog, and the Man-Eating Stone of Glastonbury Mountain. There’s also a sizeable pack of creatures known from single encounters, such as Steggy the hump-backed critter, or the “Long-Leggedy Cats” of Burlington.

Bisette has a long history of comic book work, including Saga of the Swamp Thing, and Tyrant, the latter a story about the life of a Tyrannosaurus from the moment of birth. He also co-created the comic character John Constantine. Joseph Citro is a long-time collector of New England oddball stories. Their guide to things mysterious and monstrous of Vermont is perfect for any fan of cryptids and local legends.

Also in this post- my own illustration of the Pigman enjoying a light breakfast.

[coffeeallaloneandlord]

a girl I know who became a swiftie post folklore posted on ig that she went to target (in Burlington, the only target in vermont lol) after work and they were out of vinyls I was like ty for confirming for me haha

[surrealhaunts]

Vermont has a strange legend. It's a humanoid, stands about 5 foot eight, and has pig-like features. And so, they call it the Pigman.

I made a short video of less than 60 seconds about the Pigman. Check it out!

[fernmaddie]

introduction

hey folks! i wanted to give a little introduction to myself and my work, as this is my first time presenting myself publicly on tumblr. this is going to make me sound rather professional, but i promise i'm just here to do the regular ol' tumblr things: be silly, gush about things i care about, and not take myself too seriously. i hope you'll join me. :)

i'm fern maddie (she/her), a queer experimental folk artist, multi-instrumentalist, and balladeer based on abenaki land. through folk balladry and original writing, i perform songs and stories exploring themes of grief, trauma, and renewal.

***please note: my approach to folk music is adaptive, interpretive, critical, queer-feminist, and inclusive. white supremacists, "folkish" nationalists, terfs, or anyone who engages with english-language folk literature as a tool of western cultural "purity" will be blocked***

buy my music on bandcamp

listen on spotify

watch some performance on youtube

more about my work below the cut....

past projects

ghost story - my debut album, released in 2022. ghost story was named the #2 best folk album of 2022 by the guardian, and one of the top roots albums of the year from npr music. across 10 tracks, it explores the stories we inherit from the dead -- both our personal dead and cultural dead -- through a queer-feminist lens. includes a critically-acclaimed interpretation of the ballad "hares on the mountain" (roud 329), as well as the ballads "the maid on the shore" (roud 181), "northlands" (roud 21) and a queer re-framing of the scottish shepherding song "ca' the yowes."

north branch river - my debut EP, released in 2020. across 6 sparse tracks and spry banjo-playing, it explores the intimacy and pain of our tenuous relationship with the natural world. includes a re-interpretation of the ballad "the elfin knight" (roud 12), and the original song "two women," inspired by selkie folklore.

of song and bone - of song and bone is a short-lived podcast i produced a few years ago. there are only 3 episodes out, but they illustrate some of my scholarship about folk balladry and my own relationship to balladry as a literary tradition. FYI: i would probably frame a few things differently if i were re-recording the podcast today (ideas and language evolve!). perennially thinking about making more, but we'll see.

currently in development

way to live - way to live is my second studio album, currently in production. as of this writing, way to live includes 8 tracks, and similar to my previous work, combines original songs with folk ballads, though with a greater share of personal storytelling than my earlier records.

said the false nurse - this is a piece of adaptive short fiction i'm currently developing. it's a deeply sinister queer re-telling of the horror ballad long lankin (roud 6), set in the 1620s in the north of England. stay tuned for process updates!

adult children - this is a full-length original novel and associated concept album i'm developing. it's set in contemporary rural vermont, and focuses on a group of adult siblings, their dying father, their failing farm, and the new arrival who threatens their co-dependent bond. the associated rock opera will be written in a folk-rock style with digressions into folktronica and country.

[roadtripnewengland]

There are several variations of “Emily’s” story including one that Emily was waiting for her boyfriend at the bridge. Her parents disapproved of the relationship, the boyfriend never showed up to meet here there, so Emily hanged herself from the bridge rafters, in despair.

Another variation of the story says that she was thrown from her horse on the bridge and fell upon the rocks below.

Regardless of which story may be true, or perhaps none of them are, people report strange activity at the bridge including footsteps, a girl screaming, scratch marks on vehicles passing across the bridge or other odd events.

[ghostbustermelanieking]

favorite horror writers (in honor of spooky season)

Rachel Harrison (novels featuring strong female friendships/characters, werewolves, witches, demons, and humor)

Zoje Stage (creepy kids, haunted houses, psychological thrillers, mothers and daughters)

Katrina Monroe (ghosts, changelings, family curses, mothers and daughters, lesbian main characters)

Mike Flanagan (go watch his netflix stuff -- nuff said)

T. Kingfisher (cryptids, ghosts, spooky alternate dimensions, folklore-based, north carolina-set)

Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives, plus two novels featuring ghosts, monsters, death, friendship, general spooky vibes!!)

Stephen King (a cliche, i know, but i would die for the shining, pet sematary, and misery)

Grady Hendrix (very fun premises -- has written about demonic possession, ghosts, vampires, final girls, and selling souls to the devil)

T. Marie Vandelly (she has one haunted house novel and it is soooo good)

Jennifer McMahon (not all of her novels are horror, but all are fun... featuring ghosts, a haunted swimming pool, fairies, playing on frankenstein, the dead returning, family, and generally spooky vermont vibes!)

horror authors whose bibliography i haven't completed, but i've enjoyed their stuff and readily recommend

Stephen Graham Jones

Simone St. James

Paul Tremblay

Clay McLeod Chapman

Nat Cassidy

Joe Hill

Alma Katsu