• Hi guest! As you can see, the new Wizard Forums has been revived, and we are glad to have you visiting our site! However, it would be really helpful, both to you and us, if you registered on our website! Registering allows you to see all posts, and make posts yourself, which would be great if you could share your knowledge and opinions with us! You could also make posts to ask questions!

Appalachian Folk Magic

Joined
Aug 6, 2026
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about Appalachian Folk Magic and could point me in a good direction for learning more about it?
 

Digiquo

Zealot
Warned
Joined
Nov 2, 2025
Messages
108
Reaction score
149
Awards
3
Hello. I know of a book that could aid your investigation, plus a website of a practicing powwower with a great deal of information on the tradition. Most of this is with regards to folk magic in Pennsylvania specifically, but I suppose that counts as Appalachian.

The book is 'The Witch of the Monongahela: Folk Magic in Early Western Pennsylvania' by Thomas White, and talks about witchcraft and magic specifically around the time of the Revolutionary War and about a particularly infamous witch of the time.
The website I can't link directly, and it seems it is a little bit harder to find now because the domain has changed, but if you look for PA German Powwow Braucher, there should be a .org link. There is quite a lot of information on the Powwow tradition, which is a form of Christian Folk Magic.
 

frater_pan

Zealot
Joined
Mar 31, 2025
Messages
114
Reaction score
140
Awards
2
Actual Appalachian Folk magic has to be learned directly almost always from a Grandmother or Aunt. It was usually learned by being there and hearing stories as a kid and then sometimes being shown magic. To some extent it has a relationship with Native American bands from the area. I doubt if any of it actually exists anymore, at least as it used to. There still are people who claim to practice it though. Perhaps they do. Aside from the fact that anyone who lived in the Appalachian region for more than a year or two as a kid was exposed to aspects of it, it was extremely secretive (or it could have been secretive because it began to be ignored). For one thing it was matrilinear - probably to protect women from abusive men (which was a huge thing in parts of Appalachia - and why was that? - white men were often bound to hate culturally and had a hard time overcoming it - also at least one Native American band that was kicked off the land by the federal government was said to have cursed the land before they left, which explains a lot).

As it turns out there are some resources out there (and most of them appear to be written by men) - I haven't read these but they seem to be recommended :

Pow-Wows, or Long Lost Friend: A Collection of Mysterious and Invaluable Arts and Remedies, for Man as Well as Animals - Homan from the 1820s​

“Backwoods Witchcraft”, by Jake Richards

Backwoods Shamanism, Hess​

the Foxfire books - esp. volume 1 - I saw these personally as a teen (?) . Discussion on this subject in another forum recommends them.

Signs, Cures, and Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore is recommended although part of the book's premise is derided. Again, except for the Foxfire books I haven't read any of these.​


Roots, Branches & Spirits: The Folkways & Witchery of Appalachia, Ballard.​


I'd note that some of these are Hoodoo rather than Appalachian Folk magic per se, although in 2026 there probably isn't much difference. Also most of these deal with healing, which was usually what kids were exposed to anyway.
Post automatically merged:

I looked at a couple of the books and I'd start with Ballard (she has several books) and Richards.
Post automatically merged:

Incredibly I just saw this article on another forum:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


So likely overall interest in Appalachian witchcraft and healing is increasing.
 
Last edited:

tandyman

Visitor
Joined
Jan 21, 2026
Messages
1
Reaction score
2
For practicing associations and medicinal uses, I'd recommend Folk Medicine in Southern Appalachia by Anthony Cavender.

Very concise and easy to reference and has lots of different accounts per person, area, etc.
 
Top