proxieme
July 13th, 2006, 10:56 AM
My other Gods and Goddesses thread got me thinking.
I'm not sure if this is going to come out right, but does anyone know of any carry over of pagan belief from the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh into what became their merged diasporia in the American Appalachians?
Anecdotally, I've heard of what may be considered "backwoods pagan" beliefs and practices among my recent ancestors (the majority of which on my mother's side were nestled in the Blue Ridge and trailing slightly west).
Ex:
My Great-Grandmother, the Herbal Healer.
My Great-Grandfather, a very respected and effective Dowser where he lived.
My being taught while growing up to smell and tell signs coming rain and snow and to apologize to trees if I had to hurt them. (Not exactly "pagan", but not exactly main stream, either.)
Hearing, off-handedly and like it was the most natural thing in the world about someone who died: Oh, yeah, so-and-so came back to visit his wife; he's been sending a blue bird/cat bird/crow around and she's about at her wit's end with the thing.How much of that do you think was carry over of "folk beliefs", how much do you think emerged organically out of interaction with the world around them, and how much do you think may have come from intermarriage with American Indian populations (which played at least some part with my family).
Do you think the mix matters?
Or should this folk wisdom, this "backwoods paganism", be examined and appreciated in its own right?
On a more scholarly note, do any of you know of any published info on the beliefs of these people?
And, er, I just realized that this probably doesn't belong in this forum, but I seem to be unable to copy and paste the info into another post (and I have no desire to write it again).
If it needs to be moved, my heart won't break.
I'm not sure if this is going to come out right, but does anyone know of any carry over of pagan belief from the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh into what became their merged diasporia in the American Appalachians?
Anecdotally, I've heard of what may be considered "backwoods pagan" beliefs and practices among my recent ancestors (the majority of which on my mother's side were nestled in the Blue Ridge and trailing slightly west).
Ex:
My Great-Grandmother, the Herbal Healer.
My Great-Grandfather, a very respected and effective Dowser where he lived.
My being taught while growing up to smell and tell signs coming rain and snow and to apologize to trees if I had to hurt them. (Not exactly "pagan", but not exactly main stream, either.)
Hearing, off-handedly and like it was the most natural thing in the world about someone who died: Oh, yeah, so-and-so came back to visit his wife; he's been sending a blue bird/cat bird/crow around and she's about at her wit's end with the thing.How much of that do you think was carry over of "folk beliefs", how much do you think emerged organically out of interaction with the world around them, and how much do you think may have come from intermarriage with American Indian populations (which played at least some part with my family).
Do you think the mix matters?
Or should this folk wisdom, this "backwoods paganism", be examined and appreciated in its own right?
On a more scholarly note, do any of you know of any published info on the beliefs of these people?
And, er, I just realized that this probably doesn't belong in this forum, but I seem to be unable to copy and paste the info into another post (and I have no desire to write it again).
If it needs to be moved, my heart won't break.