The Belled Buzzard

[Rob Neufeld]

There's this mountain legend--is it a legend?--about belled buzzards appearing and tolling a bell preceding the death of a notable person. Gary Carden writes about it in his book, Belled Buzzards, Hucksters, and Grieving Specters: Appalachian Tales: Strange, True & Legendary.Robert Henry, the pioneer Buncombe County lawyer and educator, heard the bell three times--twice for two of his sons, and once for himself. He died at age 98. Gary makes a reference to a sighting and hearing in Leicester on Aug. 13, 1926. I'm going to track that down. Plus, he also tells me about a man in Greer, S.C. who witnessed the phenomenon in 1936. I'm trying to reach him by phone. Meantime, I'm collecting all references, and adding on other omens of death.


Image from the University of South Florida.

[Sherry Austin]

The Wikipedia article on Poe's raven mentions the Thought and Memory part. I don't know what to make of it, but there is some interesting material regarding the crucifiction of Wotan/Odin and other gods here:

http://leejohnbarnes.blogspot.com/2008/08/odin-crucified-god.html

and here:

http://allfatherwotan.org/modernfreemasonary.html

All about The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors here: http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/kersey_graves/16/chap16....

[Dot Jackson]

No -- I am learning a TON, here! Much of this I had not heard and it is fascinating. Yes, there were two ravens, not sure if they were named in The Ring, but they were assuredly the "watch-birds" -- the names make great sense.
The Wotan story I know is that he went to the spring -- it was at the foot of the sacred ash tree, which gave him his spear, did it not? -- and in the deal he had to give up an eye -- for which, among other considerations, he got Fricka. Have decided (as I bet he did too, along the way) that he should have left her right there and gone about his bidness. Life would have been FAR better for him without that flint-hearted prig.
Apparently he didn't need her for much -- he spent a lot of time lying up in a crack in the ground with Erda. Erda must have been part-bear; she'd wake up, every spring, and there would be another baby in her bed. Always girls. Since she couldn't stay awake to take care of 'em, she handed 'em over to Wotan, who raised them up to be a tough, rowdy bunch of cookies --
Brunnhilde was the smartest one, and the one who was not too scared of him to think for herself and do the right thing. Which -- in the end -- was to burn up the whole works, her daddy and herself included, so that everything could come back clean and new. I.e., free of pride and arrogance and greed.
In a sense, as the Lord in Sherry's old hymn burned the field of weeds and cuckleburs, so something good could sprout and grow.
I love this stuff. Thank you all!

[Sherry Austin]

"...lying up in a crack in the ground with Erda" ?????

Hahahahahahaahh!!!!

[Rob Neufeld]

I have finished my history article based in good part on y'all's exchange. See what you think. Here's the link.

[Sherry Austin]

Why, I think it's mighty clever.

[Rob Neufeld]

I've got Harold Forrester's testimony about belled buzzards up! See the feature on the main page. What's next?

[Sherry Austin]

I think what's next is talk about the vanishing hitchhiker.