Ghosts, Spirits, and Haints
The Hillfolk’s relationship with the spirit world is a delicate balance often kept in equilibrium through certain beliefs and taboos about ghosts and haints, that being another word for a ghost or spirit. It comes from "haunt" or "haunted." Many of these beliefs show signs of European folk tradition, others come from indigenous or West African folklore. Regardless of where they come from, people in the Ozarks used to take their beliefs about ghosts very seriously. Most of the quotes below are from Folk Beliefs from Arkansas by folklorist Mary Celestia Parler who recorded many folktales and beliefs about ghosts.
Beliefs about Ghosts
“During the dark of the moon, ghosts will appear.”
“Ghosts can be seen more easily at the time of the new moon.”
“When a rooster crows in the dawn, all spirits depart for the spirit world.”
“When a person is dying and a whippoorwill starts calling outside the house, that whippoorwill is trying to catch the soul of the dying person to keep it from reaching heaven.”
“If you bury a body before it’s been dead three days, the soul will be trapped and may never leave.”
“It is wise never to mention the names of dead people in the vicinity of a grave yard, for the attention of ghosts would perhaps be attracted to the speaker.”
“An elderly Indian woman lived alone in Prairie Grove. People use to ask her if she wasn’t afraid to live alone. She said no, because she always put food out at night and when she went out in the morning, it was gone. So she knew she was protected at night.”
“If you sweep the floor after midnight, it will stir up the spooks and ghosts.”
This belief is also noted by Vance Randolph in his “Ozark Magic and Folklore” where it seems sweeping should be avoided at night altogether:
“An old-time Ozark housewife seldom sweeps her cabin after dark, and she never sweeps anything out at the front door. Otto Ernest Rayburn observes that ‘one of the most progressive merchants in Arkansas will not permit his janitor to sweep dirt out through the door after dark.’ A woman in Madison county, Arkansas, told me that ghosts and spirits are accustomed to stand about near cabins at night, and it is dangerous to offend these supernatural beings by throwing dirt in their faces.”
“The Indians also believe that you should never pass a grave without tossing a stone or twig on the mound. Should you omit this rite, you will incur the anger of the ghost, a serious matter, resulting probably in your illness or death.”
I’ve seen examples of this belief in several graveyards where rocks and sticks had been piled up on top of tombstones as sort of votive offerings. I’m not sure about the accuracy of this coming in from the Native Americans, it might have been partially influenced by them as the Osage and Caddo both were, if I’m not mistaking, mound builders. I’ve seen examples of this folk belief elsewhere as well. One example I can remember is from the novel “Independent People” by Halldór Laxness where the protagonist Bjartur adds stones to the cairn of the evil woman Gunnvör to appease her spirit. It wouldn’t surprise me if this tradition came into the Ozarks from multiple sources.
People who can see ghosts
“A person born in January can see ghosts.”
“People born on Halloween are able to see and talk to ghosts.”
“People born with a veil [caul] over their face are able to see ghosts, spooks, and things of that sort.”
Preventing Ghosts
“To keep ghosts out of your house, hang mustard seeds in a cloth sock at all doors and windows.”
“Always keep some kind of light burning in your home cause the evil spirits will not come around light.”
“If you hang a horse shoe over your door it will keep the ghosts away.”
“If you put a nail in the doorstep and a horseshoe over the door ghosts can’t get into your house.”
“Don’t let the fire go out on Christmas morning or the spirits will visit you.”
“Keep a buckeye in your pocket to ward away evil spirits.”
“Put sand on your front porch or steps at night to keep the evil spirits away.”
“If you have a crow’s foot in your house, it will keep away evil spirits.”
“When in the woods at night if a owl hoots, turn your pockets inside out to keep off bad spirits.”
“Fuzzy chickens in the yard keeps away the haints.”
“Wear a string with eight knots in it around your ankle to keep the haints away.”
“If a person whistles while he is walking at nighttime, it is supposed to attract all the bad spirits in the vicinity.”
“Turn the mirrors toward the wall so that the ghosts will not stop and admire themselves.”
Or the opposite:
“Put mirrors in a room or house where ghosts live and they will see themselves and scare themselves away.”
There’s a belief about water cancelling out certain black magic and witchcraft, this belief also can apply to ghosts as well, as seen in the examples below:
“A ghost cannot follow a person over running water.”
“If you have any enemies that are dead and there ghosts are bothering you, move by a river because ghosts can’t cross rivers.”
Appeasing a Ghost
“Better not venture abroad at night without a light and if you must travel through a dark forest scatter bits of food as you go.”
“When followed by a ghost while walking at night, pour a little whiskey on the ground and they will stop following you.”
“If you think there are bad spirits in the house, leave a jug of whiskey in the corner of the room. The next morning the spirits and the whiskey will be gone.”
A similar tradition as the above involves leaving a bottle of alcohol open in a haunted house over night. Go in the next day and the alcohol will have changed color. Stop up the bottle along with the spirit. This bottle can be kept and used in cursing your enemies, or the spirit can be dispelled by pouring the alcohol into a bonfire. I’ve used this bottle technique many times with great success, although I was taught certain prayers to accompany the work that seem to be integral to its success.
Beliefs about Ghosts
“During the dark of the moon, ghosts will appear.”
“Ghosts can be seen more easily at the time of the new moon.”
“When a rooster crows in the dawn, all spirits depart for the spirit world.”
“When a person is dying and a whippoorwill starts calling outside the house, that whippoorwill is trying to catch the soul of the dying person to keep it from reaching heaven.”
“If you bury a body before it’s been dead three days, the soul will be trapped and may never leave.”
“It is wise never to mention the names of dead people in the vicinity of a grave yard, for the attention of ghosts would perhaps be attracted to the speaker.”
“An elderly Indian woman lived alone in Prairie Grove. People use to ask her if she wasn’t afraid to live alone. She said no, because she always put food out at night and when she went out in the morning, it was gone. So she knew she was protected at night.”
“If you sweep the floor after midnight, it will stir up the spooks and ghosts.”
This belief is also noted by Vance Randolph in his “Ozark Magic and Folklore” where it seems sweeping should be avoided at night altogether:
“An old-time Ozark housewife seldom sweeps her cabin after dark, and she never sweeps anything out at the front door. Otto Ernest Rayburn observes that ‘one of the most progressive merchants in Arkansas will not permit his janitor to sweep dirt out through the door after dark.’ A woman in Madison county, Arkansas, told me that ghosts and spirits are accustomed to stand about near cabins at night, and it is dangerous to offend these supernatural beings by throwing dirt in their faces.”
“The Indians also believe that you should never pass a grave without tossing a stone or twig on the mound. Should you omit this rite, you will incur the anger of the ghost, a serious matter, resulting probably in your illness or death.”
I’ve seen examples of this belief in several graveyards where rocks and sticks had been piled up on top of tombstones as sort of votive offerings. I’m not sure about the accuracy of this coming in from the Native Americans, it might have been partially influenced by them as the Osage and Caddo both were, if I’m not mistaking, mound builders. I’ve seen examples of this folk belief elsewhere as well. One example I can remember is from the novel “Independent People” by Halldór Laxness where the protagonist Bjartur adds stones to the cairn of the evil woman Gunnvör to appease her spirit. It wouldn’t surprise me if this tradition came into the Ozarks from multiple sources.
People who can see ghosts
“A person born in January can see ghosts.”
“People born on Halloween are able to see and talk to ghosts.”
“People born with a veil [caul] over their face are able to see ghosts, spooks, and things of that sort.”
Preventing Ghosts
“To keep ghosts out of your house, hang mustard seeds in a cloth sock at all doors and windows.”
“Always keep some kind of light burning in your home cause the evil spirits will not come around light.”
“If you hang a horse shoe over your door it will keep the ghosts away.”
“If you put a nail in the doorstep and a horseshoe over the door ghosts can’t get into your house.”
“Don’t let the fire go out on Christmas morning or the spirits will visit you.”
“Keep a buckeye in your pocket to ward away evil spirits.”
“Put sand on your front porch or steps at night to keep the evil spirits away.”
“If you have a crow’s foot in your house, it will keep away evil spirits.”
“When in the woods at night if a owl hoots, turn your pockets inside out to keep off bad spirits.”
“Fuzzy chickens in the yard keeps away the haints.”
“Wear a string with eight knots in it around your ankle to keep the haints away.”
“If a person whistles while he is walking at nighttime, it is supposed to attract all the bad spirits in the vicinity.”
“Turn the mirrors toward the wall so that the ghosts will not stop and admire themselves.”
Or the opposite:
“Put mirrors in a room or house where ghosts live and they will see themselves and scare themselves away.”
There’s a belief about water cancelling out certain black magic and witchcraft, this belief also can apply to ghosts as well, as seen in the examples below:
“A ghost cannot follow a person over running water.”
“If you have any enemies that are dead and there ghosts are bothering you, move by a river because ghosts can’t cross rivers.”
Appeasing a Ghost
“Better not venture abroad at night without a light and if you must travel through a dark forest scatter bits of food as you go.”
“When followed by a ghost while walking at night, pour a little whiskey on the ground and they will stop following you.”
“If you think there are bad spirits in the house, leave a jug of whiskey in the corner of the room. The next morning the spirits and the whiskey will be gone.”
A similar tradition as the above involves leaving a bottle of alcohol open in a haunted house over night. Go in the next day and the alcohol will have changed color. Stop up the bottle along with the spirit. This bottle can be kept and used in cursing your enemies, or the spirit can be dispelled by pouring the alcohol into a bonfire. I’ve used this bottle technique many times with great success, although I was taught certain prayers to accompany the work that seem to be integral to its success.