Warm as can be yesterday, high in the upper 70's. Rain moved in overnight and is still falling today. Temps cooled off too, and will be in the 40's tonight.
Such a perfect November kind of day, after a couple weeks of abnormally warm weather. Today was rain and fog, dark and dreary.
The fog, and my cousin John's beautiful post on his blog By Stargoose and Hanglands, made me think about folklore about fog. And, of course, there is. I did not find much particular to the Appalachian region in my searches, although it is often thought that the fogs and mists that rise from our hollows in these mountains are the source of many a ghostly experience. And no wonder, for the fog twisting and winding through trees can easily make one think it was something unworldly, and not just a natural phenomena.
The only local lore I have heard about fog is that is there is a heavy fog in the morning in spring, there will be no frost. Also, a morning fog in summer means no rain that day. I have found both of these to hold true most of the time. And of course, a misty/foggy ring around the moon means rain on the way--when it will fall depends on how many stars are within the ring. If none, it will rain the next day; if 2, then rain in two days, and so on.
I did find quite a few superstitions about fog and mist, almost all of them weather-related. Which makes sense, right? For example:
If a morning fog rises rapidly, or is there is mist in the air at dawn in winter, rain is on the way.
According to one source, a foggy day was regarded with care because people thought it meant the gods wanted to communicate. Gatherings would be held at sacred places in hopes of receiving these communications.
A day when the fog hangs around most of the day, like today, was believed in some cultures to mean something good was on the way. I certainly hope this one is right. We could use some good things happening. However, in other places, it was thought to mean that death or some other terrible event was about to take place.
A foggy morning in a West Virginia state park.
And then, in still other places, it was said that if you were single and met someone on a foggy day, marriage would come of it. That reminds me of the movie we just watched tonight, Return of the Native, based on the book by Thomas Hardy. The book has long been a favorite of mine and I have had a copy on my bookshelves for probably 50 years. In the story, a young man is walking through a heavy fog when a beautiful woman and a white horse appear in front of him--and the woman disappears when a heavy drift of fog momentarily hides her from sight. And yes, the couple does get married.
Fog off the cost of Inis Mor, Ireland, when we were there in 2017.
And a few more about the weather:
Fog in winter foretells wind and cold.
The number of fogs in August is an indication of the number of snows we'll have in the coming winter.
The following are from the book Weather Lore: A Collection of Proverbs, Sayings and Rules Concerning the Weather, written by Richard Inward in 1898.
A good hay year, a bad fog year.
Much fog in autumn, much snow in winter.
A winter fog will freeze a dog.
If in winter the barometer rises very high, and a thick fog sets in, it is a sure sign that the south-west and north-east winds are " fighting each other." Neither of them can make head against the other, and there is a calm, but there is great danger of such a state of things being followed by a bad gale.—United States.
Fog in January brings a wet Spring. Fog in February means frosts in May.
There will be as many frosts in June as fogs in February.
Fogs in March, frosts in May.
Fog in March, thunder in July.
As much fog in March, so much rain in summer.
As much dew in March, so much fog rises in August. And fog in August means plenty of snow in January.
Fogs in April foretell a failure of the wheat crop--this one from Alabama.
If the first three days of April be foggy, there will be a flood
in June.
If the first three days in April be foggy.
Rain in June will make the lanes boggy.
Observe on what day in August the first heavy fog occurs,
and expect a hard frost on the same day in October. from the US.
In the Mississippi valley, when fogs occur in August, expect fever and ague in the following fall
A very foggy topic! So to finish up, here's a lovely tune, The Bright Hollow Fog, by the group Inis Fail. I confess I'd never heard of them until turning up this video, but I like this. I first heard the tune being played by my friend Jenny Allinder, but don't have a video of her playing it on fiddle with her friend Jim Mullins on guitar, but this version is pretty nice. Enjoy.
Thanks for that, Sue. "Lantern Men" were supposed to make their ghostly appearance out on the Fens on foggy nights and lure people into the swamps. The huge dog Black Shuck might also be about on such nights. Possibly the fen people's habitual self-medication with opium may have had some influence on these tales.
ReplyDeleteJohn, The Dead Moon is one of my favorite stories, and one I occasionally tell. It's a good tale of the mysterious and terrifying things that can happen in the fens. I also tell Black Shuck, and have done a good deal of research on the story. Both are strange, strange stories. There is also a black dog story here in my county, although it's a headless dog. I do find these old stories fascinating, although as you say it may be liquid spirits and not visitors from beyond the veil that cause such experiences.
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