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Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Death omen tales found all over the world

By Mike Conley | The McDowell News

Published: May 13, 2009

One of my favorite Tales of the Weird that I've written about concerns a North Carolina family that was haunted for many years by the strange and sudden appearance of black crosses on white linen.
Whenever one of those black crosses was found on a sheet or pillowcase, it proved to be a sad sign that someone in that family would soon die. And when the loved one passed away, the weird black cross would vanish from the linen just as mysteriously as it appeared. No one in the family could explain it and the phenomenon became a part of their lives for generations, according to the legend.
But there are other stories of death omens haunting families and even entire cultures. The tales surrounding death omens can be found all over the world.
In Irish folklore, there are the tales of the banshee. The banshee is a female spirit usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. Tradition holds that it is appointed to warn members of certain ancient Irish families whenever one of them is about to die. According to one version of this legend, the banshee can only cry out its warning for five important Irish families: the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, the O'Gradys and the Kavanaghs.
It is believed that the banshee can appear in one of three guises: a young attractive woman, an older matronly figure or an old hag. The banshee can wear either a gray, hooded cloak or the burial shroud of the dead. She can also appear as a washer-woman, and is sometimes seen washing the blood-stained clothes of those who will soon die. The banshee may also appear in the form of a crow, a hare or a weasel – animals that the Irish traditionally associate with witchcraft, according to a Web site.
That is only one of the many legends about death omens. Many people believe that if a picture falls off of a wall for no reason that it is sign someone will soon pass away. Another one is a clock that stops suddenly for no reason. Others include a mirror that breaks while still hanging on a wall or a cat that leaves a house and will not re-enter it. An owl seen during the daytime or a dog that howls for no reason during the night are other common death omens.
The Appalachian Mountains are home to a lot of omens and superstitions surrounding imminent death. A pregnant woman should never look at someone who is dead, for example. If you do, your baby will die. If you sleep in the moonlight, the Grim Reaper will soon come calling for you. If you feel a cold chill on your back, it means someone has stepped on your future burial ground.
Another mountain belief holds that you should never let a baby look in a mirror before it is a year old or it will die also. Another belief states that a baby who talks before it walks will soon die. A falling star means someone has gone to heaven.
When a person is about to die, sometimes he or she will talk to people who are invisible to everyone present except for the one who is dying. Christians believe the dying one is talking to Jesus or angels who have come to guide the person over to the other side. Others believe they are talking to deceased loved ones. However, skeptics believe that the person is actually delirious and their mental faculties are shutting down as their body grows weaker and weaker.
For many, death is perhaps the greatest mystery of all. So it is not surprising that for centuries humans have created a whole host of superstitions surrounding when we will die and whether or not it can be foretold. We don't know exactly when we will die but we do know that it will happen at some point. It is this knowledge that haunts us every day.

Contact Mike Conley at 652-3313, ext. 3422 or e-mail nconley@mcdowellnews.com.