I’m sure you have all heard of the Appalachian Rules:
If you see something, no you didn’t.
If you hear something, no you didn’t.
If something whistles at you, you don’t whistle back.

But what happens if you ignore the rules? What will happen if you whistle back or interact with the so-called “wildlife” in the Appalachian Mountains? This is the legend of the Wailing Woman of Blood Mountain, located in the Appalachian Mountains

The legend of the wailing woman is a heart-breaking tale that has been passed down from generation to generation. The story takes place deep in the Appalachian wilderness, hidden in the shadows of Blood Mountain. Blood Mountain is riddled with horror stories already, but as you make your way down the trails, the path twists and turns, gets steeper, then rapidly declining, the mountains feel like they are swallowing you up. You’ll hear it—the wail.

The tale began with a young mother wandering these ancient paths with her infant. It is unclear how the tragedy happened. Maybe she sat her baby in what she assumed to be a safe place to gather berries or peek around the next trail bend. But no matter how it happened, her baby had disappeared. At first, maybe she laughed, thinking she’d turned herself around and only momentarily forgot where she had put her baby. Then, once she had realized that she was indeed in the right place, the panic set in. As she scrambled through the forest searching for her child, she started screaming, crying, and wailing.

The woman was never the same. She never forgot about her long-lost baby and the mysterious fate behind their disappearance. It is rumored that the mother died in those woods as she came back to look for her baby until her broken heart gave out. Netizens report that the woman is seen in a white gown, with long tangled hair. Her eyes appear blank and glazed over and her mouth remains open in a guttural sob. 

Legend has it that if you walk down the trails near Blood Mountain and stop to check your map and have a sip of water, or just admire the beautifully eerie scenery, you may hear the young mother wailing for her baby. It may sound like a breeze catching a tree branch wrong, or a squawking bird at first, but as you walk deeper into the forest, it becomes an ear-piercing cry. The bushes will begin rattling around you and in just a few more steps, she will be there. Standing in her white gown, eyes glazed over, and mouth agape in an eternal scream.

So be warned, my dear readers: if you find yourself in the trails of Blood Mountain and hear a suspicious sound—something insidious and unnatural—turn back before it is too late.

Edited and Reviewed by Kien Powell