Pennsylvania Dutch settlers called this place Hexenkopf (witch's head) due to an outcrop of rock resembling the profile of a witch. Sometimes it's called Misery Mountain or Haunted Hill by the locals. There are tales of unholy shrieks, evil spirits, and an eerie glow in the moonlight (due possibly to large deposits of mica embedded in the rock).
Lenape Native Americans used this rock as a site for rituals intended to take evil and sickness from the body. Later, immigrants continued this practice. Local pow-wow doctors used Hexenkopf Rock as a place to transfer sickness, curses, and spells. For two centuries, misery was deposited into this rocky landscape.
Similar to Mount Brocken in Germany, witches are said to congregate here on the night of April 30th, Walpurgisnacht.
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3 comments:
It's good to see the Hexeglaawe series continuing...it's great to learn more about the local area and lore, and it's very hard to imagine a more perfect pairing than the 'Hexenkopf' and the witch.
That image where the peak of her hat is essentially intertwined with the bare tree tops (and it's impossible to tell which is emulating the other) is top-notch.
Also...Walpurgisnacht already?!
Thank you, sir! Hiking in there with our dark friend was a really neat experience. It was the perfect landscape. And so eerily quiet.
This date, April 30th, means we're half way to Halloween 2024. It's still my favorite time of the year, and always will be.
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