6 Eerie Examples of Farm Folklore

1. Blood-Tinged Eggs

Most of us have, at one time or another, cracked open an egg only to find a spot of blood on the yolk. While this is not unusual and certainly doesn't affect the quality of the product, some find the sight a bit off-putting. On the farm that my uncle used to own and operate, depending on the amount of blood that was present, this naturally occurring phenomenon indicated that something evil had paid a visit.

He believed that the presence of blood in an egg or in fresh milk was the result of the animals involved having seen the devil. Apparently, the shock of finding themselves in the company of this most sinister of beings pollutes their systems, causing blood to be present in anything they produce. Fortunately for the farmer, the effects are only temporary. Within a few days, the traumatized livestock get over the encounter, and everything returns to normal.

2. Blood Yolks

Though the farmer at the center of the following true account didn't go so far as to blame the devil for the bizarre events that befell his operation, the similarities between what he experienced and my uncle's unconventional beliefs are frighteningly obvious.

Growing up, we had an 'egg man' who delivered farm fresh products to our home every week. There was a time, however, when he halted his activities, forcing my mother to purchase our eggs at a local supermarket. It was only later on that we learned the reason for the interruption in service.

After the episode had blown over, the egg man's wife, who happened to be a close friend of my mother's, shared with her that their troubles had started one night when her husband heard a ruckus taking place near the chicken coop. Fearing that a predator had found its way into the enclosure, he had grabbed his shotgun and headed out to investigate.

The closer he got to the area where the animals were housed, the more worried he became. By then, not only were the chickens carrying on, but some of the other farm animals had joined in as well. Before long, he would learn the alarming reason for their distress.

As the farmer approached the coop, a man he could not identify had bolted from within and taken off running through the field. Even though the trespasser was already retreating, the egg man had fired off a shot to warn him against ever coming back.

The animals eventually settled down, and, thinking that the ordeal was over, the farmer went back inside. The next morning, he would see something that made him suspect that the stranger's appearance may have been more ominous than it seemed.

When he went to collect the eggs, he could tell right away that something wasn't right. He had two forms of quality control that he regularly utilized. One was to sample the product for himself. The other was to hold the eggs up to a light to make sure that nothing was there that shouldn't be.

On this occasion, when he held the first egg in front of the lamp, rather than viewing the pristine product he strived for, he found himself staring at a dark blotch that had consumed the interior. His curiosity piqued, he cracked the shell and watched as a glob of what looked like coagulated blood oozed from inside.

Hoping that this was a fluke, he inspected the eggs that had been collected from the other hens. To his dismay, they were the same as the first specimen. As he began cracking them into a bucket, he saw that, instead of boasting yellow yolks and clear whites, every last one of them consisted entirely of blood.

After contacting his customers and explaining that he would be unable to make his deliveries that week, he had set about trying to find out what caused the events that, if they continued for long, would put his family in the poorhouse. His first thought had been that the feed had somehow become tainted, but after going through it with a fine-tooth comb, he determined that it was of superior grade. Ultimately, he could find nothing to account for what he had discovered inside the eggs.

Several days went by with little improvement. The hens that were still laying were producing only one or two eggs each, none of which were edible. To make a bad situation even worse, one of his prized dairy cows went into labor prematurely, resulting in her calf being stillborn.

A week or so later, the storm passed, and things returned to normal. Deliveries resumed, and all was well. According to his wife, the farmer never did find out what was behind the strange happenings that had threatened to destroy everything they had built. The fact that the first bloody eggs were discovered the morning after the stranger appeared was glossed over for reasons that were never quite clear. In the end, one has to wonder who the mysterious prowler was and what, if any, role he had in the events that followed.

3. A Snake in the Well

Back in the day, finding a snake in the well water was nothing unusual. Although not ideal, the interloper's presence had little effect on the water's usefulness. For superstitious farmers, the future success of their business relied heavily on how they chose to handle the reptile's fate.

If the snake was captured alive and allowed to go free, the land would prosper, producing a crop that would sustain not only the farmer and his family but everyone in their reach. This was obviously the preferred outcome for all parties involved.

If the luckless snake perished naturally in the well, this indicated that drought was ahead. If the farmer or someone acting on his behest took it upon themselves to kill the reptile, they would pay dearly for the deed.

由于蛇的生命,crops on which the farmer depended were doomed to fail. Worse still, the blight would end only when a member of the immediate family passed away. The only acceptable penance for deliberately harming a snake trapped in a well was, as it turned out, the offering of another life.

4. A Tangled Mane

This offering is shared fairly often among farmers who keep horses on their property. It plays into the fear that entities who choose to walk the fine line that separates our world from the shadow realm are always closer than we think.

Supposedly, if a horse is found at sunrise with its mane a tangled mess, this means that a witch or other agent of darkness has ridden the animal during the night. Some believe that the dread experienced by the unwilling equine manifests in its tresses being left in a state of disarray. Others assert that the knotted condition of the mane is the result of the mysterious rider having used it in lieu of reins. Either way, it leaves a lasting impression on the horse, who is never the same after spending the night in the company of the supernatural.

5. A Rooster Crowing at Midnight

We all know that roosters are a farmer's alarm clock. They rise with the sun and herald the day by throwing their heads back and letting out a series of "cock-a-doodle-doos" that would wake the dead. This is all well and good, but to have a rooster crow at midnight is purported to take on a whole new meaning.

如果一个公鸡呐喊当月亮在高e sky, it is akin to the sounding of a death knell. This ill-timed crowing is believed to signal that the life of an animal that dwells nearby, whether it be human or otherwise, will come to an end within a fortnight.

6. Planting During a Full Moon

Most farmers will tell you that there are certain times when it is advantageous to plant crops and others that are a recipe for disaster. One of the latter is during a full moon.

During this lunar phase, the earth is said to turn sour, causing it to reject any seeds that are laid beneath the surface. If those who tend the land remain patient for a few days, the cycle will end, and the ground will become fertile once again. To plant just prior to a full moon or in the days after it has waned is to be assured of a bountiful crop.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.