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THE DOCUMENTARY
These mountains are older than bones.
Some of the oldest parts of the Appalachian Mountains are more than one billion years old. These ancient natural structures have witnessed the decline and extinction of the dinosaurs, as well as the rise and proliferation of man. Always silently observing, these mountains conceal the power of natural magick. A magick revealed to those whose ancestors' blood, sweat, and tears nourished the mountains they called home. For only a few who have moved here from other places, Appalachia has revealed her secrets, whispering them to the new initiate.
These mountains are the home of granny witches, also known as granny women, wise women, yarb doctors, moon doctors, or cunning folk. Although some men practiced mountain magick, many women were the healers and mystics of their family clans, thus the name, Granny Witches. These women and men came from the hollers of mountains so high and valleys so narrow in some places that it shadowed the landscape.
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God-fearing Appalachian granny women and men would have never called themselves witches. Still, it is a moniker that a neighbor may have used to describe their otherworldly powers of healing. Many of them were also known to have the gift of second sight.
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The descendants of Appalachian granny women were interviewed for this documentary. Their ancestors' gifts live on through them. There's Magick in Them Mountains strives to honor and record the stories of the granny women of our mountains, their gifts of healing, psychic abilities, and magick, before their memory fades into the twilight of time.
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Granny Women
Were known for their otherworldly connection to the mountains in which they lived.
A granny witch is someone who took care of their family the best way they knew how, as well as other people in their community, when they could. She (or much more rarely, he) would often serve as a spiritual leader, healer, midwife, and community organizer. Many of them had the gift of second sight, serving as oracles for their families and neighbors. It wasn't unusual for one of them to have a dream about someone passing, and that person would die shortly after.
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Appalachian life could be hard at times, but the wisdom about the natural world that the women and men of these mountains had helped make life possible.​ Doctors were scarce in the Appalachians, so having a granny woman who knew how to deliver a baby or create a poultice or tincture for what ailed someone was a treasure. Granny women did much more than heal; you would find them sitting next to the beds of the dying, serving as death doulas as the person transitioned to the other side. And, there were many granny women who might feed a neighbor's children, when they had nothing or little to eat.
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Their stories are beginning to fade from family memories, as those close to them start to join their ancestors. This documentary serves to preserve the stories of strong, gifted women living hard-scrabble lives while still leaving an indelible imprint on their formidable friend and enemy, the Appalachian Mountains.
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