In Maryland folklore, the Dwayyo or Dewayo is a monster associated with the towns of West Middeltown and Wolfsville. A newspaper account in the Frederick Post from 11/27/65 discusses a purported encounter with the creature. "Near the woods of Gambrill Park, "John Becker" went into his yard to investigate a strange noise. It was getting dark, and he was heading back to the house, when he saw something moving toward him. "It was as big as a bear, had long black hair, a bushy tail, and growled like a wolf or a dog in anger." As it got closer, it stood up on its hind legs and attacked him. "Becker" fought the creature until it ran into the woods, leaving him, his wife and children in horror. Deciding to remain anonymous under the alias John Becker, he filed a report with local state police, telling of an attack by a mysterious monster that he called a Dwayyo."
Sensing a good story, Frederick News Post reporter George May wrote a series of articles on the monster, and soon newspapers throughout the area were carrying the story. These articles spawned a rash of calls and letters to the newspaper, ranging from the absurd to the furious. The County Treasurers office received an application for a Dwayyo license from a "John Becker" accompanied by the one-dollar fee. The license was issued and mailed in care of George May, Frederick News Post. The Frederick newspapers also reported other "sightings." An Adamstown, Maryland woman called the paper and insisted that "this trash about the Dwayyo be stopped." She said her daughter was being treated for a nervous condition because of all this talk about the Dwayyo." "Several hunters saw a strange black beast roaming the woods. An Ellerton Maryland Route 17 woman reported that residents of that area had heard something cry like a baby and scream like a woman for several months. A Jefferson, Maryland woman said that she saw a strange dog-shaped animal about the size of a calf chasing some cows on a farm near her home. However, investigations by local and state police turned up nothing substantial on the John Becker-Dwayyo story. By mid-December, the story started to fade. There had not been any sightings for several days, and it was suggested that the Dwayyo had moved on to another area." "It has moved to Port Deposit MD." A long time Port Deposit resident "john" said in a interview he and I did last week. He said he has seen the creature on two seperate fishing trips. "It was tall emaciated and looked deformed" said "john" who seen it running through the woods off of route 222 by the conowing dam. And that's not the only sighting, a trusted source said he heard a longtime member of the water witch fire department of Port deposit discussing his sighting of a creature running north on the train tracks and his description matches that of the dwayyo. I will continue to investigate dwayyo sightings in and around the Port deposit area and will publish updates of findings. If you have seen the dwayyo or another paranormal creature visit the contact page you can report the sighting anonymously.
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Creating magick effigies is a practice as old as witchcraft. Used in all types witchery, from healing to hexing, poppets are a basic part of a witch’s magickal practice. Poppets can be made out of many materials, including wax, fabric, wood, and clay. They are activated using a variety of ways, ranging from baptism to incantation. A poppet is simply a figurine representing a person or animal. They are typically made from fabric cut into a humanoid shape and stuffed with herbs, stones, powders, etc. Taglocks are something connected to the being you're representing, they include Part of their physical being such as hair, nails, teeth, blood and other bodily fluids or skin An image, photograph or painting, clothing (unwashed is better), their name, astrological considerations, such as their zodiac sign, aspects of their personality and favored possessions and are added to form a link.
The taglock is activated through the process of binding so that any work carried out on the poppet manifests on the person, animal or spirit as well. The taglock captures a piece of the soul of the spirit or deity, binding them to the poppet. The poppet is used to activate the powers of the spirit or deity. A poppet containing a plant spirit would be made by using pieces of the plant as the taglock. The magickal poppet is one of the most commonly used charms in sympathetic magic, which follows along on the theory that âlike creates like.â Poppets have been around for a long time, and used in a number of different cultures and religious belief systems. There are many ways to create a poppet, and they can be used to harm or to heal; if you create a poppet of a person, anything done to the poppet will affect the person it represents. If your knowledge is from movies, youâd believe poppets are for harming another person and nothing else. But that's not the case at all. They can be used for health, protection, love, luck, wealth,happiness, anything. Most people have no idea that the magickal use of dolls to represent someone else goes back as far as ancient Egypt and even Greece. Witchcraft cultures all over the world have incorporated dolls into their magic as a way to represent another and either control or make things happen to that individual. In American Hoodoo and folk magic, the use of poppets as a magical tool became popular following the Civil War. There is some dispute as to whether the dolls are used at all in Haiti, which is the home of Vodoun religion, and a few sources disagree on whether the use of poppets is truly a Vodoun practice or not. However, the Voodoo Museum of New Orleans does stock a variety of dolls in their gift shop. Regardless of how you make your poppet out of cloth, a chunk of meat, or a glob of wax, remember that poppets have a long tradition behind them, and that tradition is influenced by the magical practices of a wide range of cultures. Treat your poppets well, and they will do the same for you! Other Names: Fairy Butter, Black Jelly Fungus, Black Jelly Roll, Warty Jelly, Devil's Butter, Troll-Smor.
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AuthorDrew Whitmore lives in rural Maryland along the susquehanna river. He spends his freetime outdoors, fishing, hiking and exploring. |