Woman in Black (supernatural)
American folklore figure who punished moral transgressions.
The Woman in Black is a supernatural figure from American folklore, reported in various regions of the Southern and Western United States during the early to mid 1900s. She is said to appear to men who have committed moral transgressions, such as infidelity or other misbehavior, often delivering physical punishment or scaring them into reform.
- Associated locations
- Bristol, Virginia; Tazewell, Virginia; Lynchburg, Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; Roanoke, Virginia
Lore & Background
According to legend, a Woman in Black typically appeared to men who had misbehaved, cheated on their wives, or committed some moral transgression. Folklore holds that towns such as Bristol, Virginia, Tazewell, Virginia, Lynchburg, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia were visited by a Woman in Black. In one tale, she appeared 'suddenly and unexpectedly' in Roanoke, Virginia in 1902 to men who had stayed too long at their club, insisting they go home as quickly as possible. Sometimes a Woman in Black was said to hit, pummel, or knock a man down to the ground or 'slap him to the earth with a swish of her phantom garments' as retribution for his sins. If continued, the men would be killed at the location where he committed his act.
Reader's Guide
The Woman in Black serves as a moral enforcer in Appalachian and broader American folklore, reflecting community values regarding fidelity and proper conduct. Her appearances were said to have a salutary effect, such as in Roanoke, where they kept married men home with their wives and families rather than going out each night. One account claims she appeared suddenly to four men of the Disciples of Christ church in Tazewell, Virginia, and scared them so badly they all ran home. Prominent politicians and businessmen were sometimes rumored to have been visited by a Woman in Black. In March 1902, it was claimed that H. S. Wetherald, editor of the Alma Journal; Frank Griggsby, the area's leading carriage dealer; and Ashton C. Shallenberger, then the congressman of Nebraska's Fifth District, and later governor of Nebraska, had been 'spooked' by a Woman in Black in Alma, Nebraska. The figure thus intersects with local history and social control, though her exact nature remains legendary.
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