Every state has a bit of folklore to go along with it, whether it’s tales of ghosts or sightings of Big Foot, they’re there. But why Alabama? Because I’m an avid believer in both the supernatural and alphabetical order!
Bigfoot
Alright I’m not stretching here on this one but you can’t talk about Alabama folklore and not mention it. In case you are unfamiliar with Bigfoot, he/she/it is a gigantically tall, hairy, ape-like man-beast. In 1971, Jim Smith, then 15 years old, became obsessed with the creature and founded the Alabama Bigfoot Society. He still runs it today, and sightings are still as popular as they ever were.
The Alabama “White Thang”
No, The Alabama “White Thang” isn’t a terrible YouTube dance craze. The “White Thang” in question is a 7-ft-tall creature covered in white hair. Sightings have been reported as far back as the 1940s and say the animal moves quickly and expel an eerie screech. Alabamans speculate that the “White Thang” could be an albino Bigfoot, but others have described it as looking like an upright lion. Oh, and there’s a Facebook page!
Huggin’ Molly
Legend goes that Molly lost her baby and now roams the street at night looking for children to…hug? Yes, she is said to grab children and hug them firmly while screaming in their ear. So of all the creepy-woman-on-the-road tales out there, this one isn’t too damaging. Alabama also opened up a restaurant called Huggin’ Molly’s.
Big Man-Eater
While not a brilliant name, it is rather straight to the point. As you may have guessed, this figure is thought to be a giant beast that eats people. Big Man first came around in Native American tribes located in Alabama. The odd thing though is that the tribe associated this legend with elephants. Scientists think this can be linked to the mammoth fossils found in Alabama.
Hell’s Gate Bridge
Every state has a scary bridge story, or two and Alabama is no different. The story of Hell’s Gate tells the tale of a young couple who lost control of their car and plummeted to a watery grave. The legend states that if you drive your car onto the bridge and get out the seats will fill up with water signifying the couple attempting to drive your car out of there. Another part of the legend says that if you turn your car around on the bridge and drive away you will see fire behind you, like the gates of Hell.