Appalachian death myths

[Wise Old Owl]

Has anyone ever heard of a "Crown of Feathers"? This one was from when people slept on feather beds and had feather pillows. The old people used to say that if a person was a particularly good person, when they died you could look inside of their pillows and you would see a crown of feathers inside of the feather pillow. Actually, I've seen one and it looked like a crown, made of feathers. It was like it was woven and was beautiful. The lady who had died on the pillow was an exceptionally devout woman and was kind to everyone. She fed so many people that everyone in town knew they could come to her and get something to eat. She would always share even if her family didn't know where their next meal was coming from. She or her family never went hungry either. Here's a link to an article about them:

http://www.carrollscorner.net/FeatherDeathCrowns.htm

The one I saw was huge and looked like a pill box hat that women used to wear in the 50's and 60's. It was solid and very firm to touch. I hope you all get to see one eventually.

 

[Isis]

I had never heard that particular story although it's a neat one. I have a sneaking suspicion that even if I had a feather pillow, there would be no crown after my death.