What does it mean to “tell the bees”? In this episode, we explore a centuries-old European custom carried into Appalachia by Scots-Irish, English, Welsh, and German settlers. Families once whispered news of births, marriages, and deaths to their hives, sometimes draping them in black cloth or feeding them bits of funeral cake.

Through oral histories and folklore, we trace how "telling the bees" became part of Appalachian death lore and what it reveals about a worldview where nature and humanity were kin. Finally, I'll share a poem by Jane Hicks inspired by this tradition.

Sources: John Greenleaf Whittier, “Telling the Bees” (1858); Leonard Roberts, South from Hell-fer-Sartin (1955); Richard Chase, The Jack Tales (1943); Loyal Jones, Appalachian Values (1995)

Ivy Attic Co
Jewelry from coal, river glass, and discarded books handcrafted in the central Appalachian Mountains

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Unless another artist is featured, acoustic music on most episodes: "Freight Train" written by Elizabeth Cotten and performed by Landon Spain