James’s Latin mostly goes over my head, in part because I’ve been listening to the audio versions instead of reading, but he spins great tales of bad things happening when people delve where they should not.
Lick Creek is a real location, and the bridge burnings and subsequent hangings occurred pretty much as described in the story (see link below). I can’t think of a specific location, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the name used for other streams, and you are correct- they are typically named for nearby salt deposits.
I love the weaving together of so many threads in this story. The Appalachian aspect and that M.R. James story (one of the best ghost stories) was excellently done. It’s funny in the M.R. James tale when the character finds the whistle it says FUR FLA BIS / FLE BIS, which has multiple renderings. It can be read as “Thief, thou shalt blow, and thou shalt weep. But “bis” also means “twice” in Latin and so it can be read as “Thief, blow twice, weep twice.”
Regarding Lick Creek. We have several rivers and streams with “lick” in them. I didn’t learn until just recently that it comes from the salt deposits that the cattle need to lick to get their nutrients. And so rivers named that meant that there were natural salt deposits somewhere near them.
James’s Latin mostly goes over my head, in part because I’ve been listening to the audio versions instead of reading, but he spins great tales of bad things happening when people delve where they should not.
Lick Creek is a real location, and the bridge burnings and subsequent hangings occurred pretty much as described in the story (see link below). I can’t think of a specific location, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the name used for other streams, and you are correct- they are typically named for nearby salt deposits.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Tennessee_bridge_burnings
I am shook. What an incredible tale. You're a fantastic writer. Just ... holy shit. So, so, SO good!
I love the weaving together of so many threads in this story. The Appalachian aspect and that M.R. James story (one of the best ghost stories) was excellently done. It’s funny in the M.R. James tale when the character finds the whistle it says FUR FLA BIS / FLE BIS, which has multiple renderings. It can be read as “Thief, thou shalt blow, and thou shalt weep. But “bis” also means “twice” in Latin and so it can be read as “Thief, blow twice, weep twice.”
Regarding Lick Creek. We have several rivers and streams with “lick” in them. I didn’t learn until just recently that it comes from the salt deposits that the cattle need to lick to get their nutrients. And so rivers named that meant that there were natural salt deposits somewhere near them.
I love everything about this.