Raven Mocker
The 'Raven Mocker' sounds terrifyin', and I'm pretty glad I didn't hear about it growin' up! The 'Raven Mocker' sounds terrifyin', and I'm pretty glad I didn't hear about it growin' up! Origin
In Cherokee tradition, Raven Mockers were malevolent spirits that preyed on the weak and the dying. Their name comes from the sound associated with them - a terrible, mocking cry like a raven imitating human grief.
They did not always appear visibly; sometimes they moved as shadows, gusts of wind, or soft footsteps around a cabin. When they did show themselves, stories described them as thin, twisted figures, sometimes with wings or the ability to fly, and sometimes as aging people disguised among the living.
Raven Mockers were part of the Cherokee understanding of life, death, and spiritual danger - feared but respected in the way people respect storms or lightning.
Notes
- Steal the life of the dying - they consume the victim’s life force, adding years to their own.
- Invisible to most people - only medicine men or spiritual healers could see them.
- Mocking raven cry - a chilling sound heard before or after death.
- Shape-shifting ability - sometimes appearing as a normal person to approach a home unnoticed.
- Fear of powerful healers - medicine people could injure or kill them with ritual protection.
If a medicine person was present, the Raven Mocker would flee, knowing its true form could be exposed and destroyed.
Legacy
The Raven Mocker remains one of the most dramatic and spine-chilling stories in Cherokee and Appalachian folklore. It appears in oral histories, modern ghost tours, and mountain storytelling festivals, especially around Halloween or long winter nights.
More than a monster, the Raven Mocker symbolizes the fear of dying alone - and the community’s role in protecting one another at the threshold between life and death.
To this day, elders say that if you hear a raven calling strangely near a sickbed, it’s best to light another lamp and pray that the Raven Mocker passes your house by.
Kin Topics
Related Pages
How to Cite This Page
- APA (7th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, December 10). Raven Mocker. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/folklore/raven-mocker-cherokee-death-spirit
- MLA (9th edition)"The Hillbilly Dude." "Raven Mocker." HillbillySlang.com, 10 Dec. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/folklore/raven-mocker-cherokee-death-spirit.
- Chicago (17th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. "Raven Mocker." HillbillySlang.com. December 10, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/folklore/raven-mocker-cherokee-death-spirit.
Dislaimer
What you're reading here is old Southern folklore and storytelling - not medical advice, and not meant to guide health, or pregnancy decisions (especially pregnancy decisions!). These tales are part of how folks once made sense of the world, passed down from grandparents and midwives.
If you have any medical questions or concerns, talk with a qualified healthcare professional.
Learn more on the Folklore hub page.
