3 forests with supernatural histories
In many films, you may have seen dark, gloomy woodlands where people vanish or where frightening things occur at night. But have you ever considered the possibility that some of the woodlands on our planet may genuinely be haunted? While most scary incidents may result from our wild imaginations, a few forests worldwide have genuine supernatural histories that are way difficult to brush off with a nervous laughter. Nevertheless, people still visit these forests out of curiosity. Are you curious too? Then keep reading!
The Great Wood, England
England’s Great Wood in Norfolk is a coniferous forest, with glittering bluebells enhancing its beauty in spring and colourful meadows bursting with buttercups in summer. It’s the ideal location for a picnic. But is that all there is? On May 19 of every year, it is rumoured that queen Anne Boleyn visits this forest. But who is she? Well, she is the second wife of King Henry VIII (king of England from 1509 to 1547) who was executed on the same day in 1536 after the king accused her of infidelity. So, on her death anniversary, her severed spirit, with the head on her lap, rides these woods in a coach with a headless driver. Well, she’s not the only one. There’s another ghost too. Anne’s father, Thomas Boleyn, is also rumoured to haunt the woods. Before the first rooster crows every year, he must attempt to traverse 12 bridges across the woods—a punishment for failing to stop Anne's death!
Hoia Baciu Forest, Romania
The Hoia Baciu Forest is a part of Romania’s northern border. It covers 250 hectares in Transylvania and is among the most haunted locations on earth owing to strange paranormal events that are frequently recorded. Local legend says that the 55,000-year-old woodland is possessed. And all of this started in the 1960s when the well-known biologist Alexandru Sift captured a photograph of a flying object over the area. To add to this, stories of UFO sightings as well as paranormal activities have often been recorded here. One such event occurred in 1968 when military technician Emil Barnea took pictures of disc-shaped objects passing over the area. This region is also called the ‘Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania’. But why? Probably because, Hoia Baciu, a shepherd, and his 200 sheep vanished from here without a trace! Even today, some allege that after entering the forest, they develop unexplained rashes, feel dizzy and sick and that the location causes electrical items to malfunction! Scary, right?
Devil's Tramping Ground, North Carolina
Devil's Tramping Ground is a foot-wide, barren path that forms a complete circle 40 feet in diameter and 10 miles from Siler City in western Chatham County. What's intriguing is that the circle is surrounded by normal flora, but inside it, only prickly grass grows. And to add to the mystery, locals have even tried to propagate the prickly grass to different soils but failed.
Wait, there are more stories to this that might surprise you. Several local reports say this area is the devil's dance floor. Every night he comes to dance and stomp, scorching everything that he steps on with his fiery feet. This is the reason why it is called the Devil's Tramping Ground.
Other legends claim that the site witnessed a conflict between two warring indigenous groups. The war spilled so much blood that no vegetation could ever grow on this stop again. There's one more with aliens! It is said that a UFO once landed there, killing out all the native vegetation permanently owing to radiation from the extra-terrestrial machines. However, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, nothing grows on this property owing to excessive salt concentration in the soils!