Moll Derry: The Witch of the Monongahela

I got a new card to represent the foundation of my practice and I’m in love with it. Let me tell you about Moll Derry, the Witch of the Monongahela.🌲

(I was lucky to have the opportunity to create a custom memento mori oracle card as a patron of @blackandthemoon. I’m so stoked to add it to my main deck.)

Mary Derry (aka ‘Moll’) arrived in America with her husband Valentine around 1783. Valentine quickly developed a reputation as an exceptionally gifted hunter and sharpshooter. A newspaper article entitled “Mountain Hunter” stated that his supernatural shooting skills could in part be attributed to folk magic, noting that he was a wizard who could charm deer.

The same article goes on to recognize Moll as a famous fortune-teller who made extra money selling whiskey. She was also extremely skilled at finding lost items and animals, detailing (“without any hints”) the location of the missing object/creature and its thief. This was usually accomplished via coffee tasseography. The article closes by saying, “she harmed no one, and if she got her money and her coffee, she was always contented.” (Same?)

The couple’s first son was born in their primitive Fayette County mountain home in 1786. They went on to have six more kids.

There are tons of folktales associated with Moll, but a favorite of mine is The Three Hanged Men. According to legend, one day while walking, Moll encountered three men who loudly mocked her ability to divine. She quickly turned on them, muttering that they would all hang. Within a few years, two of the men would wind up on the gallows. The third soon followed by his own hand, overcome with fear of Moll’s premonition.

Moll died in 1843 and became known as the Fortune Teller of the Revolution.

I’m looking forward to having her card on hand for the times I find myself drifting from the center of my practice and identity as a folk witch.⛰️

Portland Mary figurine by @maryhenlin.

For more info on Moll Dell and folk magic in early southwestern Pennsylvania, I recommend checking out The Witch of the Monongahela by Thomas White.🖤

This article was originally published by @gritchenwitch on Instagram. To learn about me and my practice, including more info on folk witchcraft, mountain magic, knot work, and hearthcraft, please visit gritchenwitch.com or join my Patreon at patreon.com/gritchenwitch.

Moll Derry: The Witch of the Monongahela

Home About