What Scares You About A Swamp? Research Update and a Poll
I’ve started preliminary research for my horror novel. I know that some of it will take place in the Great Dismal Swamp.
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The Great Dismal Swamp is one that extends across southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Some scientists estimate that it once consisted of over a million acres.
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Over the past several centuries, however, due to intensive logging and the building of the Dismal Swamp Canal (completed in1805), the area shrank to 112, 000 acres.
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Books from the library.
I got interested in the history of this swamp, several years ago, when I learned that many African American runaway slaves formed maroon societies in this very harsh environment. There are also lots of tales and folklore about the Great Dismal Swamp that involve eerie lights, ghost sightings and other strange phenomena. There are also true stories about people going into the swamp and never being seen again.
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Although swamps can be beautiful places because of the biodiversity, they also lend themselves to a horror landscape. [image error]
The swamp has its own unique ecosystem and that includes critters that would be fun (so to speak), to highlight in a horror novel.
To that end, I’d love to know what kinds of fears the swamp might invoke for you. If you have a moment, I’ve created a poll to gather just such information.
Take Our Poll
Photo Credits: http://www.virginialiving.com/travel/the-great-dismal-swamp/
https://www.hhhistory.com/2016/09/the-great-dismal-swamp.html
