What Happens If You Whistle in Appalachia? This Is the Chilling Cautionary Tale

Warning: this article contains references that could be considered sensitive topics for Indigenous American people.

The Appalachian mountains provide some of the most breathtaking scenery in all of the United States. The primordial mountains are some of the oldest in the world, and boast a wide diversity of native flora and fauna, along with an impressive fossil record that tells the tale of our planet through the millennia.

But Appalachia's very ancient nature lends itself to a haunting, eerie feeling that both locals and visitors will tell you can sometimes utterly unnerve.

There are many legends about spooky and supernatural beings and incidents in and around the Appalachians, including mysterious monsters and the infamous Mothman.

Yet one legend has become a TikTok phenomenon in recent months as people nervously seek an answer to the question: what happens if you whistle in Appalachia? The answer might disturb you.

It's already spooky season, so people are a little on edge. Ghosts, goblins, and all things haunted are adorning people's homes, and friends and loved ones might be watching scary movies to prepare for everyone's favorite autumn holiday.

So it's no surprise that spooky stories and legends are trending on TikTok. But one story that is about an ages-old legend has people more than a little rattled: what happens when you whistle in Appalachia?

Many locals will tell you that they have been warned by relatives and elders that they shouldn't whistle in Appalachia, at all. Neither during the day, nor at night. But especially not at night. While many of these elders won't speak of the reason behind it, they take the rule very seriously.

According to local legends, whistling attracts "them." If you whistle at night in Appalachia, you will supposedly hear your own whistle echoed back at you as they come seeking the one who attracted their attention. Who is "they?" The answer to this question varies based on who you ask.

The legend itself is not unique. Many cultures have legends and myths about whistling, with most suggesting that it attracts "evil" attention. But Appalachia's legends tie in with the land, the Indigenous people who have lived in the area for thousands of years, and the settlers who brought their own mythologies with them.

Some suggest that "they" are Wendigos, also known as skinwalkers. Skinwalkers are an Indigenous legend that entails creatures who can shape-shift to take on the characteristics of their victims, and use their borrowed visages to track and dine on loved ones.

Perhaps the worst legend is that "they" are unknowable. A nameless, formless evil that lurks in the Appalachian mountains. One which locals say they have come to learn to live with, but don't ever care to taunt or test.

These habits and superstitions don't have a solid source to track them from but are a collaborative mythology woven by those who lived in Appalachia long before and those who have since moved there. Although the modern era makes myths and legends less believable with each passing generation, there are some things that people just won't mess around with, and some fates they just won't tempt.

So if you want to know what happens when you whistle in Appalachia, the disturbing answer from legend would be that anyone who might know for sure didn't live to tell the tale. And those left behind won't taunt fate to find answers.

When you're in Appalachia, only whistle at your own risk. It's probably just a myth, but you won't make any friends by testing the theory.