#plat-eye

[maswartz]

[blackspiritshake]

Plateye

[ncfan-1]

Haunts and Monsters: The Plat-Eye

And here is the second of the two articles I wanted to write for the Halloween season this year. The focus of this article is the plat-eye. Enjoy!

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The tradition of the plat-eye, like those of the Boo Hag, are especially common in Gullah communities, this time in both coastal Georgia and the South Carolina Lowcountry. These stories were brought over to America by African slaves in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (The Moonlit Road). There are multiple differing accounts as to the plat-eye’s form and purpose, but regardless, it is widely feared, associated with improper burials, and is known for its fiery eyes.

In some stories, the plat-eye is a human ghost, or an animal-like spirit. In others, the plat-eye is not exactly a spirit, but is considered to be a real creature, one whose tracks can be occasionally found in desolate places (Stoddard 193). Original descriptions of the plat-eye say that its defining feature was its one eye that dangled from the middle of its forehead. The stories would later evolve, and the plat-eye is portrayed as having many different forms (The Moonlit Road).

Often associated with the new moon, the plat-eye is a creature that can assume many forms (Nichols 236). It sometimes appears in the form of a dog, sometimes a horse, sometimes some other animal who might grow larger the closer a wanderer comes to it (Davis 248). Other accounts describe the plat-eye appearing in the form of five-or-six-legged-calves, big black hogs with white tusks, headless dogs, and at times, a flayed, bleeding calf (Hurley 201). At times it appears in form akin to that of a man, and at times it floats like a fog bank over the marsh and other unfrequented paths, seeking to envelop its victims. There is no restriction as to who might see it, young and old, men, women and otherwise. The one commonality to the plat-eye’s appearance is its striking eyes. Its eyes are large and bright, burning like fire, glaring out of the night, and terrifying those unlucky enough to come across it until it vanishes (Gonzales 183).

The common thread running through most plat-eye stories is that of the dead who never received proper burials. By these stories, the plat-eye is usually an evil spirit, sometimes the ghost of a murder victim who never received proper burial, and is now doomed to stand watch over treasure buried in a forest or a swamp (The Moonlit Road). Sometimes the plat-eye is instead a unique spirit brought into existence by the murder and beheading of an unfortunate soul whose head was buried with hidden treasure. The plat-eye lures its victims (its victims being anyone unfortunate enough to come across it, regardless of whether they were searching for the treasure) away from treasure, away from the road, “causing them to lose their way in the woods, go mad, and frequently to die lonely deaths” (Hurley 201).

Plat-eye stories became increasingly common after the Civil War amidst rumors that plantation owners were burying their Confederate money to keep it from being confiscated by the Union army. Some of these stories featured slaves being beheaded by their masters and buried with the money (The Moonlit Road). Many communities in the Sea Islands regard any burial ground as being off-limits to the living thanks to fear of harassment by plat-eyes or other wandering spirits. A plat-eye is believed to spell doom to anyone dares steal from a grave (Stokes 186).

As for how to get rid of a plat-eye, I have found little information. Some sources suggest that finding the human body of the plat-eye and giving it a proper burial might be enough to banish it, but still more provide no information as to what to do. This would suggest that there is no way to banish a plat-eye. The only way to protect yourself against the plat-eye is to pray you never encounter one.

Sources Cited:

Davis, Henry C. “Negro Folk-Lore in South Carolina.” The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 27, No. 105, 1914, pages 241-254.

Gonzales, Ambrose E. The Black Border: Gullah Stories of the Carolina Coast. Applewood Books, 1922.

“Gullah Culture, Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) and the Plat Eye.” The Moonlit Road, http://themoonlitroad.com/gullah-culture-federal-writers-project-plat-eye/. Accessed 22 September 2017.

Hurley, Gerard T. “Buried Treasure Tales in America.” Western Folklore, Vol. 10, No. 3, 1951, pages 197-216.

Nichols, Patricia C. “Storytelling in Carolina: Continuities and Contrasts.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 3, 1989, pages 232-245.

Stoddard, Albert H. “Origin, Dialect, Beliefs, and Characteristics of the Negroes of the South Carolina and Georgia Coasts.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 3, 1944, pages 186-195.

Stokes, Sherrie. “Gone but Not Forgotten: Wakulla County’s Folk Graveyards.” The Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. 70, No. 2, 1991, pages 177-191.

[monkeyssalad-blog]

The Plat-Eye: A Southern Cryptid of Ominous Sight

In the shadowed folklore of the American South, few entities evoke as much unease as the Plat-Eye. Often whispered about in rural communities and passed down through generations, the Plat-Eye is a spectral feline cryptid said to haunt crossroads, graveyards, and forgotten stretches of woodland. Its name derives from its most distinctive feature: a single, flat, glowing eye that pierces through deception and memory alike.

Descriptions of the Plat-Eye vary, but most accounts agree on its unnerving gaze. The creature resembles a large, emaciated cat with matted fur and elongated limbs, its movements jerky and unnatural. The eye—centered in its forehead or replacing one socket entirely—emits a dull phosphorescence, not bright enough to illuminate but impossible to ignore. Witnesses claim that looking into the Plat-Eye’s gaze triggers vivid hallucinations, often of buried secrets or suppressed memories.

Unlike many cryptids that flee from human contact, the Plat-Eye is drawn to emotional unrest. It is said to appear to those burdened by guilt, especially in places where betrayal or violence has occurred. Some folklorists speculate that the Plat-Eye is not a singular creature but a manifestation of unresolved trauma, taking feline form due to regional associations with omens and familiars.

Encounters are rarely fatal, but they are transformative. Those who survive a Plat-Eye sighting often report a lingering sense of being watched, and some claim their dreams are permanently altered—filled with flickering visions of the creature’s eye and the truths it revealed. In rare cases, individuals have gone missing after seeking the Plat-Eye deliberately, hoping to uncover hidden knowledge or confront their past.

Local legends warn against trying to trap or harm the Plat-Eye. It cannot be killed, only avoided. Protective rituals include carrying a mirror shard, which supposedly deflects its gaze, or leaving offerings of milk mixed with ash at crossroads. These traditions suggest a deep-rooted belief in the Plat-Eye’s power—not just as a cryptid, but as a moral force, punishing dishonesty and dredging up what was meant to stay buried.

Whether a literal creature or a symbolic specter, the Plat-Eye remains one of the South’s most enigmatic and emotionally charged cryptids. It is not merely a beast of the woods—it is a reckoner, a watcher, and a reminder that some truths refuse to stay hidden.

[seljepw]

A Plat-eye. The stuff of nightmares for a wee Shelley. A fascination for grownup Shelley. Perfect for Sam and Dean to take on.