“Speleofolklore” is a combination of the words “speleology,” or the study of caves, and “folklore,” the traditional beliefs, stories, and customs of a community that pass between generations orally.
Last Spring Break, we planned a vacation with a packed itinerary. After journeying to Caverns of Sonora in south Texas, we would trek to San Antonio for tacos, culture and barbecue. Once we laid eyes on the Caverns of Sonora, we threw all our plans out the window. The new route twisted back through the Hill Country, catching every cave tour that we could along the way. As writers looking for a compelling plot, we couldn’t have made a better decision. The folklore surrounding Texas caves is filled with fantastic stories, but none quite as mysterious and appealing as the legends involving Cascade Caverns.
An illustration from May E. Francis’ “The Hermit of the Cavern”
We stopped in Boerne, Texas, to see Cascade Caverns (the third of five cave tours on this trip) and waited for the tour guide to arrive, pass out flashlights, and begin. Once he told our group the hermit’s story, we both knew right away it was a unique piece of Texas mythology that was rooted in historical fiction. On the way back from the cave, we stopped at the Boerne Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and started looking for leads. Back at our hotel, we stayed up half the night, reading Francis’ novel The Hermit of the Cavern.
The more cave folklore we heard, the more spellbound we were by the wealth of legends and superstition surrounding these geological displays of artistry. We decided these stories were the ones we wanted to preserve and examine, so we coined the term speleofolklore to describe the genre – and speleofolklorists to describe ourselves. The Speleofolklog will house our findings.
– Erin Marissa Russell & Matt Gibson
& Matt Gibson
Speleofolklog 