SCOTT COUNTY, VA- “Before Europeans settled in Virginia,there was a Shawnee brave and Cherokee girl who met in the forest. There rising tensions between their two tribes, this was like a version of Romeo and Juliet.  They fell in love with each other on sight and they met in secret for awhile. A member of one of their tribes spotted them one day and ratted her out to the tribe. The girl was forbidden from seeing her love. The man continued to return to their spot because every time, he thought she would be there. One day, she did turn up but she was standing next to the edge of the cliff. She told him that they could never see each other again. They didn’t want their relationship to end, they kissed, and jumped off of the cliff together, hand in hand. People say that they’ve seen the couple on the edge of the cliff, they say that the couple kisses and then jumps off the edge.”

-Savannah Hemmig heard this local Virginia legend from her friends.

I found this piece very interesting because I’ve heard many variations of this tale, versions where they meet in a crystal cave, or a meadow. Many of them add a kind of romantic significance to a spot of nature or a historic landmark.