Episode 10: Legend of Moon-Eyed People of North Carolina

Megan and Brooks discuss the moon-eyed people of NC which is a Cherokee legend mentioned several times throughout history. Are the moon-eyed people aliens? Welsh descendants? An ancient civilization of the human species?

History of the Moon-Eyed People of NC

Published accounts of the moon-eyed people date back to the late 1700s but according to Cherokee legend, they have been around hundreds of years before this. They are called “moon-eyed” because they only came out at night and had pale white skin. So, it was thought, they were very sensitive to sunlight, both their eyes and skin.

They were also described as very small and they lived in caves in the mountains of NC. They were considered natives because they were here long before Europeans came over.

They are called “Welsh Indians” in documents that declared the removal of Cherokees from NC in what we know as “the trail of tears”. They were called Welsh because it was theorized that they were the descendants of a Welsh prince named Madoc who appeared in the area more than 300 years before Columbus sailed to America. But, Madoc was officially said to have been lost at sea and there is no evidence that the moon-eyed people and Madoc were related.

Colonel Leonard Marbury who was an intermediary between the government and Cherokee people wrote that the Cherokee told him when they first arrived in the country which they now inhabit, they found it possessed by “moon-eyed-people” who could not see in the daytime. He believed they were an albino race.

Moon-Eyed People of NC Theories

Welsh Decendants

As stated above, some believe they are the descendants of a Welsh prince named Madoc who sailed the Atlantic but never returned. This is considered folklore because there are no historical accounts to prove it.

It’s said he sailed to America in 1170 and according to the story he took to the sea to escape internecine violence at home. Legend also says that Madoc’s voyagers intermarried with local Native Americans and that their Welsh-speaking descendants still live somewhere in the United States today.

Others speculate that these descendants were the moon-eyed people of NC but it doesn’t explain why they were so short, pale, and sensitive to the sun.

Alien Race

It’s speculated that the moon-eyed people were actually an alien race that was left on Earth to investigate it. It also ties into the Brown Mountain lights of NC that still happen today. Some say the Brown Mountain lights are aliens looking for the lost moon-eyed people from long before.

The moon-eyed people are thought to have built a wall to try and keep the Cherokee off of their land which is still standing today at Fort Mountain.

No one knows what happened to the moon-eyed people of NC and if they are still out there. There haven’t been recent sightings of them and the last known mention of them historically was in 1923 in the Chattanooga News.

What do you think the moon-eyed people were? Are they still alive?

Use Apple Podcasts? Leave us a review for a shoutout on our next episode!

Do you have a paranormal experience you’d like to share? Or have an idea for a podcast episode for Megan & Brooks? Contact us via our contact form on the website, via Instagram, or Facebook! We’d love to hear from you!