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Urban Legend Stories: Chilling Tales from Your Neighborhood
Do you love a good scare? A shiver down your spine? Then buckle up, because we're diving headfirst into the shadowy world of urban legend stories. These aren't your grandmother's fairy tales; these are chilling narratives whispered in hushed tones, stories that tap into our deepest fears and fascinate us with their ambiguity. This post will explore the captivating world of urban legends, examining their origins, common themes, and some of the most enduring and terrifying examples. Get ready to explore the folklore of your own backyard.
The Allure of the Urban Legend: Why We Tell (and Believe) These Stories
What makes urban legends so compelling? Why do we, in this age of scientific inquiry, still readily embrace these often fantastical tales? The answer is complex, but it boils down to a few key factors:
The Power of the Unknown:
Urban legends thrive on the unsettling feeling of the unknown. They often feature unexplained events or ambiguous circumstances, leaving room for speculation and a lingering sense of unease. This ambiguity fuels the narrative, making the story more memorable and easily adaptable to different cultures and contexts.
Social Commentary & Warnings:
Many urban legends act as cautionary tales, reflecting societal anxieties and fears. They often serve as warnings about the dangers of strangers, the consequences of risky behavior, or the potential for hidden malevolence in everyday life. This social commentary embedded within the narrative strengthens their staying power.
Shared Experience & Community Building:
Telling and retelling urban legends fosters a sense of community. Sharing a frightening story creates a bond between the teller and the listener, a shared experience that transcends individual realities. This communal aspect helps perpetuate these narratives across generations.
Common Themes in Urban Legend Stories
While diverse in their specifics, many urban legends share recurring themes:
The Hookman:
This classic tale warns against isolated locations and late-night drives. Variations abound, but the core narrative usually involves a hook-wielding murderer escaping from a mental institution or prison. The story’s effectiveness lies in its ambiguity and the potential for real-world application of the warning.
Bloody Mary:
The invocation of Bloody Mary, typically in a darkened bathroom mirror, is a rite of passage for many teenagers. This legend taps into our fear of the supernatural and the unknown, playing on the vulnerability often felt in adolescence. The simplicity of the ritual and the potential for a supernatural encounter make it incredibly memorable.
Vanishing Hitchhikers:
Tales of picking up a mysterious hitchhiker who vanishes mid-journey prey on our anxieties about strangers and the hidden dangers lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life. These stories highlight the potential for the mundane to become menacing.
The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs:
This chilling narrative emphasizes parental anxieties and fears for the safety of children. The implied threat, lurking unseen and unheard, plays on our primal fears of intrusion and helplessness.
Analyzing the Enduring Power of Urban Legends
The longevity of urban legends is a testament to their cultural significance. They are constantly evolving, adapting to changing social norms and technologies. What was once a whispered tale around a campfire might now spread virally through social media, demonstrating their adaptability and resilience. The ability to morph and incorporate current events ensures these stories continue to resonate with new generations.
Deconstructing the Truth Behind the Tales
It’s important to remember that urban legends are not necessarily factual accounts. While some may be based on real-life incidents or events, they are often embellished and distorted through repeated retellings. The power of the urban legend lies not in its factual accuracy but in its ability to capture and reflect our deepest fears and anxieties.
Conclusion
From the chilling whisper of the Hookman to the spectral call of Bloody Mary, urban legends continue to capture our imaginations and fuel our anxieties. Their enduring power stems from their ability to tap into universal fears, serve as social commentary, and foster a sense of shared experience. While the truth behind these tales may be elusive, their cultural impact is undeniable, making them a fascinating subject of study and a source of endless fascination.
FAQs
1. Are urban legends always scary? Not necessarily. While many urban legends focus on fear and the supernatural, some are humorous or even cautionary tales presented in a less overtly terrifying manner.
2. Where do urban legends originate? The origins of many urban legends are difficult to pinpoint, often evolving organically through repeated retellings and adaptations. Sometimes, they are rooted in actual events, but these are frequently embellished or distorted over time.
3. How do urban legends spread? In the past, urban legends spread primarily through word of mouth. Today, social media and the internet play a significant role in their dissemination, accelerating their reach and evolution.
4. Can urban legends be harmful? While most urban legends are harmless entertainment, some can incite fear or panic, especially if they involve credible-sounding threats. It's important to critically evaluate the information presented.
5. Are there any benefits to studying urban legends? Yes! Studying urban legends provides insights into cultural values, anxieties, and social norms. They serve as a rich source of anthropological and sociological information, reflecting the fears and concerns of a particular time and place.
| urban legend stories: Creepy Urban Legends Tim O'Shei, 2011 Describes scary urban legends, including The Vanishing Hitchhiker and The Babysitter on the Phone--Provided by publisher. |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends Gillian Bennett, Paul Smith, 2007-04-30 Presents the basic stories behind urban myths and legends from around the world, along with examples of each, and groups them by theme, which includes city life, horror, accidents, disease, animals, sex, merchandise, murder, and the supernatural. |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends Thomas J. Craughwell, 2004-09-17 |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends Richard Roeper, 1999 Offers the truth about a variety of urban legends that have been circulated on the Internet, by the media, and around offices. |
| urban legend stories: Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand, 2001-10-17 A collection of oft-repeated urban legends brings together the best of modern myths, from the stoned baby sitter who mistook a baby for a turkey to the fabulously expensive recipe for chocolate chip cookies. |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends Ngaire E. Genge, 2010-06-09 Urban Legends is a remarkably complete collection of the modern myths that make the rounds in offices, college dorms, and every other place where people tell the stories that spring from our deepest fears and fascinations. Every culture has its folktales including ours. Except, instead of involving gods and goddesses or princes and princesses, ours involve some guy my sister's best friend knows or someone who woke up in a motel room. They happened, supposedly, to real people, usually recently, in a particular place. And they touch the most sensitive nerves of our psyches with ironic twists, gross-out shocks, and moral lessons learned the hard way. From the classic tale The Mexican Pet in which the dog turns out to be no Chihuahua to the more unappetizing story of condoms as fast-food burger garnish, from surgically skilled kidney thieves to sexual experiments that end in the emergency room, Urban Legends relates more 300 of the most enticing, macabre, and unforgettable tales. Expertly told, they are arranged in such chapters as Crazy Little Thang Called Sex, Oh, Scare Me, Campus Capers, Corporate Convolutions, and So Much For Comfort Food. Fascinating, chilling, and occasionally repulsive, Urban Legends has all your favorites and hundreds more. |
| urban legend stories: The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand, 1994-10-17 America's premier folk detective is back on the case, sniffing out those zany but dubious stories that really happened to a friend of your sister's boyfriend's accountant's mechanic. Jan Harold Brunvand—''Mr. Urban Legend [Smithsonian]—tracks the most fabulous tales making today's cocktail-party circuit and shows why those stories that sound too good to be true probably are too good to be true. The eponymous episode—The Baby Train—sheds light on certain predawn activities that have linked unusually high birth rates to the whim of train schedule makers. Other stories offer a revealing peek behind the story of The Exploding Bra, expose the embarrassing source of The Hairdresser's Error, resurrect a Failed Suicide Buster Keaton would have died for, and show why adults are better off not bringing their comic book fantasies out of the closet. From Superhero Hijinx to The Shocking Videotape to The Accidental Cannibal, The Baby Train uncovers the mysteries behind some of the bawdiest, goriest, funniest, most pyrotechnic urban legends yet. |
| urban legend stories: Haunting Urban Legends Megan Cooley Peterson, 2013-07 Spooky retellings of well-known urban legends--Provided by publisher. |
| urban legend stories: The Lady on the Road Nick Herntier, 2019-08-13 Do you want to get a good reading in, but only have 10-15 minutes? Want a full scary story but don't want to read for days and days? This short thriller is for you!Are urban legends real?After being teased about a scary urban legend of The Lady on the road by her older brother, a teenage girl drives to her friend's house on a Friday night to hang out. After leaving her friend's house, she decides she's going to prove to her brother that The Lady on the Road urban legend is just that... |
| urban legend stories: The Big Book of Urban Legends Robert Loren Fleming, Jan Harold Brunvand, Robert F. Boyd (Jr.), 1994 A collection of 200 outrageous urban legend stories illustrated by the world's top comic artists. |
| urban legend stories: Be Afraid Be Very Afraid Harold Jan Brunvand, 2004-10-05 An anthology of the most chilling urban legends of all time collected by the maestro himself. Urban legends are those strange, but seemingly credible tales that always happen to a friend of a friend. For the first time, Professor Jan Harold Brunvand, who has achieved almost legendary status (Choice), has collected the creepiest, most terrifying urban legends, many that have spooked you since your childhood and others that you believe really did occur—even if it was one town over to some poor hapless coed who left a party early only to be followed by a man who just got loose from a mental hospital. From the classic hook-man story told around many a campfire to Saved by a Cell Phone, these spine-tingling urban legends will give you goose bumps, even when you know they can't be true. Still, you'll continue to check the backseat of your car at gas stations and look under your bed at night before praying for sleep. |
| urban legend stories: The Hollow Tree James Brogden, 2018-03-13 From the critically acclaimed author of Hekla's Children comes a dark and haunting tale of our world and the next.WHO DANCED WITH MARY BEFORE SHE DIED?After her hand is amputated following a tragic accident, Rachel Cooper suffers vivid nightmares of a woman imprisoned in the trunk of a hollow tree, screaming for help. When she begins to experience phantom sensations of leaves and earth with her lost hand, Rachel is terrified she is going mad... but then another hand takes hers, and the trapped woman is pulled into our world. She has no idea who she is, but Rachel can't help but think of the mystery of Oak Mary, a female corpse found in a hollow tree, and who was never identified. Three urban legends have grown up around the case; was Mary a Nazi spy, a prostitute or a gypsy witch? Rachel is desperate to learn the truth, but darker forces are at work. For a rule has been broken, and Mary is in a world where she doesn't belong... |
| urban legend stories: Am I Beautiful? Jon Athan, 2021-02-15 Adam Miller, a successful marketing manager at a travel agency, visits Tokyo, Japan on business. During his trip, he has a one-night stand with a young Japanese woman, Miki Someya. But Miki latches onto him. She follows him-stalks him-through the streets of Tokyo, professing her love and begging for his. Adam manages to avoid her, but he loses control of himself when she confronts him and threatens to follow him home to tell his wife about their affair. In a fit of drunken rage, Adam attacks her. He beats her black and blue, then he carves a smile on her face with a pair of shears. Afraid and ashamed, he flees the country and escapes prosecution. But years later, when children start vanishing in his city and the only suspect is a woman with a scarred face, he suspects his past has followed him home... Inspired by a classic urban legend, Jon Athan, the author of Lovesick and Maneater, brings you a disturbing new vision of sadistic romance. WARNING: This novel contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised. |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends Nick Harding, 2016-11-24 To many, Urban Legends are nothing more than harmless tales told round a camp fire, in a dormitory or round a table in a pub with the express aim of provoking a frisson of fear in the listener through the use of some horrific shock element in a familiar location and to an unlucky protagonist who is known to a friend of a friend of a friend. But is there something working at a deeper level? We have all heard stories of the Deep Fried Rat, the Ghostly Hitchhiker, the Hook Handed Killer or the Poodle in the Microwave but should we take them at face value or greet them with scorn and derision? Did the events in these tales ever really happen or are they the product of over active imaginations fearful of the outside world? In this book Nick Harding sets out to describe a host of Urban Legends suggesting that we should not dismiss them purely as nonsense nor accept them as gospel truth but by striving to understand their underlying meanings we begin to see their true worth as folklore for the modern world. To understand folklore and therefore the realm of the Urban Legend is to understand the psyche of a nation. By understanding Urban Legends we can gain an insight into our own fears and those of our fellow human beings. |
| urban legend stories: Encyclopedia of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand, 2002 Presents descriptions of hundreds of urban legends and their variations, themes, and scholarly approaches to the genre, including such tales as disappearing hitchhikers and hypodermic needles left in the coin slots of pay telephones. |
| urban legend stories: Hekla's Children James Brogden, 2017-03-07 Teacher Nathan Brookes leaves four pupils alone during a field trip in a national park. Within minutes, they have disappeared. A girl called Liv returns, but she has no memory of where she's been. When a body is found years later, it is first believed to be one of the children, but is identified as a Bronze Age man. Yet Nathan starts to have horrific visions of the missing students. Then Liv reappears, desperate that the man be reburied. For he is the only thing keeping a terrible evil at bay... |
| urban legend stories: Scary Urban Legends Tom Baker, John Eng, 2010 Presents scary stories based on urban legends and includes two stories based on true events. |
| urban legend stories: The Slenderman Mysteries Nick Redfern, 2018-02-19 It’s the dead of night; you are fast asleep. Suddenly, you are wide awake but unable to move. Hunched over you in the shadows is an eight- or nine-foot-tall gaunt entity with spider-thin limbs, dressed in an old-style black suit, its pale face missing eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. You finally manage to cry out. The monstrous thing disappears as suddenly as it appeared. You just had a terrifying encounter with the Slenderman. Who—or what—is the Slenderman? His existence began on the Internet, but he didn’t stay online. The Slenderman may be a tulpa, a thought-form that can stride out of our darkest imaginations and into reality if enough people believe in it. In May 2014, two young Milwaukee girls almost killed a friend in the name of the Slenderman. Perhaps, like the vast Skynet system in the Terminator movies, the Internet is turning against us—and attacking us with digital equivalents of our own online nightmares. The Slenderman has come to life. For the first time, this book reveals the full and fear-filled saga. |
| urban legend stories: Batman: Urban Legends (2021-) #7 Guillaume Singelin, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Kenny Porter, 2021-09-14 The legend of Batman only begins with Bruce Wayne! For centuries to come different people will take up the mantle of Batman and defend the times they’re living in from all forms of villainy. See four of the finest Bats the future may offer! • In Neo-Gotham, Bruce Wayne lies murdered in the Batcave. Terry McGinnis-Bruce Wayne’s final protégé-will travel into the dark heart of Neo-Gotham to find who killed the greatest hero the city ever knew. • In Future State, Cassandra Cain just wants a moment to enjoy a hot meal but the Magistrate’s pursuit of her is relentless! • In a blasted future, the Dark Knight stands alone against a murderous gang threatening his ruined city…and their mysterious leader will be a shocker! |
| urban legend stories: Scottish Urban Legends Aaron Mullins, 2023-10-28 A huge collection of Scottish Urban Legends, Myths and True Stories. The definitive guide to the legendary stories that reveal Scotland's mysterious past. Featuring 50 captivating Scottish folklore stories, you'll embark on a journey through the shadowy alleys of Edinburgh, the misty moors of the Highlands, and the forgotten corners of Glasgow, discovering the secret myths and legends of Scotland that have been passed down through generations. Each tale is dazzlingly retold for a modern audience. Gather around the fireside and hear incredible stories from a land filled with magic and mystery. Feel the rich history brought to life through folktales passed down through generations. Hear the true stories that lurk amongst these myths, things that the author has witnessed with his own eyes, revealed for the very first time. Where is the most haunted road in Scotland? Who got caught cheating while playing cards with the devil? Which ancient rhyme can summon a violent poltergeist? Haunted places, ghost stories and Celtic folklore, this enchanting collection has them all. From spooky tales of great battles to pagan rituals that are still performed today. Discover the cursed locations where you can see and feel these experiences for yourself if you dare. Huddle closer to the fire, immerse yourself in the dark history of Scotland, and discover which of these unforgettable legends are true. |
| urban legend stories: Great Australian Urban Legends Eamon Evans, 2015-11-01 Satanists in Perth. Panthers in Sydney. Inner Melbourne's secret morgue. Australia is stuffed full of stories that need to be taken with a big spoon of salt. Stories that we all know are silly, but that we also just can't help sharing. In Great Australian Urban Legends, Eamon Evans presents you with myths, misconceptions and bare-faced lies about real people and real places down under. These pages libel Captain Cook and slander Phar Lap. They will annoy the Wiggles and David Boon. They will reveal whether Harold Holt really died, if the bunyip ever lived, and which famous Australian now gets by as a ghost. |
| urban legend stories: Corpse Cold: New American Folklore Joseph Sullivan, John Brhel, 2017-11-12 They take place on desolate highways, in a dark and lonely wood, in ordinary neighborhoods just like your own. Tales of everyday people caught up in indomitable situations. Dread-inducing moments with an air of plausibility-while you hope to god they aren't actually true. Urban legends, modern folklore, or creepypasta. Whatever you call them, they represent shards of our deepest anxieties as individuals, as a society. CORPSE COLD: NEW AMERICAN FOLKLORE evokes the spirit of the campfire tales you heard as a kid. This 20-story anthology offers refreshing, mature reinterpretations of time-tested stories, and wholly original legends that explore the twisted labyrinth of modern myth. Each tale is brought to life and made all the more unsettling by the striking, grisly illustrations of artist Chad Wehrle. |
| urban legend stories: Alligators in the Sewer and 222 Other Urban Legends Thomas J. Craughwell, 1999-07 Collects both well-known stories and shady rumors, including The Stolenidney, Naked at His Own Surprise Party, and The Scuba Diver in theorest Fire. |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends, Ghost Stories, and Folklore Micah Campbell, 2022-01-25 You thought you knew... but you have no idea. The Jersey Devil, Wendigo, The Gates of Hell, Bloody Mary, The Lady in White... Primordial pagan religions, the Norse Pantheon, Greek Mythology... Ritual Killings, Alien Invasion, The Occult... We've all heard the stories around the campfire or at the water cooler. We've all shared the legends with hushed whispers or nervous laughter. But do we really know the truth? Do we really know what goes bump in the night? Do we want to? If you are at all interested in ancient tales, spooky legends, the macabre, superstitions, cryptids, or cults then this is the book for you! It is harrowing and hilarious, interesting and irreverent, spooky, and oh so satisfying. Urban Legend, Ghost Stories, and Folklore will bring you the truth about the legends and lore that you've heard of your whole life. Are you ready? |
| urban legend stories: The Scariest Stories You've Ever Heard Katherine Burt, 1988-12 Terrifying tales to tell at a slumber party, around a campfire, or in a dark room with the wind howling outside. |
| urban legend stories: American Children's Folklore Simon J. Bronner, 1988 Front cover: A book of rhymes, games, jokes, stories, secret languages, beliefs and camp legends, for parents, grandparents, teachers, counselors and all adults who were once children. |
| urban legend stories: Encyclopedia of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand, 2001 Presents descriptions of hundreds of urban legends and their variations, themes, and scholarly approaches to the genre, including such tales as disappearing hitchhikers and hypodermic needles left in the coin slots of pay telephones. |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends James Proud, 2016-09-08 There are some stories that people claim without a doubt are true. ‘It really happened, to a friend of a friend!’ Who knows if they have credibility or if they’re the products of ‘Chinese Whispers’ and vivid imaginations? Whatever the case, this collection of creepy tales has the power to unnerve and fascinate us all. |
| urban legend stories: From the Basement Taylor Markarian, 2019-09-15 A Look at the History of the Emo and Indie Music Era Explore the cultural, social, and psychological factors surrounding the genres. Though songs can be timeless, music is often a result of the era in which it was created. Emo rock music, like punk before it, carries an emotional tone that has resonated on a deeper level with listeners. Originally appealing to a small selection of music lovers, these genres of rock now hold a significant place in music history. The relationship between music and mental health. Music leaves its mark on the world through touching the hearts and minds of its creators and listeners. Whether it's the lyrics or the melody, the instruments or the voice, the connection we make with music is unparalleled in terms of cultural unifiers. This book explores that connection and takes a look at what these genres of music did for the mental health of musicians and listeners. Hear from the music legends themselves about what defines this era. The voices of the artists who contributed to these genres of music are just as important now as they were then. Author Taylor Markarian includes both her own interviews with bands and those from outside sources to provide an oral history and offer an authentic portrayal of this underground era to readers. Markarian's book offers a comprehensive look into genres of music that have been simultaneously mocked and admired. Discover in From the Basement: The beauty and legitimacy of the gritty, wailing music that evolved into indie, alternative, and emo Insights from conversations with favorite emo/indie bands of the time The impact these genres have had on today's pop culture and mental health If books such as Please Kill Me, American Hardcore, Meet Me in the Bathroom, and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs have rocked your world, then From the Basement should be your next read. |
| urban legend stories: Mother of Learning: ARC 1 nobody103, Domagoj Kurmaic, 2021-12-01 Zorian Kazinski has all the time in the world to get stronger, and he plans on taking full advantage of it. A teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, Zorian is attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. A driven and quiet young man, he is consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, resenting the Kazinskis for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, Zorian has no time for pointless distractions, much less other people's problems. As it happens, though, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of Cyoria's annual summer festival, Zorian is murdered, then abruptly brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take the train to school. Finding himself trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, he will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery set before him. He does have to unravel it, too, because the loop clearly wasn’t made for his sake, and in a world of magic even a time traveler isn't safe from those who wish him ill. Fortunately for Zorian, repetition is the mother of learning… |
| urban legend stories: The Plague Stones James Brogden, 2019-06-04 A family’s fresh start in a quaint British village turns into a waking, ghost-ridden nightmare in this chilling work of folk horror about tradition, evil, and the Great Plague Fleeing from a traumatic break-in, Londoners Paul and Tricia Feenan sell up to escape to the isolated Holiwell village where Tricia has inherited a property. Scattered throughout the settlement are centuries-old stones used during the Great Plague as boundary markers. No plague-sufferer was permitted to pass them and enter the village. The plague diminished, and the village survived unscathed . . . Since then, the village trustees have insisted on an annual ancient ceremony to renew the village boundaries. But then a misguided act by the Feenans’ son sends the village into a frenzy, reminding everyone that there’s a reason traditions have been stuck to so rigidly—and that all acts of betrayal, even those committed centuries ago, have dire consequences. |
| urban legend stories: The Amityville Horror Jay Anson, 2019-12-03 “A fascinating and frightening book” (Los Angeles Times)—the bestselling true story about a house possessed by evil spirits, haunted by psychic phenomena almost too terrible to describe. In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their new home on suburban Long Island. George and Kathleen Lutz knew that, one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers, and sisters in the house, but the property—complete with boathouse and swimming pool—and the price had been too good to pass up. Twenty-eight days later, the entire Lutz family fled in terror. This is the spellbinding, shocking true story that gripped the nation about an American dream that turned into a nightmare beyond imagining—“this book will scare the hell out of you” (Kansas City Star). |
| urban legend stories: Urban Legends A. S. Mott, 2004 A collection of the many intriguing modern myths that do the rounds at the water coolers of the nation, from the vanishing hitch-hiker to the tarantula among the bananas. |
| urban legend stories: The Black Tongue Marko Hautala, 2015 For generations, the urban legend of Granny Hatchet has plagued the quiet residential area of Suvikylä in northern Finland. As the story goes, this immortal killer murders her victims with a hatchet, then buries the hearts in a potato field and eats them after they've rotted black. But not everyone is convinced it is just a story. Maisa Riipinen has returned to her hometown to complete her dissertation on urban folklore at the same time that Samuel Autio has come home to arrange his father's funeral. As hazy, disturbing memories from their pasts meld with strange events in the present, Maisa and Samuel attempt to make sense of the town's fearful obsession with the mythical Granny Hatchet. But if it's only a legend, then why are people still vanishing without a trace? From Finnish author Marko Hautala comes The Black Tongue, a gripping novel about a terrifying story with the power to silence--and the power to make those who dare speak disappear. |
| urban legend stories: The Blue Lady Eleanor Hawken, 2013-06-06 A chilling boarding school ghost story that will keep you up all night... Fourteen-year-old Frankie Ward is used to being the new girl at school, but even she is unprepared for life at St Mark's College. Finding herself isolated from the rest of the girls, Frankie is drawn to flamboyant and dramatic Suzy, who captivates her with stories of 'The Blue Lady' - the ghost of an ex-St Mark's pupil who died in mysterious and tragic circumstances. One night Suzy persuades Frankie to help her contact The Blue Lady via an Ouija Board - and the girls unleash a terrifying spirit who seems set on destroying not only their friendship but Suzy's sanity. Determined to rescue her friend, Frankie enlists the help of Seb, a mysterious and alluring boy from sister-school St Hilda's. Seb is as interested in St Mark's past as Frankie - but does he have as many dark secrets as the school? |
| urban legend stories: The 500 Best Urban Legends Ever! Yorick Brown, Mike Flynn, 2006 Have you ever heard an improbable story told about a friend of a friend? Did you ever listen awestruck to extraordinary tales of ordinary life? Don't believe everything you hear--you've just been exposed to an urban legend! From phantom hitchhikers to deadly clouds of floating flatulence, these are tall tales of extremely dubious origin. This book contains more than 500 brain-mangling, credibility-straining stories, arranged conveniently by theme contained in one fun volume. From sex to sports, from animals to accidents, these are bizarre, hilarious and memorable urban legends. In what other book could you read about The Dead Poodle, The Blueberry Cat, Early Morning Arousal, Toilet Holiday, The Boneless Idiot, and more! |
| urban legend stories: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand, 1999 |
| urban legend stories: Kent Urban Legends Neil Arnold, 2013 Do motorists pick up a phantom hitchhiker on Blue Bell Hill during stormy nights? Does Satan appear if you dance round the Devil's Bush in the village of Pluckley? Do big cats roam the local woods? And what happens if you manage to count the 'Countless Stones' near Aylesford? For centuries strange urban legends have materialised in the Garden of England. Now, for the first time, folklorist and monster-hunter Neil Arnold looks at these intriguing tales, strips back the layers, and reveals if there is more to these Chinese whispers than meets the eye. Folklore embeds itself into a local community, often to the extent that some people believe all manner of mysteries and take them as fact. Whether they're stories passed around the school playground, through the internet, or round a flickering campfire, urban legends are everywhere. Kent Urban Legends is a quirky and downright spooky ride into the heart of Kent folklore. |
| urban legend stories: Encyclopedia of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand, 2012-07-16 This revised edition of the original reference standard for urban legends provides an updated anthology of common myths and stories, and presents expanded coverage of international legends and tales shared and popularized online. From roasted babies to vanishing hitchhikers to housewives in football helmets, this exhaustive and highly readable encyclopedia provides descriptions of hundreds of individual legends and their variations, examines legend themes, and explains scholarly approaches to the genre. Revised and expanded to include updated versions of the entries from the award-winning first edition, this work provides additional entries on a wide range of new topics that include terrorism, recent political events, and Hurricane Katrina. Entries in Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition discuss the presence of urban legends in comic books, literature, film, music, and many other areas of popular culture, as well as the existence of too good to be true stories in Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and several other countries. Serving as both an anthology of stories as well as a reference work, this encyclopedia will serve as a valuable resource for students and a source book for journalists, professional folklorists, and others who are researching or interested in urban legends. Approximately 300 individual entries for specific urban legends An introduction provides a brief history of urban legend research A selected bibliography and reference citations |
| urban legend stories: Be Afraid Be Very Afraid Harold Jan Brunvand, 2004-10-05 A collection of over ninety frightening urban legends, arranged by theme. |
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Urban Legends and Myths. Health and Safety Urban Legends. Lorraine Davison, CCOHS. AIHCE 2003. What Are Urban Legends? Great story often retold “urban folklore” Funny, sad or …
The History Behind El Silbón: Exploring Historical and …
The urban legend of El Silbón has been present in Venezuelan folklore for centuries. Even though the story is predominantly regarded as a ghost story to scare children, it hides many elements …
Warren-Newport Public Library amargis@wnpl - WordPress.com
What is an Urban Legend? Universal motifs in folklore, or stories to good to be true. Urban legends are friend-of-a-friend stories (FOAFS) that are told to describe strange, but …
Evolution of Urban Myths and Legends in the Digital Age
Urban tales and myths have transformed their transmission, modification, and reception due to the expansion of digital communication channels, online forums, and social media. De Vos (2012) …
Slicing through spooky, but fake, urban legends LET'S GET
The idea that anyone could be a victim through no fault of his own likely fueled the spread of the tale, according to Snopes.com, a Web site that tracks--and often debunks--urban myths. Some …
Tall Tales and Folklore - Lorenzo Cultural Center
May 6, 2017 · What Is an Urban Legend? In the context of traditional tales, the word urban signifies more contempor ary origins for a story, reflecting the anxiety and sense of danger …
The Urban Legends of Cagayan de Oro: Themes, Archetypes, …
anthology of the urban legends of Cagayan de Oro City. Specifically, it delves into the following: a.) thematic categorization of the urban legends, b.) archetypal analysis, and c.) collective...
'It Happened To a Friend of a Friend': Urban Legends in …
Jul 18, 2006 · A common contemporary folklore is the urban legend, which this paper will primarily focus on. Urban legends are a "kind of folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual …
Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and …
Urban Legends (also known as Contemporary Legends) are contemporary folkloric stories or erroneous facts or representations that have an impact on people’s lives in the country where …
Urban Legend Stories - netsec.csuci.edu
stories that tap into our deepest fears and fascinate us with their ambiguity. This post will explore the captivating world of urban legends, examining their origins, common themes, and some of …
Why urban legends are more powerful than ever - Phys.org
Also known as urban myths or contemporary legends, urban legends refer to widely disseminated, unproven stories of unusual or peculiar events that typically convey cautionary advisements or...
55. Cities: stories of urban STS - tscriado.org
Cities: stories of urban STS Ignacio Farías and Tomás Criado STORIES OF URBAN STS1 New York City, 1950s: ... Woolgar and Geoff Cooper argue that the story is an urban legend with performative effects. Joerges’s separation between the actual politics of technical artefacts and the stories told about them cannot be held. Stories, Woolgar and ...
Keeping your Sanity when using SAE J-1113
testing have heard the “urban legend” stories of things running away or “someone” being sued because of EMI/RFI causing “something” to actuate or stop; they are “testing beyond the ‘industry standards’” to avoid the possibility of a problem or a liability suit. Custom electronics manufacturers are seeing requests for every
The Legend of Bigfoot - Reading Is Fundamental
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*9H9@@G 5B8 *9A5?9G Understanding CK CFFCF -F65B …
interested in revisiting and reviving older stories. Remakes of movies and TV shows are found in abundance within society, so this research will help assign a reason as to why ... remade and eventually changed by analyzing 10 remakes per urban legend, with each remake coming from a different decade between the 1920s and the 2010s. The findings ...
Urban Legend Stories - netsec.csuci.edu
Urban Legend Stories Urban Legend Stories: Chilling Tales from Your Neighborhood Do you love a good scare? A shiver down your spine? Then buckle up, because we're diving headfirst into the shadowy world of urban legend stories. These aren't your grandmother's fairy tales; these are chilling narratives whispered in hushed tones,
URBAN LEGEND KUCHISAKE ONNA - UNIKOM
Urban legend ini merupakan salah satu cerita yang berkembang dengan baik dalam masyarakat Jepang, bahkan menjadi film, acara televisi, dan komik Jepang berkat media modern (Foster 2009). Mahadaya,Vol. 2, No. 2, Oktober 2022 214 Secara etimologi Kuchisake onna berarti wanita bermulut robek. Sosok ini
9 Incursion Into Wendigo Territory - Ball State University
the lore of modern urban legends circulated on anonymous internet forums represents an ongoing struggle over a stretch of cultural territory by deconstructing the presentation of Wendigos in these stories and how the intentional presentation of the monster reflects repre …
Retelling Urban Legends 1 - people.ucsc.edu
Retelling Urban Legends 3 Retelling Urban Legends Urban legends are stories that have reached a wide audience, generally passed on by word of mouth or by e-mail. They contain surprising information, usually with an emotional impact, and they change over time to fit current mores (see www.snopes.com for a catalogue of legends).
On the Term “Urban Legend” Charles Clay Doyle and Lara …
from “urban legend” is not appropriate, since “urban legend” clearly antedates “urban myth” in the defined sense. Of course, sometimes a collocation will become familiar, then “fixed” as a phrase—then only later take on a certain idiomatic sense. In any case, we recently discovered a very early occurrence of the phrase ...
Rationalized Motifs in Urban Legends - JSTOR
Modern Legend, it should be possible to classify it and study its motifs. Clearly it belongs in the general category 'Tales About Robbers' (ML 8025) noted by Reidar Th. Christiansen in The Migratory Legends; more particularly, it resembles various stories in which a solitary woman, usually a servant, realizes
James Kirkland - JSTOR
222 Other Urban Legends, Richard Roeper' s Urban Legends: The Truth Be-hind All Those Deliciously Entertaining Myths That Are Absolutely, Posi-tively, 100% Not True! And Jan Brunvand's Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends - that offer an illuminating glimpse of the urban legend industry in its broader dimensions.
Philippine Folktales: An Introduction - Asian Ethnology
liam Bascom’s distinctions among “myth，” “legend,” and u folk tale ” given below: Myths are prose narratives which, in the society in which they are told, are considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past.1 hey are accepted on faith; they are taught to
Folklore in the Oral Tradition, Fairytales, Fables and Folk-legend
Folklore in the Oral Tradition, Fairytales, Fables and Folk-legend Curriculum Unit 84.04.01 by Julie Carthy Introduction ... stories and having others, so inclined, act out the stories. Drawing and acting would be motivators for practicing more hard core basic skills like concentration, reading (since this is the mode in which oral stories ...
The Big Book Of Urban Legends Copy
chocolate chip cookies The Big Book of Urban Legends, Adapted from the Works of Jan Harold Brunvand Robert Loren Fleming,Robert F. Boyd,1944 The Complete Idiot's Guide to Urban Legends Brandon Toropov,2001 A collection of modern day urban myths and folklore explores questions relating to famous figures government conspiracies paranoia
Monument Black Angel - Iowa City
the subject of many stories, myths, and leg-ends surrounding its mysterious change in color from a golden bronze cast to an eerie black. The Tr ue St or y Teresa Dolezal Feldevert was born in 1836 in Strmilov, Bohemia where she became a practicing physician. Teresa and her son, Eddie Dolezal, moved to Iowa City where she worked as a midwife ...
The Legend of Bigfoot - Reading Is Fundamental
The Legend of Bigfoot Mary Johnson lived alone in the woods. She lived in the hills. She liked the peace and quiet. Mary looked outside one day. She saw ... are many stories of Bigfoot sightings. 2017 Reading Is Fundamental • Content and art created by Simone Ribke Bigfoot is a legend. Bigfoot isn’t real. But some people still think
The Legend of La Llorona: Historical, Cultural, and Feminist ...
The legend of La Llorona and other folktales has been passed down through oral tradition as reminders of lives lived long before one was born. 16 Those who claim to have seen or been a victim of Llorona are also key to the transmission of the …
America, Down the Toilet: Urban Legends, American Society …
the urban legend without providing any further explanation as to how the two intersect. As I will illustrate, the urban legend was at its most popular and prolific during two decades: the 1930s and the 1960s. Perhaps forty years after the legend’s apparent birth and at least a dec-ade removed from the apex of its popularity in the 1960s, why ...
Tongan Myths and Legends, IV - JSTOR
372 Tongan Myths and Legends TONGAN MYTHS AND LEGENDS, IV. Takalaua and Vae. Takalaua was the Tui Tonga of whom is related his marriage-with Vae, which came about in this way.
What Is A Belief Legend? - JSTOR
sary epithet preceding the term "legend" when I pro-posed a systematic study of the role indigenous belief plays in legend formation (Degh 1963, 73) and contin-ued to use the term "belief legend" after my discovery of predominantly supernatural narratives on the American urban-industrial scene. In my often quoted conference paper, "The 'Belief
FAKE NEWS, RUMOURSAND URBAN L , O C - EU DisinfoLab
Urban Legend is always false! Origins • Transformed real facts • Jokes, told as true stories • Fiction, SIt is very difficult to find the origin and the author of an urban legend. Why do people propagate urban legends?
Urban Legend Stories In The Philippines
Urban Legend Stories In The Philippines: Collected Tales And Legends From The Philippines Joen Rico M. Orde,Ukiyoto Publishing,2020-10-31 Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia with a rich history and culture influenced by both East and West Dive right in the most popular
Urban Legend Stories Pdf [PDF] - offsite.creighton.edu
remains a classic The culmination of twenty years of collection and research this book is a must have for urban legend lovers Urban Legends, Ghost Stories, and Folklore Micah Campbell,2022-01-25 Urban Legends Gillian Bennett,Paul Smith,2007-04-30 Presents the basic stories behind urban myths and legends from around the world
The Big Book Of Urban Legends (PDF)
200 outrageous urban legend stories illustrated by the world s top comic artists Big Book of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand,Robert Fleming,DC Comics,R. Boyd,1994-01 Robert F Boyd Jr This collection of strange and bizarre anecdotal tales
Urban Legend #48 (Bubba Kush Pheno) - primewellnesspa.com
Marie Laveau x Legend of 91 #9 Urban Legend #48 (Bubba Kush Pheno) MAIN TERPENES B-Myrcene: May promote relaxation, stimulant appetite, help with insomnia, pain and inflammation B-Caryophyllene: May provide stress relief, act as sleep aid, antibacterial and antioxidant, aid with pain relief and muscle spasm control Limonene: May promote
(UR-buhn LEJ-uhnd) an often URBan LEGEnD - Silvereye
URBan LEGEnD Loh-Hagan (UR-buhn LEJ-uhnd) an often horrific story that is based on hearsay and circulated as true, a modern folktale Books in the Urban Legends • Don’t Read Alone! series explore the creepiest urban legends and unsolved mysteries in the world--from alien cover-ups to dangerous escaped convicts. Read at your own risk!
Legend, the Beauty Industry, and Women’s Weekly …
Legend, the Beauty Industry, and Women’s Weekly ... in question, folklorists might also label them urban legend, memorate, or simply anecdote (see Fine 1992, 1–4; Turner 1993, 1–5). For Japanese terminology, see Miyamoto (1998, 5–10). S I G N S Spring 2007 701 time and space. A version recounted in one place is sure to differ from a
The Hook Urban Legend Pdf (2024) - pivotid.uvu.edu
The culmination of twenty years of collection and research, this book is a must-have for urban legend lovers. Scary Stories 3 Alvin Schwartz,2011-01-25 Get Ready to be Spooked! It was eleven o'clock at night. Peter was in bed on the second floor of the old house where he lived alone. It had gotten so chilly, he went downstairs to turn up the heat.
Is There a FOAF in Your Future? Urban Folk Legends in Room …
tales: the urban folk legend. These are stories whispered at slumber parties or around a camp-fire; they are captivating, plausible even, but fic-tional-yet their tellers and listeners swear they are truth. Unlike rumors, which are plotless, unverified reports, folk legends have a core of truth and, usu-ally, a definite motif. A couple on ...
Urban Legend Stories In The Philippines Full PDF
Urban Legend Stories In The Philippines: Collected Tales And Legends From The Philippines Joen Rico M. Orde,Ukiyoto Publishing,2020-10-31 Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia with a rich history and culture influenced by both East and West Dive right in the most popular
Academic urban legends - SAGE Journals
of iron. Through this example, I demonstrate how an academic urban legend can be conceived and born, and can continue to grow and reproduce within academia and beyond. Keywords academic shortcuts, academic urban legends, citation practices, iron, spinach Bauerlein et al. (2010) claim that we are currently experiencing an ‘avalanche of low-
Urban Legend Stories Pdf Full PDF - offsite.creighton.edu
The culmination of twenty years of collection and research this book is a must have for urban legend lovers Urban Legends Gillian Bennett,Paul Smith,2007-04-30 Presents the basic stories behind urban myths and legends from around the world
Mistikasi dalam Urban Legend: Film Horor di Indonesia Pasca …
Mistikasi dalam Urban Legend: Film Horor di Indonesia Pasca Orde Baru 40 Vol. 2. No. 1, Maret 2023 inspirasi kemunculan tafsir baru terhadap legenda kaum perkotaan atau urban legend dengan kelahirkan berbagai judul film horor yang merujuk kepercayaan kelas menengah atas tersebut. Pasca film Jelangkung, muncul genre sejenis di
The Hook Urban Legend Pdf (2024)
The Big Book of Urban Legends Robert Loren Fleming,Jan Harold Brunvand,Robert F. Boyd (Jr.),1994 A collection of 200 outrageous urban legend stories illustrated by the world s top comic artists Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Alvin Schwartz,2019-04-02 The iconic anthology series of horror tales that s now a feature film Scary
THE LEGEND OF LAPULAPU: AN INTERPRETATION - JSTOR
of the legend, whether oral or written. This was to be followed by a careful analysis of the variants thus collected with a view towards separating the constant elements from the variable ones. These first two phases of my study while rather time-consuming were straightforward enough. It was the third phase, the analysis of the legend, which ...
Creative Writing: Short Stories - San José State University
Authors of short stories use the aspects of POV and dialogue to not only create unique characters but to show how they operate within an imagined world. ... Parables, urban legends, and fables . The Short Story, Fall 2020. 4 of 6 are common examples of short stories that have an apparent metaphorical meaning beyond the
The Avenging Voice from the Depths - JSTOR
Gremlins had effectively (i.e., horribly) adapted the urban legend of the pet exploding in a microwave oven. Ghoulies, in the brief segment that the ads featured, seemingly alluded to another prevalent cluster of legends, which share the fundamental threat of attack from the sewer or toilet bowl upon the vulnerable sector of an unsuspecting sit ...
Urban Legend Stories In The Philippines
Urban Legend Stories In The Philippines Arturo Cuomo Collected Tales And Legends From The Philippines Joen Rico M. Orde,Ukiyoto Publishing,2020-10-31 Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia with a rich history and culture influenced by both East and …
7 Legends for design - taekemdejong
course, this is only a short course on visualisation in urban design and landscape architecture. GIS is a specialist tool that has a different scope and content; it is one of the many research tools for urban designers and landscape architecture. Unfortunately we don't have a structured introductory course in
Urban Legend Stories Pdf - goramblers.org
Urban Legend Stories Pdf Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand 2011-02-07 "If you enjoy these too-good-to-be-true tales, Brunvand's ... Urban Legends of The U.S.A. Susan Hill 2021-02-23 This is the fifth book in the USA urban legend series. Dive into the legends of Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana. In this ...
LibrAsia2015 - Reference#8193(March 19,2015 01 02 53) - iafor
1.Legend of Manonggol; 2. Legend of Tulong Gapo; 3. Legend of Pinakulan Island Third Origin of a Plant 1.Legend of Pili Table 1: Classificaton of Legends The above table shows the typology or classification of legends. They are (A) Origin of Names of Place; (B) Origin of Geographical Features or Landmarks; and (C) Origin of a Plant.
The Legend of Si Pitung and its Cultural Adaptation to Movies …
The legend of Si Pitung has become a part of the lives of Betawi residents, many stories have developed and as a story, it will require the form of characters needed to bridge the story and ... character designs from legend stories will be very relevant and can one day have identities that can be recognized as coming from Indonesia.
The Big Book Of Urban Legends Copy
outrageous urban legend stories illustrated by the world s top comic artists Big Book of Urban Legends Jan Harold Brunvand,Robert Fleming,DC Comics,R. Boyd,1994-01 Robert F Boyd Jr This collection of strange and bizarre anecdotal tales
Contemporary legends, rumours and collective behaviour: …
contemporary legend, ‘The Missing Kidney’ into a rumour in Nottingham, and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, in 1992. ... story in its Saturday edition’s ‘Urban Myth’ column, setting it in Mexico. The Trotskyite newspaper, The Worker (23 August 1993), alleged similar ... fairy stories and folk tales collected by people like Andrew Lang and
Some Legends of Devils Lake - csmpl.org
Another classic legend is recounted in the Southard Collection at the Sauk County Historical Society. It is found in an article about the Cliff House Hotel and its proprietor, W.B. Pearl ... and in other stories this annrversary summer by other reporters. Suffice to say that layers of sandstone deep in a primordial sea were later subjected to ...
Candyman: The Official Companion Guide
(elen as the serial killer in the urban legend of #!.$9-!. ... to the 'ulf 3tates to preserve our stories through community griots 7ith a pistol in tow and a car named 3assy 3usie (urston navigated the *im #row 3outh collecting the
STUDIEVELD C LETTERKUNDE 2: LEGENDES EN …
Die woord, legende, is ‘n woord waarmee jy sekerlik meer bekend is as met fabels of mites. Blaai terug na Studieveld B en verfris jou geheue . Net om seker te maak jy verstaan mooi waaroor legendes gaan, luister aandagtig na ‘n kort voorlesing oor
The British Royal Family’s Circumcision Tradition - SAGE Journals
sip and stories, both factual and invented. A case in point was the media commentary on the birth of Prince William’s son in ... and that the royal family circumcision tradition should be regarded as a classic instance of a contemporary legend or urban myth. Keywords circumcision, British royal family, Queen Victoria, contemporary legend ...
A History of the Vanishing Hitchhiker
Arabian Nights,1 we reasoned that a legend of the proportions of the vanishing hitchhiker would have a source somewhere. So we delved into ... Greek and Roman Ghost Stories (London, 1912), pp. 72-75-[13] ... story betrays its urban or megalopolitan origin in identifying characters by their trade or circumstance, e.g., taxi driver, young doctor ...
