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Urban Legends Stories: Chilling Tales from Your Neighborhood and Beyond
Are you a sucker for a good scare? Do whispers of the unexplained send shivers down your spine? Then you've come to the right place! This blog delves into the fascinating world of urban legends stories, exploring their origins, common themes, and the enduring power they hold over our imaginations. We'll uncover some classic chilling tales, analyze why we love to share (and fear) these stories, and even consider the psychological impact of these seemingly harmless narratives. Get ready to delve into a world of mystery, suspense, and the unsettling truth behind the urban legends you may already know – or are about to discover.
H2: What Exactly Are Urban Legends Stories?
Urban legends stories are fictional narratives presented as true events. They typically involve elements of the supernatural, the bizarre, or the morally questionable, and are often passed down through word-of-mouth, gaining variations and embellishments with each telling. Unlike traditional folklore with established origins, urban legends lack a clear source, adding to their mysterious allure. They're modern-day myths, reflecting our anxieties and societal concerns of the time, often warning against specific behaviors or highlighting cultural taboos. Think of them as a form of social commentary cloaked in a thrilling, sometimes terrifying, narrative.
H3: Key Characteristics of Urban Legends
Several common threads weave their way through most urban legends stories:
A sense of plausibility: While fantastic, elements of the story often feel grounded in reality, making them easier to believe and share.
Moralistic undertones: Many legends serve as cautionary tales, warning against certain actions or highlighting the consequences of bad behavior.
Recurring themes: Common themes include danger from strangers, technological malfunctions, and the supernatural.
Varied tellings: The same legend can be retold countless times, each version subtly different depending on the teller and their audience.
Emotional impact: Urban legends aim to evoke a specific emotional response – fear, disgust, or even amusement.
H2: Classic Examples of Urban Legends Stories
Let's explore some iconic examples of urban legends stories that have captivated audiences for decades:
H3: The Vanishing Hitchhiker
This classic tale depicts a hitchhiker who mysteriously disappears after being picked up by a driver. Variations abound, often involving ghosts, ghostly apparitions, or other supernatural elements. The unsettling aspect lies in the feeling of unease and the unknown fate of the hitchhiker.
H3: Bloody Mary
The legend of Bloody Mary, typically invoked by calling her name three times in a mirror, involves a vengeful spirit appearing and inflicting harm. The ritualistic aspect and the potential for real-world consequences (psychological trauma, for example) contribute to the legend's enduring appeal.
H3: The Hookman
This urban legend warns about a murderer escaping from a mental institution, wielding a hook and targeting couples parked in secluded areas. The fear-inducing element is the perceived vulnerability and the potential for real-world violence.
H2: The Psychology Behind Urban Legends Stories
Why are we so drawn to urban legends stories? The appeal extends beyond mere entertainment. Psychologically, these tales tap into primal fears, anxieties, and societal concerns. They offer a safe space to explore taboo subjects and confront our darkest fears in a fictionalized, controlled setting. The act of sharing and retelling strengthens social bonds, reinforcing a sense of community and shared experience. Moreover, the ambiguity inherent in these stories allows for personal interpretations, making them endlessly fascinating.
H2: The Evolution and Spread of Urban Legends in the Digital Age
The internet and social media have dramatically altered how urban legends stories are spread. Previously reliant on word-of-mouth, these tales now travel at lightning speed, reaching a global audience in mere minutes. This rapid dissemination often leads to further variations and embellishments, blurring the lines between truth and fiction even further. Platforms like Reddit and social media groups actively participate in the creation and spread of new urban legends, adapting them to reflect modern anxieties about technology, social media, and global events.
H2: Separating Fact from Fiction: Critical Thinking and Urban Legends
While entertaining, it’s crucial to approach urban legends stories with a critical eye. Recognizing their fictional nature and understanding their psychological basis can help us avoid spreading misinformation or falling prey to fear-mongering. Developing critical thinking skills is vital in today’s world of readily available information – whether it's true or not.
Conclusion
Urban legends stories are more than just spooky tales; they are reflections of our cultural anxieties, societal norms, and the human fascination with the unknown. By understanding their origins, themes, and psychological impact, we can appreciate their enduring power and learn to navigate the blurry lines between truth and fiction in a world saturated with information. So, next time you hear a chilling whisper of a local legend, remember the compelling narratives, the enduring fear, and the fascinating psychology behind these captivating stories.
FAQs
1. Are urban legends always scary? No, while many are designed to frighten, others are humorous or even mildly unsettling. The emotional response varies based on the specific story and the individual listener.
2. Where do urban legends originate? The origins are often difficult to trace, with many evolving over time through multiple tellings and variations. They frequently reflect current anxieties and societal trends.
3. Can urban legends be harmful? While mostly harmless entertainment, some can contribute to misinformation or perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Critical thinking is crucial when encountering such stories.
4. How can I create my own urban legend? Think about current anxieties, incorporate elements of plausibility, and create a compelling narrative with a memorable twist.
5. Are urban legends unique to a specific culture? No, while specific legends may be tied to a region, the underlying themes of fear, cautionary tales, and social commentary are universal and can be found across cultures worldwide.
| urban legends 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 legends 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 legends stories: Urban Legends Thomas J. Craughwell, 2012-07-17 A fascinating, creepy, frightening, disgusting, and hilarious collection of some of the world's most popular and enduring tall tales. With themes that run the gamut from funny to sick, risqué to informative, and frightening to disgusting, Urban Legends features fantastic yarns that are remarkable for their uncanny ability to travel the world by word of mouth. We've all heard the one about the alligators that roam New York City's sewers, or how Mikey of Life Cereal fame died from eating Pop Rocks mixed with Coke. And what about the flustered parents who left their baby on the car roof, or the scuba diver who was found in the middle of a forest after a fire? These classic tall tales are featured here in all of their creepy glory along with hundreds of others, and they're guaranteed to amuse, enlighten, and intrigue, but be careful: they may stick in your mind forever. |
| urban legends stories: Haunting Urban Legends Megan Cooley Peterson, 2013-07 Spooky retellings of well-known urban legends--Provided by publisher. |
| urban legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends stories: Creepy Urban Legends B. A. Hoena, 2018-08 Modern ghost stories are created from truly creepy myths and rumors. Read this book to discover some urban legends that will make your skin crawl. |
| urban legends stories: Urban Legends Thomas J. Craughwell, 2004-09-17 |
| urban legends 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 legends stories: Urban Myths & Legends Albert Jack, 2016-02-03 The subject of urban myths and legends is one I have been interested in for a couple of years now. It occurred to me, one day at lunch with friends on the Isle of Dogs, that many long rambling conversations (and ours are certainly long and always rambling) will include a tall tale or two. One person will then be reminded of a story he or she once heard which is then presented as near or actual fact. The story will be introduced like this: 'That reminds me of a story I once heard . . .' or 'I remember my uncle/aunt/sister/hairdresser telling me what happened to a friend of theirs . . .' So urban legends are easy to spot and always have a ring of truth about them. The events they describe could happen or might have happened to any of us. Each of us could have been as unfortunate or stupid as the character(s) in the story, and that is one of the reasons we all enjoy urban legends so much: that the misfortune involved didn't happen to us but to somebody else. And that makes us laugh. The stories come in many different forms. Some involve ghostly goings on, some are about love found or lost. Some centre on plain stupidity and some on unfortunate coincidences, although some do have happy endings. The connecting feature is that all are told and then retold and come back around in altered forms, and all of them are passed around by word of mouth or, especially these days, via the internet, where they spread like wildfire. These 'legends' (so-called 'urban, ' although they don't need to have an urban setting) are the modern-day version of medieval folklore and all of the anecdotes in this collection can be recited the next time you are at lunch, dinner or in the pub with friends. They can make even the most unimaginative person seem interesting, I promise. They seem to be working for me, at any rate. I should point out here that many of the tales told in this collection are probably not true and that any names given, apart from when they are used to back up evidence in genuine accounts, are made up, by me. So, for example, if there really is a Peter Patsalides who worked at the World Trade Centre in New York prior to 11 September 2001 (see Caught with his Trousers Down), then I am not suggesting he was having an affair because that is also the name of a friend of mine, the one who told me the story in the first place. So please don't sue and leave me penniless if your marriage collapses as a result of something I have written. I am sure many of the stories included must be untrue, despite their ring of truth, but that is part of the fun of urban legends: any one of them could be true and it is up to us to decide for ourselves what to believe and what not to. Some well-known urban legends are bound to be missing from this book, but they may well pop up in a second volume if this one proves to be popular. It is only meant to be a little bit of fun and perhaps to provoke some thought and conversation. Anything that does that must be a good thing and also, reading this book and reciting a few of the tales might make you more popular - you never know. Albert Jack |
| urban legends stories: Urban Legends (Great Stories: High Beginner) David Bohlke, “This is a true story! It happened to a friend of a friend of mine …” Do you know the story of the silver hook? The mysterious hitchhiker? The babysitter who gets some troubling phone calls? How about the story of Hanako-san, a Japanese schoolgirl who some say appears in school bathrooms? These are all examples of urban legends: creepy stories that people have told – and retold – to their friends. Urban Legends features 16 scary stories. Some seem like they really happened. Others have a supernatural element to them. All are easy to read and enjoy, with simple grammar and vocabulary. CEFR level A2. The Wayzgoose Graded Reader series helps you learn and practice English while you enjoy reading. Includes vocabulary support, reading notes, and discussion questions. |
| urban legends 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 legends 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 legends stories: Urban Legends, Ghost Stories, and Folklore Micah Campbell, 2022-01-25 |
| urban legends 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 legends stories: Supernatural Cael Novak, 2019-10-14 From the successful book: Sobrenatural: 300 Historias de Terror, Misterio y Leyendas Urbanas. Comes the awaited English translation. The universe is full of mysteries that we will never be able to solve, you'll understand it sooner rather than later, but even if we only focused on our planet Earth, we would realize that countless extraordinary and inexplicable events have occurred around the centuries. Intrigued by the mystery and the supernatural, I undertook a research to investigate these types of cases, my search led me to talk to many people who told me their stories, and I wrote the cases that seemed most interesting in the form of a story in a book that I called my Supernatural Diary. But that didn’t seem enough to me, so I investigated cases of missing persons that touched the impossible, very strange cases related to the ouija, dolls possessed by evil entities, cursed objects, urban legends from many parts of the world, unsolved murders in addition to different UFO sightings that have not only one but multiple serious witnesses, and many other stories and special cases that I wroted here since I consider they are worth sharing with you, you can believe me when I tell you that this book is full of surprises. You’ll start reading quite soft stories, but make sure to move forward, since you will realize that the higher the count the stories will be getting a bit more disturbing each time, and some will even reassess your beliefs. So without further ado, accompany me through 300 stories full of mystery, suspense, terror and much more! |
| urban legends 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 legends stories: London Urban Legends Scott Wood, 2013-11-01 How long has a corpse been staring out at passengers on the tube? Was London Bridge really shipped abroad by an American thinking he'd bought Tower Bridge? Did the Queen really mix with the crowds as a princess on VE Day? And did Hitler actually want to live in Balham? Where are there razor blades hidden and where did all these parakeets come from? Did they really belong to Jimi Hendrix? Urban legends are the funny, frightening and fierce folklore people share. Just like the early folk tales that came before them, which were attempts to explain the spiritual world, these tales are formed from reactions to spectacular events in the modern world, and reflect our current values. From royal rumours to subterranean legends, Scott Wood has researched and written about them with a sense of wonder, humour and a keen eye. He finds the truth, the myth and the lies amongst these tales. |
| urban legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends stories: The Burglar in the Bin Bag Arthur Goldstuck, 2012-10-01 Arthur Goldstuck - South Africa's urban legends guru - returns with a definitive guide to the hoaxes and rumours that have terrified and confused South Africans over the last twenty years. Why did an estimated 10 000 South Africans go on 'holiday' to Zimbabwe in April 1994? Who, exactly, decided that needles covered in AIDS-infected blood were being left on cinema seats in Cape Town in 1999? How did it come to be reported in several reputable newspapers that the South African government was considering cancelling Christmas in August 2004? Whatever happened to the ' tornado' that was supposed to descend on Johannesburg and Pretoria to devastating effect on 8 October 2007? Did the 100 000 women and children set to be trafficked into South Africa for the 2010 World Cup actually arrive? Have you ever cleared your driveway of 'colour-coded' rubbish, held back from flashing your lights at someone for fear of becoming a victim of a gang initiation rite or forwarded an email about child abduction to your friends and family? If so, have you ever wondered about the origins of these warnings? In this new book, Arthur Goldstuck not only traces the evolution of these urban legends but also digs deep into the human psyche to explain why it is that we are drawn into believing and passing on these warnings even when incontrovertible proof exists that they are false. |
| urban legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends stories: Urban Legends Peter L'Official, 2020-07-21 A cultural history of the South Bronx that reaches beyond familiar narratives of urban ruin and renaissance, beyond the “inner city” symbol, to reveal the place and people obscured by its myths. For decades, the South Bronx was America’s “inner city.” Synonymous with civic neglect, crime, and metropolitan decay, the Bronx became the preeminent symbol used to proclaim the failings of urban places and the communities of color who lived in them. Images of its ruins—none more infamous than the one broadcast live during the 1977 World Series: a building burning near Yankee Stadium—proclaimed the failures of urbanism. Yet this same South Bronx produced hip hop, arguably the most powerful artistic and cultural innovation of the past fifty years. Two narratives—urban crisis and cultural renaissance—have dominated understandings of the Bronx and other urban environments. Today, as gentrification transforms American cities economically and demographically, the twin narratives structure our thinking about urban life. A Bronx native, Peter L’Official draws on literature and the visual arts to recapture the history, people, and place beyond its myths and legends. Both fact and symbol, the Bronx was not a decades-long funeral pyre, nor was hip hop its lone cultural contribution. L’Official juxtaposes the artist Gordon Matta-Clark’s carvings of abandoned buildings with the city’s trompe l’oeil decals program; examines the centrality of the Bronx’s infamous Charlotte Street to two Hollywood films; offers original readings of novels by Don DeLillo and Tom Wolfe; and charts the emergence of a “global Bronx” as graffiti was brought into galleries and exhibited internationally, promoting a symbolic Bronx abroad. Urban Legends presents a new cultural history of what it meant to live, work, and create in the Bronx. |
| urban legends 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 legends stories: Book of Horror Edward Collins, 2020-10-24 There's a reason why Japan is so famous for horror, it has spun off into a sub-genre of its own - J-horror. Be it anime, haunted places, or films of ghostly encounters and spirits, many of these sensational tales were inspired by urban legends that may very well be true. Pull the blinds down, switch the lights off, and huddle under your blanket. Ready or not, these Japanese urban legends will chill you to your bones and leave you wide awake long after the night has passed. Urban legends are usually frightening, creepy stories which feature modern settings, elements of popular culture and dark, often disturbing aspects. These stories endure much like their cousins from classic folklore and fairy tales because they often have a lesson to teach us; and other times, because we just like to be scared. Here are some of the most frightening, enduring and interesting urban legends from Japan. Reading this collection of scary stories in the dark or by yourself is likely to keep you up all night. Or, at the very least, send a chill down your spine--even if you consider yourself the bravest of the brave. Oh, is that a challenge? Why yes, it is. ***Don't miss this shocking series of scary stories!** Book of Horror: Scary Stories and Creepypastas (Vol. 1): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L36Y1BF Book of Horror: Scary Stories and Creepypastas (Vol. 2): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L38RSDY |
| urban legends 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 legends stories: 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 new book will give you hours of pleasure.—Chicago Tribune A fabulously entertaining book from the ultimate authority on those almost believable tales that always happen to a friend of a friend. Alligators in the sewers? A pet in the microwave? A tragic misunderstanding of the function of cruise control? No, it didn't really happen to your friend's sister's neighbor: it's an urban legend. And no matter how savvy you think you are, you are sure to find in this collection of over 200 tales at least one story you would have sworn was true. Jan Harold Brunvand has been collecting and studying this modern folklore for over twenty years. In Too Good to Be True he captures the best stories in their best retellings, along with their latest variations and examples of how the stories have changed as they move from person to person and place to place. To help you find your favorite, Brunvand has arranged the tales thematically. Bringing Up Baby is full of episodes of child-rearing gone wrong, including the grisly tale of the drugged out baby-sitter who mistakes the kid for a turkey. Funny Business showcases stories of infamous lapses in customer service, such as the story of the shockingly expensive chocolate chip cookie recipe. And The Criminal Mind features both brilliant --if they were real --scams, as well as the purported antics of the less mentally gifted. Whether you want to become an expert debunker or just have plenty of laughs, this book will surprise and entertain you. Illustrated throughout. Informative and entertaining.... Brunvand has collected more than 200 of the most-repeated and best-known examples of modern folk-myth.—Tampa Tribune [N]ot only an entertaining anthology, but an excellent introduction to the study of folklore itself.—Publishers Weekly A fun read... . All the classics are here from the killer upstairs to the Kentucky Fried Rat.—New City Resonant stories that express our hidden anxieties ... make us laugh, [or] arouse our fascinated horror.—San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Informative and entertaining... . Brunvand has collected more than 200 of the most-repeated and best-known examples of modern folk-myth.—Tampa Tribune [N]ot only an entertaining anthology, but an excellent introduction to the study of folklore itself.—Publishers Weekly |
| urban legends 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 legends stories: 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, revenge, chain letters, and humiliating experiences. |
| urban legends 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 legends 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 legends 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 legends stories: Be Afraid Be Very Afraid Harold Jan Brunvand, 2004-10-05 A collection of over ninety frightening urban legends, arranged by theme. |
Famous Urban Legends And Myths - resources.caih.jhu.edu
Urban Legends Gillian Bennett,Paul Smith,2007-04-30 Presents the basic …
Urban Legends: How They Start and Why They Persist
But urban legends aren't all serious life lessons and conspiracy theories, …
By MARY DIANE CANTRELL in Partial Fulfillment of the Req…
common characteristics of urban legends helps break these tales down into …
Tall Tales and Folklore - Lorenzo Cultural Center
May 6, 2017 · What Is an Urban Legend? In the context of traditional tales, the …
URBAN LEGENDS IN THE EFL CLASSROOM - Muhlenberg Ce…
PRACTICAL EXPLORATIONS. Discussions in small groups: Get together in small …
Urban Legends Stories (Download Only) - netsec.csu…
Urban legends stories are fictional narratives presented as true events. …
Tabloid Stories, Urban Legends, Tall Tales and Bullshit
Their stories cover two major topics: gossip about celebrities and the …
ONLINE LIBRARY COLLECTION OF HILIGAYNON URBAN LEGE…
This Online Library Collection of Hiligaynon Urban Legends have major …
Famous Urban Legends And Myths - resources.caih.jhu.edu
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 …
Urban Legends: How They Start and Why They Persist
But urban legends aren't all serious life lessons and conspiracy theories, experts say, with the scariest, most plausible ones often framed as funny stories. Those stories can spread like wildfire …
By MARY DIANE CANTRELL in Partial Fulfillment of the …
common characteristics of urban legends helps break these tales down into specific components to explain why one would believe a story and why urban legends tend to endure the twin tests of …
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 often …
URBAN LEGENDS IN THE EFL CLASSROOM - Muhlenberg …
PRACTICAL EXPLORATIONS. Discussions in small groups: Get together in small groups and disuss: a) the suitablility of the Urban Legends (concerning content and language) for the suggested age …
Urban Legends Stories (Download Only) - netsec.csuci.edu
Urban legends stories are fictional narratives presented as true events. They typically involve elements of the supernatural, the bizarre, or the morally questionable, and are often passed …
Tabloid Stories, Urban Legends, Tall Tales and Bullshit
Their stories cover two major topics: gossip about celebrities and the paranormal, such as the occult, astrology, UFOs, extraterrestrials, Bigfoot, ghosts, witches, ancient curses, miracles, …
ONLINE LIBRARY COLLECTION OF HILIGAYNON URBAN …
This Online Library Collection of Hiligaynon Urban Legends have major function of downloading stories in two different languages (Hiligaynon and English). The user must register on the website …
Evolution of Urban Myths and Legends in the Digital Age
An Urban Legend or Urban Myth is a folktale comprising stories claimed to have happened with any friend, family member or acquaintance of the narrator. This can be both pleasant as well as …
BUREAUCRATIC ETHOS IN URBAN LEGENDS
theories and urban legends that sometimes boggle the imagination, and these narratives often spread like wildfire despite their implausibility. But perhaps their lurid sensationalism is a feature …
Urban Legends and Myths - Canadian Centre for …
Are Urban Legends True? Some true – some false If you hear the same story retold with new variations – these usually never happened Some legends can be traced historically Tell-tale …
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 …
Comparison and Analysis of Japanese and Mexican …
This study examines the content and spreading of urban legends from Japan and Mexico. That information was collected through anonymous surveys that were posted online and geared …
Retelling Urban Legends 1 - people.ucsc.edu
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
The Urban Legends of Cagayan de Oro: Themes, Archetypes, …
stories of urban legends, the Cagayanun would gain new perspectives in understanding the existence of beliefs and value systems shared and displayed collectively in the behavior of his …
Introduction: Urban Legends - JSTOR
these stories and link them to race, class, gender, state policies, capital flows, and transformations of the built environment. They track social networks in poor communities, ideologies of. decay, …
'It Happened To a Friend of a Friend': Urban Legends in …
Jul 18, 2006 · Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail. People frequendy say such tales happened to a "friend of a friend"—so …
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...
Urban legends: A brief overview - ResearchGate
The term urban legends (known also as urban myths or contemporary legends) refers to broadly disseminated, unproven stories of unusual or peculiar events that typically convey cautionary ...
Retelling Urban Legends - JSTOR
Feb 3, 1997 · Urban legends are stories that have reached a wide audience, generally passed on by word of mouth or by e-mail. They contain surprising infor mation, usually with an emotional …
