Urban Legends
by What are they? where did they come from? I think we all know one!
Wherever we are around the world it would seem
Somebody has a story to tell.
Urban myth, urban legend or urban tales are all part of modern folklore passed around and circulated. Its a little bit like Chinese whispers, they get distorted and changed, exaggerated and sensationalized the more they get passed on.
However despite the name an urban legend does not always have an urban setting.
Urban legends are passed on over the airwaves, by email, mouth to mouth and they mostly start with someone saying ‘A friend of a friend, knew this man/ woman, who did this and saw that.’
This doesn’t mean that urban myths are not true at all. Just changed, to suit regional differences and modernized as time changes.
I think we can all recall an urban myth that we’ve heard about; I know I can remember three or four.
The one about the man getting to his car that was parked in a multi story car park. It was a dark, rainy night and the car park was virtually empty. The man got into his car and set off home. He had to go through some very quite, country roads and as he looked into his rear view mirror he saw a man, complete with knife sitting on the back seat! Now ever since I heard this one I always check my back seat out before getting into my car.
The more I sit here and think about it, the more seem to be popping into my head and a lot of them involve cars, dark and rainy nights and knives!
Storytellers of these legends normally structure them as complete stories with plot and characters and typically they do involve elements of mystery, horror, murder or at least fear. They are presented as warnings or beliefs.
Telling that it happened to a friend, relative or someone they know personalizes it and makes it almost believable.
But like any tale they may only contain a very small amount of truth and very flimsy details on date, time and location. Some of the myths tend to be so far-fetched and not at all likely but others are very believable.
I guess these urban myths will be around for the foreseeable future, so make sure you don’t get caught out and just enjoy them for what they are.
FAIRY TALES
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
Liked it
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Post CommentGuy Hogan
On September 17, 2009 at 9:02 am
I would like to start some Urban Myths just to see if they ever get back to me and how much they change. It would be a great social experiment.
lillyrose
On September 17, 2009 at 9:50 am
Hahahah we should try it!
ken bultman
On September 17, 2009 at 10:33 am
City folks don’t understand how it woud be to have a deer pop out with a knife and say, “Boo, I’m Bambi’s daddy.”
I Have Had Enough
On September 17, 2009 at 11:24 am
I love when you hear one from too different people and how it happened to their friend. I think sometimes they actually convince themselves.
Lostash
On September 17, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I think Guy has a great idea there! Maybe urban legends are the 21st Century equivalent of fairy tales?
lillyrose
On September 18, 2009 at 4:51 am
they sure are the equivalent to 21st Century fairy tales!
Jane Jane
On September 18, 2009 at 9:41 am
ken’s comments are really funny and guy hogan’s idea’s great.
Papa Sparks
On September 18, 2009 at 9:42 am
Great article. I enjoyed reading it a lot.
Marie Milton
On September 21, 2009 at 1:00 pm
ooohhhhooooo!!! that gave me the creeps. I’ll be certainly sure to check and double check the back of the car before I go anywhere….: )
William2010
On September 23, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I heard a different version of the urban myth story to that one.
It’s basically the same but it goes: a man went into the petrol station shop and paid for petrol. Then all of a sudden the shopkeeper behind the counter went crazy. The man ran out of the shop and jumped back in his car and drove as fast as he could out of the station. He looked in his rear view mirror and saw the shop keeper in the street jumping up and down pointing at his car. Then he focused back on the road. He looked in the rear view mirror again and saw an axe coming towards his neck.
I love the urban myth “Don’t turn the lights on” when a girls room-mate came back but didn’t turn on the lights to get her pass. Then she came back to the flat after clubbing and there were police surrounding the area. She broke through and found her mates head chopped off inside her room. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. When she looked up at the mirror, in blood their was a message saying “I bet you glad you didn’t turn on the lights!”.
Great Article. If you want to read great Urban Legends go to http://www.castleofspirits.com there is a full page of them!
Phoenix Montoya
On May 10, 2011 at 9:29 pm
I love urban legends, they are very entertaining and so clever. Gives me the creep sometimes, but like you said enjoy them as they are. Still… a reminder for you folks with cars… I think its just for safekeeping when you check the backseat, not for mad man but for thieves. A good read Lisa.
Phoenix Montoya
On July 11, 2011 at 8:22 am
I can’t believe I opened this one again. As I said, I love urban legends…. I love reading the mysteries behind them. My husband likes scary stuff too but I can’t bear what he likes…. he loves those slasher movies… eekk. I can’t tolerate them, so sorry. I do not look and I cover my ears, then ask him what happened. He hates it lol… He said, I do not know to watch
Posting this one at FB.