Urban legends are stories, which have been passed down over time and repeatedly told. These stories are often not true yet are believed by some. Much like ghost stories or folklore, urban legends have a mythical appeal to them. They are more contemporary and are usually stories that are in a modern context. Some say the term urban legend first came about in 1968, when a professor at the University of Utah published it in a series of books. Urban legends have been a fun part of human story telling.
A few examples of popular urban legends include the legend when people drive at night without their lights on and they get followed by gang members, alligators getting into the sewer systems of New York City, or the famous "Bloody Mary" legend that states you can see her by chanting her name 13 times and spinning in a circle. All of these stories, while wild and almost believable, are not true. This is what makes telling them to people very fun.
Urban legends continue to be an important part of our popular culture. They have been the influence of movies and many songs and books have been the inspiration for the legends. Some urban legends are hard to decipher that may make it difficult for some to clearly distinguish between truth and fiction. This is what makes urban legends so much fun and something that people want to share over and over again.
- Noah's Ark – Some say a group of scientists once discovered Noah's Ark when roaming through the Ararat Mountains. The problem is, no one found the ark after each time someone claimed to have seen it and no samples have ever been uncovered.
- Drilling to Hell – A group of geologists were digging into the earth when they claim they heard screaming. Upon further investigation, they could not find anyone nearby. They listened some more and recorded the sounds, which they claim were the screams of people in Hell crying out for help.
- The Lost Day – Many claim that NASA scientists found a day that was missing in time, which correlates with the Bible's account of the sun standing still in the sky. The story originated in 1936 and has since been a subject of great debate. There is no concrete proof that scientists and their computers were able to confirm a missing day in time, but many still believe it is true.
- Dancing with the Devil – An American story of a girl who went to a school dance where a mysterious man asked her to dance with him. As they were dancing, he spun her around faster and faster. Eventually, smoke was coming from their feet and a hole opened up in the ground. When the smoke cleared, the girl was gone. It is believed that the mysterious man was the devil and he spun her all the way down to Hell.
- Daddy Longlegs – This common spider has long been a source for urban legends. As children, we are told that the daddy longlegs is a poisonous spider but that it cannot bite or hurt us. The truth is that this species of spider does carry venom, but it is not potent enough to cause too much damage. While they could bite if they wanted to, they are generally docile, which is why people do not commonly hear about the daddy longlegs biting humans.
- Razors in Apples – In the 1970s, there was a scare among parents that someone was putting razor blades in apples to give to children at Halloween. Police did a study and checked for such evidence, but less than ten percent of people nationwide over ten years actually had something inserted into their candy or fruit. The cases that were discovered were actually the people attempting to harm their own family members, not trick-or-treating strangers.
- Christmas Urban Legends – The holidays no doubt encourage urban legends, such as the one that states the candy cane actually originated as a J for Jesus, which is untrue. Another one states that the popular song The 12 Days of Christmas is a Catholic song hidden by secular wording. This is also untrue. The song contains religious symbolism, but there is no strong conspiracy behind its words.
- Pop Rocks – Many claim that if kids eat too many of the popular Pop Rocks candy and then drink a soda, they will explode. The makers of Pop Rocks deny the claim, although parents like to tell this one to their kids to keep them from eating too much candy.
- Bonsai Kittens – Recently, a rumor spread that someone was selling something called bonsai kittens. It involved putting small kittens into a jar or other small container when they were born so that they stayed small and compact. Some fake Internet sites sold the kittens in glass ornaments, which outraged PETA. It turned out to be an online hoax, but the story still leaks out from time to time.
- The Kolbrin Bible – Many people claim that this book was written by the Celts and Egyptians and is a secular text that was written during the days of Jesus. It predicts the end of the world and sends people messages about the apocalypse and modern day living. The source of this book has been debated for years and some claim the entire thing is a giant hoax to cause conflict among the Christian religions.
Written by Michael S. Atwood