Justbec
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Urban Legends
Urban legends thrive on people's deepest fears -- that our safe world can crack at any moment and a madman will change our lives forever. That alone is enough to give anyone some second thoughts about our everyday routine.
Legends and folklore tales range from the maniacal serial killer to the completely unexplained. Everyone loves scary ghost stories around the campfire or in the Fall, when the days get shorter, the nights get longer -- and imaginations run wild.
Chances are you'll find many versions of these stories as they get passed on from person to person. Children have a tendency to twist the plots and make them fit their particular circumstances.
Many of these spooky stories are old classics from years past. They may not be the version you've heard, but that's what makes it fun. With the help of our readers, we've got many variations, some relating to ghosts, the supernatural, and hoaxes. These legends are not suitable for young children or the faint of heart. If you've got nerves of steel, proceed with caution...
The Show Supernatural takes most of it's stories from actual Urban Legends. I thought it would be fun to add some here. Feel free to join in.
Credit due: www.supernatural.tv
Last edited by Justbec, 11/23/2009, 8:30 am
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6/28/2009, 9:03 am
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Justbec
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Re: Urban Legends
Bloody Mary Legend
The legend claims that the evil woman can be summoned by chanting "Bloody Mary" into a mirror anywhere from three to one-hundred times in a darkened room lit only by a candle. (Thirteen seems to be the most popular number of chants, appropriately so.) The bathroom is the most popular setting to test out the legend, but other dark rooms seem applicable.
After the given amount of chants, the spirit will then appear in a mirror and claw your eyes out and death will follow. Other variations have her driving you insane or pulling you into the mirror, never to be seen again.
Who Bloody Mary really is remains a mystery. While there are many versions of this story, most accounts point to a woman named Mary Worth, who was horribly disfigured in a car crash. Some people still tell of a witch who was burned at the stake and has returned for revenge, or it may be the devil himself who comes for your soul.
hile you may think you're safe from mean, old Bloody Mary, think again... Legend has it that if you are near a mirror in total darkness, she can still come for you, regardless of whether or not you're trying to call for her.
Supernatural did an Episode on this Legend. It was one of my favorite ones. 
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6/28/2009, 9:06 am
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Bellia
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Re: Urban Legends
TITANIC -- Curse of the Mummy
Of all tales of the supernatural, this one is perhaps the best documented, the most disturbing and the most difficult to explain.
The Princess of Amen-Ra lived some 1,500 years before Christ. When she died, she was laid in an ornate wooden coffin and buried deep in a vault at Luxor, on the banks of the Nile. In the late 1890s, four rich, young, Englishmen visiting the excavations at Luxor were invited to buy an exquisitely fashioned mummy case containing the remains of Princess of Amen-Ra.
They drew lots. The man who won paid several thousand pounds and had the coffin taken to his hotel. A few hours later, he was seen walking out towards the desert. He never returned. The next day, one of the remaining three men was shot by an Egyptian servant accidentally. His arm was so severely wounded it had to be amputated. The third man in the foursome found on his return home that the bank holding his entire savings had failed. The fourth man suffered a severe illness, lost his job and was reduced to selling matches in the street.
Nevertheless, the coffin reached England (causing other misfortunes along the way), where it was bought by a London businessman . After three of his family members had been injured in a road accident and his house damaged by fire, the businessman donated it to the British Museum . As the coffin was being unloaded from a truck in the museum courtyard, the truck suddenly went into reverse and trapped a passer-by . Then as the casket was being lifted up the stairs by two workmen, one fell and broke his leg . The other, apparently in perfect health, died unaccountably two days later . Once the Princess was installed in the Egyptian Room, trouble really started . Museum's night watchmen frequently heard frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin . Other exhibits in the room were also often hurled about at night . One watchman died on duty; causing the other watchmen wanting to quit. Cleaners refused to go near the Princess too . When a visitor derisively flicked a dust cloth at the face painted on the coffin, his child died of measles soon afterwards. Finally, the authorities had the mummy carried down to the basement . Figuring it could not do any harm down there. Within a week, one of the helpers was seriously ill, and the supervisor of the move was found dead on his desk.
By now, the papers had heard of it. A journalist photographer took a picture of the mummy case and when he developed it, the painting on the coffin was of a horrifying, human face. The photographer went home then, locked his bedroom door and shot himself.
Soon afterwards, the museum sold the mummy to a private collector. After continual misfortune (and deaths), the owner banished it to the attic. A well known authority on the occult, Madame Helena Blavatsky, visited the premises. Upon entry, she was seized with a shivering fit and searched the house for the source of "an evil influence of incredible intensity". She finally came to the attic and found the mummy case. "Can you exorcise this evil spirit ?" asked the owner . "There is no such thing as exorcism. Evil remains evil forever . Nothing can be done about it. I implore you to get rid of this evil as soon as possible". But no British museum would take the mummy; the fact that almost 20 people had met with misfortune, disaster or death from handling the casket, in barely 10 yrs, was now well known.
Eventually, a hard-headed American archaeologist (who dismissed the happenings as quirks of circumstance), paid a handsome price for the mummy and arranged for its removal to New York . In April of 1912, the new owner escorted its treasure aboard a sparkling, new White Star liner about to make its maiden voyage to New York.
On the night of April 14, amid scenes of unprecedented horror, the Princess of Amen-Ra accompanied 1,500 passengers to their deaths at the bottom of the Atlantic. The name of the ship was Titanic.
This is one of my favorite legends and very interesting.
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6/28/2009, 10:36 pm
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Justbec
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Wow, thanks for that Bellia! I never heard that one before.
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6/29/2009, 6:44 am
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Justbec
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Re: Urban Legends
The Hook Urban Legend
A teenage couple drove to Lover's Lane and were making out when the music was interrupted with a special bulletin. The radio announcer said that there was a mass murderer who had just escaped from the local insane asylum and was on the loose. The announcer then urged everyone to "be on the lookout" and stay indoors.
Immediately, the girl was frightened and she urged her boyfriend to take her home. He insisted that everything was okay and continued to kiss her. She heard a strange thumping noise, pulled away, and insisted they leave. Although he was irritated, he realized that the mood was broken and drove her on home.
When they arrived at her house, her door was stuck and wouldn't open. When the boy walked around to her side of the car to let her out, he was shocked to find a hook lodged in the door handle. Needless to say, they were very lucky that night.
Another "Hook" Story
The man with a hook-hand who is stalking young lovers seems to have taken on a life of it's own. Or is that a death of it's own? Sometimes the boyfriend isn't so lucky... Take this one for example:
Two young teenagers are totally involved with each other at a wooded area, near a lonesome highway. Suddenly, a special announcement alerts them to the fact that a convicted killer had escaped from the local prison and was armed and dangerous.
The girl insists that they leave and the miffed boyfriend finally agreed, realizing that it was a dangerous situation. He first had to relieve himself and told his girlfriend to lock the doors and don't, under any circumstances, get out of the car.
When the boyfriend didn't come back, she decided to drive the car and look for him before leaving. Soon, she discovered that the keys weren't in the car and they must be in his pocket.
She began hearing terrible scraping and screeching noises and huddled up in the back seat. After a long and fearful night sitting in the car, daylight broke and she decided to make a run for it to the highway nearby.
After leaving the car, she took a look back and saw that her boyfriend was hanging from a tree above the car and his shoes were scraping against the roof.
Again, Supernatural did one similar to the Urban Legend, called "Hookman". It intrigued me to look up the real legend.
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6/29/2009, 6:47 am
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Catcherlady
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Loved the Bloody Mary and Hookman SN episodes...those legends are very cool.
Hadn't heard about the Titanic one, but that is REALLY intriguing.
Of course there have been a lot of Egyptian mummy curse type legends, one of the most famous being the curse of King Tut after Henry Carter and Lord Carnarvon opened his tomb. The Princess Amman Ra one is very cool, though...thanks for sharing, Bellia!
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6/29/2009, 9:38 am
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Justbec
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The Babysitter Story
The babysitter story is truly an unforgettable urban legend, told at slumber parties everywhere. The tale has different variations but the spooky and downright terrifying elements remain the same.
As the story goes, a teenage girl is hired by a young couple to baby-sit their two small children. They go out to a dinner party and leave the girl to tend to the kids in a somewhat isolated, large house at the end of the block.
When the hour gets late, she puts the children to bed and sits down to watch some late-night TV. The phone starts ringing and startles the half-asleep teenager. When she answers it, she hears heavy breathing and a man tells her he is "coming to get her." While she is somewhat scared, she dismisses it as a prank phone call.
About 15 minutes later, the phone rings again. When she answers it, the man starts laughing and tells her that he is closer. The baby sitter is truly frightened now and calls the police.
They tell her that it's probably just a prank phone call, but they will try to trace the call -- so she must keep him on the line as long as possible if he calls another time. She once again settles down on the couch, not sleepy at all.
The phone rings a third time and the man tells her he has come for her and it's only a matter of time. He continues with some heavy breathing until the babysitter is so terrified that she hangs up the phone again.
She quickly decides to get the children and flee the house when the phone rings again. This time it is a policeman on the other end and he tells her frantically "GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!" THE MAN IS INSIDE THE HOUSE AND IS CALLING FROM THE UPSTAIRS EXTENSION!"
She runs from the house as the police arrive. The madman escapes but they find the children upstairs dead and a bloody axe laying on the bedroom floor next to an open window.
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6/30/2009, 10:37 am
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Justbec
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The Hanging Tree
In Brazoria, TX two slaves were unjustly hung by the neck from the limb of an old sturdy tree until they died. The ghosts of the slaves have haunted that area ever since.
In the past, drivers of horse pulled wagons they said that their horses would just stop below the tree.A man who didn't believe the tales coaxed his horse under the tree and the animal stopped in it's tracks. He had to force his horse to leave the spot.
Now they say that a car driven under the branches of that old tree will stall every time.
There is a church not to far from the tree and one night a woman was walking home from the church when she heard a noise. She turned and saw a small black boy a few yards behind her. She asked him if he needed help, but he didn't reply so she turned and started walking again.
When she looked back moments later, she saw the figure had grown to a boy of about 12 and was following her soundlessly.
She began to walk faster and when she looked again the boy was a teenager. She began running from him and when she panicked and looked back again a grown man was close behind her. She ran to a nearby home and crashed through their front door while they were cheerfully eating dinner. The man had dissappeared.
Stand under that tree at night and the boy will appear to you too.
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7/20/2009, 9:57 am
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Justbec
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Wow! That is cool Bellia!
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7/22/2009, 10:52 am
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Justbec
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Re: Urban Legends
The Legend of the Lady of The Lake
Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, NY
From the Encyclopedia of Urban Legends
" On the frozen Lake Ronkonkoma a young woman breathed her last when the faithful ice had failed her and her fateful die was cast. She was grieving for the husband that was killed before they wed, who was murdered by a white man ere they shared their marriage bed.' It has said that every year , another male drowns in the waters of this Lake , and every year a family grieves and holds a wake from the wrath and vengeance of eons past of the Lady of the Lake"
As a youngster my interest was aroused in the legends and tales circulating that pertained to Lake Ronkonkoma . My family home at the time was on Maple Crest Drive in Ronkonkoma, and later on Fifth Street in the same town.. Many summer days were spent gallivanting on the shores of the infamous Lake .
Tales of people drowning there and their bodies turning up in the Long Island Sound, the East River, or even Connecticut were common.. Most were just tall tales, and nothing more. But one legend persists and has proven to be a hard nut to Crack , that is the The Legend of The Lady of The Lake.
I recall very clearly one incident, I couldn't have been more than seven years old, I was wading in the lake with some neighborhood children. I started swimming out much further than prudence dictated, at that age prudence evaded me and even kryptonite didn't scare me. As I got a short distance from the group I heard someone beckoning to me to come further out, in my mind I believed it was my elder sister , but I later came to the realization that she wasn't even at the Lake that day.
Mesmerized by the beckoning I started swimming out further and further from the group. I was brought to my senses when an older girl from the neighborhood swam to me, grabbed me by the arm harshly scolded me, and ordered me back to shore. Kryptonite didn't scare me, but teenage girls .. that was another matter altogether... This incident was quickly tucked away into a musty nook in the attic of my mind, only to be recollected years later as I began reading about the Legend of the Lady of the Lake.
Were Other boys beckoned out by this same voice, never to return ?
Twice more in perusing years I had second hand experiences with the wicked ***** at the bottom of the Lake .. One was shortly after my personal experience . My family had moved away from Ronkonkoma to another town on Long Island, a few days before moving I had visited Some older neighborhood boys , at the time they were building a raft that they planned to float in the Lake.
Days later, in my new home I recall my Mom showing me a copy of the Long Island Press or Newsday. {At that time a drowning was newsworthy.} On the Front Page was one of the teenagers . Apparently they succeeded in building their raft and getting it to the Lake , two left on the raft, only one returned.
The raft was dragged out by an unusual current, one of the boys, who could swim jumped off and swam to shore, as I recall he supposedly told the other, who couldn't swim, to stay on the raft , he would get help.. for whatever reason the non swimmer did not comply.. why? ... no one will ever know.
The Legend
There are a few varieties of the The Lady of the Lake Legend.
One Version tells of an Indian Princess who rowed out to the middle of the lake, and drowned herself by tying rocks to her ankles and jumping overboard. . She was distressed that her father did not approve of her romance with a white settler. The Princess was supposedly found in a river in Connecticut.
The local Indians believed Ronkonkoma to be bottomless {A 1959 diving expedition measured it at 70 feet deep Yet to this day, strange sounds and lights occur around the lake, along with its record of drowning.}
Sounds of groaning, whirlpools, and bizarre lights are said to be the Lady in her endless grief.
In another version The Indian princess was in love with a young Brave of the tribe who was murdered by a white settler living in Ronkonkoma. She was so aggrieved by the brutal and unprovoked murder of her betrothed that she committed suicide by drowning herself in the lake.
While wading out to her death she vowed to onlookers, that she would avenge the tragic death of her lover and every year; she would take with her, someone a white man down with her. It is claimed that every year at least one male dies swimming in the Lake. I have made some attempts to document this but am still working on it
A Third version tells the story of an Indian maiden who was sacrificed to appease the Indian God "Caulkluntoowut" .
The broken-hearted maiden tied weights around her ankles, rowed to the middle of the lake, and slipped over the side. Her lover {Still alive in this version }dove in after her, her body was found in a Connecticut River weeks later. The Indians believed her spirit haunted the lake and caused "whirlpools, waves, moaning sounds, and other mysterious events".
The central theme of the legend remains the same , an Indian maiden "many moons ago" died in this lake and vowed revenge, here spirit remains within its water to this day and has lured many a young man to its murky bottom.
Another legend I've read is of an Indian Sachem who was not allowed to marry the maiden he was in love with. He paddled into the lake and stabbed himself in the heart, his body went over the side of his canoe and into the water, and was later found in a Connecticut lake.
How, a primitive people from Long Island would get news of a body turning up in a lake on the other side of the Long Island Sound is beyond me.
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7/23/2009, 7:21 am
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