What is an urban legend and how and when to write it.

People have always told and will continue to tell stories.

In the oral tradition of storytelling, urban legends have developed, evolved, and spread for a longer period than we can trace. Sometimes they are silly, sometimes downright terrifying! From swamp monsters to characters from creepypasta, urban legends still enliven campsites, pajama parties, and stories for both children and adults.

But what exactly are urban legends?

Urban legends are those incredible stories you hear from friends or find online, so absurd that they seem impossible, yet incredibly fascinating. Like the haunted house at the end of the street or the serpent-like monster in the pond, which is most likely just an overgrown snake.

These stories usually begin with a "friend of a friend" or someone loosely connected to you, adding an air of mystery and proximity. People love to share them, and they spread quickly through gossip, social media, or simply chatting with friends.

Think of them as modern folklore: a blend of horror, humor, and suspense that gives you chills but also piques your curiosity. Whether it's a ghostly encounter, a bizarre twist of fate, or a cautionary tale, urban legends tap into our intriguing fascination with the unknown.

And, to be honest, some of them might even have a kernel of truth buried somewhere, but they get exaggerated and distorted with each retelling. It's like a game of telephone where the story changes a bit every time someone shares it.

So, the next time someone starts a story with "You won't believe what happened to my friend's cousin," you might just be entering the realm of an urban legend. It's all part of the fun of sharing spooky and surprising stories!

Examples of Urban Legends in Popular Culture

Urban legends abound in every community worldwide, and I'm sure you can think of some that are unique to where you grew up. Some are elaborate stories with real details, while others simply revolve around superstitions or rumors. Here are some common urban legends you've probably heard (all false!).

1. The Good Samaritan

This urban legend tells the story of a good Samaritan who stops to help someone fix a flat tire. The person being helped then asks for the Good Samaritan's address to send a thank-you. A week later, the Good Samaritan receives $10,000 in the mail with a thank-you note. Over the years, this legend has identified various celebrities who, supposedly, were the ones with the broken-down car, rewarding the Good Samaritan for help without ever asking for anything from the presumably wealthy celebrity.

2. The Organ Thief

Further popularized through movies and television, this longstanding urban legend tells of people having their organs stolen. The story usually involves a businessman having drinks at a bar with a beautiful woman, returning to his room, and waking up in a bathtub full of ice with a new surgical wound. He finds a note and a cell phone beside the tub, instructing him to call the hospital because his kidney has been removed. Although the story began with an email in the late '90s, there are no recorded real cases worldwide.

3. The Vanishing Hitchhiker

This legend, told worldwide with slight variations, involves a driver picking up a young hitchhiker who suddenly disappears, usually leaving behind a piece of clothing or another identifying item. Later, the driver discovers that the girl was an adolescent from the area who died years ago, turning the hitchhiker into a ghost.

4. The Newlyweds

A newlywed couple returns from their honeymoon, organizes and puts away all their gifts, and finds an unmarked gift: two tickets to a sold-out concert. Excited, they go to the concert, wondering who sent this fantastic gift. However, upon returning home that night, they discover their house has been robbed, and all the expensive new gifts are gone. The thief sent the tickets to ensure the couple was out of the house when robbed.

5. Rougarou

The Rougarou (also called loup-garou if you want to be truly French) is a giant werewolf-like creature said to eat misbehaving children. Convenient advice for parents, of course. To avoid the Rougarou, it's a simple two-step process: 1. Obey your parents. 2. Leave thirteen objects on the porch because the Rougarou can only count up to twelve. The legend says it will be forced to count them repeatedly until sunrise, transforming back into its human form.

6. Grunch

Grunches are smaller creatures said to crawl in the Louisiana swamps. They are rumored to be small albino people who were so ostracized in town that they fled to the bayous to build their own communities. One thing leads to another, and the familiar found-footage trope gets spiced up with some ritual sacrifices.

7. Ghost Taxi

Due to the local practice of Voodoo and numerous tragedies, New Orleans is known as a deeply haunted place. An urban legend suggests you might have difficulty getting a taxi. Ask local drivers which streets they avoid, and you'll find many overlaps in areas they steer clear of. Why? Well, because passengers picked up there vanish before paying the fare! Whether nonsense or reality, you'll have to walk to the nearest intersection if you want a ride, as New Orleans cabbies have seen enough and aren't playing games.

8. The Hook-Handed Man

This story usually features a man and a woman near the woods at night, often listening to the radio to hear about an escaped lunatic with a hook for a hand. Sometimes both die, sometimes only one, but there's always a bloody hook embedded in the car door.

9. Bloody Mary

Some urban legends, like that of Bloody Mary, have many variations passed down from person to person for generations. Saying her name three times in front of a mirror in a dark room might summon her. The story varies, but she might tell you something about your future or, alternatively, kill you. Flip the coin.

10. The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs

Another story with many iterations, the babysitter and the cliché call from inside the house come from an urban legend of the same variety.

11. New York City's Super Rats

People fear rats in New York City, and, to be fair, they are pretty frightening creatures! This legend transforms these rats into human-sized rodents, super-genius and/or intentionally evil. Some of these rumors stem from when nutria rats made their way into the northern state. Those are terrifying creatures if you've never seen one before and mistake it for a regular rat.

12. Children with Black Eyes

Children with black eyes have been attributed various unsettling encounters. They are exactly what they sound like: children with black eyes. They approach people, usually at night, asking for help. Whether you choose to help them or not, a simple encounter with one of these children can bring bad luck and/or ruin.

13. Slender Man

lender Man is a classic creepypasta creature taking the form of a tall, lanky, faceless man in a suit and tie. He usually haunts and kidnaps children. Slender Man has seen adaptations into games, movies, and real-life murder attempts, as seen with Payton Leutner surviving her two best friends' Slender Man-inspired attempt to kill her.

14. Even Humans Can Lick

This was the first scary story I ever heard, and it kept me awake for weeks when I was five years old. The details vary, but the version I was told is that a blind woman has a guide dog that sleeps under her bed. When she wakes up scared in the middle of the night, she reaches down for a comforting lick from her dog. One night she wakes to a dripping sound.

She goes to the bathroom and checks the faucets, but they are all closed. She goes back to bed, feeling nervous, and reaches down for a reassuring lick from her dog. Surprise, it's been a man under her bed licking her the whole time, and the dripping sound was her dog's blood, killed and hung in the bathroom.

Urban Legends in Fiction

Urban legends find a home in many horror subgenres of fiction. Here are some famous books based on or that include urban legends.

“Mexican Gothic" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Ambientato nel Messico degli anni '50, questo romanzo horror gotico intreccia elementi del folklore messicano e delle leggende metropolitane nella storia di una persona mondana che affronta oscuri segreti in una casa infestata.

“Crota" by Owl Goingback

This horror novel draws inspiration from Native American mythology and urban legends to tell the story of a monstrous entity unleashed in a small town in Florida. It combines ancient legends with contemporary horror.

"The Girl with All the Gifts" by M.R. Carey

In this post-apocalyptic novel, urban legends about zombies come to life. It explores a world where a fungal infection transforms people into zombie-like creatures, and a young girl with unique abilities may hold the key to humanity's survival.

“American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman's novel blends mythology and modern urban legends, featuring deities from various cultures struggling to survive as belief in them wanes. The novel explores the evolving nature of myths and legends in contemporary society.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury

Bradbury's classic dark fantasy novel incorporates elements of urban legends and folklore as it tells the story of a mysterious carnival arriving in a small town, bringing both wonder and terror.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving

This tale is a classic example of literary work inspired by urban legends. It recounts the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, blending elements of Dutch folklore with a ghostly New England setting.

"Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" by Alvin Schwartz

This classic collection of spooky tales for children features many urban legends and has received a film adaptation.

Types of Urban Legends

As mentioned earlier, the Internet has led to a proliferation of urban legends spreading in various ways and taking on diverse forms. Below are examples of how they often manifest today:

1. Chain Emails, SMS, or Messages

Chain emails became popular in the late '90s and are still prevalent today. They typically suggest that sharing or not sharing the email, message, or SMS will result in some kind of benefit or consequence. For example, "Forward this to 10 people, and the person you like will fall in love with you!" or "If you don't share this email, you'll have bad luck in love for 10 years!"

2. Warning Emails

We've all received emails warning us of imminent crimes or dangerous situations. While some may contain elements of truth, they often stem from exaggerated rumors. People feel the need to share information regardless of whether there is evidence to support it.

3. Prediction Stories

With terrorism becoming a serious global concern, many stories circulate about future attacks or impending dangers. A common variant involves a person helping someone in public, receiving a warning from the person helped to avoid a specific place on a certain day due to potential imminent dangers.

4. Death and Crime Stories

It's common to hear exaggerated tales of crimes or mysterious deaths. For example, stories of celebrities dying circulate multiple times a year, even if they are not true. Similarly, rumors of incredible prison escapes often turn out to be distorted versions of reality.

5. Computer Viruses and Malware

Pop-ups threatening hard drive deletion or virus warnings are digital urban legends. Less experienced individuals may be induced to click on these pop-ups, falling victim to online scams.

6. Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories argue that certain historical events or aspects of society are elaborate cover-ups by the government or other powerful organizations. For example, the theory that the moon landing was faked in a film studio or that Area 51 conceals extraterrestrial activity.

7. Unsolved Mysteries

When there's no clear explanation for something, people invent improbable scenarios. As rumors and stories spread, individuals make up details to fill in the gaps. Many unsolved crimes or mysteries thus transform into urban legends. For instance, stories of missing persons "haunting" the last location they were seen or legends related to disappearances of ships and airplanes in the Bermuda Triangle.

How to Write an Urban Legend

Crafting a captivating urban legend requires a balance between credibility and mystery. Here are some guidelines to help you develop your own urban legend:

1. Draw Inspiration from Reality

Base your legend on events, people, or real-life circumstances. This will anchor your story in reality and make it more convincing.

2. Realism and Credibility

Introduce elements that could be plausible in everyday life. People are more likely to believe stories that seem like they could actually happen.

3. The Power of the Incomplete

Begin with a credible yet unusual story. Leave some ambiguities or details unexplained. This allows people to fill in the gaps with their own imagination, making the legend more engaging.

4. Oral Transmission

Be mindful of word-of-mouth. Like in the game of telephone, information tends to distort and change as it is passed from person to person. Ensure your legend has enough flexibility to adapt to slight modifications without losing its essence.

5. Engage Virtual Reality

Utilize the internet and social media to spread your legend. Creating dedicated web pages or social media profiles can add an authenticity layer to your story, helping engage a wider audience.

6. Recognizable Elements

Use familiar places, objects, or situations to make your legend more relatable. Recognizable elements connect the story to the reader's personal experience.

7. SSuspense and Mystery

Build suspense through the progression of the story. Introduce moments of tension and let the mystery unfold gradually to maintain the audience's interest.

8. Reader Involvement

Create spaces for reader involvement. You can encourage sharing of stories or ask people to contribute additional details.

9. Persistence Over Time

Persistence is key. Urban legends often survive over time because they adapt to new circumstances or incorporate new details. Keep your legend alive through updates or periodic variations.

10. Feedback and Adaptation

Listen to feedback and observe how your legend is received. Adapt the story based on audience reactions, maintaining its ability to capture the imagination.

Crafting a compelling urban legend requires creativity, attention to detail, and an understanding of narrative dynamics. Experiment, adapt, and enjoy the process of bringing to life a story that may withstand the test of time.

When and Where to Share an Urban Legend

Traditionally, legends were passed down through oral narration and took years to spread widely. Nowadays, with the advent of the Internet, stories can quickly travel through social media, blogs, and news sites. Here's when and where it's appropriate to share an urban legend:

1. Online Platforms

• Social Media: Utilize popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to reach a vast audience. Viral shares can make your legend widely known.
• Blog: Write an engaging article on a blog that addresses topics related to your legend. This can attract interested readers and promote discussion.

2. Rilevanza e Interesse

• Crucial Timing: Share your legend when the topic is relevant and sparks interest. For example, during a period of excitement for the horror genre if your legend has scary elements.
• Popular Events: Connect your story to popular events or cultural trends to maximize attention.

3. Credibility and Longevity

• Initial Credibility: Ensure your legend has at least a minimum of initial credibility. Realistic elements make it more convincing.
• Longevity Potential: Consider if your legend has the potential to withstand the test of time. Some stories become timeless, while others may lose interest quickly.

4. Reactions and Feedback

• Monitor Reactions: Pay attention to reactions and feedback. Adapt your story based on audience responses, making it more engaging and interesting.

5. Flexibility and Updates

• Periodic Updates: Keep your legend alive through periodic updates or new details. Flexibility allows the story to adapt and grow over time.

6. Virtual Reality

• Engage the Internet: Use the Internet to spread your legend. Creating dedicated web pages or social profiles can add authenticity to the story.

7. Themed Events

• Involve Themed Events: Engage or organize themed events related to your legend. This can attract a specific audience interested in the topic.

8. Engage the Audience

• Active Participation: Invite the audience to actively participate in your legend. You can encourage sharing similar stories or ask for additional contributions to expand the narrative.

In conclusion, sharing an urban legend requires consideration of the audience, relevance, and initial credibility. Choose the right timing and appropriate channels to maximize the impact of your story.