The Romance Of Urban Legends

By Author: John Krawczyk
Total Articles: 55
Comment this article

An Urban legend, also known as an urban tale is referred to some kind of modern folklore with stories which may or may not be true. The designation does not credit it with authenticity. It is presented in varied tones at times and holds a certain importance so that the people of the community propagate it. The term is not unique to legends that have originated in urban areas only. In fact it is used to differentiate them from the traditional folklore as well. Hence, it is more widely known as contemporary legends.

The basic structure of any of these urban legends is that they are framed in complete stories with characters and a defined plot. The elements of mystery, horror and humor are the reasons why these stories appeal to the general mass. Very often these tales serve as cautionary or morality stories for people. These stories have a tantalizing plausibility to them and are told as if they are original tale-tells. Many a time people personalize some of these stories that add up to the charm of the tales. Some of the very popular stories include the following-

The tale of the Bloody Mary is perhaps ...
... one of the oldest tales amongst the whole lot of stories passed around. The story has it that if you stand before the mirror and repeat the name thrice, the ghost of Mary will appear. The ghost may or may not be malevolent, depending upon the varied translations of the folk in historic legends. The apparition might take the form of a ghost, a corpse or a witch and usually will be covered in blood. Self-hypnosis, at times, has been related to the Bloody Mary phenomena.

Just like the story of Bloody Mary, there are numerous other contemporary legends that form a huge part of the society. The legends like the Ghost hand prints, don’t turn on the lights, Express Train to Hell and Screaming Tunnel are all a part of urban legends genre which have some or the other significance to the people. The tale of the White Lady is quite famous as well. Seeking vengeance against a local farmer whom she thought had killed her daughter; she searched for her in vain and then in despair, killed herself. The spirit of the white lady hates men and wanders along the foggy paths in winters, accompanied by her spirit dogs as well.

Experts are of the opinion that these contemporary folklore serve as good indicators of the activities in and around the society .By looking at any particular story, the fear of the people in a particular time zone can be pointed out. The stories usually make cultural sense and some of these tales seem to be around for a long time, for generations to hear while there are quite a few of these which seem to fizzle out of people’s minds if they are not too relevant to the social order of the modern times.

For more information about Urban Legends and Hotel 32, please visit the website:- http://www.hotel33legend.com/