Spooky Urban Legends

In this chilling, informative article by Shani Grounds, the reader will learn about various types of urban legends, scary tales/folklore, and supernatural beings from different cultures.

SPOOKY URBAN LEGENDS

By Shani Grounds

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC AND DESCRIPTIVE IMAGERY OF BLOOD, DEATH, AND VIOLENCE/MURDER.

What is an "Urban Legend?"

Dr. Jan Harold Brunvand is best known for popularizing the concept of the urban legend and wrote a groundbreaking book that sparked America’s interest in urban legends. According to Brunvand, the definition of an urban legend is “a strong basic story-appeal, a foundation in actual belief, and a meaningful message or moral.” Below are just a few examples of urban legends that may solely be creepy stories or myths, or could potentially offer something deeper.

An artist's rendition of the chupacabra

THE AMERICAS

The Chupacabra

Chupacabra literally translates to “goat sucker” due to its bloodlust for goats and other livestock. Its first alleged sighting was in Puerto Rico in 1995, when a resident named Madelyne Tolentino claimed to have seen it come out of a bush outside her home to bite the family dog. In the year of 1995 alone, it was blamed for the mysterious death of 1000 animals including goats, sheep, cattle, chickens, and even pets. Many eye witnesses claimed that the creature was 4-6 feet tall, walked upright, but was not humanoid, and had large, alien-like eyes. Another possible physical description includes the description of a more dog-like creature rather than an alien-like creature, with a row of spines attached to its back.

Bloody Mary

The urban legend states that Bloody Mary is a type of spirit that can reveal someone’s future. The ghost of Bloody Mary may be friendly or evil and covered in blood. If her name is repeated 13 times, she will appear in a mirror. Supposedly, in the past, many young women would walk upstairs backward holding a mirror and a candle, chanting “Bloody Mary” repeatedly in an attempt to see their future husbands’ faces through the mirror. If these women were fated to die before their marriage, they would see a skull in the mirror instead. Allegedly, participants in this ritual have experienced Bloody Mary screaming at them, cursing, scratching their eyes out, stealing their soul, etc.

An early 20th century Halloween card
"The Bunnyman Bridge"Bridge in Fairfax County, Virginia

The Bunnyman

This urban legend states that, if one were to linger around a certain bridge in Fairfax County, Northern Virginia, they could be murdered by the Bunnyman who always carried an axe. The background to this legend states that, sometime in the early 1900s, there was an asylum in proximity of the bridge. It eventually got shut down, and inmates were transported to another prison via bus. The bus crashed and were able to capture all inmates who escaped, except one mental patient named Douglas Griffon. Policemen were still searching weeks after the incident, but all they saw were tons of rabbit corpses in the woods. They came up with a conclusion that Douglas was living in the woods and surviving off of rabbits. Another story states that, in the 1970s, a couple parked their car by the bridge, when suddenly a man in a bunny costume came out of the woods, shrieked something unintelligible, and threw his hatchet at their car before they managed to escape to tell the story.

Skin-Walkers

Skin-walkers are derived from The Navajo, which are Native American peoples from the Southern United States. Currently, there are approximately 400,000 members of the tribe, making it the most populous tribe in the United States. According to their culture, skin-walkers are evil witches who can shapeshift and disguise themselves as animals. They are able to stay human and walk among the tribe during the day, and they transform under the moon at night. Navajo call these witches “yee naaldlooshii”, which translates to “with it, he goes on all fours.” In the Navajo tribe, healers of the tribe are known as medicine men and are usually well-respected. According to the legend, sometimes these medicine men become corrupt, and use their powers to perform evil deeds such as killing or causing harm to others. Skin-walkers are able to transform into any animal and acquire supernatural powers such as speed, increased jump height, strength, and more.

A Changing Skin-walker
Swimming water baby

Water Babies

The water baby legend derives from Western United States Native American tribes. According to the legend, water babies are small, child-like creatures that live in lakes and rivers on Native American reservations. Some tales characterize the water baby as mischievous, spending its time tricking/teasing any human that walks near its water. Other tales characterize the water baby as a bloodthirsty murderer that either wants to avenge its own death or desires nothing but to kill every human it sees. One example of a water baby legend takes place in Pocatello, Idaho at Massacre Rocks. The myth states that a dreadful famine took over the Shoshone Indians’ lands one year, and, therefore, mothers were forced to drown their babies in local rivers/lakes because they could not feed them. The story claims that the babies evolved to grow gills and fins, feasting on tadpoles and small fish. Many Native Americans claim that their laughter can be heard around canals and rivers in the Shoshone Bannock reservation in an attempt to lure humans into the water.

Europe & ASIa

Jinn or Genies

Jinn are supernatural creatures deriving from Arabian and Islamic cultures. Many Americans view Genies as helpful creatures who, when their brass lamp is rubbed, will appear and grant 3 wishes to whoever has set them free, like seen in Disney’s Aladdin movie. However, brass lamps and wishes do not exist in the original lore of Jinn. In fact, most Jinn are evil or hostile to humans. Jinn are spirits of fire or air, capable of transforming into humans or animals, and tend to dwell in inanimate objects such as trees, stones, etc. Jinn are usually blamed for many diseases and accidents and they take pleasure in punishing humans that do either intentional or unintentional harm to them. Humans who are knowledgeable about magic or possess strong wisdom are able to use Jinn to their advantage. One notable example of an evil Jinn is the legendary Umm al-Duwais, a female Jinn who allegedly appears as a beautiful woman during the night to lure men with her enchanting powers. Once she has done this, she will turn into a terrifying figure and will shortly eat her victim.

Jinn
An Austrian postcard, 1910

Krampus

Krampus is a Germanic legend and his name translates to “claw” from German. He is a half-goat, half-demon creature that violently punishes misbehaving or naughty children around Christmas time in Germany and Austria. He is also the son of the Norse goddess Hel, the goddess of death. While Santa (St. Nicholas) is known to give coal to “bad” children, Krampus gives bruises by beating the children with sticks or death by eating them or dragging them to Hell. Some children would wake up in the morning with gifts and presents to open, while others would need medical attention. Germany and Austria both have ways to celebrate Krampus. Austria has Krampuslauf, which translates to “Krampus run”, where grown men would get drunk and dress up as Krampus, chasing screaming children around the streets. Germany has Krampusnacht on December 5th or 6th, when parents might dress up as Krampus to scare their children in an attempt to get them to behave.

Pontianak [pon-tee-ah-nahk]

A Pontianak is an Indonesian female ghost that allegedly used to be a woman who died during childbirth. According to the legend, she causes harm to pregnant women and newborn babies due to their smells being “sickeningly sweet.” Her smell emits a flowery fragrance, but eventually morphs into the stench of something foul. Indonesian legends also say that, if one were to hear a dog howling, a Pontianak is near. If the howling turns to soft whimpering, the Pontianak is close and watching. Her eerie laughter can be heard when she is far away, but will turn much softer if she is near. Pontianak is also known as Matianak in the Philippines, Kuntilanak in Indonesia, and Churel in India.

Pontianak from Malaysian and Indonesian mythology
"Toyol" by Shafi Adam

Toyol

A toyol is a small child spirit in Southeast Asian cultures, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and more. Its appearance is described as a near-naked toddler, usually with green or grey skin and pointed ears. It is usually used by evil shamans to commit wrongdoing such as stealing other’s valuables or creating other mischief. Urban legends say that, in order to appease a toyol, one needs to leave toys lying around. Other offerings can also be presented to foster a closer relationship with the creature.

Pocong

A Pocong, also known as a shrouded ghost, is an Indonesian ghost that is said to be the soul of a dead person trapped in its shroud. A shroud is a simple, white burial cloth used to cover a deceased Muslim. The pocong’s shroud is a white fabric tied over the head, under the feet, and on the neck. Because of the tie under the feet, the ghost is unable to walk, which is why it supposedly hops around like a rabbit. Some legends also claim that a Pocong teleport, fly, and roll around. Lately, news reporters have found that people are volunteering to dress up as a Pocong in an attempt to scare people off the streets in Indonesian villages during the pandemic.

Pocong
From "Strange Ghosts" by Pu Ru

Shui Gui

Shui Gui are spirits of people who have drowned, according to Chinese legends. They lurk in the body of water in which they died, laying in wait before dragging unsuspecting victims underwater and drowning them. Afterwards, the shui gui take possession of their victim’s body. This process is known as “ti shen”, which literally translates to “replace the body”. The spirit returns to life in the victim’s body while the victim's spirit takes the shui gui’s place, looking for the next unsuspecting victim. Many people would wear special amulets or talismans to protect themselves from these water ghosts.