4/9/2021 Urban legend - Wikipedia

Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend is a genre of folklore
comprising stories circulated as true, especially as having happened to a friend or family member, often
with horrifying or humorous elements. These legends can be entertainment, but often concern
mysterious peril or troubling events, such as disappearances and strange objects. They may also be
confirmation of moral standards, or reflect prejudices, or be a way to make sense of societal anxieties.[1]

Urban legends are most often circulated orally, but can be spread by any media, including newspapers,
mobile news apps, e-mail, and social media. Some urban legends have passed through the years with
only minor changes to suit regional variations.

Contents
Origin and structure
Propagation and belief
Relation to mythology
Documentation
Genres
Crime
Medicine
Internet
Paranormal
Marketing
See also
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

Origin and structure

The term "urban legend", as used by folklorists, has appeared in print since at least 1968, when it was
used by Richard Dorson.[2] Jan Harold Brunvand, professor of English at the University of Utah,
introduced the term to the general public in a series of popular books published beginning in 1981.
Brunvand used his collection of legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their
Meanings (1981) to make two points: first, that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in so-called
primitive or traditional societies, and second, that one could learn much about urban and modern
culture by studying such tales.

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Many urban legends are framed as complete stories with plot and characters. The compelling appeal of a
typical urban legend is its elements of mystery, horror, fear or humor. Often they serve as cautionary
tales. Some urban legends are morality tales that depict someone, usually a child, acting in a
disagreeable manner, only to wind up in trouble, hurt, or dead.

Urban legends will often try to invoke a feeling of disgust in the reader which tends to make these stories
more memorable and potent. Elements of shock value can be found in almost every form of urban legend
and are partially what makes these tales so impactful.[3]

Most urban legends will also include an element of something that is supernatural or paranormal. Many
of the most well known tales will try to balance out the normal with the paranormal. Stories that stray
too far into the paranormal aspect are usually not as regarded as ones that still attempt to keep some sort
of basis in reality.[3]

Propagation and belief

As Jan Brunvand points out,[4] antecedent legends including some of the motifs, themes and symbolism
of the urtexts can readily be identified. Cases that may have been at least partially inspired by real events
include "The Death Car" (traced by Richard Dorson to Michigan, United States);[4] "the Solid Cement
Cadillac"[5] and the possible origin of "The Hook" in the 1946 series of Lovers' Lane murders in
Texarkana, Texas, United States.[6][7] The urban legend that Coca-Cola developed the drink Fanta to sell
in Nazi Germany without public backlash originated as the actual tale of German Max Keith, who
invented the drink and ran Coca-Cola's operations in Germany during World War II.[8]

The teller of an urban legend may claim it happened to a friend (or to a friend of a friend), which serves
to personalize, authenticate and enhance the power of the narrative[9] and distances the teller. Many
urban legends depict horrific crimes, contaminated foods, or other situations that would potentially
affect many people. Anyone believing such stories might feel compelled to warn loved ones. On occasion,
news organizations, school officials and even police departments have issued warnings concerning the
latest threat.[10] According to the "Lights Out" rumor, street-gang members would drive without
headlights until a compassionate motorist responded with the traditional flashing of headlights,
whereupon a prospective new gang-member would have to murder the citizen as a requirement of
initiation.[11] A fax retelling this legend received at the Nassau County, Florida, fire department was
forwarded to police, and from there to all city departments. The Minister of Defence for Canada was
taken in by it also; he forwarded an urgent security warning to all Ontario Members of Parliament.[11]

Urban legends typically include common elements: the tale is retold on behalf of the original witness or
participant; dire warnings are often given for those who might not heed the advice or lesson contained
therein (a typical element of many e-mail phishing scams); and the tale is often touted as "something a
friend told me", the friend being identified by first name only or not identified at all.[12] Such legends
seem to be believable and even provocative, as some readers are led in turn to pass them on, including
on social media platforms that instantly reach millions worldwide.[13] Many are essentially extended
jokes, told as if they were true events.[14]

Persistent urban legends do often maintain a degree of plausibility, as in the story a serial killer
deliberately hiding in the back seat of a car. Another such example since the 1970s has been the
recurring rumor that the Procter & Gamble Company was associated with Satan-worshippers because of
details within its nineteenth-century trademark.[15] The legend interrupted the company's business to
the point that it stopped using the trademark.[16]

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Relation to mythology
The earliest term by which these narratives were known, "urban belief tales", highlights what was then
thought of as a key property: their tellers regarded the stories as true accounts, and the device of the
FOAF (acronym for "Friend of a Friend" invented by English writer and folklorist Rodney Dale in 1976)
was a spurious but significant effort at authentication.[17] The coinage leads in turn to the terms
"FOAFlore" and "FOAFtale". While at least one classic legend, the "Death Car", has been shown to have
some basis in fact,[18] folklorists have an interest in debunking those narratives only to the degree that
establishing non-factuality warrants the assumption that there must be some other reason why the tales
are told, re-told and believed.[19] As in the case of myth, the narratives are believed because they
construct and reinforce the worldview of the group within which they are told, or "because they provide
us with coherent and convincing explanations of complex events".[20]

Social scientists have started to draw on urban legends in order to help explain complex socio-
psychological beliefs, such as attitudes to crime, childcare, fast food, SUVs and other "family" choices.[21]
The authors make an explicit connection between urban legends and popular folklore, such as Grimm's
Fairy Tales, where similar themes and motifs arise. For that reason, it is characteristic of groups within
which a given narrative circulates to vehemently reject claims or demonstrations of non-factuality; an
example would be the expressions of outrage by police officers who are told that adulteration of
Halloween treats by strangers (the subject of periodic moral panics) occurs extremely rarely, if at
all.[19][22]

Documentation
The Internet has made it easier both to spread and to debunk urban legends.[23][24] For instance, the
Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban and several other websites, most notably snopes.com, focus on
discussing, tracking, and analyzing urban legends. The United States Department of Energy had a now-
discontinued service called Hoaxbusters[25] that dealt with computer-distributed hoaxes and legends.[26]
The most notable such hoaxes are known as Creepypastas, which are typically horror stories written
anonymously.[27] Although most are regarded as obviously false, some, such as the Slender Man, have
gained a following of people that do believe in them.[27][28]

Television shows such as Urban Legends, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, and later Mostly True Stories:
Urban Legends Revealed, feature re-enactments of urban legends, detailing the accounts of the tales and
(typically later in an episode) revealing any factual basis they may have. The Discovery Channel TV show
MythBusters (2003–2016) tried to prove or disprove several urban legends by attempting to reproduce
them using the scientific method.

The 1998 film Urban Legend featured students discussing popular urban legends while at the same time
falling victim to them.

Between 1992 and 1998 The Guardian newspaper "Weekend" section published the illustrated "Urban
Myths" column by Phil Healey and Rick Glanvill, with content taken from a series of four books: Urban
Myths, The Return of Urban Myths, Urban Myths Unplugged,[29] and Now! That's What I Call Urban
Myths. The 1994 comics anthology the Big Book of Urban Legends, written by Robert Boyd, Jan Harold
Brunvand, and Robert Loren Fleming, featured two-hundred urban legends, displayed as comics.

The British writer Tony Barrell has explored urban legends in a long-running column in The Sunday
Times. These include the story that Orson Welles began work on a Batman movie in the 1940s, which
was to feature James Cagney as the Riddler and Marlene Dietrich as Catwoman;[30] the persistent
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rumour that the rock singer Courtney Love is the granddaughter of Marlon Brando;[31] and the idea that
a famous 1970s poster of Farrah Fawcett contains a subliminal sexual message concealed in the actress's
hair.[32]

Genres

Crime

As with traditional urban legends, many Internet rumors are about crimes either fictional or based on
real events that have been blown out of proportion.[33][34] Such stories can be dangerous, because they
both make claims to be news that are relevant to modern times and do not follow the patterns of typical
urban legends.[35]

Medicine

Some legends are medical folklore, such as the claim that eating watermelon seeds will result in a
watermelon growing in the stomach, or that going outdoors just after showering will result in catching a
cold.[36]

Internet

Internet urban legends are those spread through the internet, as through Usenet or email[37] or more
recently social media. They can also be linked to viral online content. Some take the form of chain letters
and are spread by e-mail, directing the reader to share them or meet a terrible fate,[38] and following a
recognizable outline of hook, threat, and finally request.[39] Others are fake virus alerts, warning people
of nonexistent threats to their computers, often appearing as online pop-ups claiming to be giveaways or
store coupons.[40]

Paranormal

These stories usually involve someone encountering something supernatural, such as a cryptid[41]—for
instance, Bigfoot or Mothman,[42] legendary creatures for which evidence is wanting but which have
legions of believers.[43]

Marketing
Companies have been accused of hiding "secret messages" behind their logo or packaging,[44] as in the
case of the old Procter & Gamble symbol, supposedly an occult figure that gave a panache to the brand.
(If the thirteen stars in the symbol were connected a certain way, it would show three sixes in a row.)[45]
Similarly, a video of a Christian woman "exposing" Monster Energy for using the Hebrew alphabet
symbol for the letter ''M" to disguise the number 666 went viral on Facebook.[46]

On the lighter side, some urban legends have been used intentionally for comic purpose in advertising.
The most well-known examples include the use of a Sasquatch in Jack Link commercials, known as
"Messin' with Sasquatch," and the use of unicorns in Icebreakers ads. Another is the New Jersey Devils
hockey team, named for the state's popular cryptid, the Jersey Devil.[47]
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See also
List of urban legends
Creepypasta
Japanese urban legend
Campfire story
Factoid
Old wives' tale
Rumor
Superstition
Tall tale
Woozle effect

References
1. "Urban Legend Definition" (https://www.snopes.com/what-are-urban-legends/). Snopes.com.
2. Oxford English Dictionary, 2d ed. 1989, entry for "urban legend," citing R. M. Dorson in T. P. Coffin,
Our Living Traditions, xiv. 166 (1968). See also William B. Edgerton, The Ghost in Search of Help for
a Dying Man, Journal of the Folklore Institute, Vol. 5, No. 1. pp. 31, 38, 41 (1968).
3. Robson, David. "What makes an urban legend?" (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150126-how-t
o-create-an-urban-legend). www.bbc.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
4. Mikkelson, Barbara (10 August 2006). "snopes.com: Death Car" (http://www.snopes.com/autos/curse
d/deathcar.asp). Urban Legends Reference Pages. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
5. "snopes.com: Cement in Lover's Car" (http://www.snopes.com/love/revenge/concrete.asp). Urban
Legends Reference Pages. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
6. Mikkelson, Barbara (2 June 2008). "snopes.com: The Hook" (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madme
n/hook.asp). Urban Legends Reference Pages. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
7. Ramsland, Katherine. "Texas Chainsaw Massacre is based on a real case the crime library – Other
Speculations – Crime Library on truTV.com" (https://web.archive.org/web/20090831082654/http://ww
w.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/texas_chainsaw_massa/5.html). Turner
Broadcasting System Inc. Archived from the original (http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/
notorious/texas_chainsaw_massa/5.html) on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
8. Mikkelson, Barbara. "The Reich Stuff?" (http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/fanta.asp). Urban Legends
Reference Pages. Retrieved 9 January 2007.
9. Brunvand, p.423
10. Gross, Dave. "The "Blue Star" LSD Tattoo Urban Legend Page" (http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/othe
r/tattoo/). the Lycaeum Drug Archives. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110718214538/http://
www.lycaeum.org/drugs/other/tattoo/) from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
11. Mikkelson, Barbara (8 December 2008). "snopes.com: Flashing Headlights Gang Initiation" (http://w
ww.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp). Urban Legends Reference Pages. Retrieved 28 August
2010.
12. "Heard the one about..." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6090918.stm) BBC News. 27 October
2006. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20090604154846/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6
090918.stm) from the original on 4 June 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
13. Gelfand, Lynn (2014). They are watching you: The Slender Man and the terrors of 21st century
technologies.
14. Brunvand, p.223
15. Procter and Gamble v. Amway 242 F.3d 539
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16. Brunvand, p.333

17. Brunvand, p. 459
18. Richard Dorson. "American Folklore" University of Chicago Press, 1959, pp. 250-52.
19. Adam Brooke Davis. "Davis, Adam Brooke. "Devil's Night and Hallowe'en: The Linked Fates of Two
Folk Festivals." Missouri Folklore Society Journal XXIV(2002) 69-82 (http://missourifolkloresociety.tru
man.edu/Missouri%20Folklore%20Studies/devilsnight.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
160305105514/http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/Missouri%20Folklore%20Studies/devilsnigh
t.htm) 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
20. John Mosier "WAR MYTHS" Historically Speaking: The Bulletin of the Historical Society: VI: 4,
March/April 2005.
21. Croft, Robin (2006). "Folklore, Families and Fear: Exploring the Influence of the Oral Tradition on
Consumer Decision-making". Journal of Marketing Management. 22 (9 & 10): 1053–1076.
doi:10.1362/026725706778935574 (https://doi.org/10.1362%2F026725706778935574).
S2CID 144646252 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:144646252).
22. Best, Joel; Horiuchi, Gerald T. (June 1985). "The Razor Blade in the Apple: The Social Construction
of Urban Legends". Social Problems. 32 (5): 488–497. doi:10.2307/800777 (https://doi.org/10.2307%
2F800777). ISSN 0037-7791 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0037-7791). JSTOR 800777 (https://ww
w.jstor.org/stable/800777).
23. Donovan, p.129
24. "How Urban Legends Work" (https://people.howstuffworks.com/urban-legend.htm). HowStuffWorks.
16 May 2001. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
25. The U.S. Department of Energy has decided that it no longer wants to be associated with
hoaxbusters.ciac.org so this site has been permanently shut down. (https://web.archive.org/web/200
80922223145/http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/)
26. Watstein, Sarah; Jovanovic, John (2003). "Bioterrorism and Biological Warfare". Statistical Handbook
on Infectious Diseases (https://archive.org/details/statisticalhandb00wats). An Oryx book. Westport,
Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 297 (https://archive.org/details/statisticalhandb00wats/
page/297). ISBN 9781573563758. Retrieved 26 January 2020. "A number of Internet sites are
available regarding urban legends and hoaxes, such as [...] the Compute Incident Advisory
Committee and Department of Energy's HoaxBusters site at http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org."
27. "Creepypasta" (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Creepypasta&oldid=939904754),
Wikipedia, 9 February 2020, retrieved 20 February 2020
28. "Slender Man case: girl who attacked classmate gets 25-year hospital sentence" (https://www.thegua
rdian.com/us-news/2017/dec/21/slender-man-case-anissa-weier-sentenced). the Guardian. 21
December 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
29. Healey, Phil; Glanvill, Rick (1994). Urban Myths Unplugged (https://books.google.com/books?id=jX0k
AAAACAAJ). Virgin. ISBN 9780863698972. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
30. Tony Barrell (5 July 2009). "Did You Know: Orson Welles" (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/cultu
re/film_and_tv/film/article176017.ece). The Sunday Times. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
140222142755/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/film_and_tv/film/article176017.ece) from
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31. Tony Barrell (13 September 2009). "Did You Know: Courtney Love" (http://www.thesundaytimes.co.u
k/sto/culture/music/article184306.ece). The Sunday Times. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
140222142758/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/music/article184306.ece) from the
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o/culture/film_and_tv/tv/article186376.ece). The Sunday Times. Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
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33. Pamela Donovan, No Way of Knowing: Crime, Urban Legends, and the Internet (Psychology Press,
2004)
34. Pamela Donovan, Crime legends in a new medium: Fact, fiction and loss of authority, Theoretical
Criminology; vol. 6 no. 2; May 2002; Pp. 189-215
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36. "Medical Myths and Hoaxes: Debunked? You Be The Judge" (https://www.boardvitals.com/blog/medi
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37. Chris Frost, (2000) ..Tales on the Internet: making it up as you go along, ASLIB Proceedings, Vol. 52
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666?" (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/monster-energy-drink-666/). Snopes.
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Sources
Jan Harold Brunvand (2012). Encyclopedia of Urban Legends: Updated and Expanded Edition (http
s://archive.org/details/EncyclopediaOfUrbanLegends2ndEdition). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
ISBN 978-1-598847208.
Pamela Donovan (2004). No Way of Knowing: Crime, Urban Legends, and the Internet. New York
City: Routledge. ISBN 0-203-50779-7.

Further reading
Enders, Jody (2002). Death by Drama and Other Medieval Urban Legends. University of Chicago
Press. ISBN 978-0-226-20788-9.
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Urban Legends: A Collection of International Tall Tales and Terrors, ed. by Gillian Bennett and Paul
Smith (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 2007), ISBN 031333952X
An Anthology of American Folktales and Legends, ed. by Frank de Caro (London: Routledge, 2015)

External links
Snopes - Urban Legends Reference Pages (http://www.snopes.com/)
USC folklore legends archive (http://folklore.usc.edu/?cat=23)
International Society for Contemporary Legend Research (https://contemporarylegend.org/our-public
ations/contemporary-legend/)
Urban Legends (https://curlie.org/Society/Folklore/Literature/Urban_Legends) at Curlie

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