So, we all heard several myths and scary stories about people and ghosts, which may or may not always be real. An urban legend or an urban myth is a type of modern genre of folklore. There are so many unique and interesting stories out there about Bloody Mary, Candyman, Slender Man, etc. Those are the most known stories that people know and some people have experienced. There are 5 urban legends that I believe are very interesting that not many people know about. These stories can be real, folklore or sometimes fantasy, which is interesting to see where these started and came from.Â
Mothman
The first one I’m going to talk about is the Mothman, who is a winged creature and is from West Virginia folklore. This is a story about a large figure with red glowing eyes and a large wingspan, and its first sighting was in November of 1966. People have spotted similar sightings since seeing this creature and have reported this. The name came from news reporters and ever since then that has been the name for this urban legend. This is associated with a rapid collapse of The Silver Bridge which was on December 15th, 1967, which led to the reputation of Mothman being a harbinger of doom.Â
The Bunny ManÂ
This urban legend originated from two incidents that happened in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1970. The incidents involve a man wearing a rabbit costume who would attack people with an axe or a hatchet. He would then attack a couple, breaking their car window with a hatchet and then yelling at them about trespassing. There was another report where a man in a similar costume was trying to get into a house that was under construction. The law enforcement had investigated these incidents, but didn’t find any evidence, which led to the case being closed.Â
The Carnival CorpseÂ
This urban legend is about a real life story of a person named Elmer McCurdy. He was killed in a shootout with the Oklahoma police department in October of 1911. His mummified body was treated as a sideshow attraction that happened for decades before being discovered as a prop. He was sold as a prop, hung in a funhouse, painted orange, and featured in a haunted house attraction. His body was found in 1976 during the filming of a TV series called The Six Million Dollar Man. When a camera man had to go remove him, his limb broke off and revealed human bones. After it was confirmed that it was Elmer McCurdy, he was given a burial in 1977, where his grave had concrete on it to prevent further disturbances.
The Gurdon LightÂ
The famous Arkansas urban legend, “The Gurdon Light,” is a mysterious, floating light that had appeared alongside a railroad track in a wooded area near Gurdon. The first sighting was in 1930, and one of the most popular explanations for this is the death of a railroad worker who was named William McLain in 1931. People believe the light is his ghost who is carrying a lantern in a search for his head. Other explanations could be the light ring caused by a piezoelectricity from underground quartz crystals or even gas emissions. Â
The Halloween HangerÂ
This isn’t really a common urban legend but a real-life story which is retold in folklore and told around the holiday. On October 26 in 2005, the body of a 42-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree that was on a busy street in Frederick, Delaware. Her body was 15 feet off the ground and was very visible from the road. People who saw the body had dismissed it as a Halloween prank or a type of decoration because it looked so realistic. It took more than three hours for someone to realize what happened as they called the police and they determined it as a suicide.
There are many other urban legends out there that have been discovered, and there are some today that are new. These stories are truly interesting to read and think about around Halloween, especially when thinking about what happened during each legend or myth. Many stories about ghosts, disappearances, and even familiar settings that can possibly have happened around where you live make urban legends seem like a lot of stories to tell.Â