Urban Legions or True Stories

      Urban Legends are stories told that are believed to be true by the teller.  They are sometimes referred to as contemporary legends.  These stories can change overtime.  The teller will say this happened to a friend of a friend so the listener will believe the story to be true.  Some urban legends are sent by e-mail as warnings.  An example would be where there is a man hiding under a car and the woman gets to the car the man will cut the woman's hamstring.  She will not be able to walk.  Then he will rob or kill her.  Urban legends are false because they lack specific information such as names, dates and locations where the incident was suppose to have taken place.

     Woman killed by spiders in her hairdo.  This urban legend was suppose to have started in the 1950s.  There was a lady who had a bouffant hairdo.  She didn't wash her hair for awhile.  A spider got into her hair and laid eggs.  When the eggs hatched the spiders bit her which led to her death.  Over the years the hair style has changed to fit with the changing styles.

     The Hook.  A teen boy and girl were on a date.  The boy drove them to a secluded area where teens go to make out.  On the radio came a news report of a convict that escaped prison, he had a hook for a hand.  The girl heard noises and wanted to leave.  Finally the boy drove her home.  When she exited the car she started screaming.  The boy came around and there on the door handle was a bloody hook.  Do you think parents told their daughters this story so they wouldn't go parking?

     Lights Out.  This was suppose to be a gang initiation.  The gang members would ride around with no lights on.  When someone would flash their lights at the car the gang members would turn around, run the car down and kill the driver.  The killer was then in the gang.  I received an e-mail on something like this.

     Serial killer hiding in the back seat of a car.  This one has changed slightly over time.  The general legend is a girl is driving down a dark road.  She is tired and notices she needs gasoline.  She debates whether to pull over and sleep until morning.  She comes upon a gas station that is open.  She pulls in, the attendant comes out, pumps the gas.  Then he tells her he is going to check her oil.  He calls her to the front to check out something that is wrong with her car.  When she gets to the front of the car the attendant tells here there is a man in her back seat.  They go into the station and call the police.  The girl ends up marrying the attendant.  One thing wrong with the story,  why didn't the serial killer kill her sooner?  When was he going to do it?

     Mama Cass' death.  It was reported that she died from choking on a ham sandwich.  This is not true.  She died from a heart attack.  No evidence of food was found in her trachea.  A ham sandwich was sitting on the bedside table.  What would sell more papers-a singer who is extremely overweight dying of a heart attack or from choking on a ham sandwich?

     Urban legends have been around forever and will continue to be around especially with new ones appearing all the time.  Do you think any of these urban legends started out as true but they have been embellished over the years or someone made them up for entertainment or to scare people?  They are entertaining especially when you are young and telling them around a camp fire.