Popular Myths and Urban Legends

There are a number of popular myths and urban legends that have become part of America’s collective psyche. Many of these popular legends have been around for decades, retold by one person to another. Other stories are more recent, spreading like wildfire with the advent of the Internet.

An urban legend (or myth) is an apocryphal story that is spread by the retelling from one person to another person. It usually is told as something that has happened to "a friend of a friend". Many popular legends feature spooky paranormal elements like ghosts, UFOs and cryptids.

Some popular myths and urban legends have withstood the test of time. Below are a few such urban legends that have been handed down for decades.

Perhaps you’ve heard about Bloody Mary. If, on Friday the 13th, you go to the bathroom and turn off the lights, you may be able to summon her spirit. To do so, light a candle in front of the mirror. Flush the toilet, and then stand in front the mirror. Chant Mary’s name five times, and she will appear. Be quick to turn on the lights, or Bloody Mary will stab you in the back.

There are a number of versions of the Bloody Mary legend. It is one that has probably evolved from a number of stories and rituals over the past centuries. Candlelit mirrors were once used as tools of divination in a method referred to as scrying. Scrying involved looking into a source (such as a mirror or crystal ball) back lit by candlelight. It has been believed for centuries, in magical circles, that scrying can reveal the future face of a beloved. It's possible that this practice was the genesis of the candlelit mirror in the Bloody Mary legend.

As for the person, Bloody Mary, chances are that Mary is the evolution of the stories of Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian countess who was rumored to bathe in the blood of virgins and Mary I of England. Mary I was given the moniker "Bloody Mary" because she put Protestants to death during her reign in an attempt to re-establish the position of the Catholic Church.

Another popular urban legend comes from more recent times. It is an interesting urban legend to study because it's rooted in historical events.

In the 1977, America was captured by the "true" story of a haunted house in Amityville, New York. The legend of the house, as told in the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, tells the story of the Lutz family who unwittingly purchase the haunted house as their dream home in a peaceful Long Island town. They are blissfully unaware that the house was the home of the infamous DeFeo murders. Within days, the Lutz family is terrorized by all sorts of frightening demonic and poltergeist type activity including floating red eyes outside of the windows, a pit to hell in the basement, black ooze coming out of the toilets, and a voice that tells them to "GET OUT!"

The Lutz family fled the house after 28 days, never to return.

Since the publishing of the book and subsequent movies about the DeFeo home in Amityville, the house has been widely known as one of the most haunted houses in America. Many still view the home in this manner.

While it has never been conclusively proven that the story of the Amityville Horror is untrue, subsequent owners of the home have had no experiences in the house, and the Lutz family now says that their story is "mostly true". There are a number of experts who believe that the story is a hoax, while a number of others feel that the house is, indeed, haunted. Chances are, the story of the Amityville Horror has some elements of truth that have been embellished in the retelling over the years.

Another Mary of lore, Resurrection Mary walks up and down the streets past graveyards all over the United States in her prom dress seeking a ride home.

The original Resurrection Mary Legend originated in Chicago. In the 1930s, a number of motorists driving down Archer Avenue passed by Resurrection Cemetery and claimed that a young woman jumped onto the running boards of their cars, only to vanish as abruptly as she had appeared.

There is a good chance that the legend arose from a real tale of a young woman from the 1930s who had been dancing with a boyfriend at a nearby Chicago ballroom. Unfortunately, the boyfriend was being a boor, so the young woman decided she’d rather brave a walk home in the cold and dark rather than spend another minute with the lout. She was struck by a vehicle and killed while walking along Chicago’s Archer Avenue. According to the legend, she was buried in the Resurrection Cemetery in a white dress and dancing shoes. Shortly after the event, reports of her ghostly appearance to passing motorists began to surface.

Resurrection Mary sightings in Chicago continue to this day, leading some to believe that Mary is, indeed, a ghost that walks outside of the Resurrection Cemetery. The story of Mary is a tale told now as an urban legend – happening to a friend of a friend driving along an unnamed dark road near an unnamed cemetery.

Many urban legends and myths like those above are based in truth. Much like the popular children’s game, telephone, the story evolves and changes as it passes from person to person until the resulting story bears little resemblance to what really happened. The next time you hear the story of a friend of a friend who experienced something bizarre, you just might be hearing an urban legend.

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