An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them. The term is often used to mean something akin to an "apocryphal story." Like all folklore, urban legends are not necessarily false, but they are often distorted, exaggerated, or sensationalized over time.
Despite its name, a typical urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban setting. The term is simply used to differentiate modern legend from traditional folklore in preindustrial times. For this reason, sociologists and folklorists prefer the term "contemporary legend".
Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail. People frequently allege that such tales happened to a "friend of a friend"-so often, in fact, that "friend of a friend," ("FOAF") has become a commonly used term when recounting this type of story.
Some urban legends have passed through the years with only minor changes to suit regional variations. One example is the story of a woman killed by spiders nesting in her elaborate hairdo. More recent legends tend to reflect modern circumstances, like the story of people ambushed, anesthetized, and waking up minus one kidney, which was surgically removed for transplantation.
Category Table of Content
1. Money from Microsoft for email forwarding
2. Neiman Marcus cookie recipe
3. Sewer Alligators
4. Kelly-Hopkensville Goblin Encounter
5. "Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky!"
6. Reading in Dim Light
7. Your Driver's License on Internet
8. Blue Whale Sperm
9. Students’ unsuccessful double suicide
Despite its name, a typical urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban setting. The term is simply used to differentiate modern legend from traditional folklore in preindustrial times. For this reason, sociologists and folklorists prefer the term "contemporary legend".
Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail. People frequently allege that such tales happened to a "friend of a friend"-so often, in fact, that "friend of a friend," ("FOAF") has become a commonly used term when recounting this type of story.
Some urban legends have passed through the years with only minor changes to suit regional variations. One example is the story of a woman killed by spiders nesting in her elaborate hairdo. More recent legends tend to reflect modern circumstances, like the story of people ambushed, anesthetized, and waking up minus one kidney, which was surgically removed for transplantation.
Category Table of Content
1. Money from Microsoft for email forwarding
2. Neiman Marcus cookie recipe
3. Sewer Alligators
4. Kelly-Hopkensville Goblin Encounter
5. "Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky!"
6. Reading in Dim Light
7. Your Driver's License on Internet
8. Blue Whale Sperm
9. Students’ unsuccessful double suicide
10. George Bush and Queen Elizabeth
11. The Cigar Arsonist
12. 14 Hair Growing Myths
13. Mermaids: Truth and Fiction
14. Human Levitation: Truth or Fiction
15. Fur-Bearing Trout: Truth or Fiction?
16. Bizarre Suicide of Ronald Opus
17. Vampires: Truth or Fiction?
- Medical Conditions,
- Sanguinarians - Vampire Cults,
- Psychic Vampires
18. It Must be True, I Saw it on the Internet!
19. Russian Sleep Experiment
20. Psychology of Urban Legends
21. Zero-Dollar Bill
22. Exploding Toilet
23. Microsoft Steals MS-DOS
11. The Cigar Arsonist
12. 14 Hair Growing Myths
13. Mermaids: Truth and Fiction
14. Human Levitation: Truth or Fiction
15. Fur-Bearing Trout: Truth or Fiction?
16. Bizarre Suicide of Ronald Opus
17. Vampires: Truth or Fiction?
- Medical Conditions,
- Sanguinarians - Vampire Cults,
- Psychic Vampires
18. It Must be True, I Saw it on the Internet!
19. Russian Sleep Experiment
20. Psychology of Urban Legends
21. Zero-Dollar Bill
22. Exploding Toilet
23. Microsoft Steals MS-DOS
25. Man from Taured
1 comment:
Name the title of any work of Art, created by a contemporary Clevelander? Har-pressed, huh?
"Cleveland Interracial Foxy-Boxing"; "Aids in Bay Village"; Retro: the Kate Jones Story"; "Big-butt Betty Boop", most locals have heard of.
The creation of sometimes elaborate fictitious events to propel an image, is unique within the field of fine arts.
Many early examples of this mans work, are now decades-old urban myths.
Marc Breed.
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