Modern Interpretations: Urban Legends

If you whisper “Bloody Mary” three times into the bathroom mirror, she will appear. This is the same hill where a couple heard the radio announcement about an escaped psychopath, then found his hook hand lodged in their car door when they got home. Be careful with strangers, or you might wake up in a bathtub full of ice with your kidneys stolen. Get out—the calls are coming from inside the house!

Hook from "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" Anthology

Some people call them “jump” stories, some consider them a version of horror. Urban legends have been rampantly circulating modern culture since the 1900’s or even before. Whether they are read from an anthology or collection (one of the most beloved being Alvin Schwartz’ Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, many of which are based on various cultures’ legends and myths) or being made into a movie or play and acted out for audiences, urban legends are an example of how oral tradition is still alive and well in the 21st century.

According to Brunvand (1981), “legends can survive in our culture as living narrative folklore if they contain three essential elements: a strong basic story-appeal, a foundation in actual belief, and a meaningful message or ‘moral’” (p. 10). In other words, a successful urban legend is successful because the listeners believe that it could conceivably be true, and because the listeners have learned something from it. These are also the elements that make up a successful myth. Mythology usually deals with “the human condition” and always expresses “the beliefs and values...held by a certain culture” (Mark, 2009). While the primary message in an urban legend is straightforward and easy for the listener to grasp, the “secondary messages in urban legends tend to be suggested metaphorically or symbolically; these may provide deeper criticisms of human behavior or social conditions” (Brunvand, 1981, p. 11).

Painting of Echo and Narcissus

I would like to evaluate the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus alongside the urban legend of the man with the hook hand in order to illustrate the similarities of the genre to which each belongs. In the Greek myth, Echo is a talkative nymph who is cursed to only be able to repeat the last thing she heard someone say instead of speaking her own thoughts, as punishment for misleading the goddess Hera. Narcissus is a handsome but self-absorbed god who has never been able to find a wife because he loves himself too much. When Narcissus stops to rest by a stream in Echo’s forest she falls in love with him, but he rejects her. She prays to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Aphrodite makes Echo disappear until she is only a voice. It is then, when Narcissus is peering into the stream and seeing the reflection of his own beauty but hearing Echo’s voice repeat his own words, that he falls in love with her. In the urban legend, a boy and girl are parked on a hill or lover’s lane area, when they hear a radio announcement that a murderous psychopath has escaped from the local mental institution and is on the run. The announcer says that listeners will know the murderer by the distinctive hook he has instead of a right hand. The girl is afraid and asks her boyfriend if they can leave, but he says there is no way the madman will find them and insists they stay a little longer. When they are finally ready to leave their car stalls. The boy gets out to take a look under the hood, and finds a hook lodged in the passenger side door.

Both of these stories have gone through countless incarnations since they were first introduced to the public. The order or events is sometimes shifted around, and certain things might be added or changed depending on the audience. However, they both have subtle morals that do not change. For the Greek myth, the moral from Narcissus’ side is not to be so self-involved that you miss an opportunity that is right in front of you. From Echo’s side, the moral is not to want the unattainable so much that you lose yourself in the process. The urban legend was probably originally developed as a cautionary tale for teenagers not to be out alone late at night. It is still relevant in terms of making sure to be careful in strange areas, especially at night, and to always be wary of potential dangers. These stories are world apart from each other in terms of original conception, setting, and moral. However, they support both Brunvand’s (1981) essential elements of a legend and Mark’s (2009) point that myths uphold cultural values.

In the developed world and especially in the United States, the Internet is the new way for people to communicate with friends and strangers alike, regardless of physical distance. Similar to people sharing stories orally in Ancient Mesopotamia, people now film themselves telling stories and share them on the Internet for people to watch and comment on. This is a modern way of oral storytelling, thereby passing it on to people who might not otherwise have heard the story. The telling ability is varied because anyone with an account can post a video to YouTube, but this also adds to the authenticity of urban legends being told by everyday people. Below are some examples of people sharing urban legends with the Internet in an attempt to spread knowledge of the story to anyone who encounters their video.