Changeling

 

Author: Dallas Hitt

When you think of fairies , you probably think of this nice and sweet little creatures with wings and an little wand, that has glitter on it. You probably don’t think of little thieves that still children. That is not the case with the Folklore creatures, Changelings. Changelings are fairies that were left in the place of the child that the fairies stole from the humans.

Children would be taken and replaced with a change for one of several reasons. The first reason is that it would be taken is for the child to act as a servant to the fairies. Another reason the fairies would take the child was so that the change could get the love from the humans like a human child, and the last reason would be so that the fairies could get revenge on the humans for something. Sometimes the fairies would replace the child with an elderly fairy so that it could live out the rest of its life in the care of the humans. People would notice their baby become ill or become not bale to properly function and they would assume it had been “fairy struck.” The people would say the children had been replaced by a changeling and they abandoned them or sometimes even killed them.

There were a few ways to identify if your child was a changeling. Irish legends say that changelings might look sick and not grow to full size like normal humans. Changelings also had a very large apatite and would eat a lot more food than a normal human child.

One theory that folklorist and historians studied was that people would substitute their children for changelings during raids and attacks on their villages in thoughts that they might be saving their children by doing this. Another theory about the origin of the changeling was a lot different than the other. Some people believe that changelings came from a very dark part of the mind from pre-industrial Europe. If a family felt that they wouldn’t be able to care for their child, especially if the child that had a disability or had an illness or deformity, it was easier for them to lose their child thinking it had just been talking by fairies, rather than believing they were just letting their child die. Some physical characteristics that a changeling had that you might be able to notice was they had long teeth and scraggly hair.

Changelings would continue to appear again and again in folklore in Europe. Doctors say this list of diseases from today’s time such as: cystic fibrosis, Down Syndrome, spina bifida, PKU, Williams syndrome, Hunter syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, progeria, Hurler syndrome, and Prader-Willi Syndrome, match the description of what changelings might have been like. Now adays in the modern world no one would really believe in changelings, but doctors say that a lot of autistic children might have been labeled as changelings in that time.

Works cited:

Https://Static.Wikia.Nocookie.Net/Mythology/Images/2/29/Changeling2-800x0-c-Default.Jpg/Revision/Latest?Cb=20180713191804. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023. 

Dimri , Bipin. “Your Child Is Not Your Own? The Horrific Tales of Medieval Changelings.” Historic Mysteries , 6 Oct. 2021, www.historicmysteries.com/changeling/. 

 Post, Irish. “Exploring Irish Mythology: Changelings.” The Irish Post, The Irish Post, 22 Dec. 2021, www.irishpost.com/life-style/exploring-the-irish-mythology-changelings-170347.

Links for Further Research:

1.     Encyclopedia Mythologica
https://encyclopediamythologica.com/changeling
This website will tell you about different myths from other parts of the world about changelings.

2.      Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changeling
This website will just give you a very good overview of changelings if you just really want to find out more about them.

3.     BMJ Journals
 https://adc.bmj.com/content/90/3/271#
This website will tell you more about how diseases were in involved in changelings like autism.

The Melonheads of Northeastern US

Author: Nicholas Owens

Artist’s depiction of a melon head

Throughout the Northeastern part of the United States exists a legend which tells the tale the melon heads. Small humanoid creatures with large bulbous heads, who lurk within the forests of mainly Michigan, Ohio, and Connecticut. There’s a variety of stories which try to explain what the melonheads are, and the history of them, but there’s not very much solid evidence.

There are several stories of how the melonheads came to be. The most popular one revolves around a scientist by the name of Doctor Crowe. He had somehow gotten several patients at a mental hospital, either by kidnapping or through some secret deal, who he performed inhumane experiments upon. These experiments focused on the head and the brain and as a result led to their deformed heads. Among Crowes experiments were also lobotomies, making the melonheads not very aggressive, and a little slow. It’s not known whether Dr. Crowe was a real person, some people believe that he was a dentist in the 1940s. Other’s follow the belief that he was a doctor in the early 1800s who practiced medicine from his home. He had obtained kids with mental problems, or maybe even kidnapped and performed bizarre experiments upon them such as injecting their brains with water, leading to further damage. Dr. Crowe kept them locked away in cages, but eventually they escaped to the wilderness. It’s believed that they still live within the woods around Holden Arboretum, Ohio  only coming out at night, feeding on deer and other forest animals for food, and sometimes even humans.

Another story takes place in the 1980’s. A group of teenage girls from Notre Dame High School, decided to go driving around. It was a late Friday night, and they were just looking for harmless fun. They drove around for a while in a blue Granada, but then they decided to go to Velvet Street, nicknamed Dracula Drive. It was given this nickname for all the bizarre occurrences which happened there, the melonheads being one of them. On that road, they decided to stop and get out searching, jokingly thinking they’ll see the melonheads. It just so happened that the car, with its headlights still on, began charging towards them and in the window the girls could see the perpetrators, small human-like creatures with large heads, the melonheads.

People all throughout the area may claim that they have seen a melonhead once in their life, however there isn’t much evidence towards their existence. There is not one definitive answer to what the melonheads are, some believe that they are ghosts of murdered children, some say they’re escaped mental patients and others say that they are the result of inbreeding. But the consistent fact throughout it all is that they have larger than average heads.

Works cited:

Moran. Mark, and Sceurman, Mark. “Melonheads Creep Through the Ohio Woods at Night.” Weird US, http://www.weirdus.com/states/ohio/fabled_people_and_places/melonheads/index.php. Accessed 20 October 2022.

Dimmick, Aaron. “MICHIGAN MONSTERS: Beware the Melon Heads of Saugatuck” WWMT, 9 May 2016, https://wwmt.com/resources/media/a46e9a53-fccb-4891-bdcf-e1edbd4c8f21-jumbo16x9_melon2.PNG?1462797483921

Links for Further Research:

Cryptid Wiki

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads

The cryptid fandom page holds more information on the melonheads and has similar cryptids with large heads that could have inspired the legend.

 

Melonheads Part I: A Trip Down Dracula Drive

https://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2015/08/melonheads-part-i-trip-down-dracula.html?m=1

This blog post goes into depth on the stories surrounding the melonheads legend.

 

Melonheads Part II: Why So Many Big Heads?

http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2015/08/melonheads-part-ii-why-so-many-big-heads.html

This second blog post discusses similar creatures with large heads, which may or may not been inspired by the melonheads, or the other way around.

Clinton Road New Jersey

Author: Taryn Mazyck

People all over the world are infatuated with ghost stories, tall tales, folklore, and scary legends. Many people are intrigued by these stories because they contain events that cannot be explained, naturally. So, it isn’t an uncommon occurrence for people to travel long distances, spend unnecessary amounts of money, or even dedicate their entire lives to studying these mysteries, to try to find an explanation. According to author Taffy Brodesser – Akner in an article entitled “Highway to Hell: A Journey Down America’s Most Haunted Road” with such high curiosity, comes popularity. Over the past 20 years, people across the nation have traveled to a small-town in New Jersey, in hopes of experiencing supernatural events that are said to happen there, On Clinton Road.

Clinton

 Road from Atlas Obscura article

Ghost boy bridge is one of the most well known legends of Clinton Road. As the legend goes, a young, deceased boy lives under the bridge and returns coins to people that throw them into the river. It is unclear to experts and residents of the area when this legend began. In the article entitled “Clinton Road: A Dark Ride” the anonymous author wrote about how it is obvious to passersby that many people have tried to test this legend. When you look beneath the bridge, down into the tea-colored water that lies below, you can see various coins that have been thrown down for years and years. In an article entitled “ Stranger Jersey: Clinton Road and Dead Man's Curve” author Jessica Presinzano wrote that in 2016 this same bridge where this alleged ghost boy lives, was replaced.

Look closely and you will see coins on the creek bed which were thrown to summon the Ghost Boy.

The people of West Milford are said to have seen sightings of ghosts, strange creatures, gatherings of witches, Satanists, and even the Ku Klux Klan. One legend is that killers dispose their victims' bodies in the surrounding woods of Clinton Road. This legend is partially true. There has been one case reporting that this indeed did happen. In an article entitled “The Most Haunted Road in New Jersey” author Bill Doyle explained the details of this murder. Mobster Richard “ The Iceman” Kuklinski, in attempt to dispose of his victim, threw his into woods in 1983. Later that year, a cyclist seen what appeared to have been a vulture consuming the remains of said victim. Bridge boy and ghosts aren’t the only things loitering Clinton Road. According to an article entitled “Clinton Road, New Jersey: The scariest and strangest road in the U.S.” there has been even stranger occurrences. Author Nick Kurczewski writes about residents who have allegedly seen snow in July and UFO’s. This 10-mile stretch of road is anything but ordinary.

Works Cited:

Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. “Highway to Hell: A Journey Down America’s Most Haunted Road.” Atlas Obscura, 27 October 2015. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/highway-to-hell-a-journey-down-americas-most-haunted-road.

Doyle, Bill. “The Most Haunted Road in New Jersey.” New Jersey 101.5, 31 March 2021. https://nj1015.com/the-most-haunted-road-in-new-jersey/

Kurczewski, Nick. “Clinton Road, New Jersey: The scariest and strangest road in the U.S.” New York Daily News, 23 May 2014. https://www.nydailynews.com/autos/creepy-cursed-curvy-new-jersey-clinton-road-frightening-road-america-article-1.1803331

Presinzano, Jessica. “Stranger Jersey: Clinton Road and Dead Man's Curve.” North Jersey, 17 October 2017. https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2017/10/17/clinton-road-and-dead-mans-curve-stranger-jersey/773080001/

The Bridge at Dead Man’s Curve on Clinton Road “Clinton Road: A Dark Ride” Weird N.J., 25 October 2022. https://weirdnj.com/stories/clinton-road/.

Links for Further Reference:

Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. “Highway to Hell: A Journey Down America’s Most Haunted Road.” Atlas Obscura, 27 October 2015. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/highway-to-hell-a-journey-down-americas-most-haunted-road The purpose of this article is to inform the readers of what they might expect on Clinton Road. This source is unique because there are beautiful illustrations to depict what the author wrote about. This source is relevant because it has facts on Clinton Road. As published in Atlas Obscura this article is aimed at those interested in learning about new things.

Doyle, Bill. “The Most Haunted Road in New Jersey.” New Jersey 101.5, 31 March 2021. https://nj1015.com/the-most-haunted-road-in-new-jersey/ The purpose of this article is to explain the legends behind Clinton Road. This source is unique because it, one by one, explains the legends, where they came from, and debunks them. This source is useful because it is informative. This source is relevant because it discusses my topic. As posted in New Jersey 101.5 this article is aimed at the residents of New Jersey.

Kurczewski, Nick. “Clinton Road, New Jersey: The scariest and strangest road in the U.S.” NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 23 May 2014. https://www.nydailynews.com/autos/creepy-cursed-curvy-new-jersey-clinton-road-frightening-road-america-article-1.1803331 The purpose of this article is to inform readers of the logistics of Clinton Road. This source is unique because not only can you listen to the audio on the website, but it also discusses the layout of the town, where Clinton Road resides, how many miles the road runs, and the neighboring cities around it. This so is relevant because it is specifically based on my topic. As written in NEW YORK DAILY NEWS this article is aimed at those interested in spooky stories

Bloody Mary and the Terrible Fate of Those that Wronged Her

by Jasmine Sligh

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

On a cold dreary night, you make the slow decision to call on Bloody Mary, something which you will soon come to regret. You went into the bathroom, stepped to the mirror, looked straight ahead and said I believe in Mary Worth, Bloody Mary once, a second time, then five more after. But at the end one thing changed. You stared in the mirror, but a face of someone other than your own was looking back at you. Your eyes started to bleed, but you still couldn’t look away. You couldn’t even move to run. You were stuck in your spot nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The blood started to drip from everywhere. You grew more and more afraid as time went on.  But out of nowhere it all came to a bloody stop. The face disappeared. Your face was the only one there. You could now shuffle your feet. So you did what anyone would do, you ran as far away from the bathroom as you could. Just to trip on a rug right down the hall. I guess it’s just the bad juju from bloody Mary.

Bloody Mary has a long history that dates back to 555.There is this essay by John Jeffcoat, an antique anthropologist, that asks readers to consider history as a part of folklore to bring something so sinister back to life. He uses historical events to compare the likely hood of something as crazy as “Bloody Mary” being as real as you and me. The purpose of this article to do a simple thing and that is to prove that Queen Mary and Bloody Mary are one in the same. 

Childhood to Adult Life 

Jeffcoat’s article talks about Queen Mary and how she first assumed her name. It all started when Mary was a little girl her dad couldn’t bear a son with her mother. So he moved on to the next woman he thought could. Which in a sense would make her very angry because he disowned her. In order to remarry he changed their religion from Roman Catholic to Protestantism which to her probably ruined her life because under Catholic religion her dad couldn’t divorce her mom even though they were cousins. If her parents stayed together it would’ve ended in her taking the crown. He instead changed his religion making her mom and his marriage annulled and cheating her out of a crown. Since that didn’t plan out the way it was supposed to she ended up having to wait for her weak younger brother that he had with his new wife to die before she was even reinstated.

When she was finally reinstated she tried to change the parliament back over to Roman Catholic through force. Some of the people were quite adamant about their religion. They believed in their religion to the fullest and were burned alive for it. Which in fact gave Queen Mary her name Bloody Mary. So for Queen Mary life has never been easy with the dislike of her father then her kingdom. The one person who would love her to no end never got the chance to. I can see why she is so angry. She has never been loved by anyone her kingdom or family, so she probably goes on to show people how she feels by hunting young teenage girls who dare to even say her name. I gave you the knowledge. You can drink from my fountain, or you can sip, but even if you ask me I will tell you every time that Bloody Mary is just as real as you and me.

According to this video multiple kids tried to chant up Bloody Mary. The one that seemed to work even a little was the one when they said I know who killed your baby or I killed your baby.

Work cited:

Ellis, Bill. “Lucifer Ascending.” Curious Tendency, 13 Oct. 2011, https://curioustendency.blogspot.com/2011/10/legend-of-bloody-mary.html 

Dylan.” 11 Bloody Mary Challenges That Mysteriously Worked” YouTube, 17 Aug. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q71v1xfVF8I 

Howard, Crissy. 2 “The True Story Of Bloody Mary, The Woman Behind The Mirror.” All Things Interesting, 28 Nov. 2016, https://allthatsinteresting.com/bloody-mary 

Jeffcoat, John. ”English Bible History: 3 Queen “Bloody” Mary.” 

Greatsie. www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/queen-mary.html Paramore riot. 4 “Bloody Mary.” Photograph. Fanpop, 2009. Web. 23.Oct. 2012 http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/5600000/BM-bloody-mary-5696723-580-780.jpg 

Robinson, Khadijih. “Legendary Bloody Mary” Can of mystery, 24 Oct. 2012, http://canofmystery.blogspot.com/search?q=bloody+mary 

Starkly, David. “Timeline world history documentaries: 3 Mary l- Bloody Mary. “YouTube, 3 Feb. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eaMix9x4

Links for further research:

Timeline world history documentaries: Mary l - Bloody Mary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eaMix9x4HE The man on the video give actual accounts or historical events about bloody Mary or queen Mary her religion and he shows actual places where thing took place.

The True Story Of Bloody Mary, The Woman Behind The Mirror https://allthatsinteresting.com/bloody-mary The author of this article gives actual historical evidence to help prove that bloody Mary is real.

Legendary “Bloody” Mary http://canofmystery.blogspot.com/search?q=bloody+mary They give you a little history behind bloody Mary which doesn’t include the queen and some that does.

Incubus and Succubus Demons

Austin Graham

 An Incubus, otherwise known as a nightmare, is a male spiritual demon that preys on women during there sleep while dreaming. It’s counter part the Succubus, also known as a nightmare, is the exact opposite of an incubus. The Succubus is a Female spiritual demon that preys on men while they are asleep and sometimes even taking semen to impregnate itself. These are spiritual demons from medieval times that have been causing fear and personal disturbance among humans for centuries. Disturbances like people waking up in the middle of the night and are not able to move.
A common symptom people experience, which is defined as “HYPNAGOGIA” and/or “Sleep Paralysis”, is the result of a transitional state of mind from waking up to falling asleep. This is the feeling you get when you are asleep and you think you have woken up but you can’t move your body. If the victim is attacked and try’s to struggle and move the demon is said to get mad and be more aggressive.
 Many people have reported incidents that this happened to them and described it as a pressure on there chest as if someone is laying on them. These are all dream related incidents that these people have been experiencing but they think they are real. These demons leave the body during sleep paralysis and leaves the person trapped in its thoughts and frightened. Some people will do a lot of research on this experience they had while sleeping and find it out to be these sex demons or find out that they are experiencing symptoms of hypnagogia. These people will also find information online of  biblical resources on these creatures and will discover  prayers on how to get rid of these spiritual demons. These resources come from the bible and written in the text is a prayer that someone would say in order to try and get rid of these spiritual demons. It is said that after an attack happens that the victim can catch such intense feelings to where it starts to cause problems within that person. This person then continues to have these dreams and feelings until he is able to get help to get rid of the spirits.

Citations:
 Cline, John. “Incubus Attack.” Sussex Publishers, LLC. 8 Sept. 2008. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
This article explains what these spiritual demons are and how they function. It gives good details on an explanation of the creatures.
 Fuseli, Henry. Oil on canvas. 30 Oct. 2014. The Incubus and Succubus. Web. 20 Oct.                    2015
 This canvas shows the Incubus/Succubus having sexual intercourse while the victim is asleep.
 “Hypnagogia, Incubus & Succubus Ghost.” Angels and Ghosts. N.p, N.d. Web. 20 Oct.  2015.
 This website describes the hypnagogia effect and what causes it. It also goes into good detail on how the effect works.
Lamb, Robert . ”Monster of the Week: Incubi and Succubi.” Infospace LLC. 25 Feb.  2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
This article describes the explanation of Incubus and Succubus and how it is also known as a nightmare. It also talks about which demon is more sexual and how it attacks its victims.
Three more useful links for you to learn more:
“What is a Succubus?” http://www.gotquestions.org/succubus.html
This website gives a good explanation on what a Succubus is.
“Incubus and Succubus: Devils that have intercourse with you”https://www.jesus-is-lord.com/incubus.htm
This article shows a prayer that is used in order to try and get the ghost out of your life.
“Succubus” http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/succubus.aspx
This article is about the succubus demon and what it does to its victims.

Lucky Number 7

Author: Simone Jackson

The subject of seven has been said to be lucky over the years, it is often called “lucky number seven”. Most of the things in our world come in the number seven. For example the days of the week or the colors of the rainbow. When reading some of the articles on websites for example www.mysticalnumbers.com/number-7 gives says that the number seven forms the symbol called “the seed of life”. The seed of life represent the six days of creation with the center circle representing the day of rest. The number seven is also a lucky number for Pisces and Cancer horoscopes. The number seven can be referred to in some cultures for example the Hindu culture. At wedding the bride and groom are to walk around a fire seven times taking seven steps and they are to say a vow at every seven steps. In the Chinese culture they believe in seven gods. They believe that the seven gods arrive on a ship called “the treasure ship” every New Years to give gifts to all the worthy people. However though the number seven may be lucky with some cultures in the American culture saying the number seven in a game of craps is believed to be unlucky. Players I the game of craps refer to the number seven as “it” or “the devil”.  As well as breaking a mirror is believed to bring you seven years of bad luck. There are seven cosmic principles: The Principle of Correspondence, The Principle of Law and Order, The Principle of Vibration, The Principle of Rhythm,  The Principle of Cycles,  The Principle of Polarity, and The Principle of Sex . A geological perspective for the number seven would be that there are seven seas: The South Ocean, North Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Artic Ocean, Southern ocean and The Indian Ocean. In the Christianity the number seven is famous for the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are believed to be the downfall of men. The seven deadly sins include: Pride, Sloth, Greed, Lust, Envy, Anger, and Anger.   Another interesting fact about number seven would be that there are seven ancient wonders in the world.  The seven ancient wonders of the world include: The Pyramids of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and The lighthouse of Alexandria. 

 

Image from DC Basketcases

The Legend of The Bermuda Triangle

Author: Darren Johnson

Three points of land, Bermuda Island, Puerto Rico, and Miami, Florida make up the apex’s of The Bermuda Triangle. This triangle is located right off the coast of America in the Atlantic Ocean. The Bermuda Triangle is not like any other part of the ocean though. It is known for its mysterious disappearances and thousands of crewmen who have disappeared without a trace. For people who have heard about the Bermuda Triangle have probably heard about the more recent stories that have gone on in the triangle. The triangles mystery dates way back to the start of the New World. Thomas Jeffrey writes that even the eldest navigators nicknamed the island of Bermuda, “The Isles of the Devils.” He also says that Columbus and his crew watched a meteor fall into the sea. (Jeffrey 20)

More recent stories mostly kick of with the tall tale of Flight 19. December 5th, 1945 seven bomber planes left Ft. Lauderdale to never return or be heard from again. The pilots were not amateurs in their field, they were all professionals, so for them to just crash in the water and not know how to go about seeking help or receiving a nearby signal was not a difficult task. The final recorded signal from Flight 19 was a conversation between the pilot and of of the crew. The theory is that the crew started experiencing compass malfunctions and lost their directional path. A search plane was launched to try and find the team but there was no luck. The fourteen airmen had completely just vanished and there was no trace of death or crash landing.

Depiction of Flight 19 Bombers flying over Sargasso Sea

Flight 19 is not the only aircraft or ship that has played the disappearing act. We have lost U.S. naval ships and there have been witnesses who claimed to have experienced compass malfunction or engine failure in the triangle. The most peculiar thing people try to solve is what actually makes the crewmen disappear without a trace. There have been different types of theories such as underwater volcanoes that swallow ships, an unknown gravitational force that shuts down all electronic gauges, a time vortex that sends planes and ships back in time, and even an underwater civilization known as Atlantis. The imagination process when thinking of these theories is endless and until the world comes up with a logical explanation of what happened to Flight 19 and all the other one thousand crewmen who have disappeared in what happens in The Bermuda Triangle will remain a mystery.

Works Cited

"Bermuda Trianlge." The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation inMarineEnvironments. Oxford: CABI, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 10 October 2013.

Jeffery, Thomas, Adi-Kent. The Bermuda Triangle. New York: Warner Paperback, 1975.            Print.

anynobody. “Flight 19 Avengers”. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2013

Links for Further Research:

            The Bermuda Triangle

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/episodes/the-bermuda-triangle/

These two links give more background information and videos on the Bermuda Triangle.

            Flight 19

http://fly.historicwings.com/2012/12/the-disappearance-of-flight-19/

            This link gives more information on the disappearance of Flight 19.

The Legend of the Kidney Heist

Author: Austin Hillis

The story of the kidney heist is a well known urban legend. Starting sometime in the early 1990s, The Legend of the Kidney Heist, like so many other urban legends, varies greatly in its details with each telling. The main plot points of the story remain the same, however. One typical version is as follows.

A friend told me that a friend of his was in Chicago on business, and decided to go out to a Rush Street bar. He picked up a beautiful young woman, and they eventually retreated to a motel. The next morning the man woke up with a splitting headache, and there was blood all over the bed sheets. The woman was gone. It doesn’t take him long to discover a freshly stitched incision on his side, and by some means or other the man eventually reaches a local hospital where he finds that one of his kidneys has been removed. He is told by the hospital staff that the operation was performed very professionally, and that his kidney is probably headed for sale on the black market. (Brunvard)

Another popular version involves a pair of businessmen in a different city.

Two married men were out of town on business and shared a hotel room. On the evening before they were to return home, they went down to the hotel bar for a drink. There they met two women, and after a couple of hours one man left with one of the women. The remaining man said goodnight and went up to their room alone. The next morning his friend had not returned, and he waited and waited, fearing they would miss their plane home. Just as he was preparing to leave for the airport, his phone rang. It was his friend, moaning and barely able to talk, saying “Help me, help me; I’m all bloody!” His friend gave an address and the man rushed to his friend’s aid with the police and found him in a motel room in bed covered with blood. He was bleeding from a crudely cut and sutured incision from his chest to his abdomen, and it was discovered that one of his kidneys was missing. Apparently he had been duped by a gang of medically trained organ thieves who lure unsuspecting people to strange motel rooms where they drug them, then cut them open and steal organs to sell for transplants. (Brunvard)

Victim sitting in tub of ice
by Vashtia

The Legend of the Kidney Heist, with all its variations, like many other urban legends has proven to be false. The story is generally a fourth- or fifth-hand account, and no evidence of actual occurrences in the U.S. has been found. The story endures in popularity, however, and has been portrayed in many forms of media, such as movies, television shows, and novels.

While the legend has proven false in the U.S., chilling tales of similar occurrences pop up from time to time in other countries. 

Works Cited:

Brunvard, Jan Harold. "“The Kidney Heist”." Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 17 October 2012.

Emery, David. "The Kidney Thieves." About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/horrors/a/kidney_thieves.htm>.

Mikkelson, Barbara, and David P. Mikkelson. "You've Got to Be Kidneying." Snopes.com: Kidney Theft. Snopes.com, 12 Mar. 2008. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp>.

Russo, Karen. "Indian Victims Relate Horror of Kidney Theft." ABC News. ABC News Network, 01 Feb. 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4224506>.

Vashtia. “The Kidney Heist”. Digital Art. Deviantart.com. 10 Aug 2007. 22 Oct. 2012.               < http://vashtia.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=96#/d10wryl>

Links for further research:

About.com: Urban Legends

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/horrors/a/kidney_thieves.htm

Information on the origin and development of the Kidney Heist myth.

Snopes.com: You’ve Got to Be Kidneying Me

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp

Further information on the origin of the myth.

ABCNews.com: Indian Victims Relate Horror of Kidney Theft

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4224506&page=1#.UIdPs8VG52A

Information on real life kidney thefts.

The Wendigo

Author: Jakovia Adams

The wendigo (also known as windigo, weendigo, windago, waindigo, windiga, witiko, wihtikow, and numerous other names) is a demonic spirit believed by Algonquin-based Native American tribes to possess humans and turn them into cannibals. The term "Wendigo” is used to describe an evil spirit as well as a creature that humans can become when possessed by the spirit (Kingaton). Many legends and stories have circulated over the years about a mysterious creature that was encountered by hunters and campers in the forests. 

The Wendigo

 The Wendigo legend was prevalent in the northern United States, Northern Minnesota and Canada, and particularly roamed around woods and forests in the coldest areas where food was scarce and survival was challenging. But, Kenora, Canada is the place most known for its Wendigo sightings (Colombo). In one variation of the story, the creature could only be seen if it faced the witness head-on, because it was so thin that it could not be seen from the side. Though all of the descriptions of the creature vary slightly, the Wendigo is generally said to have glowing eyes, long yellowed fangs and overly long tongues. Most have a sallow, yellowish skin but others are said to be matted with hair. They are tall and lanky and are driven by a horrible hunger. The spirit was said to have a big appetite for human flesh and the many forest dwellers who disappeared over the years were said to be victims of the monster. “They’re hundreds of years old. Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, other times a frontiersman or a miner or a hunter.” (Colombo)

According to lore, the Wendigo is created whenever a human resorts to cannibalism. During some harsh winter a guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help he becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp(Haden). Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities such as speed, strength, and immortality. If you eat enough of it, over years, you become this less than human thing. Wendigos are said to be very hard to kill. The Wendigo have few weakness, as far as weapons are concerned it can only be killed by iron, steel and silver. The most gruesome method of disposal is by shattering the creature’s ice heart with a silver stake and then dismembering the body with a silver axe(Kingston).

Works Cited:

Colombo, John. Windigo: An Anthology of Fact and Fantastic Fiction. Canda. Modern Press.        1936. Print.

Haden, Blackman. The Wendigo: The North Woods of Minnesota. prairieghosts.com. Troy             

Taylor. 2002. 17 October 2012.

Kingston, W.H.G. “Adventures among the Indians.” Pararesearshers.org. John W. Lovell  company.1888.Web. 12 October 2012.

Medals, Henry. Wendigo. Photograph. http://monster.wikia.com/wiki/Wendigo, 22 February 2010. Web. 17 October 2012.

Links for further research:

http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10278

This article gives information about the Wendigo and also talks about people giving speeches about the creature.

http://dinojoe.8m.com/crypto/windigo.html

This website gives you more insight on the Windigo

http://www.wyrdology.com/cryptozoology/wendigo.html

This website compares the Wendigo to other creatures like Bigfoot.

The Killer in the Backseat

Author: Katherine Laws

Image of Urban Legends Wallpaper

You can’t crack open a can of mystery without talk to the urban legend entitled, “The Killer in the Back Seat”. While legends can be told many different ways, with every way comes the identify bone chilling response to the story. This legend is one that audience are thrown off by but at the same time find themselves checking their backseats every time they get into a car. With Halloween quickly approaching spooky stories fill the air so it’s only appropriate to offer insight on one urban legend that grabs my attention. Better that it grabs my attention than my life from the back seat.

Different stories from MY Media Forum, Including “The Killer in the Backseat”

According to many sources and from what I myself have been told the legends goes something like this. One night a woman hurried to her car after a night out with the girls. After making her way to her car she headed home by path of a deserted highway. It wasn’t long until she saw a pair of loan lights approaching her quickly. The car put n it turn signal with what seemed like intentions of passing her but then quickly changed its mind. After the car behind her began to distractingly taunt her with its blinkers and bright lights the women became frightened. With her exit insight she hoped she would soon lose the weird stranger, but he followed her through every turn. Before reaching her destination she had already analyzed her options and gathered that making a mad dash for the door was her best option. When she did so the stranger quickly followed with the same actions but also instantly yelled, “Lock your doors, call the police!” Come to find out the stranger following her was merely trying to save her life and was not near as scary as the killer whom had been camping out on her backseat. 

An image of the published visual of the urban legend “The Killer in the Back Seat”

In a website created by David Emery readers are provided with an example (as told by Emily Dunbar) of the urban legend “the killer in the backseat”. The analysis of the article David Emery writes provides a summary that the moral to the story is to “always check the backseat”. The purpose of this website is to analyze the story and for the author to voice his opinion of what he learned from this urban legend. This source is unique because it tells the story of the common tale "The Killer in the Backseat." This website not only provides you with the story but it also gives you an analysis of another person’s perspective of the urban legend. The article and analysis on this web site is aimed at an audience that is interested in urban legends.

As I said before this urban legend has been told many different way but its identifying features prove that the story did occur at one point in time. Whereas this story is meant as a thriller, it has many benefiting factors to its listeners. So I strongly urge you look into the stories heard throughout this time of year and grasp from it something other than its horror.

Works Cited:

"Don't Believe Everything You Read: 10 Driving Urban Legends." National Motorists Association. N.p., 2 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.

Emery, David. "The Killer in the Backseat." About.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.

"Killer in the Backseat:Urban Legend." Halloween Web. N.p., 2003. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.

"Urban Legend Killer in the Backseat." ScaryForKids.com. N.p., 18 Dec. 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.

Zeller, Bob. "Urban Legends." Car And Driver. N.p., July 2004. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.

Links for further research:

The Killer in the Backseat

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/backseat.asp

Articles of different origins from which the urban legends “The Killer in the Backseat” was obtained.

American Folklore

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/urban-legends/

An Informational website that contains many different urban legends and different types of folklore.

5 Ridiculous Origins of Famous Urban Legends

http://www.cracked.com/article_19800_5-ridiculous-origins-famous-urban-legends.html

Additional Information of the origins of famous Urban Legends and American Folklore.