#URBAN LEGEND SERIES#

Tehrani recently examined the evolution of the Bloody Mary myth вЂ“ that if you chant an incantation into the mirror, a mutilated face will appear before you. вЂњHonestly, if you wanted me to summarise it, I couldnвЂ™t вЂ“ thereвЂ™s just so much weird stuff going on.вЂќ The same goes for contemporary urban legends. вЂњBut the idea of a girl visiting her grandmother вЂ“ that makes perfect sense.вЂќ Yet the lesser-known tales such as The Donkey Lettuce flout those constraints. вЂњThere are only a couple of things that donвЂ™t make sense вЂ“ such as the talking wolf and her and the grandmother being rescued from the stomach,вЂќ says Tehrani. Our brains, it seems, have only so much room for the bizarre before it becomes too confusing to be enjoyable.Д¬onsider Little Red Riding Hood. NorenzayanвЂ™s analysis of GrimmвЂ™s fairy tales found that the most popular stories вЂ“ as measured by the number of times they have been cited online вЂ“ only have two or three supernatural surprises. вЂњThey depart from what's expected and as a result push us to process the information more deeply,вЂќ says Ara Norenzayan at the University of British Columbia, вЂњso we remember more and are more likely to retell them.вЂќ Counter-intuitive elements could include a talking animal, or a pumpkin that turns into a chariot вЂ“ but itвЂ™s not so much the nature, as the number of these narrative devices that seems to be crucial. ItвЂ™s probably no coincidence that, within that skeletal framework, Slender Man also evokes some familiar fairy tale elements psychologists are finding that there is good reason that those stories often follow certain set formulae.ДЇirstly, tales of the supernatural may be especially appealing since they are вЂњminimally counter-intuitiveвЂќ, combining both the familiar and the bizarre. вЂњIt suggests the beingвЂ™s unique power to induce violence, and indicates that the photographers responsible for the images are missing or dead вЂ“ and thus sets the stage for the processes that would lead to the communal construction of an entire narrative tradition.вЂќ Just take a look at the following video to see the lengths that some would go to in order to build that mythology:Д¬ontains elements of horror content may disturb some viewers вЂњVictor SurgeвЂ™s original post provides tantalising hints of a larger narrative involving a terrifying creature,вЂќ notes semiotician Jeffrey Tolbert. His descriptions are chilling, for sure вЂ“ but perhaps part of the appeal lay in the gaps of Surge's story, which leave space for us to project our own imagination. We didn't want to go, we didn't want to kill them, but its persistent silence and outstretched arms horrified and comforted us at the same timeвЂ¦ - 1983, photographer unknown, presumed dead 1986, photographer: Mary Thomas, missing since June 13th, 1986. Actual photograph confiscated as evidence. Deformities cited as film defects by officials. Notable for being taken the day which 14 children vanished and for what is referred to as вЂњThe Slender ManвЂќ. One of two recovered photographs from the Stirling City Library blaze. Beneath, he wrote some short, enigmatic captions, implicating the shadowy figure in the mysterious abduction of 14 children. Starting on the Something Awful forum in 2006, a user, вЂњVictor SurgeвЂќ, posted two photos, doctored with the ghostly figure in the background. To understand the appeal of tales like Slender Man, it makes sense to begin with his first outing. The question is, why did this particular story infect peopleвЂ™s minds in a profound way? Assuming such widely-shared tales are not actually true, what makes them endure? During the last decade psychologists have started to sift out some of the features that make certain stories contagious, potentially explaining the appeal of everything from urban legends to Little Red Riding Hood. вЂњI find it fascinating, because it really shows how folklore is always adapting to new technologies and media, rather than being some kind of relic of the past,вЂќ says anthropologist Jamie Tehrani at the University of Durham. But the tale has also taken a darker turn as the line between myth and reality became blurred: some are convinced that they have spotted Slender Man lurking behind trees and scaling the sides of buildings and in January there were more claimed sightings in the UK reported by the British tabloids.

#URBAN LEGEND SERIES#

Rising from humble internet forums, this modern urban legend has now inspired a slew of fan fiction, best-selling computer games and a series of short movies. One of his first sightings came at an asylum after a bloody rampage in the hospital, a photo emerged of his ghostly but silent presence hiding in the stair well while the chaos erupted around him. He is often seen in the shadows of photos, stalking small children, and some say that he can drive you insane with terror. You may have already met Slender Man вЂ“ the preternaturally tall, spectral being wearing a black suit and tie, with a white and featureless face.

Urban legend