Urban Legends are eerie tales and myths passed on as truth from generation to generation. They are often the root of our fear, especially in younger children. Parents use these legends to scare their children into good morals by blending fear with violence to keep kids safe and obedient. These “stories” are a gateway to a world full of the supernatural, and blend the line between reality and the unknown. Today, I have collected my top 10 favorite urban legends that have stuck with me and maybe even taught me a thing or two.
10. The Vanishing Hitchhiker:
Starting off the list at number 10 is one of the lesser known urban legends. In this North-American urban legend, a driver picks up a hitchhiker, usually a woman. It is more likely at night on a remote road. The hitchhiker, however, mysteriously vanishes before the driver reaches their destination, which turns out to be the place the hitchhiker has been dead for years, revealed by the entity itself. Sometimes the hitchhiker tells predictions based on the driver’s future, followed by a world event, right before they disappear. The driver then often realizes the ghost was most likely an angel.
9. Miniwashitu:
Number 9 on my list is a North American cryptid. It is said to live in the Missouri River in North Dakota. It resembles a horrifyingly large, hairy bison, but with serpentine, aquatic features. It even has a single horn, and an eye. It is said to cause madness and death in those who see it.
8. Jólakötturinn:
One of my favorites and more disturbing legends takes Number 8, a creature of Icelandic folklore, also referred to as the Yule Cat. It is described as a giant monstrous cat. It is said to be larger than buildings, and has dark fur and sharp whiskers. It is associated with Gryla, a monstrous entity, along with her sons, the Yule Lads. It lurks in the snowy countryside during the Christmas season, and devours those who have not received new clothes by Christmas Eve.
7. Changelings:
Next is a being of European folklore, a changeling. A changeling is the offspring of a fairy or elf. However it is secretly substituted with a human infant, and is often depicted as deformed or umbellic. They exhibit oddly strange behavior and essentially “kidnap” a human child. They take the baby back to their realm, where they either raise it as their own or enslave it.
6. Yara-ma-yha-who:
One of the less serious urban legends takes number six on my list. This creature, originating from Australian Aboriginal mythology, is a vampiric creature, resembling a red-frog man, which has an abnormally large head and no mouth. It has suckers on its hands and feet, which is what it uses to suck its victims blood. It ambushes people from fig trees, sucks their blood, swallows them, and then regurgitates them, however, they come out smaller and redder than before.
5. Qalupalik:
In my number five spot is a creature of Inuit mythology, like the well-known Siren. The Qalupalik is a humanoid creature with green skin, long hair that resembles seaweed and fingernails, along with fins and webbed hands and feet. They are often described as a much more horrifying version of a siren, and are said to dwell in the cold Arctic waters. They hunt near ice floes, letting out an ethereal humming sound, alerting people when they are close. They snatch children walking the shores alone, taking them underwater to claim them as their own.
4. Polybius:
A classic urban legend at number four is a supposedly real arcade game from 1981 that instilled intense psychological and physical effects such as insomnia and amnesia in its victims. Players have reported feeling being highly addicted to the game. Polybius was mysteriously removed from arcades, allegedly after being visited by men in black suits, supposedly working for the government to collect data from the players. Some suggest it was part of a secret government experiment, possibly related to the CIA’s MKUltra program, designed to test mind control in the test subjects.
3. Skinwalkers:
Coming in at number 3 is the creatures of Navajo mythology are skin stealing witches. They most often shape-shift into animals, but specifically wolves or coyotes. These witches are some of the most harmful and merciless creatures to exist.
2. Kuchisake-Onna:
At the number 2 spot is an urban legend of Japanese folklore. This creature is a malicious spirit and most depict it as an eerily tall woman who has a horrifying slit-mouthed scar, appearing from one side of her face to the other. She asks unsuspecting passersby if they find her beautiful, and then proceeds to attack those who say no or who she considers beautiful.
1. Wendigo:
My favorite urban legend on this list is the cannibalistic creature from North American folklore, which has the appearance of a deer, and the distorted face of a human. It possesses people and embodies the dangers of selfishness and greed. Though coming across this creature will end in death, some say there is a set of rules to follow to limit your chance of meeting your fate when this creature attacks.
