Legend
CategoryMyth and folklore, from national beliefs to local superstition and urban legend, are integral in all cultures and societies, both ancient and modern. In this category, we’ll explore a range of mysterious tales and places, from ancient monuments to modern myths – including the alligators of the New York sewers and the big cats of Britain.
28 Creepy Tales, Objects and Places to Summon Your Halloween Spirits
Rather than just another Halloween article, we thought it would be fun to offer a whole selection of spooky tales drawn from the Urban Ghosts archives, from Jack O’Lantern carvings to haunted hotels and creepy urban legends. Happy Halloween!
Spooky London Legend: Whitechapel’s Dead Body Train
In the spirit of Halloween, it seemed appropriate to discuss an eerie London tale that may or may not be an urban legend – the Dead Body Train, which some say ran between Whitechapel Tube station and the Royal London Hospital.
America’s Most Haunted: The Whaley House, San Diego
The Whaley House in Old Town San Diego is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of several generations of the same family, including Thomas Whaley, a California settler who built the house for his wife and children.
Vernal Equinox: Where Science and Folklore Collide
Derived from a Latin term meaning “equal night”, equinoxes occur twice a year when the Sun crosses the plane of the Earth’s equator. Sacred to pre-Christians and Neopagans to this day, the vernal equinox is a magical time that symbolises rebirth and the coming of spring.
Rags to Ditches: Mysterious Celtic Clootie Wells
Even in our modern world, an ancient Celtic tradition that transcends paganism and Christianity persists in the British Isles. Characterised by strips of cloth or rags hanging from trees, clootie wells remain places of pilgrimage reputedly bestowed with magical healing properties.
Legendary Lost City of Atlantis Found in Southern Spain, Archeologists Claim
Atlantis, described by Plato in 360BC, is arguably the world’s most famous lost city. Debate over its existence has raged for thousands of years, but in the most compelling exploration to date, a team of archeologists claim to have discovered what could have been the doomed civilisation.
5 Eerie Urban Legends of the Supernatural World
This selection of chilling tales, from the bizarre Highgate Vampire to the sinister Bloody Mary, are told and retold around campfires and at parties across the world, and have been deeply enshrined within contemporary urban legend.
Giant Pterosaur Could Pole-Vault into the Air and Fly Thousands of Miles
As beautiful and majestic as the natural world is, there’s definitely something to be said about not living in the age of dinosaurs. Can you imagine going about your daily routine with with these giraffe-sized reptiles gliding above the urban landscape?
5 Eerie Urban Legends of the Natural World
We’ve all heard those bizarre stories that resurface in various forms over the years, gradually becoming ingraining into the annals of urban legend. Here are five tales of the natural world that may have mundane origins, but have been extrapolated over time.
Ray Villafane Pumpkin Carving: Reinventing Post-Halloween Jack O’Lanterns
With Halloween behind us for another year, and the ghouls safely back in the box, why not grab a cheap uncarved pumpkin and create your own intricate Jack O’Lantern?