Monsters from Urban Legend

Although the term “urban legend” implies folklore from an urban area like a heavily populated city, it is actually used to differentiate modern stories and folklore from traditional folktales developed before the advent of modern technology. Traditional folklore has often dealt with magic and monsters, and contemporary legends have built upon such stories, at times adding facets of technology to reflect the evolution of such folklore.

Sociologists, folklorists, and psychologists have notes that despite their modern trappings, urban legends for the most part are inexorably linked to traditional folklore. The reason for this is quite simple: fear as an emotion has changed little, despite humanity’s evolution of technology. For example, traditional folklore tells the story of vampires who drink on the blood of the living to sustain their living death. A modern variation of such folklore involves people who are ambushed, anesthetized, and are drained of blood or other fluids for nefarious reasons. Although the latter story is given modern trappings, the instigators of such crimes could be looked at as modern vampires.

The following list compiles monsters taken from modern urban legends. These monsters reflect much of the technology available today. Cell phones (many with cameras), tablets, and of course the proliferation of the Internet have all contributed to an explosion of modern monsters that originate as tall tales, monster design contents, or pranks, only to go viral and develop a “creepy life” of their own.

Source: Examiner