Urban legends are often compelling stories with a lot of folkloric elements, and they spread quite quickly in society. The stories are told in a dramatic way, as if they were true stories about real people - when in fact they may be 100% fictional.
Local touches are often added to the legend, so it is rather strange to hear the same story in different versions in different countries. Urban legends often carry a warning or some sort of meaning that motivates society to keep and spread them. One thing is certain - some of these creepy urban legends have kept a lot of people awake. Below are ten of the best urban legends:
10 Choking Doberman
This urban legend comes from Sydney, Australia and tells the story of a Doberman who choked on something. One night, a married couple went out for a walk and sat in a restaurant, when they returned home, they saw their dog suffocating in the living room. The man panicked and fainted, and the wife decided to call her old friend, the vet, and arranged to bring the dog to the veterinary clinic.
After she took the dog to the clinic, she decided to return home and help her husband go to bed. It takes her a while to do this, and in the meantime, the phone rang. The vet screams hysterically into the phone that they need to get out of their house quickly. Without realizing what's going on, the couple leaves the house as soon as possible.
As they descend the stairs, several policemen run towards them. When the woman asks what happened, one of the policemen replies that their dog choked on the man's finger. In their house, most likely there is still a robber. Soon, the former owner of the finger was found unconscious in the couple's bedroom.
9 Suicidal Guy 
This story, also known as "The Death of a Boyfriend", is told in many ways and is considered a generalized warning not to stray too far from the safety of your home. Our version will focus on Paris in the 1960s. A girl and her boyfriend (both college students) kiss in his car. They parked near the forest of Rambouillet so that no one could see them. When they're done, the guy gets out of the car to get some fresh air and smoke a cigarette, while the girl waits for him in the safety of the car.
After she waited five minutes, the girl got out of the car to find her boyfriend. Suddenly she sees a man hiding in the shade of a tree. Frightened, she gets back into the car to leave as soon as possible - but as she got in, she heard a very soft creak, followed by several more creaks.
This goes on for a few seconds, but the girl eventually decides that she has no other choice and decides to leave. She presses the gas pedal, but cannot go anywhere - someone has tied a cable from the bumper of the car to a tree growing nearby.
As a result, the girl presses the gas pedal again and hears a loud scream. She gets out of the car and finds her boyfriend hanging from a tree. As it turned out, the creaking sounds were made by his shoes dragging along the roof of the car.
8. Woman with a torn mouth 
In Japan and China, there is a legend about the girl Kuchisake-Onna, also known as the woman with the torn mouth. Some say she was the wife of a samurai. One day, she cheated on her husband with a young and handsome man. When her husband returned, he discovered her betrayal, and in a rage, he took his sword and cut her mouth from ear to ear.
Some say that the woman was cursed - she will never die, and still walks the world so that people can see the terrible scar on her face and pity her. Some claim that they saw a beautiful young girl who asked them: "Am I beautiful?" And when they answered positively, she tore off her mask and showed a terrible wound. Then she repeated her question - and anyone who stopped considering her beautiful was waiting for a tragic death.
There are two morals in this story: it costs nothing to give a compliment, and honesty is not the best approach in all situations.
7. Bridge of the crying child
According to this legend, a couple was driving home from church with their child and arguing about something. It was raining heavily, and soon they had to cross a flooded bridge. As soon as they entered the bridge, it turned out that there was much more water than they thought, and the car got stuck - they decided that they needed to go for help. The woman waited, but got out of the car for a reason that can only be guessed at.
As she turned away from the car, she suddenly heard her baby crying loudly. She returned to the car to find that her child had been swept away by the water. According to the same legend, if you are on the same bridge, you can still hear the cry of a child there (the location of the bridge, of course, is unknown).
6Zanfretta Alien Abduction 
The story of the kidnapping of Fortunato Zanfretta has become one of Italy's most famous urban legends over the past few decades.
According to his own stories (originally made under hypnosis), Zanfretta was abducted by aliens Dragos (Dragos) from the planet Teetonia (Teetonia), and for several years (1978-1981) he was repeatedly abducted several times by the same group from another planet. No matter how terrifying and creepy this story may sound, given the words of Zanfretta, uttered by him during a hypnosis session, one can regard the intentions of the aliens from an optimistic point of view:
“I know that you want to fly more often… no, you can't fly to Earth, people will be scared of how you look. You cannot become our friends. Please fly away."
Zahnfretta has perhaps provided more details about his alien abduction than any other person in history - his detailed accounts may make even the most ardent skeptic wonder if there is some truth in it. To this day, the Zanfretta case remains one of the most interesting and mysterious X-Files.
5. White Death
This story is about a little girl from Scotland who hated life so much that she wanted to destroy everything connected with it. Finally, she decided to commit suicide, and her family soon discovered what she had done.
By a terrible coincidence, all members of her family died a few days later, and their limbs were torn off. Legend says that when you learn about the White Death, the ghost of a little girl may find you and knock on your door many times. Each knock gets louder until the man opens the door, at which point she kills him so that he won't tell anyone else about her existence. Her main task is to make sure that no one knows about her.
Like most urban legends, this story is most likely the product of the wild imagination of modern Aesop.
4. Black Volga
According to rumors, on the streets of Warsaw in the 1960s, a black Volga was often noticed - in which people who abducted children sat. According to legend (no doubt aided by Western propaganda), Soviet officers rode the black Volga around Moscow in the mid-1930s, kidnapping young, pretty girls to satisfy the sexual needs of high-ranking Soviet comrades. According to other versions of this legend, vampires, mystical priests, satanists, human traffickers, and even Satan himself sat in the Volga.
According to various versions of the legend, children were kidnapped in order to use their blood as a treatment for rich people from all over the world suffering from leukemia. Naturally, none of these versions has not been confirmed.
3. Greek soldier
This lesser-known legend tells of a soldier from Greece who, after World War II, returned home to marry his fiancee. Unfortunately for him, he was captured by his compatriots with enemy political opinions, he was tortured for five weeks, after which he was killed. In the early 1950s, mostly in northern and central Greece, stories were circulating about an attractive uniformed Greek soldier who would appear and disappear quickly, seducing beautiful widows and virgins with the sole purpose of giving them a child.
Five weeks after the child was born, the man disappeared forever - leaving a note on the table in which he explained that he was returning from the world of the dead so that he would have sons who could avenge his murder.
2 Elisa Day
In medieval Europe, there lived a young girl named Eliza Day, whose beauty was like wild roses growing by the river - bloody and red. One day a young man came to town and instantly fell in love with Eliza. They met for three days. On the first day he came to her house. On the second day, he brought her one red rose and asked her to meet where wild roses grow. On the third day, he took her to the river, where he killed her. The terrible man waited until she turned away from him, then took a stone and, whispering "All beauty must die", killed her with one blow to the head. He put a rose in her teeth and pushed the body into the river. Some people claim to have seen her ghost wandering along the riverbank, with a single rose in her hand, and blood streaming from her head.
Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave have a very beautiful song about this legend - "Where The Wild Roses Grow":
1. Well to hell
In 1989, Russian scientists drilled a well in Siberia about 14.5 kilometers deep. The drill fell into a cavity in the earth's crust, and scientists lowered several devices into it to figure out what was the matter. The temperature there exceeded 1000 degrees Celsius, but the real shock was what they heard on the tape.
Before the microphone melted, only 17 terrifying seconds of sound were recorded. Many of the scientists, convinced that they had heard the cries of the damned from hell, quit their jobs - or at least that's what the story says. Those who remained were shocked even more that same night. A jet of luminescent gas shot out from the well, turning into the form of a giant winged demon, and then the words "I won" could be read in the lights. Although the story is currently considered fiction, there are many people who believe that this actually happened - the urban legend "The Well to Hell" is told to this day.
Among the main gods, the Egyptians especially singled out a married couple - Osiris and Isis. Osiris was revered because he taught the Egyptians various crafts, healing, showed how to build cities and houses, grow cereals and grapes. Isis was the goddess of fertility. Women approached her with help ...
In all the myths known to us, it is said that the earth was created by some kind of creator. In some countries, the creator was considered a god, in others - some kind of animal. In the myths of many Asian peoples, for example in Indian myths, the earth is created by a celestial being that descended from the sky. She per...
When God created heaven and earth, far to the east, he planted a wonderful garden of Eden. And I named him Eden. Orange trees, apple trees, grapes, dates, bananas grew in Eden. And there were many more amazing trees and flowers. There was eternal spring in Eden. Roses bloomed, the river murmured in them ...
Gilgamesh is a real historical person who lived at the end of the 27th - beginning of the 26th centuries. BC e. Gilgamesh was the ruler of the city of Uruk in Sumer. He was considered a deity only after his death. It was claimed that he was two-thirds god, only one-third man, and ruled for almost 126 years. Sleep ...
The beautiful daughters of Sultan Salim were orphaned early. The eldest became the ruler - the impregnable Mahiman Bano, and the people regretted that the throne did not go to the youngest, whom the people called Shirin, which means Sweet. Only one circumstance reconciled the people with the rule ...
Hercules was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Hera, the wife of Zeus, could not come to terms with the birth of Hercules. Once she sent two terrible snakes to the cradle of Hercules, but an unusual child strangled them. Hercules grew strong and dexterous, but was distinguished by a wayward nature. To o...
The Carpathians are a protected region, a kingdom of pristine nature. Under the canopy of centuries-old beech forests, plants and animals have found refuge, which have long become rare and disappearing. One of the most picturesque corners of the Carpathian nature is the alpine lake Synevyr. The blue expanse of water, steep banks, overgrown with...
It was so long ago that no one remembers when it was. They say, however, that in those days all people spoke the same language and understood each other. And people wanted to leave a memory of themselves forever and ever. Let's all get together and build a tall tower!...
When people settled the earth, they first learned to sow bread, and then they began to grow grapes and make wine from it. And when they drank wine, they became stupid and evil, offended the weak, praised themselves and deceived each other. God looked at the people, and he was...
In the Middle Ages, Western Europe was Christian, but its legends are still connected with the myths of pagan times. In the legends, information about real historical events has come down to us, but these events have been changed and embellished. The legend is sometimes based on myth, but more often it includes...
In ancient times, people did not know about fire, lived in caves, hunted with the help of clubs and stones, and ate everything raw ... At that time, life on Olympus proceeded to the fullest using fire. Once Prometheus stole a spark of sacred fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to people. The fire lit in se...
The world arose from Chaos. Chaos in translation from Greek - “yawn”, “empty length”. According to one version of the myth, Gaia (mother earth) emerged from Chaos. She created Uranus (the sky). Uranus and Gaia became husband and wife, and the titans were born to them. One of the Titans, Kronos, the moods of other...
One of the most terrible monsters of the mythology of Ancient Egypt was Apep (APEP) - a giant underground serpent. Every night he entered into battle with the sun god Ra. Every day, Ra sailed over the world across the firmament in a boat called the Boat of Millions of Years. Ra illuminated Egypt - a country that ...
Do you know why a Chow Chow dog has a blue tongue? If such a question had been asked to a resident of ancient China, he would not have hesitated to answer. There is an interesting Chinese legend that says: “In very ancient times, when God had already created the Earth and populated it with animals, birds, insects, fish, he was engaged in the distribution of stars in the sky. During this work, quite by accident, a piece of the sky fell off from him and fell to the Earth. All the animals and birds, in horror, fled to the sides and hid in secluded places. And only the most courageous Chow-Chow dog was not afraid to approach the fragment of the sky, sniff it and lightly lick it with its tongue. Since then, the Chow Chow dog, and all of its descendants, has had a blue tongue." Thanks to this beautiful legend, Chow Chow, and today, is called "the dog that licked the sky."
The Austrian city of Salzburg is known not only for its picturesque surroundings, famous resorts, but also for many historical sights. And, perhaps, the main one is the Mirabell Palace with a complex of fabulous gardens. The pink stone from which the palace is built gives it lightness and airiness. Of course, this is a wonderful creation of architecture, but it is not considered the main highlight, but, namely, the Mirabell Gardens. Fountains, a garden of dwarfs, stone lions, trees and flower beds - very bizarre forms, elegant balustrades, a theater with hedges - it's impossible to describe everything. This must be seen. The real pride of Austria.
Venice - a city shrouded in a light haze, seems almost ephemeral and exists only in our imagination. But still, you can see it not only in pictures and in the movies, it actually exists with all its squares, canals, bridges, cathedrals. I think that everyone who has not been there dreams of making a romantic trip to Venice to capture the mysterious and mysterious essence of this unusual and magnificent city. One of the main symbols of the city is considered to be a gondola. Perhaps someone noticed that they are all the same color and, like black swans, cut through the waters of the canals of Venice. There is a legend that answers the question: Why are all the Venetian gondolas in the "city of love" black?
Salzburg is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in Austria. Located at the very foot of the Alps, literally 5 kilometers from the border with Germany. The very name of the city is associated with a nearby salt deposit. It has been mined since time immemorial. According to legend, the fortress was built here to control the export of salt. So the name Salzburg, which means Salt Fortress, appeared.
If someone has ever been to Krakow, they will never forget the charming atmosphere of this city. Complex history, unique culture, unique architecture make Krakow a real paradise for poets, musicians, artists and just for any person. The city covered with legends gladly reveals its secrets to everyone who visits it. If you were not lucky enough to visit there, then I strongly advise you to read the book by N.G. Frolova "Old Krakow". One of the parts of this book is called "Characters of the City Spectacle". Whoever does not participate in this eternal Krakow performance: musicians, poets, warriors, kings, artists, adventurers...
For the first time this monument appeared in St. Petersburg in 1999 on Malaya Sadovaya Street 3. The work of the sculptor V.A. Sivakov. The exact name is "Monument to the Stray Dog Gavryusha". But as soon as he was not called a monument to a good dog, and Gavryusha, and even just Nyusha. After sitting there for 8 years, the dog gave birth to either a rumor or a legend. Teenagers really liked the dog. And so they came up with the idea that if you write a wish to a dog, then it will definitely come true. Since then, the courtyard on Malaya Sadovaya, where the dog stood, has become a place of pilgrimage for tourists and residents of the city.
Saint John of Nepomuk is one of the most revered Czech saints in Prague. Considered the patron saint of Prague and the entire Czech Republic. He lived in the XIV century, during the reign of King Wenceslas IV and was a priest. What Jan of Nepomuk did wrong to the king is not exactly known, but one of the most plausible assumptions is as follows. Being the queen's confessor, he refused to reveal the secret of his wife's confession to Wenceslas IV. For what, after long tortures and torments. the king ordered his execution. The priest was put in a sack and thrown from the Charles Bridge into the Vltava.
Charles Bridge is one of the main attractions of Prague. It was built by order of King Charles IV in 1357. For five centuries it was the only bridge across the Vltava. Later, in the 17th century, they began to decorate it with sculptures, the number of which reached 30. So the bridge turned into a real open-air art gallery. Nowadays, the bridge is pedestrian and it has been chosen by artists, souvenir sellers, street musicians and, of course, tourists. Many legends of Old Prague are connected with the Charles Bridge. Here is one of them.
Instruction
In the north of Moscow in Khovrino, an unfinished building has been standing for decades, resembling a ghost ship. It still inspires fear in the inhabitants of this Moscow region, since it has long had a bad reputation. This building is unfinished. Its construction began in 1980, but was never completed. In the people, this unfinished building was called the Khovrinsky abandoned hospital and is one of the ten most terrible places in the world! As soon as they do not call the Khovrinsky unfinished building: the house of horror, and the cradle of nightmares, and even the citadel of darkness.
According to urban legend, the construction of this hospital began on the bones, i.e. on the site where the old abandoned one once stood. Many people believe that this explains all the failures that accompanied the construction process. Old-timers generally say that earlier on the site of the Khovrinsky abandoned hospital there was a large bog. This is evidenced by the fact that at present the foundation of the unfinished building is sinking lower and lower into the groundwater. The construction of this architectural structure was suspended in 1985. Since the last builder left the territory of this building, the Khovrinsky hospital has been living its own life, full of secrets and tragedies.
Another Russian legend is associated with a ghost train and, like the first, is urban. According to legend, every month in the Moscow metro some strange ghost train rushes along the rails at breakneck speed. According to eyewitnesses, sometimes he makes stops and opens the doors of his cars. People who claimed to have seen a sign are sure that the silhouette of a driver dressed in a pre-war construction uniform is clearly visible in his cabin, and all the other cars of this strange train are filled with the souls of builders.
To understand the meaning of this legend, it is necessary to remember exactly how the Moscow metro was built. Its construction began in the 40s of the last century. Old-timers say that it was exhausting and hard work for all those involved in the construction of the Metro Circle Line. The fact is that most of the builders were real prisoners convicted of certain crimes of a political or criminal nature.
Moreover, the construction of this subway was marked by bloody events: at that time, many workers allegedly died on the site. The fact is that from time to time unstable structures collapsed on them, and some people were generally driven into ventilation shafts and walled up without investigation or trial. After some time, at the cost of many human casualties, the “bloody” subway was nevertheless completed. In this regard, the legend of the Russian ghost appeared. Until now, people complain that sometimes the phantom of a rusty train supposedly scares them. Eyewitnesses say that this train always appears after midnight and only on the Circle Line.
Modern legend.
Mark Zuckerberg reveals he has been in talks for a long time to merge Facebook and WhatsApp. And the negotiations didn't work.
For reference. WhatsApp appeared in 2009. It was founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton. In 2014, when WhatsApp had 400 million monthly active users, Facebook wanted to take over WhatsApp. Both WhatsApp and Facebook were to benefit from this merger.
Mark Zuckerberg invited Jan Koum to his home to once again discuss the terms of the acquisition of WhatsApp.
At some point in the conversation, Jan Kum said that he needed to take a break and just think, and a tense silence hung in the room.
And then a miracle happened. Here is what Mark Zuckerberg later said:
“My dog Bist came into our room with a puzzled look. With all his appearance, showing that he does not understand why we are sitting in silence. After looking at everyone, he went to Yang and jumped on his lap. Jan started stroking Bist and after a few seconds suddenly said: “Okay, deal with it.”
In one city they held a competition for the best artist.
And, in the end, the jury chose the two best. But the judges could not decide which of the artists was the best. Then they turned to the Sage for advice.
The sage addressed the finalists with a question:
– How many shortcomings do you see in your paintings.
One artist said:
- If I saw a flaw in the picture, I would immediately correct it. This picture is flawless.
Salvador Dali was surrounded by legends and mysteries. For example, he could tell buyers that he used a large amount of bee venom mixed with paint to paint a picture. Therefore, this painting is so unusual, and should be worth at least a million.
Salvador Dali. Oil painting. A dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate. Here is one of the legends. Salvador Dali often visited restaurants new to him, inviting various people to dinner: wealthy buyers, art connoisseurs, critics and just friends. He treated everyone at his own expense. Dali ordered the most expensive dishes for his guests.
When it came time to pay the bill, the artist signed the check with a generous hand, and then… turned the check over and wrote a few kind words in gratitude to the owner of the establishment, completing the gratitude with his sweeping signature.
Dali was sure that the owner of the restaurant would never dare to cash such a check with the original signature of Salvador Dali himself!
That's exactly what happened: the owners of the restaurants did not cash such a check. After all, they understood that they could eventually get much more money for this check than just the amount on the account. In fact, Dali paid for an expensive lunch with a piece of paper with his signature.
But such a check under glass hung in the most prominent place in the restaurant, saying: “Salvador Dali himself eats with us!”
Well, the artist saved a lot of money, acquired new customers and received the glory of a generous friend.
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