Mirella Makurat

Urban Legends

In our (post)modern times when we are so progressive, rational and scientific, we still need to believe in something. Maybe its difficult or impossible for us to believe in fairies, leprechauns, pot on the other side of rainbows or in hell, but maybe somebody from us trust to news from internet, television, neighbor or friend of our friend, that somewhere in Latin America, Afghanistan or Kosovo there are smuggle drugs inside dead babies; on the Balkans or in Africa people have tails; someone met UFO in field or that some airplane disappeared at Bermuda triange? Or heard about scary house? These modern myths from the most of scholars are called urban legends. The others terms are urban myths or contemporary legends. There are replace the old folklore genres which were viable till the end of 19th century but some of folklorists think that they are earlier. The characteristics of urban legend are: It's a story, alleged to be true; based on the rumor; It's just plausible enough to be believed; Its veracity is unproven; It's of spontaneous (or indeterminate) origin; It's likely to take the form of a cautionary tale; It varies in the telling; It circulates by being passed from individual to individual, either orally or in written form (via fax, photocopy or email); It's attributed to putatively trustworthy secondhand sources ("a friend of a friend etc.). Scholars find interest in this type of stories in 30 of 20 th (in USA and in Russia); the term contemporary legend was used first time in 1924 by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the term urban legend in 1968 by J. H. Brunvald but real researches started with his publication The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings (1981). Urban legends are a type of folklore, defined as the handeddown beliefs, stories, songs and customs of ordinary people ("the folk"). One way to differentiate them from other narrative forms ( popular fiction, TV dramas, or news stories) is to compare where they come from and how they're propagated. Unlike fiction or drama, which are usually produced by individual authors, urban legends tend to emerge spontaneously and are rarely traceable to a single source. Again unlike fiction or drama, urban legends are spread primarily via interpersonal communication, from individual to individual, and only in atypical cases via mass

media. Their function is to scare and to warning the society, () they often teach valuable lessons: Keep your eyes on yours kids. Check the back sit of your car. Dont trust big business or government to act in your favor. Of course, they may support racism, homophobia, greed or other negative attitudes, but thats life. The study of urban legends may help to defuse such effects by exposing the legends message.1 Because of their multifuncionalism they are subject to study for folklorists, anthropologist, psychologists as well. Urban legends they are telling about state of our modern society and ours modern brains and about our old, natural need of narrative and of believing to supernatural. And still we are not sure if it just legend or true
Some of Urban Legends from Macedonia

There was a old man who through the night with his horse was returning home through the woods, while walking he met a young black goat lost in the woods. He decided to bring with him and got him on a horse. all the way home he spoke to the goat to rest not to be afraid. Meanwhile the horse began to sweat and roar as if carrying a huge burden. when they approached the village where was the home of the old man, and when the first light appeared the goat jumped from the horse turned to the old man and said the same words that the old man told him, and disappeared into the night. Some people werent celebrate the Day of Holy Mother or Day of the other saint and they had some misfortune soon after this Holyday. Some taxi driver was caring beautiful young woman to Saint Petka Church and she started to changing her face now she was old lady in black. She asked him how much have to pay and he said that nothing but she must leave him alone. She told him that she is Saint Petka and she disappeared. After this accident he had mental problems, he was looking for help in churches, monasteries, witchcraft but for nothing. Finally some woman told him that he should ask the Saint for 3 stones one for healt, 2nd for luck and 3th I dont remember but however now its too late.
1

Interwiew with J. H. Brunvald on http://www.janbrunvand.com/faq.html (state from 09.11.2010).