Urban Legends Parts 3

This weeks urban legend is pretty popular but I figured I would check it out and see if I could get to the bottom of this grisly legend. This week I am tackling Bloody Mary. I traveled to Wikipedia my first go to place and read what they had to say.

Wikipedia had this to say:

Historically, the ritual encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backwards while holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face. There was, however, a chance that they would see a skull (or the face of the Grim Reaper) instead, indicating that they were destined to die before they would have the chance to marry.

In the ritual of today, Bloody Mary allegedly appears to individuals or groups who ritualistically invoke her name in an act of catoptromancy. This is done by repeatedly chanting her name in a mirror placed in a dimly-lit or candle-lit room. The Bloody Mary apparition allegedly appears as a corpse, a witch or ghost; can be friendly or evil; and is sometimes "seen" covered in blood. The lore surrounding the ritual states that participants may endure the apparition screaming at them, cursing them, strangling them, stealing their soul, drinking their blood or scratching their eyes out. The modern legend of Hanako-san in Japan strongly parallels the Bloody Mary mythology.

A modern addition of taunting Bloody Mary regarding her baby indicates the legendary figure's conflation with the historic figure, Queen Mary I, also known as "Bloody Mary", whose life was marked by a number of miscarriages or false pregnancies and is remembered for her violent religious reforms.

Ultimately they said that Bloody Mary was just a hallucination. So investigated further. Bloody Mary is also known as Mary Worth, Mary Worthington, Mary Jane, Mary Whales, Mary White, and even Hell Mary. Just how many variations of the Bloody Mary legend are there? Apparently a lot of them.

Then I came across Scaryforkids.com and they had this to say about the Bloody Mary legend:

"The history of the chanting game is based on mixed up legends and history that have become the main basis for the story surrounding the urban legend.

The most common story told is that Mary Worth was a witch that lived over 100 years ago who dabbled in the black arts. She was found out and executed. However this does not tie in with a child or baby which is often mentioned in the ritual of summoning her.

The other story accompanying the ritual is a local woman was involved in a fatal car accident nearby, her face horribly mutilated. She reappears in the mirror when summoned with that same horrific face.

It is largely believed that the origins of the names "Mary Worth" and "Bloody Mary" came from a slight mix up of characters from history. There is a lot of speculation as to the names being taken from Mary I, Queen of England who reigned during the Tudor period. Mary Tudor was also commonly known as "Bloody Mary".

Her nickname of "Bloody Mary" became attached to her when she violently executed and burnt Mary Tudor people at the stake for heresy throughout her reign of a little over 5 years.

She also was unable to bear children and suffered two phantom pregnancies, this is where it is speculated that the Bloody Mary game involving chanting "I stole your baby" or "I killed your baby" became tangled up with the now known Bloody Mary game.

There is another suggestion that the name "Mary Worth" was derived from a victim of the Salem Witch trials. There was no person involved in these trials by the name of Mary Worth.

Other surrounding additions to the "Bloody Mary" game are derived from the legend of Elizabeth Bathory, who it was rumored bathed in blood and took part in other atrocities to save her youthful beauty, of course her name was not Mary but somehow the stories of this cruel woman have been inserted into the Bloody Mary game.


However this game came about and whenever this game was first invented the one thing we do know for sure is that the ritual of spinning and chanting has evolved from quite a long time ago, when young girls participated regularly in rituals such as this to find who they would marry and when they would marry. There is also the addition of mirrors which were known as being portals to another world, especially during Victorian times. Add in a little more of the olde time spiritual beliefs including covering mirrors while in the presence of a dead person or at a funeral, some spooky ghost stories told at bedtime, and it seems to have all somehow combined over the years to form the now famous game of Bloody Mary.

So Bloody Mary came about due to Queen Mary I of England? That can't be it. So I furthered my investigation and after exploring a plethora of sites they all come to the same conclusion that Bloody Mary was spawned from Queen Mary I of England and possibly Elizabeth Bathory.

Urban Legends Part 2

Black Agnes or Black Aggie as I have found is the name of the statue that is reported to kill people. This huge statue is titled Thanatos (death in Greek) and is the grave marker for John Erastus Hubbard who lived from 1847-1899.

Now according to the legend this statue will kill anyone who happens to sit in its lap. There are several variations of this story, some not including certain death for sitting on the statue but they all say that laying in the statue's lap will bring certain death.

But according to Wikipedia 'Black Aggie is the name given to statue formerly placed on General Felix Agnus in Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland.'

Wikipedia also had this to say about the history of Black Aggie; a replica of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' 1891 allegorical figure named Grief:

Beginning with its installation in 1926, the replica was surrounded by many urban legends, principally that someone spending a night in its lap would be haunted by the ghosts of those buried there; that the spirits of individuals buried at Druid Ridge would annually convene at the statue; that no grass would grow on the ground where the statue's shadow would lie during the daytime; or that the statue would animate itself during the night, whether by physically moving or by showing glowing red eyes.

These urban legends led to much unwelcome attention toward the statue; many people were caught breaking into the cemetery at night to visit it, and the pedestal was frequently vandalized. The Agnus family, disturbed by the attention the statue received, donated it to the Smithsonian in 1967. It sat for many years in storage at the National Museum of American Art (later named the Smithsonian American Art Museum) where an authorized recasting of the original Adams Memorial statue now sits.

Black Aggie was moved from her previous home at the museum to a courtyard behind the Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. where she currently stands. The bare, blank pedestal remains at the statue's former home at Druid Ridge Cemetery.

Another statue, similarly called "Black Agnus" is located at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier, Vermont. This one is of a man sitting and covered in a shawl, but his head is visible and his looking up with closed eyes. This statue is copper rather than bronze, so it has a green patina.

I found another version of this urban legend on YouTube that is completely different from the other versions I have come across.

Do I know which legend is the original? No I don't. But each legend is fascinating. There is another Black Anges but she is the Countess of Dunbar in Scotland who defended her home from the English during a siege in 1337. I hope you enjoyed this installment of Urban Legends! Keep an eye out for next weeks post along with other various posts.

Urban Legends Part 1

Welcome to the first post of my Urban Legends series. As I am writing the series I feel I should inform you that I will be telling you about the legend and possibly writing my own theory. FYI it will probably be darker than the legend.

La Llorona is a Hispanic legend dating back hundreds of years. There are several versions of the tale but the bare bones of the story is that a beautiful woman by the name of Maria drowned her children in a fit of rage and after realizing what she has done drowns herself. She is stopped at the gates of Heaven and told she can not enter until she finds the whereabouts of her children's souls. She searches the world, weeping for her children. When she finds children that remind her of her own she takes them to a lake or river and drowns them. Some variations her La Llorona drowning children, men and women.

Pretty basic story. But what got me was the part of them letting her in after she finds the children she murdered. Yes this is very odd. My theory is that she isn't a ghost like the legend says but a demon who is bound to continue drowning young children.

I found a couple of news report videos about La Llorona but I suck and don't understand Spanish. But I did find this wonderfully creepy video directed by JoeNationTV.

Month of Legends

I am going to continue the scariness and do a month of urban legends. I unfortunately did not find any scary Turkey Day stories so that is out of the question. I will post this series once a week during the month of November.

Now don't worry I will have other things to post about (zombies). As for the month of December I don't know what I will be blogging about just yet but zombies with be interspersed through out it. Maybe the true origins of fairy tales....

Urban Legends

• La Llorona
• Black Agnes
• Bloody Mary
• Jersey Devil

Apparently urban legends are either about killers or ghosts. I found many that would be interesting to blog about but these four stood out the most. Three of them are a pretty common legend but there is one that I had never heard about. I would have done the Boogieman and Slender Man. I know Slender Man isn't an urban legend but after certain events I figured it will be in the hall of fame for legends.

See you next time my lovely zombies!

Slender Man

I will not be posting tomorrow (that I know of) and I will be bringing you the creepiest legend out there. Slender Man! I think he is the scariest, creepiest legend/monster that you could dress up as. The history of Slender Man does not go back very far (2009) and already truly despicable things have been done in his name. The worst being the devil but since the devil has been so commercialized Slender Man comes to the top of the list. Now I know he isn't a legend but due to what people have done in his name I know he will become one of the new legends to tell around a camp fire.

Slender Man started on a COMEDY web forum. Yes comedy.

What Wikipedia had to say about Slender Man: The Slender Man (also known as Slenderman) is a fictional supernatural character that originated as an Internet meme created by Something Awful forums user Eric Knudsen (a.k.a. "Victor Surge") in 2009. It is depicted as resembling a thin, unnaturally tall man with a blank and usually featureless face, wearing a black suit.

Stories of the Slender Man commonly feature him stalking, abducting or traumatizing people, particularly children.[1] The Slender Man is not confined to a single narrative, but appears in many disparate works of fiction, mostly composed online.[2] Fiction relating to the Slender Man encompasses many media, including literature, art and video series such as Marble Hornets. Outside of online fiction, the Slender Man has had impact on popular culture, having been referenced in the video game Minecraft and generated video games of his own, such as Slender: The Eight Pages and Slender: The Arrival.

You can go to the Slender Man Wikipedia page to read more on Slender Man.

I went looking for the original Slender Man story and came across this: The complete, terrifying history of Slender Man

I remember hearing on the news about the two girls stabbing their friend because 'We wanted to prove the skeptics wrong.' Once again making me wonder about my theory (yes it is in Supernatural) that if you believe in something enough you could bring it to life. The theory is valid not completely logical but valid. Now for a Slender Man makeup tutorial!

It was a big toss up about which Slender Man tutorial I liked the most. It came down to Pinkstylist's and Silvia Quiros. Silvia Quiros won. I love both tutorials but I think that Silvia's version of Slender Man is scarier.

FYI My computer was glitching the entire time I was researching Slender Man.

Have A Happy Halloween!

Scary Stories

It is the 14th of October and I feel the need to find a few scary stories for you to read. Creepy Pasta being my favorite go to place for scary stories I decided to find the scariest Creepy pastas.

1. 1999 - http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/1999
2. The Russian Sleep Experiment - http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Russian_Sleep_Experiment
3. Kagome Kagome - http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Kagome_Kagome
4. Anomely - http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Anomaly

Now I am sure that there are creepy pastas out there scarier than these but these are the ones that got to me. I hope you enjoy! If you don't feel like reading then check out YouTube for Creepy Pasta story times! I started my love of creepy pastas by listening to The Russian Sleep Experiment on YouTube. I use Creepy Pasta Wikia to find all of my stories you can go to Creepy Pasta and look for them but I know I will be sucked into that dark world for hours on end. 

Just 8 more posts before Halloween! I'm gonna have to step up my posts and decide what they are going to be about. If you have any ideas email me at Zombieverse1987@gmail.com

The Boogieman

Have any of you ever been afraid of the Boogieman? My son has an ungodly fear of the man in the closet. The closet door has to be closed and I have to be in the room with him. No one has ever told him about the Boogieman but even though he is considered a 'mythical creature' one has to wonder if this entity has been brought to life by the collective fear of children from around the world.

Wikipedia had this to say about the Boogieman: Bogeyman (also spelled bogieman, boogeyman, or boogie man, and pronounced /bʊɡimæn/ or /boʊɡimæn/; see spelling differences)[1] is a common allusion to a mythical creature in many cultures used by adults or older children to frighten bad children into good behavior. This monster has no specific appearance, and conceptions about it can vary drastically from household to household within the same community; in many cases, he has no set appearance in the mind of an adult or child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror. Parents may tell their children that if they misbehave, the bogeyman will get them. Bogeymen may target a specific mischief—for instance, a bogeyman that punishes children who suck their thumbs—or general misbehaviour, depending on what purpose needs serving. In some cases, the bogeyman is a nickname for the devil. Bogeyman tales vary by region. The bogeyman is usually a masculine entity but can be any gender or simply androgynous.

Monster Wikia had this: The typical Boogeyman legend states that its favorite places to hide are under beds and in closets, particularly in the bedrooms of children who are 'naughty' or have acted in a way to gain disapproval from their parent(s). The Boogeyman is nocturnal, typically only visiting its victims after midnight. According to all accounts, the Boogeyman is malevolent in nature, with its name often used synonymously with something or someone that is frightening.

The Boogeyman feeds off fear, particularly the fear of children, though under certain circumstances an adult may attract the Boogeyman themselves by chanelling their inner-child. An adult who has had traumatic experiences with the entity as a child will be more likely to attract it again.

The Boogeyman is an amorphous being, having no particular shape or form. The appearance of the dark entity may differ from one child to the next, often shaping itself around the child's deepest fears. The being often appears as a pale humanoid with either red or yellow eyes, sharp teeth and claws. It may, however, appear to some as a mass of penises, as a clown, or as someone with whom the child associates horrific memories or trauma.

The Boogeyman, a being that feeds of fear, will, like a stray dog, not stick around those who are not feeding it. Don't fear the Boogeyman, and it will leave. This is easier said than done for most, but if you close your eyes and recite the following verses, the Boogeyman may very well be dispelled.

"I'm not afraid of the Thing in my closet, or the monster under my bed.

No, I'm not afraid of the Boogeyman, I know he's in my head."

If ever you should feel the presence of the Boogeyman in your room at night, simply flick the light switch on and call for your parents, if available. It is unknown whether the light hurts or frightens the Boogeyman, but it is a well known fact that the entity does not like to be seen clearly or by those who are not so easily frightened.

Furthermore, it is also very important to keep your feet under the covers at all times to eliminate all possibility of the Boogeyman's long, icy fingers tickling your toes. Horror author Stephen King once described bed sheets as "Boogeyman kryptonite." Should the situation escalate to the point where the Boogeyman approaches you, emerging yourself completely under the sheets will likely protect you from the dark being, but you must believe that it will.

However, the best method of protection is to obey your parents and behave. In most versions of the tale, the Boogeyman hunts down children who do not behave, usually ones who do not go to bed when they are told. Like most evil beings, prayer and holy objects may be used to ward one off (though if you are religious enough to utilize this, it is very unlikely it will prey on you).

Don't forget to check under the bed and in the closet before turning in for the night. You never know who, or what, might be waiting there.

I was never afraid of the monster in the closet or under the bed but under the monster under the basement stairs always terrified me. Each child's fear is different. I always kept the monster away by taking my bear with me but my son is a trooper. He refuses to use a bear but has to have me in there. Things have gotten better since I told him that if any monster hurt him I would kick their ass but that's my method of fighting the Boogieman.

Cthulhu

How is it that an awesome creature like Cthulhu has so few makeup tutorial? Thank Mythos I found this in time. This tutorial is advanced and the costume process lengthy. If you want to be this Lovecraftian monster I suggest you get started today on making your costume. This look will take a truly dedicated Halloween and Lovecraft fan.

This video isn't really a tutorial but really good to watch and take ideas from. Alex The Movie Geek brings you Cthulhu Costume - Homemade Latex Suit. Now I know I am posting this at the beginning of October but hey it will be a great way to get you started on your costume for next year!

Urban Legends

If some of you are like me then you grew up with or are growing up with urban legends. Well guess what some of those urban legends are true. Which ones have you heard? I would love to know. Email me your urban legends to Zombieverse1987@gmail.com

Creeps Plays brings us Top 10 Urban Legends Confirmed to be True.