Myths, Superstitions and Urban Legends
Librarian Sharon Teng delves into the fascinating world of urban folklore that have captured the human imagination through a review of titles and stories that illuminate how people have been making sense of the world around them.
I remember during one mid-autumn festival when I was 7 or 8, my mother cautioned me saying, “Don’t point at the moon, otherwise your ear will get cut”. Laughing off what I thought was nonsensical superstition, I sneakily pointed at the glowing orb hanging low in the night sky once my mother’s back was turned. The next morning, believe it or not, I found a small cut on my ear with no idea of how it had happened!
Since then, I have developed both a grudging respect for, and a measured skepticism of, old wives’ tales, not wanting to swallow unscientific tales passed down from previous generations hook, line and sinker and yet, still not daring to throw caution to the wind either.
Urban legends are “cautionary or moralistic tales passed along by those who believe (or claim) the incidents befell either folks they know personally or acquaintances of friends or family members.”¹ The fact that these stories are often related by family or friends who heard it from their own family members and friends imbue authenticity to such lore, which is why many of us tend to embrace some of these preposterous and outlandish tales unquestioningly.
While some of these stories may be traced back decades if not centuries, they do not fit the genre of fairy tales which often contain mythical beasts, witches, castles and enchanted forests set in a fantasy world. Rather, urban legends are strange and inexplicable events set in our everyday milieu, in places we are familiar with and even visit regularly.² To help understand the often mysterious world of urban folklore, and how they continue to shape our culture and understanding of the world, I’m sharing a selection of titles. After all, what better way to gain insight than by reading about them?
Singapore Urban Legends, Myths & Mysteries is a fun exposé of Singapore’s urban myths. Journalists from The Straits Times debunk fabricated tales, ghostly sightings, fake mermaids and end-of-the-world predictions in this slim volume designed to both stir up intrigue of the unexplained and lampoon irrational fears and concerns.
With five out of the 18 urban legends featured related to food, it appears that people seem to be more gullible when it comes to warnings about food safety and health. According to Dr Brian Yeo, a consultant psychiatrist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre who was interviewed for the story of disposable chopsticks that supposedly cause cancer, the reason is, “we’re getting contradictory information all the time and that is where it becomes confusing for most people. They would rather be safe than sorry.”
Check out these tongue-in-cheek illustrations by Miel in An Essential Guide to Pantang!: Taboos and Superstitions of Singapore & Malaysia, a cute pocket-size book featuring 120 examples of “pantangs” (taboos or superstitions) observed or practised in Singapore and Malaysia. Here are some that made me chuckle:
According to Old Wives’ Tales: Fascinating Tales, Beliefs and Superstitions of Singapore and Malaysia (p. 7), “old wives’ tales, together with the superstitions and taboos that accompany them” are “fiercely guarded by shrewd mothers and prudent fathers and preached from one generation to another; they become a part of our culture and a part of our human fabric.” Grouped into eight broad themes, the book covers familiar and oft-told stories such as why it is considered lucky to have a bird poop on your head, why the scent of frangipani signals the presence of a pontianak (female vampire), why the remedy to combat “heatiness” is to drink salt water from an empty durian husk and why you should never take photographs in groups of three.
Of course, Singapore is not the only place where there are plenty of urban legends and superstitions.
Have you heard the story about the traveler who had his kidneys stolen after blacking out during a romantic hotel rendezvous with a lady of the night? How about the one about Aids-tainted needles being deliberately placed in the coin slots of public phone booths? Or what about the nondescript, quiet employee who had been sitting dead at his desk for five days before anyone noticed? You can read all about these classic urban legends, college campus lies, cyber myths, tall tales of the rich and famous and more in Urban Legends: The Truth Behind All Those Deliciously Entertaining Myths That are Absolutely, Positively, 100% Not True.
Be prepared to enter the world of the sensational, the grotesque, the bizarre and the chimerical world of urban legends. This title features stuff that would make you squirm in disgust, laugh incredulously or ensure you keep the lights on when you sleep at night. Grouped into nine thematic chapters, the categories include “Horror”, “The Body and Disease”, “Sex and Nudity”, “Murder, Death and Burial” and “The Supernatural”. Some of my favorites from this compilation include the Stolen Body Parts tales about black market organ thefts (pp. 125–135), the Kentucky Fried Rat rumour about fast food chains serving up rats (p. 217), Killer Clowns whose appearance caused mass panic in school children in the UK and the US (pp. 262–3) and the ultimate urban legend classic, The Vanishing Hitchhiker stories with ghostly apparitions as the main protagonists.
Included as an appendix at the end of the book is a helpful (non-exhaustive) list of urban legends portrayed in film and literature. The film list includes classic movies and remakes such as When a Stranger Calls (1979 and 2006), The Lady Vanishes (1938 and 1979), Campfire Tales (1991 and 1997) and L’Auberge Rouge (also known as The Red Inn) (1951). Those on the literature list include books such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1974), Christine (1983) and Coma (1977).
Urban legends, as much as they have no factual merit, often tell us about the way its perpetuators view the world.
According to Jans Harold Brunvand, retired American folklorist and professor emeritus of English at the University of Utah, there is “a meaningful message or moral” at the heart of every urban myth. Experts also believe that urban legends are an “important part of popular culture, offering insight into our fears and the state of society. They’re also good fun”.³
At the end of the day, I second what Mikel J. Koven, who used to be a folklorist at the University of Wales says, “Life is so much more interesting with monsters in it.”⁴
[1] David Mikkelson, “Urban Legend Definition”, Snopes, published 10 March 2021.
[2] Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith, eds., Urban Legends: A Collection of International Tall Tales and Terrors. (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007), xvi. (Call no. R 398.2 URB)
[3] “2018 recipient of the Linda Dégh Lifetime Achievement Award –Dr. Jan Harold Brunvand.” The Website for the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research, accessed 9 November 2022; Heather Whipps, “Urban Legends: How They Start and Why They Persist”, Live Science, published 27 August 2006.
[4] Whipps, “Urban Legends: How They Start and Why They Persist”.
