Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

Orang Minyak

Nationality: Malaysian
Age: 22
Occupation: Student

Description: The Orang Minyak, directly translated as the Oily Man, kidnaps young women at night. It is something told to young girls.

Background: The informant lived in Malaysia for much of her life. Orang Minyak, as a result, is a piece of folklore that she has often heard about.

Transcript:

CG: Orang Minyak literally means oily man (so he’s basically dripping in petroleum) and the folklore is he comes out at night to abduct young women.

Me: For Oil?

CG: I think he is just a creep.

Me: So can you elaborate more on the details? Like how much do you know about the Orang Minyak.

CG: It’s just Malaysian folklore, like the Loch Ness monster in the US. They tell that to little girls to warn them to be careful. It’s more prominent on the outskirts and more told in Malay people. I wasn’t told that as a kid because I’m not Malay but I know because I’ve heard about it.

My Thoughts:

Kidnapper creatures are a common staple among many cultures. A semi-modern example being Slender Man. The common motivation behind those tales are obviously to prevent children from exposing themselves to danger. I do remember being moderately scared of those types of tales, especially when they have a supernatural appearance. So there must be some effectiveness in those tales. Overall, I believe this tale to be moderately standard as far as tales go.

Los Ninos Heroes de Chapultepec

Nationality: American/Mexican
Age: 20
Occupation: Student

Background: The informant was told this legend by his grandfather. 

Transcript: 

DO: Ok so from what I recall they were basically the child heroes who were stationed at Chapultepec castle to defend it from invaders, and they successfully repelled the invaders at the cost of their lives, and are honored on the back of some Mexican currency. and I heard it from my grandpa when I was young and it was one of the first like times the concept of martyrdom was introduced to me indirectly. They were all slain but the last one wrapped themselves in the Mexican flag to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. I don’t think they actually won but they defended the castle to the very end. Like we know who the winner of the Mexican-American war was. but yeah it’s like a whole not-legend-cuz-it’s-fairly-real type legend. Honor their sacrifice for defending their country until the very end type deal. Slightly fuzzy but yeah that’s what I remember.

My thoughts:

Many times, stories about real people would be commemorated and become a part of the larger culture and serve as a source of unity. This is such a legend created from very real events. As I have spent my own childhood hearing stories about Chinese heroes and people who defended and served the country, I sometimes can’t help but feel conflicted by stories of martyrdom and fighting for one’s nation. Though the stories I grew up with mostly served as a way to indoctrinate children into the ideals supported by the Chinese government, I feel that this is very different. Mostly in the sense that the stories I heard came from schools and government supervised media, while this one came from the Informant’s family members. Overall, it is a praiseworthy story that would solidify one’s identity and values especially given the context of the Mexican-American war.

Polybius

Nationality: American/Greek
Age: 22
Occupation: Student

Description: Poybius is a possibly fictional arcade game that was created during the 90s. There are people who recalled that such a game cabinet existed but no physical copies exist. There are those that believe the cabinets were a part of the MK ULTRA secret experiments 

Background: The informant obtained the information through internet videos.

Transcript:

DT: The supposed creation of an arcade cabinet during the 90s called Polybius. Someone thought it existed, and it spread from there like a Mandela effect, of people remembering something that didn’t actually exist but potentially vaguely similar to it. It’s an urban legend that lasted for a while, and even got assumed it was a part of the MK ULTRA secret experiments. With conspiracy theories coming up that the cabinet was created by the government to give people nightmares as a way to test stuff that leaked from MK ULTRA.

Me: So it(the cabinet) didn’t really exist?

DT: It’s still kinda unclear if a cabinet of the like actually existed or not, but the video I saw concluded that it most likely wasn’t real. I forget the specific evidence to prove this but it’s still kinda up in the air. But regardless of its existence, the crazy effect it had on if people remembered it or not was what really got people involved with it.

My thoughts:

The 90s were a time where rumors about digital media were abundant. Things that come to mind were numerous video game rumors such as the Mew under the truck in pokemon. At the time, the internet was still in its infancy and information was not easily accessible nor entirely accurate. The coupled with the introduction of new technology gave rise to many rumors and theories. Polybius is an example of a product of that time, when people didn’t have ready access to information and when any kind of information can be spoken from anywhere.

Rakks Kukkosh

Nationality: American/Bengali
Age: 21
Occupation: Student

Description: It is a general word for monster, however, the informant did note that his impression of the Rakks Kukkosh is a monster with a drum on its belly which it pounds to make sounds.

Background: The informant heard about the monster from their family during their childhood.

Transcript:

SA: I think it has a drum on its belly that it pounds?

Me: Does it do anything? Why does it have a drum on its belly?

SA: I’m not sure, probably to attract children and eat them. Most Bengali monsters just do things to get children and eat them.

(After a while)

SA: Actually, it isn’t a specific monster, any monster can be called the Rakks Kukkosh. So it can actually be anything I guess.

My thoughts:

I guess monsters that eat children is a common trope in Bengali folklore. Although that is likely the case for most folklore monsters. The core social function of monsters in most cultures is to teach children to not be stupid and do dangerous things. So in this case it is likely supposed to teach children to not be distracted by noises and stray away from their parents. As for the later component, there are many monster names that can be generalized to mean any monster later when they become more prevalent in the culture. So while the Rakks Kukkosh could have at one point pointed at a specific monster, it’s name has likely been generalized to signify any monster.

Douens

Nationality: American/Greek
Age: 22
Occupation: Student

Description: They are ghosts of children who reside within the forest that lure children by calling out their names and having them follow their footsteps. The children eventually become lost and become Douens themselves.

Background: The informant has a prevalent interest in urban legends and found this story while searching for ghost stories and urban legends.

Transcript: 

DT: One of my favorite ones I’ve looked up cause I like scary urban legend stuff is Douens, which are spirits of kids whose feet are on backwards. They call out other kids’ names if they are in the forest and make them follow in their footsteps, which make the kids become lost and eventually turn into Douens. Basically it’s a story they told kids to stop them from going into the forest alone.

Me: From where did the urban legend come from?

DT: I think it’s Caribbean. From Tobago I believe. They’re basically like imps and fuck with people pretty much, so there’s different versions of them on what they do or stories rather.

My thoughts: 

Ghost children are certainly a common occurrence across many types of folklore. While a terrible reality, children do die. Douens are interesting takes on those that disappear within the forest.   Despite the simplicity, I see a lot of space of nuance. Unlike most monsters, who lure children for the sake of eating them or something similar, Douens are likely searching for companionship, luring children to transform them into one of their own. So while Douens are likely created for children to fear, there could be another perspective where they can be sympathized with as they are likely once children themselves.