Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

Visitor, 4:30am

Nationality: American

Age: 19

Primary Language: English

Residence: Lubbock, Texas

Text

“I have a ghost story so vivid I remember all the details to this day. It was my first year of college, and I was living in a tiny dormitory room. I shared the room with my roommate, but he was visiting family that weekend, so I was alone. At 4:30am, I woke up to knocking at the door. I wasn’t sure if I’d heard correctly, so I waited a minute, then heard knocking again. Checking the time, I thought it was weird that someone would be knocking on my door in the middle of the night… or so early in the morning. They knocked again, so I went over to the peephole – there was a little peephole in the middle of the door – and looked through… And no one was there. Trust me, you can see EVERYTHING through this peephole… And yet, there was no one on the other side. I moved away from the door, and the knocking continued. I wondered if some college student was playing a prank on me, so I checked again, and while I was looking through the peephole (which was still empty), the knocking continued. At this point my heart was pounding out of my chest, and I slinked into the corner of my room. The knocking became louder and more aggressive… It almost seemed like whoever was at the door was trying to break it down. Eventually, the knocking stopped and the invisible person went away. I wasn’t able to sleep for the rest of the night.”

Context

This informant is my brother. He attends a university in Lubbock, Texas. Around the time of this experience, we lost a family member.

Analysis

In class (and readings), we’ve discussed ghosts as representations of familial ancestors. Similarly to my father’s ghost story, I believe this is one of those instances. Around the time my brother had this experience, we lost a family member. Although the family member had no attachment to or ownership of my brother’s college dorm room, the dorm was still associated with my brother, and the timing matched up almost perfectly with the family member’s death. Regardless of whether or not the ghost actually existed, I believe my brother’s perception of this desperate ghost was an outward expression of his coping with the family member’s passing.

The Ghosts of July

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/31/2024

Text:

“During the month of July, the gates between the afterlife and this world open, and ghosts come to the roam in our world at night. You have to close your windows and blinds, or they’ll come into your room.”

Context:

The informant heard this story from her roommate, who grew up in China. The informant was told this story one night when they were trading various cultural stories and legends, and recalls that this was a legend believes deeply in. She also recalls that her roommate felt a ghost in her room when she was a kid and didn’t close her window. The informant doesn’t necessarily believe in the story, but thinks that all ghost stories could be possible.

Analysis:

The context of this legend being from China adds a level of cultural significance as it is tied to the lunar calendar. This means that the story has been canonized in cultural lore, but continues to shift. For example, the informant was told a “quick” version of the lore, that holds deeper cultural significance, demonstrating the popularity and easy ability to spread ghost stories. This story spreads easily both as it as a ghost stories, but because families are likely to tell their kids this story in the culture out of caution and true belief in the story. I think that ghost stories are most certainly plausible, but the notion of a singular month of “ghosts” holds less plausibility for me.

The Bellwitch

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/31/2024

Text:

“There is a cave near [the informants home] where a witch-ghost supposedly haunted the Bell family, and would communicate with various members of the family. She would also send weird abnormal things like animals with the heads of other animals.” The witch-ghost would reside in a cave, that is now called the “Bell Cave.” Apparently someone ended up taking their life in the cave, but there is no clear record of that.”

Context:

The informant heard this story from her classmates in high school, as their town held proximity to the Bell Cave. The informant is relatively spiritual, and recalls feeling unsettled when she and her friends drove past the cave later that month. The story of the Bell cave has been spread widely and has made its way into popular media, but the informant recounts that the people who told her heard the story from their families who had it recorded in passed down journals/via word of mouth from elder family members, dating back to the time of the “hauntings.”

Analysis:

By nature of being a ghost story, the story of the Bell Cave and the related witch-ghost is hard to verify, especially as it was adapted into popular media and spread throughout the country. However, I think that it is extremely interesting that the informant held a different perspective coming from the region of the lore. Ultimately, I think that ghost stories most certainly hold some truth, although this is of course unverifiable and solely Is supported by the belief of the orator. I think that ghost stories are “popular” because they serve as both a cautionary tale, and hold entertainment value. Specific to the informant, though, is a historical and geographical significance, adding a layer of nuance to the spread within her home.

The Legend of the Mothman

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/31/2024

Text:

“There is a flying creature named “Mothman,” who shows up right before a disaster of some sort. After people saw him for the first time, a bridge collapsed. People also saw him right before an earthquake, plus other natural disasters like a tsunami and avalanche.

Context:

The informant heard the legend of the “Mothman” when he was on a camping trip with his cousins in middle school. While they were camping near his home, within the state he lived in, Mothman was claimed to be a national figure. The informant does not necessarily believe in it, and thinks that people are willing to say/support a lot in the wake of large disasters or trauma. He does however admit to recounting the story to his younger cousins when they had a sleepover a few years later.

Analysis:

The notion of a figure representing bad luck or disaster is similar to an albatross, and holds notoriety and recount-ability because are often willing to believe things tied to disasters. Additionally, it can spread as people “think they see something” and begin to worry and panic about an impending disaster. While Mothman is not tied to an explicit culture, the legend can be widely distilled as a form of “campfire story,” or stories that are told to large audiences. I don’t believe that these stories are told out of true “fear” or belief, but rather told as a way to scare younger/unaware audiences. However, the idea holds enough plausibility since it cannot be easily disproven.

The Legend of the Skinwalker

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/31/2024

Text:

“If it is late at night and you hear coyotes howling in a residential area, close your window and do not look outside because it is a skin walker who waits to make eye contact before it strikes.”

Context:

The informant, who grew up in a relatively suburban city, recalls hearing this legend from her grandmother when she was a child (about seven years old). Her grandmother, who was rather spiritual, learned it from her mother, and passed the story down. At first it was told as a way to get the informant to close her eyes and go to bed, however, continues to be told today. The informant strongly believes in the story, and maintains that whenever she hears a coyote howl, she feels eyes on her and knows that it is more than simply an animal.

Analysis:

The notion of skin walkers is not isolated to just the part of the United States the informant is from, but is rather widespread. The idea of a “skinwalker” has both been repeated throughout folklore, but has also been a feature of several popular movies. Several Indigenous groups in the United States speak about skinwalkers as well, contributing to their notoriety. This displays a value of cultures in enshrining “villainous” figures (similar to the boogeyman). The value of a figure to warn against also makes these figures common as parents are able to use them to instill lessons upon young children (ie. go to bed when you’re supposed to), however also are lessons in safety as the “truth value” of the legend holds plausibility. While I don’t necessarily believe in the notion of a skinwalker, it is a story I have heard before. Ultimately I think that it is just too unverifiable to holds explicit truth, although I think it is definitely possible. I do think that someone would have caught a skinwalker if they were real (although many argue they would remain in their chosen form).