Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

Pop Rocks and Soda

Nationality: American
Age: 53
Occupation: Escrow Officer
Residence: Orange County, CA

STORY:

“When I was growing up there was a really popular urban legend. Basically, there was this girl who was eating Pop Rocks, which is that candy that like crackles when you eat it, and she drank Coke while she was eating them. That caused some weird chemical reaction that caused her throat and mouth to blow up and killed her. Other kids would be afraid to eat Pop Rocks and drink soda because of that story so it was pretty popular”

CONTEXT:

The informant stated that she heard this story when she was growing up, so presumably as a child. She said the legend was very common and that her peers had heard the story as well. She did not specify who in particular told her the legend, but if it was very famous then she could have heard it from anyone.

ANALYSIS:

This urban legend plays into the anxieties people may have about what they are eating. I believe that it is similar to the legend about razor blades in candy in that both ask the listener to be cautious about an unhealthy snack. Both Pop Rocks and soda are easy targets for this type of legend due to Pop Rocks’s unusual popping effect and soda’s infamously explosive reaction with mentos. This legend also plays with the anxieties a parent may have over their child, as children would be the most likely to eat Pop Rocks as well.

Disneyland Ghost

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Client Relationship Specialist
Residence: Orange County, California
Language: English

STORY:

“There’s a legend at Disneyland that the Haunted Mansion ride is actually haunted. People say that sometimes people will sneak ashes of their loved ones into the park, then get on the Haunted Mansion, and while on the ride dump the ashes. I think the legend said it started with a couple who poured their child’s ashes because their kid always wanted to go to Disneyland. And the kid’s spirit just haunts the ride now along with the other people’s ashes.”

CONTEXT:

The informant is very involved in Disneyland news and has heard many legends about the park. She does not know exactly who she heard this legend from, but says it must have been from a TikTok account that she follows.

ANALYSIS:

Theme park hauntings are a fairly common urban legend. These locations are heavily associated with children and innocence, which drives many people to search for some hidden dark history within the park. This story is unique because often the park is haunted due to some unfortunate accident in its past, however in this case the park is being haunted by a child who never got to go there. This could be seen as a type of injustice haunting where the child gets to correct the injustice of being unable to go to Disneyland by remaining at the park after death. It is also interesting that the center of the haunting is the Haunted Mansion ride. The ride is seen as having some spiritual significance due to its subject matter, so it makes sense that a grieving parent would want to put their child’s ashes there.

The Pig on St Oswald’s Church

Nationality: British
Age: 22
Occupation: Social Media
Residence: Winwick, Warrington
Language: English

Text:

“In Winwick, Warrington, near my house, there is a church that has been here since the 12th century. The legend says that King Oswald died in Winick, and a small church was built there right after. People would come visit from all over, and one day it was decided that there would be a bigger church. The construction workers started building a foundation at the original site of the smaller church, but one night a pig was spotted running to the site of the new church while squealing what sounded like Winwick. The pig then took the stones from the new foundation, took them by his mouth, and ran to the site of St. Oswald’s death. In the morning all the villagers gathered around and were amazed and decided to take it as an omen. They decided to build the new church where the pig had laid out the stones. To remember the pig, they carved the pig into the stone. The church was rebuilt in the 14th century, but supposedly the stone was kept safe and put into the new structure to remember the legendary pig.”

Context: 

My informant lives in Winwick, Warrington. Their parents told her about the legend growing up, but it is also a legend that everyone knows living in Winwick. 

Analysis:

This is a legend, and it centers on the founding of a church in Winwick, Warrington, and the importance of a pig determining its location. This legend connects geography, spiritual history, and sacred architecture. The pig is an example of an omen. A non-human figure that delivers a message. The villagers see it as a sign, and in medieval Europe, these legends were helpful to reinforce the spiritual significance of holy sites. The pig squealing in Winwick is also how the town got its name. This legend plays an important role in the community’s identity and is a key part of Winwick’s cultural heritage. 

La Llorona

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 55
Occupation: Chef
Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Text:

“As kids, we heard legends of La Llorona. Her story goes like this: La Llorona was a beautiful woman named Maria who lived in a small village in Mexico. She fell in love with a wealthy man and had two children with him. But after some time had passed, her husband left her for a much younger woman. Maria was so heartbroken and upset that she drowned her children in a river to get back to her ex. After realizing what she had done, she was so sad and overwhelmed with guilt, she cried along the river, ‘Ay, mis hijos!’ She then drowned herself. Now it says she wanders near rivers and lakes, searching for her children here. If you hear her crying at night, it’s a bad omen. My mom told me this story so that I could listen and be obedient and never cheat on any of my partners.”

Context: 

The informant grew up in Mexico. His mother told him this legend to be obedient and loyal and to also scare him from rivers and lakes so he wouldn’t wander and accidentally fall in. He lived along a river, and his mother was also afraid of him drowning in the river since many people in that town have died like that. 

Analysis: The legend is a moral ghost story where the supernatural and narratives blend and become a lesson for the living. In this version, La Llorona is a cautionary figure; it’s a sense of warning children to stay away from rivers but also a moral lesson about fidelity and the consequences of betrayal. It adds a layer of local specificity by my informant letting me know that “many people in that town have died like that,” which grounds the legend in real-life experiences. 

The Legend of Popocatepetl & Iztaccíhuatl

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 75
Occupation: Unemployed
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: Spanish

Text: 

“My grandmother told me this legend about the two highest volcanoes in the hemisphere in Mexico City: Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. When the Aztec Empire dominated the valley of Mexico, it was common knowledge that neighboring towns had to be subject to a mandatory tax. The chief of the Tlaxacaltecas, who were the enemies of the Aztecs, decided to fight for his people’s freedom. The chief’s daughter, named Izataccihuatl, fell in love with Popocaetepetl, who was a warrior. Right before the war, Popocatepetl asked the chief for the hand of the princess. The father agreed and told him once he got back from war, they would have a wonderful wedding. But a woman who was in love with Popocatepetl told the princess that he had died in combat. The princess then died of sadness. Popocatepetl came back and found out that she died. Devastated, he ordered a tomb to be built under the sun, creating a huge mountain. He took the princess and laid her on the mountain. He kissed her lips and died with her. From then on, they remained together, facing each other. Over time, snow covered their bodies, creating two volcanoes.”

Context: 

My informant is from Mexico City, and her grandmother used to tell her this love story about the two volcanoes that they could see from their home.

Analysis: 

The story is a legend that explains the origin of two of Mexico’s most famous natural landmarks: the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. It’s a legend that explains how something of the natural world came to be. It is also a tragic love story that shows how miscommunication and longing lead to death. The mountains facing each other are a symbol of the symbolic permanence of love and grief.