Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

A Demonic Presence

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Construction Science Student
Residence: College Station, Texas
Language: English

Informant: “One time, I experienced something I think was supernatural. I was over at my girlfriend’s ranch, and I had a really bad dream. In my dream, it felt like there was some kind of evil or demonic presence. I was able to cast it away and thought nothing of it until my girlfriend mentioned she had a similar dream that morning. I forgot about the dream, and later, I stayed at that ranch again, and I didn’t even remember the prior time. Anywho, my girlfriend and I were hanging out, but for some reason, she commented that she thinks something is in here with us. Weirdly, I was thinking the exact same thing. It was the same room I had that dream in. Man, I never get scared of anything, but that night, I was scared. My skin was crawling. We talked about it for a while, and eventually, the feeling faded.”

Me: “Do you think there was really some kind of evil presence that day?”

Informant: “Maybe. It’s hard to say. The dream felt so real, and what are the chances that my girlfriend had the same one? If I had to guess, I’d say it was a demon. I know you don’t see it the same way, but that stuff is out there. All I know is God protected me that day.”

Context: The informant is a devout Christian, and he recounted to me a time he believes he felt a supernatural presence. Both memorates happened at the same ranch house, and he thinks the supernatural entity in question may somehow be connected to that house, but that God has protected himself and his girlfriend’s family because they all believe in God.

Analysis: Having grown up in the same culture, I can say that many Christians have been taught to look out for the devil. I find it very likely that the informant’s religion caused him to read into a weird, potentially supernatural event as a demonic presence or evil. We went to the same school, and had teachers who told similar stories of encountering a demonic presence. What stood out to me about this particular story, though, was that my friend believes he, in some way, cast the demon away, at least the first time. I think this speaks to a deeper belief he holds that he is, at his core, a follower of God and that God is with him always. Whatever really happened on those two nights, supernatural or not, this belief allowed him to make sense of the situation and move forward without fear. I believe this memorate offers an amazing look into how my friend sees the world and the values that are important to him. It’s not important for him to frame the negative presence as demonic, or even as strictly real, but he made sure that I knew that his belief in God was what got him out of it.

Appalachian Asylums and the Goatman

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Writer
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Informant: “So, in Frederick Marlyand, Western Marlyand near the Appalachians, there’s a lot of remote towns. Especially back in the 1920s, there used to be a lot of quote unquote insane asylums out there. Basically, there was one out in Frederick, and after it had been shut down, it was overgrown. The building was abandoned there, so kids would go explore. Legends cropped up about people who had been left behind, including some doctors who did experiments on the patients. You know kids and their imaginations. However, there were apparently sightings of a goat man. Like a satyr but the other way around. Goat head, but with the lower body of a man. They said the goat man was a doctor who worked there who did all these crazy experiments on people and then did experiments on himself after he had no people to experiment on. There’s a lot of other stories I heard when I lived there, but the goat man always stood out to me as one of the more believable ones.”

Me: “Do you believe it?”

Informant: “I know the asylum is real. The building itself is 100% real. You’ll find them all over that area. I’ve never seen the goat man, but I will say when I hiked there, you could see why people would think they’re real. I was out there by myself once, waiting for my group to find me, and I felt this dread that was so palpable. No one was there, but I can understand how your mind would play tricks on you. The Appalachians are scary alone. I’m a sceptic, but never say never. Anytime someone told a story about the goat man, it’s like, ya know, who am I to say it didn’t happen?”

Context: The informant said they have heard hundreds if not thousands of these stories while living near the Appalachian mountains. They are an avid hiker and interested in folklore, so it makes sense they would have heard so many. He seems to look at the story of the goatman as mostly for fun. Something kids joke about. However, it is clear that they think there is some validity to the supernatural nature of the Appalachian mountains.

Analysis: Something I discussed with the informant is how these kinds of stories are likely a manifestation of the remoteness when living in such an area. With so much wildlife, untouched forest, and no other people around, it’s easy to read into things. I believe these stories are a reflection of that environment. Rather than revealing something about the culture, I would say these stories reveal a lot more about the way our mind fills in the gaps when left on its own. Something else we discussed was the “not-deer” and how easy it would be to get freaked out by a deer standing on its hind legs if you’ve been alone in the forest for days. It is easy to see how these stories propagate in such a remote area.

Mt. Misery Road

Age – 17
Language – English
Nationality – American
Occupation – Student
Primary Language – English
Residence – New York

Text: “There is this road down the street where we live called Mt. Misery Road. I’m not sure what the exact story was but apparently there was a group of students killed there a long time ago and they’re supposed to haunt the road at night. It’s said on Halloween if you put your car in neutral they move your car, so we did it on Halloween and the car actually did move which scared me a lot.”

Context: The informant talks about a local road called Mt. Misery Road, which has its own legend near where she grew up. She doesn’t know all the details but mentions that a group of students were killed there, and their ghosts are said to haunt the road at night. They tested it out and when it worked she freaked out.

Analysis: This an example of how legends grow around a certain place. People tend to make up stories about roads or other spots in their area, based on real events. The idea of a haunted place is something that gives people a shared experience, and the Halloween setting just makes it spookier. The informant’s personal experience makes it feel more real, especially since the car actually moved. It’s also interesting how the name of the street symbolizes danger.

Grade Killer

Age – 17
Language – English
Nationality – American
Occupation – Student
Primary Language – English
Residence – New York

Text: “I have always been scared of the dark since I was younger and I was told this story once as a kid from someone in my class. The story was that there was a man that went around and killed kids who weren’t actively getting the best grades at school. This story sounds dumb, but one night I woke up dreary in the middle of the night and thought I saw something in the window or a moving figure outside my window and then my lights started flickering and I freaked out and ran into my parents room. I couldn’t sleep alone in my room for a week after that.”

Context:
The informant tells a story from childhood where a man supposedly killed kids who didn’t do well in school. The informant said this stemmed from kids trying to scare people in school and her fear of academic failure. This story scared her a lot, especially since she was already afraid of the dark.

Analysis:
This story plays into common childhood fears like the fear of failure and punishment. The man who kills kids for bad grades is a way of turning something as schoolwork into a nightmare. The informant’s personal experience, where she was already scared of the dark and then had something strange happen, justified her fear in the moment. The flickering lights and the feeling of someone watching really make this myth feel true in her life.

Children Eater

Age – 20
Language – English
Nationality – American
Occupation – Student
Primary Language – English
Residence – Virginia

Text: “I was told a story very similar to Hansel and Gretel when I was younger. Basically, a grandma ate the children at night. I was really scared of the dark when I was younger and so every time I was alone at night in my room I thought she was hiding there and I would be scared to fall asleep.”

Context: The informant remembers a childhood story that’s similar to “Hansel and Gretel,” where a grandmother eats children at night. As a kid, the informant was already scared of the dark, so this story made her feel even more terrified whenever she was alone at night.

Analysis: The “grandma eating children” idea taps into the deeper fear of being vulnerable, especially at night when you’re alone and young. The grandma figure turning into a monster shows how folklore twists familiar figures into sources of terror. The informant’s fear of the dark makes the story feel personal to her.