Category Archives: Narrative

Ghost at The Casino

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

STORY:

“So when I worked at The Casino, we all believed the place was haunted. Chairs and stuff would just fall over after we stacked them, and we would hear like weird noises and creaking too. And it wasn’t just us who thought it was haunted too. We would have customers say something too while planning their wedding. And like the other employees who worked there before me would say so to any new hire.”

CONTEXT:

The Casino is a very old venue in San Clemente that the informant worked at when she was a teenager. She had several strange experiences that aligned with the building’s supposed haunting.

ANALYSIS:

This legend has a few traits that align with literature about ghost legends. First, the venue being for weddings imbues it with spiritual importance. Weddings are one of the three most momentous occasions in a person’s life, often signaling their ascension to adulthood. Thus, hauntings could be seen as a potential concern when planning a wedding. Next, the building itself is very old. Old buildings are seen as having a long history that is often troubled. If this were the case, it would be seen as more likely that the building is haunted. Lastly, it is an example of work folklore. This means that it could be seen as a unifying belief amongst the workers who all get to take part in this legend together. Uniting all these components together is a collection of memorates. When people experience strange occurrences that they cannot explain, people often turn to ghosts to account for the experience.

White Cross in Oklahoma

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

STORY:

“When I was in Oklahoma this weird white cross just appeared on the back window of my car. I had just put groceries in the car and it wasn’t there, but when I got home it was suddenly there. I think an angel put it on my car. I mean it was a cross so I do think it came from God.”

CONTEXT:

The informant had this experience while away at university. She swears that the white cross appeared on her car miraculously and that it was not there before she was putting groceries into her car.

ANALYSIS:

The informant took this experience as a source of comfort, seeing the cross as divine rather than due to something malicious. This could be due to the informant being far from home. She is away at university, far from her family, so when this strange occurrence happens, she uses it for reassurance when she may otherwise have been lacking that comfort. This experience also has religious connotations to it. A folk symbol, one that is important to Christians, would be more likely seen as a positive sign than a negative one. This story presents a unique blending of memorate and folk 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.