The Ax Man

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Syracuse, NY
Language: English

Text

“The Ax Man”

Context


At summer camp when he was younger the informant was told a legend about an Ax man. It was about this guy who had an ax and apparently hid in the woods behind the cabin in the back corner, cabin 13. One night he axed through the roof of the cabin and killed the campers. You could allegedly hear the campers scream on the rock by the cabin even still. He got told it when he was a first year camper and it scared him a lot. He was always scared every year he would get placed in that cabin and he never walked back towards it.

Analysis

This narrative highlights the importance behind the number 13. As a society we have created this idea that 13 is bad luck or haunted. Thirteen is known for being universally bad luck, this superstition has been around for many years. This also relates to the idea of Friday the 13th, anytime the 13th lands on a Friday people tend to get worried. Since the Ax Man was associated with the number 13 I think that was able to make the story more believable and frightening for the campers. This story has become a legend because many other campers knew of this story. The campers are able to connect over this story and pass it on to new campers. 


Crazy Charlie

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Florida
Language: English

Text

“Crazy Charlie”

Context

When she was younger she attended summer camp in New Hampshire. The campers got told this story every year. It was about a bus driver named Charlie who was driving a bus full of campers. At one point the campers became loud, annoying, and weren’t listening so Charlie decided to run off the trail. Charlie crashed the bus off a cliff and into the woods, and he died. There is now a stick near this area and people say Crazy Charlie is buried there. Since the cabins at the camp are in front of the woods, when stuff was through behind them people would say to be careful because Crazy Charlie is going to get them. Along with this when people would hear scratching noises on the cabins it was believed to be Crazy Charlie. There is an actual crash of an old bus that was placed at the camp which the story originated around.

Analysis

Since, the story may not be true, that is what makes it a legend. This legend relates to the camp culture because it has been told for many years to campers and restated for next generations. I attended summer camp for eight years of my life and hearing these stories always made camp more exciting and fun to bond with other campers over these stories. I feel as though many summer camps are known for having an interesting legend to tell the campers. Camp is a community culture so these legends help bring the community of the camp together.

The Golden Gate Bridge Ghost

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Bay Area
Language: English

Text

“The Ghost of the GGB”

Context

She grew up in the Bay Area right near the Golden Gate Bridge. When she was growing up her parents would tell her the story of The Ghost of the Golden Gate Bridge when they would go over the bridge. The legend of a woman that stands on the bridge in a white dress. When told this story she heard that people say she disappears when they get close and she seems as though she is about to jump off the bridge. The woman is told to bring mist across the bridge, which we know as the fog that lays over the bridge. Being taught this story always made the informant scared and uneasy when crossing the bridge. Since she truly believed this legend she would sometimes catch a glimpse of the lady in the white dress. This made her think that the bridge was haunted. 

Analysis

When it comes to legends I think the more you believe the easier it is to see and sense the legend you were told. This narrative is historical as it has been around for many years. The Golden Gate Bridge has history of suicides which relates to this story as people state that it seems the ghost is about to jump. Due to this history of the bridge the legend becomes more realistic. People have formed this belief through a folk narrative, a legend. Listening to this legend can alter peoples view upon the bridge due to the fact some think it’s haunted.

The Jersey Devil

Age: 20

Text: According to the subject, the “Jersey Devil” is a monstrous creature that supposedly haunts Jersey’s wilderness. The subject described the creature as having bat wings, hooves, a devil’s tail, and a goat head. According to the legend, the Jersey Devil was born as an unwanted 13th child to a mother who ended up cursing him – causing his disfiguration. His curse caused him to transform into the horrifying monster that has become so popular in New Jersey folklore. Allegedly, this creature only appears at night – scaring and even harming those who come across his path.  

Context: The subject first came across this urban legend when he was in middle school. Growing up and living in New Jersey, he would grow up to occasionally hear the creature mentioned here and there, but he just brushed it off as a kid’s story – he never really believed in it. His older brother was the first person to describe the creature to him, as such he just viewed the myth as a way of his brother trying to scare him and tease him. Some of his friends in middle school did believe in the creature, he admitted, and they would be spooked whenever they stayed outside too late. 

Interpretation: I believe that this legend can be seen as a story parents might’ve utilized to try to keep their kids from staying out too late or wandering out into the wildlife at night. I think by playing on this element of fear, children would be less likely to disobey their parents out of fear of this monstrous creature, as opposed to parents telling their children that they can’t stay out late “because I said so”. I think this creates a sense of consequences greater than the parents’ anger and would help motivate the child to obey out of self preservation.

Lulu Khor Khoreh

Age: 20

Text: According to the subject, a creature that is prominent within Persian folklore is a creature named Lulu Khor Khore. Described as a hairy, hideous, monster-like creature, Lulu Khor Khore hides in the dark corners of childrens’ rooms – whether that be under the bed, in their closet, or just simply in the shadows. She explained that as an evil entity, Lulu Khor Khore knew when children had been bad; if they disobeyed their parents, talked back, or just misbehaved, he would snatch them away in the middle of the night and the children would never be seen again.

Context: The subject heard this story often from her father when she was growing up. Her father, from Iran, would remind her that Lulu Khor Khoreh knew when she was misbehaving and not listening to her parents – he warned would warn her that if she kept acting out he would steal her away in the middle of the night, and there would be nothing he or she could do to stop it (unless she started listening and behaving). She remembers hearing about Lulu Khor Khoreh often whenever she didn’t want to practice the violin and would try to hide in her room to avoid her lessons. As she grew up, she heard less and less about Lulu Khor Khoreh (much to her relief, as she told me she truly was scared of the thought of him, let alone being carried away in the middle of the night by him); she explained to me that this story was just a means of getting children to behave – kind of like Santa Claus, or Baba Yaga. 

Interpretation: I believe that the subject is very much correct in her observations – despite the fact that Lulu Khor Khoreh himself is unique to Persian culture, the overarching idea or purpose that he serves is one that can be found across time and the globe. His story is a means of getting children to behave and listen to their elders.