Tag Archives: urban legend

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.

The Demon Dog of Valle Crucis

The Informant

The informant (AW) lives in North Carolina and recalls a personal memorate encounter with this cryptid.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HfwPEA4b2EKGPWYg6

There was no fencing around the cemetery, simply along the road.

Text

Outside of a small town called Valle Crucis (Valley of the Cross) up in the mountains of North Carolina is an old church along the 194 highway with a graveyard inhabiting an alleged “demon dog.” One evening, when the informant was traveling from his brother’s college to Valle Crucis, he passed by the church’s cemetery, and as his father was driving past the church, he gazed out and noticed a large shape blurring through the cemetery. At first, he mistook it for a black bear but thought it was strange for a bear to be in a cemetery at that hour, but as they got closer, he realized it was a large, black dog roaming through the headstones of the graveyard. Later, he encountered in a local newspaper discussing the Demon Dog of Valle Crucis as large as a man with smouldering eyes smoking with the fire of hell. His personal memorate assures at least the existence of a dog that could be mistaken for a “hellhound,” though he does not report anything about its “demon” nature.

Analysis

This particular memorate is interesting as the informant maintains his stance on superstitions instead of correcting for his cognitive dissonance. Despite the encounter and having made the connection between his encounter and the subsequent urban legend reported in the news, he comfortably reaffirms that he does not believe it was a demonic dog and has no answer for what it was. When I asked the informant if the “dog” was large enough to be mistaken for a bear, he responded “yeah, but you know, black bears aren’t that big.” As the informant does not actively believe superstitions, even an encounter with a supposed cryptid did not change his mind, and while he comfortably lives admittedly not knowing what he saw, he is certain that it’s probably not a hellhound but rather just a large dog that happens to be roaming a cemetery. That is a fair point as the origins of why this creature became a reported cryptid is likely not only due to its unusually large size but also its location of sighting being a church cemetery, lending itself to more soul and divine related superstitious interpretations by a fairly religious population. Ironically enough, belief in such a demonic entity on what should be a holy resting ground would also suggest that the church and by extension God is failing to protect the souls resting in the hallowed grounds from demonic invasion. This cryptid is a good example of how the folk are more likely to ascribe superstitious traits to strange coincidences when contextualized by a meaningful location such as a church cemetery.

The Devil’s Tramping Ground

The Informant

The informant (AW) lives in an adjacent county to the Harper’s Crossroad in North Carolina in Bear’s Creek where this legend is reported to be.

Text

A circle that looks like it has been scorched with a burning fire in a park. Nothing grows in this ring, and allegedly, Satan paces around it at night while in contemplation of his evil plans. Objects left in the ring will disappear, and dogs always bark and yowl when they’re nearby, often expressing distress or anxiety and a desire to leave the vicinity. Some say that it was an ancient meeting place for Native Americans.

Analysis

As North Carolina is a fairly Christian state, it’s not surprising that a superstitious area associated with Satan would be Native Americans as settlers displaced them over time. The informant also reported that their state’s history education lacked any details about its history with the indigenous people, but upon further research, I found that there was, of course, violent conflicts between the settlers and the natives. The superstition associating dark magic and satanic phenomenons with “ancient” Native American significance likely reflects a general xenophobic attitude toward the unfamiliar outgroup from the occupants of this colonized land. Just as it’s common for ghost haunting stories to take place on slave plantations and indigenous cemeteries, this likely explains why the largely Christian population associated this location with both the Native Americans and satan.

Robert the Doll

Nationality: American
Age: 57
Occupation: Sales Representative
Residence: United States
Language: English

Text:

“The doll has supernatural abilities that allow it to move, change facial expressions, and make giggling sounds. Supposedly it is aware of what’s going on around it. It also is said to be able to move things around and is the cause of mishaps around people who disrespect him. Some people have had misfortunes after visiting him. The story goes something like a boy gets the doll as a gift and then strange things start happening because of it. It’s also been said that if you take pictures of the doll without asking permission it will curse you.”

Context:

The informant describes hearing about from various shows and interprets it as just a supernatural or demonic being. They also believe its more of entertainment value but wouldn’t necessarily mess around with it if it’s true.

Analysis:

This legend represents the use of a cursed object, possessed by an evil demon or, in other words, a fetish. The power is invested in a physical object, where much of the meaning stems from. This is more of an urban legend due to its contemporary approach as something modern and spread through media, centered around the present. Americans seem to find value in the supernatural or paranormal due to a need for exploration or meaning in the unknown, such as death. Within the object itself, there is a theme of respecting others, where much of the bad luck or misfortune is due to disrespecting the doll/the entity within it. The purpose of the doll adds to finding meaning in the unknown as a way to explain bad events that happen, but also possibly based on some truth. This also connects with American fears of the unexplained or strange behavior. This also has some elements of magical ritual, such as appeasing the evil spirit by asking for permission to take a photo. Frazer brought the idea of sympathetic magic, which the doll relates to as the object itself influences or causes events to happen in the real world.

Dybbuk Box

Nationality: American
Age: 67
Occupation: Retired
Residence: United States
Language: English

Text:

“The Dybbuk Box is said to house a malicious spirit. Spirit is said to be trapped in the box until someone helps set it free. Box is said to haunt any person who owns it. Said to cause strange things to happen around it. People who own the box are said to see shadow figures. I learned about it from this show by Zak Bagans, where he was given this box and then some of his workers died upon receiving it or just having bad luck. Said they had nightmares a lot or getting into bad accidents or almost dying.”

Context:

The informant remembers hearing about this from tv shows about the supernatural and interprets it as a story about demons and evil entities. They find it interesting to learn, but also factors in the fear that they feel when getting close to the object.

Analysis:

The Dybbuk Box, in this case, seems to take root from a mix of Jewish culture and American culture. A Dybbuk is from Jewish culture, a wandering spirit that seeks to possess something. The American portion is from the idea of trying to find meaning to that which we can’t explain as well as the fear of the unknown. This also represents an urban legend as its value is spread heavily through media and now takes a more modern approach. The idea also comes from a haunted, or possessed object, that is said to curse those around it. The theme that it could inhibit is to be mindful of one’s surroundings and of what you mess around with as something terrible might happen if you’re not careful. This also holds magical properties through contagious magic as whoever owns it is passed down a curse even after being separated. The opening of the box symbolizes a taboo, or a warning, and prohibiting the action or else misfortune will ensue.