MAIN Society Urban Legends

Wonder where alligators in the NYC sewers, Big Foot, or the Loch Ness Monster might be lurking next?

They remain the stuff of legend or, more specifically, urban legends — which have persisted in sparking imaginations among millions of fans who have rapidly circulated them by word-of-mouth, e-mails, message boards and blogs.

As ever, you can usually spot a good urban legend if it includes just enough juicy facts to be plausible. In the end, however, urban legends also feature suspiciously lurid plot details to prove that they're anything BUT true.

Around the Web, check out classic stories with a look at the most famous urban legends of all time, along with a look at little-known yarns and fascinating tales that continue to hold us in thrall ...

More about urban legends around the Web:

The AFU & Urban Legends Archive - They're all here, searchable by category, including rousing tales to do with sex, religion, movies, songs, food, and more. Also check out the Urban Legends Zeitgeist for the latest, plus good cache of all-time favorites in the urban folktales FAQ.

Urban Legend - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia with a good overview of what becomes a legend most with information on their history & how they get started, and a list of the most enduring.

Urban Legends and Hoaxes Resource Center - A good link list of all the major e-mail hoaxes that have made the rounds featuring classics like Flesh Eating Bacteria, Spiders Under the Toilet Seat, and other classics.

HOAXBUSTERS - A complete background on the most famous Internet hoaxes in history with a special look at chain mail and e-mail scams, and how to spot them, searchable by category.

American Folklore - The giant compendium of tall tales, spooky stories, myths & legends, plus more hours of fun with Mexican, Canadian and Latin American folktales.

Weird and Spooky Places: Accounts of Hauntings, Urban Legends, and Other Strange Phenomena - Gather 'round the campfire for yarns about London's most haunted areas, plus click around for more scary tales arising in New Orleans, Chicago, Colorado and other U.S. locations.

AskMen.com - Urban Legends - A pop look at the top 10, with a link to more about top 10 superstitions and conspiracy theories.

LA's Top 25 Legends - Includes, among others, "Jamie Lee Curtis is a hermaphrodite" and ... eerily haunted Griffith Park!! If you are not already familiar with the City of Angels' tales of the improbable, this a great read often laugh-out-loud funny.

also see -> Conspiracy Theories | Aliens & UFOs | Friday the 13th

End of the World 2012

also see in Pop Culture -> Internet Scams & E-Mail Hoaxes