Fact or fiction?

TheReaper

New Member
Have you come across any urban legends that you thought might be true? Every now and then I hear one that I think might have a factual basis. Really, some strange things to do happen from time to time.
 
My favorite is the one about the guy who was trying to ensure that his suicide attempt would be successful so he was going to shoot himself in the head as he leaped to hang himself from a branch over a cliff, having just ingested a lethal dose of pills. Buddy jumps to hang himself and fires the gun. He misses and shoots the rope instead, severing it, and falls into the body of water below where he swallows so much salt water from his ordeal he throws up all the pills.
I honestly thought this could have happened somewhere because people are basically stupid. Unfortunately I've never found it in any news archive so it probably never did. It doesn't violate the laws of thermodynamics so hey, it could happen.
 

Chintai

Member
I am inclined to believe that they all originated from something either true or believed to be so. You may enjoy reading this article about some real life stories which have inspired countless versions of urban myths.
 
I had heard about premature burials, which happened more than anyone in the 19th century would like to admit. The two concerning hangings though I have never heard before. The case of the Delaware woman is certainly a sad one, but not so tragic since she intended to hang herself. The other, with the man trying to perform a stunt and actually lynching himself in front of a live audience is horrifyingly tragic.

Oh, speaking of tragedy, this isn't an urban legend though it really should be (mainly because it's oh so true...or is it?): during a staging of Macbeth the prop dagger was somehow mysteriously replaced with a real one. Unknowingly, the actor playing Macbeth thrust an actual weapon into the chest of the poor sap playing King Duncan, actually killing him in front of the audience. Thespianism be damned, the Macbeth was mortified and immediately stopped the play and called for an ambulance. Jeez, what happened to the art of improvisation?
This is just one reason why Macbeth is considered a cursed play, so much so that serious actors do not mention it by name, instead calling it "the Scottish play".
 

TheReaper

New Member
Old World - Maybe I just have a twisted sense of humor, but that suicide story is hilarious. And you're too right - people are stupid, so you just never know, lol.

I have heard about the curse of Macbeth before. Dead is dead. Why not just keep on going with the play? Heehee.
 

Talaria

Member
I have a strange story about Feral children. Actually I know a few but I like this one best. I like to share it because its totally bizarre and you can't help feeling really bad. This is a documented case.
In 1920 an Indian man named Jospeh singh, kept hearing local stories about two small human girls who were spotted running with wolves at night near the town. He was in charge of an orphanage and wanted to help these so-called wolf children, so he stayed up one night searching for them. He indeed found two very small girls in a wolf den. The girls were walking on all fours, had bugged out eyes, matted hair and were eating raw meat. Singh brought the girls back to his orphanage and tried to rehabilitate them. The girls would only eat raw meat and tore off their clothing. One of the girls died when she was 3 years old and the other one died when she was 17. The 17 year old learned to walk on her own in an awkard way. Both of them learned a few words in english.

If I remember correctly the names given to them were Amala and Kamala.
 
Old World - Maybe I just have a twisted sense of humor, but that suicide story is hilarious. And you're too right - people are stupid, so you just never know, lol.

I have heard about the curse of Macbeth before. Dead is dead. Why not just keep on going with the play? Heehee.
Yeah it is pretty funny. I remembered it from this horribly drawn comic collection, animated somewhere between R. Crumb and Garbage Pale Kids- gross I know. It belonged to a friend of mine from back in grade school but I'll bet he still has it buried somewhere. I'll ask him to dig it up; it really was a wealth of these types of stories.
As for The Scottish Play, I know, right? It could have been a triumph! I'll bet there was still at least one guy who thought the events unfolding after the play had "ceased" were actually just a super post-modern interpretation of Macbeth.
 
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