Urban legends are good indicators on what goes on in our society. My questions are , did they start by word of mouth, or are they made up. Do they offer a moral lesson, or do we just enjoy them merely as stories and fill in our own conclusions. Each urban legend is interesting, some more than others. I personally think they are great reading, and makes life more interesting. Just curious as to why other um people find them interesting.

Hmm, urban legends. My thought is that there is a thread of truth in there somewhere. Most likey someone hears a story that is a little bit unusual. They tell a friend and either add or substract things. But everyone knows that memory is not perfet. Some things get garbled; some things get exaggerated. And buda-bing buda-boom, instant urban legend!

But why they interest us? The unknown. People are facinated by the unknown. And it makes it even more facinating is that it is close to home. But personally, I am interesting in them for proving their validity and seeing their scientific value.

That pretty much said everything I was going to except I am interested in them for the scare value. I love sitting around a campfire having the crap scared out of me!

The scare value is fun, too. I love a good camping trip topped off with ghost stories around the campfire.

It's probably just that after a legend has been passed around enough, it becomes a fact. If you hear something bizarre and believe it true yourself, then you're gonna tell someone who will be shocked and tell someone else, and thus it becomes part of history. It's only when you hear the same story in so many different places that you realize it's unlikely to be true. Least from my experience, that's how it seems.

We have bridge here in Melbourne called Westgate, and one of the things myself and others in my generation loved revealing to people is how a builder died during its construction and his body was accidentally encased in a cement pillar, with a plaque nearby. Everybody I ask doesn't just believe in this story, but "knows" it to be true. Then not long ago I'm reading a big book of urban legends, and what did I come across? a man dies whilst building a bridge, is buried in a pillar, and has a plaque set up nearby. I was so crushed reading that because that legend is basically known as a fact here (at least among my generation, the bridge wasn't built that long ago - like 1970 I believe). It'd be a bit of a stretch to think it actually did happen here, but known as an urban legend everywhere else. And out of curiousity, anyone else have the same story revolving around a bridge in their area? There must be plenty out there

In Indiana and Ohio, there are dozens of bidges that are reportedly haunted. The number of construction workers falling into the wet concrete is amazing. The expense of removing the poor employee doomed him to remain buried within the structure creating a reason for haunting. One such bridge is called the White Lick Creek Bridge in Indiana. An employee named Jones 6'5", known for his strength was always given the most dangerous jobs. One day while waiting for concrete to fill the abutment, the platform Jones was standing on fell. He sank into the wet concrete. Although the men wanted to save him, they were told the expense was too great and he would be dead by the time they reached him. He is supposiingly entombed in the bridge and is seen walking when a full moon is out...

^ ah yes, my book actually mentions a bridge over the Ohio River as one with such a legend around it. People become fascinated with these bizarre tales, and everything just grows from there, like the Jones tale you mentioned. It's more than likely just another urban legend, but because it's so widely believed to be true, the bridge now has a reputation as a haunting ground. Makes you wonder how many other haunted places are born simply cause of urban legends a false tale grows around a piece of architecture and suddenly we have people apparently seeing ghosts. I dunno how accurate the book I have is, but apparently such legends about bridges have been around for over a hundred years. Like rosenrot said above, it may have happened once and the story keeps getting passed along, with information being added and subtracted, and basically updated with the times.

Think of it as a virus thats how I can best put it for you not that there bad or anything they do entertain

I think it's the interesting/scary ones that keep alive, because they're the most fun to tell.

I have no idea as to how "Bloody Mary" started. I do know that it's somehow related to Mary Wentworth, Queen of Scots. She bathed in the blood of those she killed, however, I fail to see how a mirror holds symbolism to her. Probably just kids looking for something to scare themselves with.

I remember when i was about 6 or 7, colour T.V.,s were just beginning to get popular,(yes i am that old ) there was this story going around that if you watched for too long it would make you colour blinde to the real world, Us kids were so scared to sit in front of the boob tube As we got a little older we figured our parents made it up so that we wouldn,t watch too much T.V.! I,ll admit they had us going for a while!

I think legends are made up by a true event. Such as someone die-ing. Then, someone tells someone else the story, and might exagerate a little. Then a while later, someone "see's" the ghost of the dead person, and keeps going and going.

Or you can try playing telephone for a few years.