Urban legends have always intrigued me. I am unsure if it is the scare factor that intrigues me, the way in which some of them are told, or some of the lessons that are supposed to be taken from them but one thing I know for sure is that I do not stand alone in this belief. In fact urban legends are told all over the world, even in countries that many have never heard of before. Many people of all backgrounds find them to be mystifying and sometimes even alarming. It seems as if urban legends have the ability to draw any person in ranging from a young child to the typical adult male. Whether or not you believe these incredible tales is almost irrelevant in many cases because for many different cultures and societies the primary purpose of urban legends are for entertainment and shock effects. This in many cases taken to the extreme with some of the different versions created to intensely horrify listeners.
 
The way in which I conducted research for my field report was quite simple. After I realized that I planned to do a report on urban legends, I went to the main library to look for a few books that I had already found online. After searching through the stacks for a good amount of time, I finally found the books that I was looking for and proceeded to check them out. Another source of information that I used in my report was from various notes that I had taken in class. These notes helped to formulate the overall idea I wanted to take with my field report. Still not exactly sure of what I wanted my title to be, I searched through the books I had checked out and took out any key ideas that I figured would be interesting to analyze. I wrote these ideas down and separated them into different categories to see what my overall theme should be. When I realized that I was gathering the most information regarding urban legends in different sections of the world and throughout different periods of history, I realized that the title for my report should have something to do with legends that have circulated throughout the world and impacted various cultures. With all of this information collected, I was able to begin to analyze my notes and findings.
 
While conducting my research, I found that urban legends have existed since the beginning of time in all different kinds of cultures and societies around the world. One example of this would be the Incas. The idea of urban legends in Inca society played a key role throughout many people's lives. Legends of early rulers in Inca society were some of the most common this clearly reflecting how important the rule of some of these leaders initially were. In fact it has been observed that "these urban legends reflect many of the preoccupations of the Incas-wars and alliances, imperial expansion and dynastic succession" (Cavendish 347). Other early legends originated in the West in classical Greek and Roman society. It has been said that when interpreting legends, "Greeks themselves valued them not only as entertaining stories, but on one level at least, as examples of the heights and depths at which human nature is capable of reaching" (Cavendish 154). A good example of this would be the Odyssey of Odysseus. In his search for a homeland, Odysseus encountered many obstacles that greatly tested his strength. Legends such as this were highly popular in Greek culture. In Germanic legends, stories are interlocked and interwoven into each other. Characters are entirely human beings, which greatly contrasts many of the legends seen in Indian culture. The idea of inevitable fate runs through all Germanic storytelling. And in fact "in Germanic belief, each man had a certain span of life, a certain measured time to live, and not only the time but the place and circumstances of his death were determined from the moment of his birth" (Cavendish 179). This widely believed fact is featured in many Germanic legends and leaves a great impression behind to those who read them.
 
In Melanesia, the legend of "The Snake People" sends a very powerful message as well. In this legend, a man goes to a house and eats as if he were a king. He is also instructed on how to get a wife by a snake that accompanies the house. He is lucky enough to find two desirable women, and on returning home his cousin asks to have one of them for a wife. When he gets a negative response, he goes out and rapes a woman this in turn provoking the very powerful snake to crush the man to death. The legend of "The Snake People" "greatly stresses that modesty and patience can bring success, while greed often results in disaster" (Cavendish 366). This legend is said to also stress that snakes are superior to men because they can shed their skins and rejuvenate themselves unlike human beings who are stuck in their own tarnished skins forever.
 
Some legends' purposes or effects can cause a lot of harm and confusion in society. In one legend in particular entitled "A Mass Poisoning in Europe," a contamination rumor was spread in France that lasted for more than ten years. A leaflet that was spread from hand to hand by many people started this legend. Even more interestingly "to warrant this fear, the leaflet referred to an anonymous source: a 'Hospital in Paris' (there are 37 hospitals in Paris) having conducted research on food additives" (Kapferer 246). This supposed factual information generated a lot of fear for many in Europe. When wondering why a legend like this was even began it has been observed that the "fuel of this crusade was found in latent anxieties stimulated by the permanent advances of science and technology in all areas of life and especially in food" (Kapferer 257). With the oncoming presence of technology, many were hesitant to how their food was going to be processed and dealt with this therefore spurring the legend from being born.
 
Throughout all of my findings, I have discovered that in the evolution of most societies, no matter how modern or primitive, the use of urban legends were and still are incorporated into the lives of many people, Some legends began as warnings to the general public such as "A Mass Poisoning in Europe" did, others are sources of entertainment which are incorporated into stories. Some legends are cautionary tales such as the legend of "The Snake People," and others show the workings of history. All in all, the use of urban legends is prevalent all over the world and for all different reasons. Many cultures find it to be imperative to use these supposedly true legends to instill values and lessons in many children and people in their culture. Many have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, this showing the importance that many view these legends of having. No matter how young or old, how modern or ancient, urban legends connect many similar beliefs that generate all over the globe into slightly various stories promoting many similar values.
 
Urban legends also turn out to be more international than many people think. According to The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story, "the ISCLR now holds annual meetings, either in the US or abroad, and publishes a newsletter, FOAFtale News, and an annual journal" (Brunvand 8). This fact very much surprised me because I never thought of urban legends having such a strong impact on the professional world. It is obvious that all over the world, urban legends are held in a very high regard and are in many cases taken very seriously. Another surprising statement I came across in my reading was that "American folklorists began to collect 'urban belief tales' (as they were then called) in the 1940's and 1950's" (Brunvand 6). I believe that this statement also very much surprised me because I never before knew the collecting of urban legends was not only a hobby to many but almost a business as well. The collection of these stories that began decades ago clearly illustrates the intense interest that so many people really have for these fictitious stories.
 
If I had more time on this report and perhaps the chance to travel to all different countries, I would greatly look forward to documenting different urban legends from many different people all over the world. I would also be curious as to why they began and to find out why so many of them are highly believed and long-lasting. There are also many different interpretations of the same legend and for very important reasons. Some of the lessons are changed; some parts of the story are subtracted out or are perhaps added in for more of an effect. I believe that it would be very interesting to see what legends have been altered from country to country and perhaps observe the country itself and its longstanding traditions and figure out why these stories may have been altered to some extent. Many times these stories are changed for a reason, and not just because someone misinterpreted the storyline. I believe the chance to do such research would be highly rewarding and somewhat surprising in the end.
 
Even though it is unlikely that I will be given the chance to travel the world with the hopes of uncovering some of the mysteries that urban legends display, from just reading many different urban legends that have originated from all various corners of our planet gives a great deal of insight. They uncover the primary purpose for some ancient civilizations such as the Incas while greatly horrifying other civilizations with gruesome stories of people that made a vital mistake throughout their lives. For whatever reason a legend exists in a particular society one thing is known for sure; these legends are not going anywhere anytime soon.

References
Bennett, Gillian and Smith, Paul. 1996. Contemporary Legend: A Reader. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York and London.

Brunvand, Jan Harold. 2000. The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story.  Urbana: University of Illinois Press.