An urban legend indicates that a white van travels the streets kidnapping children.
To proceed to know the meaning of the term urban legend , it is necessary, first of all, to discover the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
– Legend, first of all, derives from Latin. Exactly it comes from legenda which, in turn, emanates from the verb legere , which can be translated as “harvest” or “choose.”
– Urbana, secondly, also derives from Latin. In his case of urbs, urbis , which means “city.”
A legend is a story that narrates fantastic events or that, although based on real characters or events, magnifies or deforms reality . The urban , meanwhile, is that linked to a city (a set of streets and buildings where a large number of people live).
What is an urban legend
From these ideas, we can focus on the notion of urban legend . This is the name given to a fictional story that is generally transmitted by word of mouth as if it were true .
Although they usually have unusual or absurd characteristics, many individuals believe that the events narrated are true, even when there is no proof or evidence to prove them. This dissemination among peers contributes to increasing its supposed credibility, since many times what was stated apparently happened to “someone I know” (a friend of my father, a neighbor of my uncle, the girlfriend of a co- worker , etc. ).
According to an urban legend, the real Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a double.
famous cases
A very popular urban legend indicates that the British musician Paul McCartney died in 1966 and, since then, a double has replaced him . According to this version , several of The Beatles ' most famous albums, such as “Yellow Submarine” , “Abbey Road” and “Let It Be” , were recorded by a McCartney impersonator.
Likewise, another well-known urban legend is that of the girl on the bend who appears on the road at night and who is a ghost who, after getting into the vehicle to warn that she was killed in an accident in that place, ends up disappearing
Another urban legend spread in various regions refers to a white van that circulates through the streets kidnapping children . Although there may have been a kidnapping in which the criminals traveled in a vehicle with these characteristics, the existence of a series of attacks perpetrated aboard a white van has never been proven in any country.
«Urban Legend» Movies
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot ignore the existence of a film that is precisely titled “Urban Legend” . It premiered in 1998 under the direction of filmmaker Jamie Blanks and stars actors such as Jared Leto , Alicia Witt , Rebecca Gayheart and Joshua Jackson .
It is a horror film that revolves around some young people who are aware of the urban legends that exist and who will soon begin to die as they indicate. Hence, everyone becomes suspected of being responsible for these crimes.
After the success of said film, three more films were released that gave shape to a horror saga: “Urban Legend: Final Cut” (2000), “Urban Legend: Bloody Mary” (2005) and “Urban Legend: Ghostfield Murders ” (2007).