People are interested in all sorts of legends. Some of them are based on real events, others are pure fiction, and in some cases the line between reality and fiction may be vague or unclear.
Urban legends tend to fall into the latter category, but they can be found in one form or another in every culture and society.
The strangest urban legends include the following.
Electric killer fans
Some South Koreans believe that leaving the fan on overnight is not an option. this can be fatal. While on very rare occasions the fan can actually fail and catch fire, this is not what causes the fear. There is a popular belief that anyone who goes to bed in a room with a fan running may never wake up.
The legend seems to have its roots in 1927, when an article was published warning that fans circulating stale air could cause nausea or even suffocation.
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God of the Zambezi River
In 1955, an Italian construction firm began work on the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. The project promised the production of huge amounts of electricity, but at the cost of the forced eviction of thousands of local residents from their homes and from their land.
There were fears that the troubled god of the Zambezi River would unleash his wrath on people in the form of floods and other terrible disasters.
In 1957, an unprecedented storm hit the dam. The damage was extensive and several Italian builders were killed. Construction was postponed for several months, but later work was resumed.
A second, even more severe flood followed just a year later. Several more workers were killed.
In the end, the dam was completed, but by then 82 workers had died. Some believe that the dam protected the river god from his wife, and that to this day he has not abandoned his intention to destroy her.
Well, very similar to that. Engineers warn that the Kariba dam is now in dire need of major repairs, there is a risk of its complete destruction, which will lead to catastrophic consequences.
Jack jumper
In the 1830s, London was in the grip of fear. The unknown attacked young women throughout the city, and the police seemed powerless to detain him. It wasn't even clear if the stranger was human at all. Eyewitnesses reported that he has a demonic appearance, he spews fire and jumps amazingly high. He became known as Jack the Jumper.
In 1838, a man named Thomas Millbank boasted in a London tavern that he was none other than the mysterious Jack-Jumper. He was immediately arrested for assaulting Jane Alsop. However, he was soon released, because he could not spew fire, and Jane Alsop remained adamant that flame burst from the mouth of her abuser.
It is difficult to say who was behind the mysterious Jumper Jack, but the legend still lives on, and rare cases of such attacks continue to be reported to this day.
Black bird of Chernobyl
Many people know that an explosion took place at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, and only the heroism of the liquidators prevented a much greater catastrophe that would have made a significant part of Europe uninhabitable.
Thousands of people were evacuated from the vicinity of Chernobyl after the disaster, and many still talk about the terrible ghost that was the harbinger of the disaster.
In the weeks leading up to the disaster, they allegedly saw a terrible humanoid creature with huge wings and eyes that glowed like hot coals. This creature was dubbed the Black Bird of Chernobyl.
Whether this harbinger of trouble has any basis in reality, it is impossible to say for sure.
Australian falling bear
This creature is said to be a relative of the koala, but much less attractive. Approximately the size of a leopard or large dog, this predator ambushes. He suddenly falls from the tops of the trees onto his victim, tearing it apart with his powerful paws and thrusting poisonous fangs into it. Sometimes he even attacks people.
In reality, the falling bear is an urban legend, invented in order to scare and entertain tourists, or to prank sensational journalists.
Svetlana Bodrik