THOUGHTS ON
Urban legends, much like their forerunners, contain various underling characteristics to set such tales apart from other categories of stories. Paramount among these, as the title would suggest, is the setting for such accounts. An urban legend after all is, well, a legend of the urban variety. Of course, this is not the case for all stories falling under the label. Tales of ghostly hitchhikers, for example, may just likely spring from encounters along desolate dirt roads as lonely highways. Still, far more tales of urban legend tradition occur within city limits than of the mythical and folkloric sort.
With respects to the urban legend being a “modern” folktale this is up to some interpretation. Time, a relative thing, of course, will invariably make old tales out of new tales given its course. Anything what is look on as modern in this day and age will be rendered antique by age. Yet, it is not inconceivable that no matter how much time has elapsed certain stories will always fall under the banner of urban legend. While there is always a timeless quality behind any good story, urban legends seem especially apt to be reinterpreted and adapted into the current era. Surely, very few among us would admit to spotting elves anytime soon; however, to say “a friend of a friend&rdquol; had observed a chupacabra in recent memory is not altogether to be unexpected.
Perhaps, there will come the day where urban legends will be regarded as we view fairy tales in our day. At least, for now, this particular class of stories will still remain the most “modern” parallel we have with the mermaids and hidebehinds of yesterday. That is until the next phase in storytelling takes hold.