The 9 Most Shocking Cases of Racism
The incidents of racism have occurred throughout history; situations in which other people were humiliated, insulted or beaten for being of a different race, culture, religion or social class. Currently racism is condemned worldwide and legally it is a crime for which the accused can face serious charges and fines. But we all know that these measures are not enough, since today racist cases continue to occur all over the world. In this article I will show you the incredible cases of racism that have occurred throughout our history. Later I will show you some discriminatory laws and facts that have existed.
1- Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith died on September 26, 1937, bled to death due to the "legal" segregation of the United States. The singer, victim of a car accident, was taken by ambulance to all hospitals in Mississippi (United States) in search of a blood transfusion. As expected, none were allowed in because they were black, since the hospitals were only for whites.Events like this gave rise to the movement for the equal rights of races led by Pastor Martin Luther King.
2- Elena Gorolová
Elena Gorolová and her husband were the parents of a boy and anxiously awaited the arrival of a girl. However, what was her surprise when they told her that she had been sterilized without her knowledge by the same doctor who treated her in the previous delivery of her son. The argument of this doctor was that they did not want more Roma children to be born. The horrible news made Elena begin to understand that she was not the only Roma woman who had been involuntarily sterilized in hospitals in the Czech Republic. Elena and her husband, faced with the passivity of the public authorities, appeared at the social services demanding an explanation, but the staff treated them rudely, expelling them from the place, as Elena argued. After what happened, they did everything possible so that their story would not be forgotten, so that the recovery process began when organizations such as the League for Human Rights or the European Center for Rights in Rome, organized a meeting for women whose lives had been affected by forced and involuntary sterilization.
3-Creuza Oliveira
Born into a family of poor, uneducated rural workers, she began life as a domestic worker in Bahia when she was only 10 years old. Unable to combine studies and work, he had to drop out of school. At work, Oliveira was beaten and humiliated on numerous occasions. If something in the home broke, she was called cute, black, lazy or any kind of derogatory insult towards her person. Not only did he suffer psychological abuse, but he also witnessed sexual abuse towards other young people who worked in the house. Luckily, today she is one more survivor who dares to tell her story.
4- Khalid Hussain
Khalid Hussain is a Bihari from Bangladesh. He describes his Bihari race as one of the most disadvantaged in his country, as they are not recognized as citizens. As Hussein points out, they do not have access to any means of social, cultural or economic survival in society. His story can be regarded as unfortunately typical. It all started when he entered a private school, where bicharas were treated differently. Remember how Bengali students looked at them as if they were strange beings, laughing at them for living in dirty fields. These were marginalized to the point of sitting in separate rows. Hussain described the fateful ordeal they endured for years, but fortunately they made a historic breakthrough in 2003 when they challenged the Election Commission to include them as voters. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruled that the people in the camps "are from Bangladesh." Although much remains to be done, Hussain is confident that one day the world will be free from racism, discrimination and intolerance.
5- Shaymaa J. Kwegyir
Kwegyir, a Tanzanian member of parliament, describes how albinism is seen as a disability in Tanzania, where many are forced into hiding for fear of suffering for their own lives. In the African country, albinism is believed to be a curse. In fact, albino body parts are used by seers to attract wealth and good luck. Kwegyir was a member of a family with nine children, three of whom were albinos. Fortunately, Shaymaa at home did not suffer discrimination from her family, since it is normal for albinos to be kicked out of their homes. In Tanzania, very few albinos go beyond primary school, so the incidence of poverty in this minority is alarming. According to Kwegyir, thanks to the support of his family, he was able to pursue a career in public administration. For years he has been campaigning for the recognition of the rights of albinos until he was recognized by the President as a member of Parliament.
6- Nusreta Sivac
In April 1992, Nusreta, a Bosnian Muslim judge, was informed by a group of Serbian soldiers that she could no longer work at the Municipal Court. At a Durban Review Conference, Nusreta spoke of her ordeal when Muslims and Croats were subjected to limited freedom of movement. They were required to wear white armbands and had to display white flags outside their windows. Both Muslim and Croatian properties were looted and burned, while the owners were transferred to concentration camps in Kertem, Omarska, Prijedor and Trnopolje. Nusreta remembers the poor sanitary conditions and the inhumane treatment that she and all the detainees had to undergo. They only received one meal a day and were frequently beaten and tortured. He remembers how he began his days by counting the number of people who had died the night before. During the day, women like Nusreta would clean and do whatever the guards asked of them. But according to her the worst were the nights, because the guards entered the rooms and took them out to take them to a hidden place in the camp and rape them.
7- Mariama Oumarou
Mairama Ouramou worked part of her life as a slave. Belonging to the “Negro Touareg” community in Niger, from a very early age she worked as a domestic servant. She herded goats, collected firewood, and took care of household chores. Both she and her mother and grandmother worked for the same teacher. Mariama actually thought for years that he was part of her family, until she grew older and realized that the tasks they were given were different from the tasks of other girls her age. She tells how she was treated differently, insulted and beaten regularly. While still a teenager, he remembers how he was sold by his "teacher" to a man who already had four wives. Mariama then became a “wahaya” slave wife, and thus became a domestic and sex slave. When the Timidria Association managed to negotiate her release in 2001, Mariama was only 17 years old. Timidita and Anti-Slavery International estimate that some 43,000 people remain enslaved in Niger. This despite the abolition of slavery in 1960 and its prohibition in 1999. Immediately after her release in 2001, Mariama expressed a desire to learn to read and write, but the price of adult education is expensive, she said at the Durban Exam Conference. He currently makes a living by weaving rugs that he later sells in the local market.
8- Stephen Lawrence
Stephen was a black Briton who was racially murdered while waiting for a bus on the afternoon of April 22, 1993. This case became a cause for cause and its aftermath included profound cultural shifts to attitudes about racism in UK history. 9-Aaron Dugmore Aaron Dugmore was bullied at a Birmingham school, to the point of suicide due to constant harassment and intimidation from his peers at Erdington Elementary School. I was 9 years old. His classmates from elementary school told him "that all white people should be dead", even threatening him with a plastic knife. It is the youngest suicide case ever recorded in the UK.
Historical discriminatory laws and facts
Racism is an oppression that possibly dates back to when man is a man. The clearest evidence that racism is quite ancient is found in the trafficking of black and white persons in Classical Greece and Ancient Rome. Later, it was established in a conscious and systematic way because of the new colonizations, the rise of industry and capitalism. The first clear evidence of racism, we have it at the end of the 16th century with the beginning of the slave trade from Africa to Great Britain and to the US Therefore, racism and capitalism have always been related. Unfortunately, racism was not only based on slavery and human exploitation, but it even reached the establishment of state laws that supported segregation between different races and even the prohibition of entering the country for being of one race or another.
An example of these is the Jim Crow Law. "Jim Crow" was a derogatory term for a black man. Laws were established state and local in the US between 1876-1965. These laws were based on the theory of white supremacy and racial segregation was advocated in all public facilities under the motto: "Separate but equal." Some examples were segregation in schools, public transportation or restaurants. There were even sources of water for whites and others for blacks. Something unthinkable today. Another striking example occurred during the years 1901-1909, when the Alabama Constitution prohibited any type of marriage between a white and a black person, or a descendant of the black race. Also between 1901 and 1947, the California State Government enacted laws that created segregated communities between Asians and Americans. As you can see, racism was even legalized for some time in important nations like the United States.
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Top 10 Scary Russian Urban Legends
Russia. The biggest country on Earth. With such a big place, theres bound to be some scary stories that have emerged over the years - these are some of the best. They span across hundreds of years, Russians know them often fear them and they very rarely end well. Would you like to hear them? And this is the Top 10 Scary Russian Urban Legends.
10. The Russian Sleep Experiment
Some of you guys may have heard of this before - it became a very popular creepypasta a few years ago and for good reason. According to legend, Russian scientists in the 1940s took 5 prison inmates and locked them in an airtight chamber with a special gas inside that made them unable to sleep. They wanted to study the effects of sleep deprivation over 30 days. On day 5 - the inmates stopped talking to each other. By day 9, some of them were screaming, begging to get out. One of the others tore apart the books they were given, smeared them with their own feces and then covered the one way mirror with it which the scientists were using to observe them. The screaming stopped. By day 15, they announced over the intercom that they were coming in - a voice replied -We no longer want to be freed- … they opened up the chamber to find one of the inmates had been torn to pieces by the others.
They had also mutilated themselves almost to the point of death. The team tried to surgically reverse the damage on their brain but they resisted and couldnt be sedated - they just laughed and laughed. They demanded to be let back into the chamber which the head scientist agreed to. Appalled at what he was seeing, one of the scientists shot the head scientist and the remaining subjects. Before killing the last one he asked -What ARE you?- … the prisoner responded -Have you forgotten so easily? We are you. We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread- … the scientist fired the gun and killed him.
9. The Legend of Brosnya
The Brosnya is said to be an ancient, mythological beast that lives within the waterways of the Andreapol District. Perhaps the closest comparison for a western audience would be the Loch Ness Monster. The Brosnya lurks below the surface there, many have heard of it - but few have seen it. They describe it as a prehistoric creature with a dragons head and long thin tail. There have been accounts of the beast going back well over a thousand years. One notable example involves a Mongol army in the 8th century that fled the area after the Brosnya attacked them - eating their soldiers and horses. Some even say its related to the Loch Ness Monster - wouldnt that be an interesting family reunion.
8. Ivan Vassili
Thats the name of a ship not a person. It was built in St Petersburg in 1897. Everything was fine for about 25 years and then, in 1903, something changed. The crew were in the Indian ocean when they felt a strange presence - almost as if an invisible entity was watching them - there was a chill in the air. One night, they saw an apparition - a human figure that stolled across the deck - its features too blurry to make out - it then disappeared behind a lifeboat. A few nights later, when the ship was docked in China, a crew member screamed out into the night - sending everyone into a crazy panic - they lost their minds and went berserk - beating each other and themselves.
It only ended when one of the crew members threw himself overboard and died. A few days later, it happened again, the crew became possessed with fighting rage and only ended with another crew members death by drowning. The crew abandoned ship at port - the new crew set sail but the same thing happened to them - 4 people died including the captain, all of them threw themselves overboard. Eventually the the crew burned the ship down, cheering at the sight as the left in smaller boats. What do you guys think of that? Can ships be so haunted they drive people to suicide?
7. The Well To Hell
This one comes from Siberia - a part of Russia thats perhaps one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Youll rarely find people here - which is why a lot of stories have sprouted up around it. According to legend, a scientific team were drilling a hole to study samples in the Siberian permafrost. Suddenly, the drill started malfunctioning and letting off intense heat - then they heard faint noises coming from within. They scrambled to get a microphone and began feeding it down the hole so they could hear better. They realised the noises were actually human voices - coming from deep in the ground - and they were screaming out in pain. The terrified team packed up and left - convinced they had found a well to hell.
6. The Black Volga
This one comes from the height of the cold war during the 1960s and 70s. During that time, many Russians talked of a Black Volga - an expensive car usually driven by those high up in the Soviet Government. They said that this particular car would appear out of nowhere, its side mirrors were actually horns and it would steal children from the side of the road - never to be see again. Whats more, some say the car was driven by the Devil himself. For me though - the scariest part of the story is yet to come. It was said that those who doubted the stories authenticity would be dead within 24 hours. Of course, this only made the story spread even faster - do you dare doubt its authenticity? Actually you probably do.
5. Snake Lubac
Some Russians believe that occasionally, a shooting star falling to Earth may actually be a Snake-Lubac, a demonic figure that resembles a giant snake. Its often called -the fiery serpent- due to its fiery descent to Earth in a huge ball of fire. After it lands and the dust settles, the Snake-Lubac takes on human form. To be more specific, it takes on the form of a lost love that died to whomever it appears in front of. It chooses people who are desperate to see their partner one last time. The Snake Lubac then tricks the person into believing they never died - once the person is under its spell, it slowly convinces them to convince suicide - a fate which many say is unavoidable.
4. Chernobyl Black Bird
Im sure many of you guys have heard about Chernobyl - the nuclear power plant meltdown that happened in 1986, leaving a large part of the Soviet Union uninhabitable because of radiation. According to some of the locals who lived nearby - there were signs of the disaster coming. Some of them experienced nightmares, strange phone calls and encounters with a huge winged monster they called the Blackbird of Chernobyl. Apparently it looked like a twisted hybrid of bird and human with huge wings and big red eyes. Some even say they saw it over the reactors during the meltdown. Is it just some stupid story? Does this creature warn people of impending doom or perhaps even cause it?
3. UVB-76
Also known as -The Buzzer-, this is the nickname given to a shortwave radio station that broadcasts a short, monotonous buzzing noise all day, every day and has been doing t since 1973 - 45 years ago. Nobody knows why or where this creepy station is. Sometimes the buzzer signal is interrupted by a Russian voice that reads out a string of random phrases and numbers. The message usually starts with -UVB76- … when the message stops, the buzzing begins again - sometimes for years. Theories have ranged from military communication to a way to announce a nuclear war has begun.
2. The Collector
In old Russian folk lore, the collector is a strange, dark figure who kidnaps people, kills them and then puts their mummified bodies on display for his own pleasure. If that sounds too disturbing to be true then think again. Russians were shocked in 2011 to learn that there was a real life version of The Collector that had been arrested. He used to dig up corpses and dress their remains in womens clothing to display around his home. In total, he did this with an astounding 29 corpses. If theres anything worse than an urban legend - its a real one coming to life.
1. Baba Yaga
According to Russian folklore, she is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed old woman. She flies around in a giant mortar while using the pestle to steer. Deep in the Russian woods, she lives in a log cabin that moves around on a pair of chicken legs. The keyhole to her door is filled with sharp teeth, the fence outside is made with human human bones topped with skulls - she always leaves one empty for you. She is said to kidnap children and threaten to eat them - an emphasis is placed on the need for proper preparation of purity of spirit when meeting, as well as politeness. This creepy being is said to have good qualities at times, but for the many Russians who grew up hearing about her - Baba Yaga is always something to avoid - especially in the woods at night.
Top 10 Scary Russian Urban Legends
Russia. The biggest country on Earth. With such a big place, theres bound to be some scary stories that have emerged over the years - these are some of the best. They span across hundreds of years, Russians know them often fear them and they very rarely end well. Would you like to hear them? And this is the Top 10 Scary Russian Urban Legends.
Top 10 Scary Mexican Urban Legends
Today we continued our quest to discover scary tales from all over the world. In this Topic well be visiting a land steeped in myths and legends, some of them are modern, some of them are ancient, but all of them are feared by the people who know them. This is the Top 10 Scary Mexican Urban Legends.
10. White Death
The White Death is said to be a vengeful spirit in Mexico who hunts down anyone who knows about her existence. If its true, Im sorry to drag all of you guys in to it. Shes said to be an undead girl with cold black eyes that weep blood. She glides but never walks and stalks her victims like wild animals, chasing them back to their homes. Then, she waits until night and knocks at the door. One knock means she wants your skin, 2 for your hair, 3 for your bones, 4 for your heart, 5 for your teeth, 6 for your eyes and 7 for your soul - which she will swallow hole.
9. La Lechuza
According to legend, she was a witch who used magic to turn herself into a giant white owl. Its said that she sold her soul to the devil to become more powerful. Sometimes she appears as an owl the size of a human being, with the head of an owl and the body of an elderly woman. She is said to wait outside the house of her victims, crying out into the night until they step outside.
8. The Phantom of The Park
In the small city of Jaral Del Progreso lies a park called the Benito Juarez Park. Its built on the remains of an old, forgotten cemetery. The locals say this disturbed the spirits of the dead and unleashed a deadly curse. Every night, the benches were vandalized and nobody knew who caused the damage. The city hited a security guard to patrol the grounds. One night, around midnight, a dense fog emerged and crept out over the park. The guard heard the cries of a woman. Then, he saw her - a shadowy figure lurking near the park benches. It looked like an old woman in a long white dress. When he got closer, he saw she had no legs and was floating above the ground. Then, she attacked him. He managed to escape and told his boss the next morning. A few days later, he died of a mysterious illness. Locals have now accepted the phantom of the park - and they know a mysterious illness will fall upon anyone who sees her at midnight.
7. La Malinche
The story dates back to 1522 when the noble Aztec woman La Malinche had two sons with the Spanish conquistador Cortes. He told her he was going to return to Spain with his sons, she had a dream where one of her Gods appeared and said -If you let him take your children, one of them will return and destroy your people. The night before Cortes departed, La Malinche escaped with the boys - Cortes’ soldiers chased them to the lake on which Mexico city now lies. Just before capturing them, she stapped the boys in their heart with a dagger and dropped their bodies into the water. She screamed out into the night, saying -Oh my children- … in the centuries since then, many Mexican families have reported seeing her ghost wandering the streets at night, grieving the loss of her children. The families lock up their kids for fear of her doing the same thing to them.
6. La Planchada
In the 1930s, a nurse known as La Planchada worked at Hospital Juarez. Her name roughly translates to The Ironed Lady. She fell for a doctor but he left her for another woman. La Planchada was distraught and fell into a deep depression. She deteriorated and eventually succumbed to an illness which killed her. Legend says that she returned to the land of the living with a hatred for all other nurses. Ever since then, she walks the corridors of hospitals at night - caring for patients while they sleep, but ready to release her anguish if she comes across another nurse.
5. The Red Car
This legend tells of a group of witches who travel the roads looking for men. Theyre also known as the carriage of the witches. The red car travels the roads at night between Mexico City and Cuernavaca. The passengers are 3 witches disguised as beautiful women. When they see a man alone by the side of the road, they pull over and try to get him inside. If the man accepts, he is usually found some time later, lying lifeless by the side of the road - battered, bruised and witch strange arcane symbols all over his body. Its thought that they are sacrificed to the devil as part of an occult ritual - and the car is red only because of the blood of the victims.
4. The Tube House
This is an abandoned mansion in Monterrey Mexico. It was built in the 1970s by a family of 3 who wanted to make a comfortable place to live for their daughter who was in a wheelchair. When the parents brought their daughter to see the home for the first time, the little girl fell off one of the ramps and went straight through a window, falling to her death. The parents were distraught and eventually put the house up fro sale. In the years since then, visitors have sworn they have seen the ghost of the little girl. They see her standing there in the same window she fell to her death from - waving and smiling, forever.
3. El Cucuy
According to legend, El Cucuy is small, hideous, hair creature with deep glowing red eyes. He has ears like a bat and a mount full of teeth as sharp as daggers. El Cucuy comes out at night to steal children away. Some say he can take the form of any dark shadow which he uses to watch children as they sleep. Once the child is asleep, El Cucuy will pounce and take them away to his lair. Children will hide in their wardrobes or under their beds. He is essentially the Mexican version of the boogeyman, or perhaps the very same person.
2. Chupacabra
This is the story of a strange beast that blurs the lines between fact and fiction. Some describe it as a vicious furry lizard like creature with bulging red eyes, fanged teeth and a long darting tongue. Its name roughly translates to Goat Sucker because of its tendency to pray on goats and other livestock. The animals it attacks are left with every ounce of blood drained out of them. What kind of creature would do this? Is it something natural or not?
1. The Severed Hands
In Mexico, some people say there exists -The Alley of the Hands- … in 1780, a priest set up in the town of Alfalfa in Mexico. He hired two boys to help look after the horses. One night, the boys returned to the house to find the priest had been murdered. They ran to get help. The police couldnt figure out who did it and began to suspect it was the two boys. After intense interrogation the boys began to blame each other. They were put on trial and found guilty - they were hung by the neck and then their hands were cut off. The hands were then hung on the wall of the alley outside the priests house as a warning to others. Ever since then, people have been afraid to walk through the Alley of the Hands. Whenever they do, they make the sign of the cross and pray. Locals say that on a cold dark night in November, you can see the skeletal hands floating above you in the alley.
Top 10 Scary Canadian Urban Legends
Its also a big place with a history that spans back thousands of years. From the cities and towns that hug the American border, to the frozen wastelands that touch the arctic - Canada has produced many unique stories - some of them are very scary.
10. Cressie
Cressie is said to be a mysterious, eel like creature said to lurk in the waters of Crescent lake in NewFoundland and Labrador. Stories of Cressie date back to Native Canadian legends which refer to it as the Pond Devil or Swimming Demon. Their fears were also held by European settlers who arrived at the lake during the early 20th century. Since then, there have been dozens of sightings of Cressie with one report saying it could be as much as 15ft long.
9. The St Louis Ghost Train
In the town of St Louis in Saskatchewan lies the village of St Louis. There, you can find an old abandoned train track. Many of the locals there have reported seeing strange floating lights moving along the train track during the night. Others have said a ghost train will appear on the track, looking like the ones from the 19th century. Another story is that the ghost of a workman who died during the tracks construction will appear.
8. The Forbidden Plateau
This plateau in Western Canada has long been regarded as a mysterious place. The Native Canadians would hide their families in the forested plateau during wars with other tribes. One day, the warriors returned to find their family had disappeared. They believe that evil spirits took them away and vowed never to step foot there again - earning it the name the Forbidden plateau. Many have taken this story to heart and stay clear of the eerie presence there.
7. Young Teazer
This was an American ship that was destroyed in the war of 1812. It was wrecked in Novia Scotia where some people believe its ghost can still be seen today. People swear they have seen the Teazer Light - a fiery glow of a flaming ship near the site of the explosion. Accounts began in the late 19th century and since then, many people have said the ship appears on the 27th of June - the day it sank. Others have gone even further and said the ship also holds the ghosts of the sailors who died in the explosion, forced to relive their deaths forever.
6. Christie Mansion
Its now Regis College in Toronto but Christie Mansion used to be the home of William Mellis Christie - a successful businessman. His son Robert inherited the mansion and set up a secret chamber for his mistress. She lived there for many years until Roberts affections for her began to wane. Eventually, she hung herself in Room 29. Ever since then, people have said the room is cursed. Legend says if you enter room 29 by yourself at night, the door will swing shut by itself and youll be trapped there forever, just like the ghost of the mistress.
5. Peggys Cove
On a rocky outcrop in Nova Scotia, you can find a lonely lighthouse. The story goes that in 1800, a woman named Peggy washed up on the rocks there after being shipwrecked. Tragically, her children all drowned. Peggy went on to marry one of locals and live on the cove. She would often walk along the rocks at night, calling out to them in her grief. One night, her husband went out with her and danced on the rocks to cheer her up. He lost his footing and slipped, sending him into the rocks which killed him. Soon after, she jumped off the same rocks and ended her life. Visitors swear that on dark stormy nights, you can see the ghost of a woman in a blue dress standing at the edge of the rocks, ready to jump.
4. John Troyer
By all accounts, he might be the closest thing Canada has to a witch hunter. He was born into an Amish family in America before replacing to Ontario in Canada. He was a Dr who was terrified of witches. Legend says that he would stalk witches in the woods until they led him to their den. He would then steal the broomsticks for personal transport. He would also set up witch traps to capture them. Whether or not you believe the whole broomstick or witches thing, there is evidence of John Troyers traps which are essentially human sized bear traps.
3. The Dungarvon Whooper
This is a famous ghost story coming from New Brunswick and dating back to the late 19th century. According to legend, a young Irish cook called Ryan worked at a lumberjack camp. While the other lumberjacks were out, the boss killed Ryan. When they return, he told them Ryan got sick and died suddenly. They bury him some distance from the camp. However, a loud whooping sound kept them awake. The whooping got so loud that they fled the camp, convinced it was Ryans vengeful ghost. In the years since, many have reported the Whooping that can be heard in the woods, as Ryan seeks vengeance on the living.
2. The Legend of Rose Latulippe
This is a French Canadian legend that dates back to the 18th century. There are more than 200 different versions of the legend but they mostly share the same theme. Rose Latulipe was a young girl who loved to dance. On the night of Mardi Gras, a stranger appeared at her house and danced with her until midnight. At that moment, he was revealed to be the devil. She tried to escape but it was too late, the Devil took Rose back to hell where she remains to this day, dancing with her at his whim.
1. Oak Island
Legend says that treasure an be found on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. Since the 19th century, people have been convinced that the treasure there includes the likes of Mari Antoinettes jewels and even missing Shakespeare manuscripts. A number of people have died trying to search for the treasure. The legend began with the discovery of a large pit which seems to be man made. Its almost 200ft deep and has been protected by booby traps which have killed a number of explorers. There are even underground channels that lead to the beach over 500ft away. Treasure hunters are convinced that all of this must have been built to hide treasure from hundreds of years ago.
Top 10 Scary Irish Urban Legends
We have a country that is very dear to heart - Ireland. Its history goes back thousands of years and contains many amazing stories - some of them are pretty scary though - they've survived since ancient times - does this mean theres some truth to them? And this is the Top 10 Scary Irish Urban Legends.
10. The Demon Bride of County Monaghan
This is a story of death. The Demon bride is said to have terrorised funeral goers for at least 200 years - her victims now lie in the churchyards where they fell. Across County Monaghan, people report the same thing - the demon bride watches funerals and waits as the deceased are laid to rest. As everyone leaves, the Demon Bride approaches a young man straggling behind. She transforms into a beautiful young woman and makes him promise to meet her a month from that day back at the graveyard. She seals the deal with a kiss and then vanishes. As he leaves the graveyard, his blood runs cold and a deep sense of despair washes over him. He realises he has sold his body and soul to the evil spirit and his life has been forfeited. Over the next month, he descends into madness before eventually dying. He is laid to rest in the same graveyard as before, exactly a month after he first met the demon bride - his promise fulfilled.
9. The Banshee
The Banshee is a female spirit that wails in the night as a sign that death is coming for a family member. Legend says the banshee has long, streaming hair, wears a grey cloak over a green dress and her eyes are red from constant weeping. According to the -Ancient Legends of Ireland- book, the Banshee -may be seen at night as a shrouded woman, crouched beneath the trees, lamenting with veiled face or flying past the moonlight, crying bitterly. And the cry of this spirit is mournful beyond all other sounds on earth, and betokens certain death to some member of the family whenever it is heard in the silence of the night.
8. The Dearg-Due
Many countries have a vampire legend, this is the Irish one. The name translates from Irish as -red blood sucker- . Originally the Dearg-Due was a normal girl who lives over two thousand years ago. She was said to be beautiful, with blood red lips and pale blond hair. Her true name has been lost in the sands of time, overshadowed by what she became. Men travelled from all over Ireland in the hopes of being with her. However, she fell in love with a local man who was very poor. He was perfect for her but without money, her Father would never let them marry. Instead, he married her off to an old, cruel man who abused her. He also liked to draw blood from her while she was locked in a tower cell.
One day, she gave up hope of her true love ever rescuing her and committed suicide by refusing to eat. Her dying breath was of vengeance against the living. Her undead corpse rose from the Earth on the night she was buried, thirsting for the blood that was taken from her. She was now the Dearg-Due, stealing blood from children, from the innocent and especially from young men. She would call to them in the night with a haunting siren song that lured them to their deaths. Some say she still wanders to the Irish countryside at night, calling out to her next victim …
7. The Changelings
These are mythical fairy creatures that take the place of a newborn human child that has been stolen by the fairies. The fairies will still the child to act as a servant. Families would try and see if their baby was a changeling through a number of different ways. One involved placing them over a fire. If the baby wass a changeling, it would leave by climbing up the chimney. The real child would then be returned. It was thought that the fairies prefered to steal baby boys. As a result, many Irish families would dress their baby boys in dresses as to confuse the fairies.
6. The Dullahan
The Dullahan is a headless rider of the night who carries his own head under one arm. His mouth is locked in a hideous grin that touches both sides of his head. His flesh is rotting and he uses the spine of a human for a whip. His job is as a foreteller of death. Where he stops riding, a person is due to die. He will call out the persons name at which point they drop to the floor dead. There is no way to stop the Dullahan - all locks and gates open when he approaches. They don't like being watched either and will throw blood over anyone who dares to do so - this is also taken as a mark that they are among the next to die.
5. The Fetch
The Fetch is a supernatural double of a living person. You could have your own Fetch. They are like a doppelganger but with more sinister undertones. Their sightings are regarded as an open of impending death. If a person sees this dark double of themselves, its said to mean they are going to die. Sometimes The Fetch may even have a clue as to how that person will die - perhaps a bullet wound in the head or a slash across the chest. Either way, its not something you want to come across. The Fetch is said to appear ghostly or shadowy and may vanish down alleys or halls if followed.
4. Puca
According to Irish folklore, these are strange little creatures obsessed with causing as much havoc as possible. They visit farms and seaside communities to tear down fences and disturb the animals. The creepy part is that the legend says the Puca sometimes stands outside the farmhouse and calls the people outside by their name. If anyone steps out, the Puca will carry them away forever. There are stories of them being blood thirsty and vampire like creatures as well as ones that describe them as man eating beings, hunting down, killing and eating their victims.
3. The Alp-Luachra
This creature is also known as the joint eater. Don't worry, it doesnt eat your joints - but this creature does something just as strange. Its said to be a newt like creature that preys on people who fall asleep near rivers or streams. It jumps down their throat and lives in their stomach so that it can eat the victims food. In the collection of folk tales called Beside the Fire, a farmer who was starving from an Alp-luachra found a way to get rid of the creature. He ate large amounts of salted meat until he could eat no more. Then he lay by a stream with his mouth open. The Alp-luachra were driven to thirst by all the salt and eventually, they all jumped out of the man and into the water.
2. The Black Cat of Killakee House
There is said to be a beast that wanders the forests of County Dublin around the old Killakee House. The animal has been sighted for centuries and people say its supernatural. For many people though, this was nothing more than superstition. That was until 1968 when a young couple bought the Killakee house and started renovating it. The hired workers reported strange noises and events and a big black cat with demonic eyes that haunted them. It would appear and disappear in a moment. The owners didnt believe them until they saw it too - standing in the hallways, staring and snarling. The couple got a priest to perform and exorcism on the house which seemed to rid it of the beast for a while. Then a group of actors held a seance in the house which brought the black cat back with many swearing it still prowls there to this day.
1. The Sluagh
Some say these spectral creatures are demons but a closer term would be malicious spirits. The Slaugh are dead sinners who have been doomed to spend an eternity hunting for the souls of people who are dying. According to Irish Folklore, they come from the west, flying like a flock of birds, trying to enter a house where they sense someone is dying in order to steal their soul and rob them of a happy afterlife. It was said that many family would actually shut their west facing windows at all time to keep the Sluagh out of them homes. Some folklore experts have compared this to the Wild Hunt, a European folktale about ghostly hounds or spirits traveling around in packs foretelling of death and disaster.
Top 10 Scary Hospital Urban Legends
Hospitals can be a scary place to be at the best of times, but these horrifying stories make them like truly terrifying places best avoided. To make matters worse, some digging and some of these urban legends have turned out to be true.
10. In Germany
Legend has it that an abandoned hospital is over run by zombies. The Kinderkrankenhaus on the outskirts of Berlin is pretty terrifying a) because it is an abandoned Children’s hospital and B because it might be infested by brain sucking zombies. Frim the outside, the the building in the woods has been battered by the elements and ransacked by vandals. Who knows what is going on on the inside….Urban legend in the nearby town is that the old abandoned hospital is home to a number of zombies waiting to strike. Those who dare visit the location have taken some terrifying pictures if the interior and exterior. On the flip side, though, some of the graffiti is pretty cool. My question is, are they regular zombies, or child zombies?
9. Killed By Death
Killed by death is an urban legend that focuses on sick kids in a childrens hospital. Children are admitted to the hospital with severe flulike symptoms and see a creepy, nightmarish monster stalking the corridors at night. Those still ill with the flu are taken, one by one at night by the Kindestod, which means the Childs Death in German. The Kindestod sucks out the kids souls, leaving them to die prematurely, with doctors thinking it was their weak immune systems failing to fight off the flu. Only people with the flu can see the monster, leaving healthy people to think the kids are delirious when they complain of seeing the beast. It turns out that while this creepy child killing monster seems like the stuff of Urban legends, after some digging, I found it was an adapted creepypasta from a 1998 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
8. Red Wrist Bands
The wristband story is a creepypasta about a doctor who sees dead people. Basically the story goes that a Doctor Ulman was working as a surgeon and unfortunately could not save the life of one of his patients. As a signifier that this patient was dead, Dr Ulman placed a Red wristband on the deceased. After cleaning up and taking a moment, Dr Ulman hopped in the hospital elevator to take a break in the cafeteria. As he was heading down, a woman in a hospital white gown hopped in after him. Ever the gent, Ulman asked which floor the woman was heading to. She said she was expected in the morgue. Baffled, Dr Ulman noticed another passenger try to jump in the elevator, but miss as the doors closed in his face. Ulman locked eyes with the man before the doors shut. He went white. The lady asked what was wrong. He said that he thought the man was a patient who had just died. The woman asked how he could be sure, and Dr Ulman said that he was wearing a red wristband. The woman smiled and held up her arm, and said…like this one? The elevator went down.
7. You should never go to a hospital at the beginning of a fiscal year because you’ll get hurt. Ooh, fiscal year….talk sexy to me. No, seriously though, this is actually an urban legend. People think that if they go to a hospital, particularly a training hospital, they are likely to suffer an injury at the hands of doctors because the new fiscal year marks a new intake of junior doctors who are inexperienced. While there is some slight evidence to back this up, health care providers insist this is an urban legend.
6. Babies Switched
At Birth We have all heard the urban legend of two babies born in the same hospital getting switched at birth, right? They are then brought up by the wrong families and on their 18th birthday they find out they were actually switched? It’s a classic, there was even a TV series about it on ABC. Well, this actually does happen! How scary would it be to realise you were actually from a whole other family entirely and you could have had a very different life? This happened to Doris Gruenwald, born in 1990. 27 years later, following a routine blood test, she found out that she had been given to the wrong family. Speaking to local news outlets, she said: My whole body started shaking... It was like the ground under my feet disappeared. The woman from Australia took University Hospital Graz to court, and the medical facility was ordered to pay 90 thousand euros in damages. This is a crazy story….
5. Toxic Blood Infects Hospital
On a cold February evening in 1994, a 31 year old women, Gloria Ramirez, visited a hospital in Riverside California. The woman was ill and had been previously diagnosed with cervical cancer. The woman had some unusual symptoms…her heart was beating rapidly, he blood pressure plummeting and she was taking slow shallow breaths. She was injected with valium and other drugs to sedate her. When she was stripped of her clothes, they noticed her body was covered in an oily sheen and there was a garlicy odor coming from her mouth. When her blood was taken, they noticed it smelled very strongly of ammonia. The medics who had taken her blood became queasy, then fainted.
One stopped breathing for several minutes and another shook uncontrollably, losing the feeling in their limbs. It seems that Ramirez was releasing a toxicity. 23 of the 37 emergency room staff members on shift that day experienced symptoms, 5 were hospitalized and one spent two weeks in intensive care for apnea. Ramirez died that evening and there was no official explanation from Livermore investigators for the bouts of illness on the ward. Weirdly enough,this Urban Legend seems to actually be true – there are news articles and studies about the incident. Well, this urban legend turned out to be true.
4. Dr Death
Dr Death is the legend of a seemingly lovely family doctor who would charm the elderly within his care. Secretly though, he was convincing the vulnerable OAPs to write him into their Wills, then slowly killing them off with lethal drug combinations. When they died, he recorded their deaths as old age and would pocket their money. Sounds like a murderous creepypasta, but it is true. In the late 90s in South Manchester , UK, Linda Reynolds of Donneybrook Surgery expressed concerns about the high mortality rate of Dr Harold Shipman’s patients.
Police were alerted, but unable to initially gather enough evidence. 6 months after the initial claims, Police found sufficient evidence that Dr Shipman was spiking his elderly patients with Diamorphine and forging their wills. In total, Harold Shipman is thought to have killed over 215 patients between 1975 and 1998. The majority of his victims were woman, although he did kill some men. The majority of the victims were over the age of 75. The youngest was in their 40s.
3. The Legend of the Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital
You could not pay me to go here….you literally could not. This is an old, abandoned mental asylum in New Zealand of all places. Staff were nasty to patients, with many abuse claims and even murder claims coming from relatives of those admitted to the facility. Interestingly, despite many patients dying in their stay at Kingseat, it is said by locals that more staff members and nurses died than any of them.
There are suggestions that something in the place led people to suicide. Now the building is abandoned, which makes it even creepier. I have no idea why you would ever visit, but if you did, you can still see the scratch marks on the wall where patients tried to claw their way out of their rooms. That is not all you might find, either. It seems that the building has been at the centre of paranormal investigations for years, with local legend saying the building is haunted by as many as 100 ghosts, most famously the ghost of a grey looking nurse. Get me awaaaay from there.
2. The Russian Sleep Experiment
The Russian Sleep Experiment was a hospital experiment that was said to have taken place in Soviet Russia on political prisoners during world war 2. Russian doctors were reportedly fascinated by the reason why people sleep and the use of sleep deprivation as torture. Prisoners were told they would be freed if they took place in a 30 day experiment. Allegedly, a special gas was used by medics to keep patients awake. For five days, patients were seemingly okayish, but after the five day mark, they became increasingly paranoid and erratic.
After 9 days they started screaming until they tore their vocal chords. Then patients began smearing their faeces over the room they were in. After 14 days, the captives became very quiet and claimed they no longer wanted to be free. In this time, one of the test subjects had passed away. When the gas was turned off that was keeping them from sleeping, the remaining patients screamed that they wanted the gas back on. They had torn muscle and skin from their bodies, with some organs even being removed and thrown on the floor.
Eventually the patients could no longer be described as human or even human looking. When asked what they were, one of the subjects smiled and said We are you. We are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be free at every moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go to the nocturnal haven where we cannot tread.". Rhiiiiiight. This is probably just an urban legend, but honestly who knows when it comes to war crimes committed by Soviet Russia. Finally at number one, a disgusting and scary urban legend that turns out is the truth.
1. Chinese Hospitals Sell Dead Babies to Eat
The rumour was that a number of hospitals in China were selling aborted child foetuses as Chinese people believed that eating the will boost stamina and sexual health. This, unfortunately, is true. It was even reported that surgeons were eating the foetuses themselves. In 2011, South Korean Customs seized 17 thousand pills containing powdered baby flesh that had been smuggled in from China. There was a documentary made about the practice that aired in South Korea that showed doctors refrigerating dead babies. An undercover reporter learned that corrupt medics at hospitals are selling the dead babies on to paying customers who want to eat the babies for their health. One consumer said that he would cook the foetuses in a soup with ginger and orange peel.