An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories usually believed by their tellers to be true. As with all folklore and mythology, the designation suggests nothing about the story's truth or falsehood, but merely that it is in circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating it.

Despite its name, an urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban area. Rather, the term is used to differentiate modern legend from traditional folklore in pre-industrial times. For this reason, sociologists and folklorists prefer the term contemporary legend.

Urban legends are sometimes repeated in news stories and, in recent years, distributed by e-mail. People frequently allege that such tales happened to a "friend of a friend" -- so often, in fact, that "friend of a friend," ("FOAF") has become a commonly used term when recounting this type of story.

Some urban legends have passed through the years with only minor changes to suit regional variations. One example is the story of a woman killed by spiders nesting in her elaborate hairdo. More recent legends tend to reflect modern circumstances, like the story of people ambushed, anesthetized, and waking up minus one kidney, which was surgically removed for transplantation (a story which folklorists refer to as "The Kidney Heist").

Adjective

untrue (comparative more untrue, superlative most untrue)

1. False; not true.

Synonyms

• false, lease
• Wikisaurus:false

Patently Untrue and Urban Legends @ PatentlyUntrue.com
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories usually believed by their tellers to be true.
www.patentlyuntrue.com

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Untrue (Krieger, Nonsense, Robby Krieger, Fyodor, Gaga ...
Patently Untrue and Urban Legends @ PatentlyUntrue.com An informational site about Patently ... See Also: Patently Untrue; Untrue; Untrue Patently
www.patentlyuntrue.com/untrue

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• Chain Letters@ (5)
• Computer Virus Hoaxes (13)
• Conspiracy Theories@ (102)

• Cow Tipping (8)
• Scientific Hoaxes@ (39)
• Snuff Films (5)

See also:

• Recreation: Humor: Pranks (84)
• Science: Science in Society: Skeptical Inquiry (184)
• Society: Paranormal (1,844)

• Jan Harold Brunvand
  cnn.com
  Transcript of an interview with folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand, author of "Too Good to be True - The Colossal Book of Urban Legends."
• Tourist Of Death
  touristofdeath.com
  A site maintaining the history of the WTC Rooftop Tourist picture hoax, and all copycat pictures resulting from the original picture.
• The Urban Legend Combat Kit
  netsquirrel.com
  Collection of prepared responses to refute oft cited internet myths and urban legends.

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  Sat Aug 6 11:21:35 2011