Share your family/local legends

Macarenaoftime 2020-11-01 04:12:09 UTC #1

(English it's not my first language and grammarly doesn't help, so feel free to correct me)

Memory is moldable. It's always changing whenever it's the memory from an individual, a family, or even from a culture or country. Sometimes we don't recall memories but the memories of a memory.

With time, achievements become more glorious, tragedies more bitter, people become shadows, and shadows become people. The inexplicable eventually becomes possible and coexists with the daily life occurrences.

My grandmother was always prejudiced about religions and folk myths, but ironically she believes, and taught us to believe, in supernatural stories from the family as unquestionable truths.

This is one of those stories. It's pretty short.

Share your local legends or family stories if you want to! I love this kind of spooky stuff!

Summary

My great-grandmother was at the porch of her house when her father had to go over the hill to atend some business. She lay down on the porch and took a nap while she waited for him to come back.
Sudenly she wake up by the sensation that someone had kissed her on the forehead.

My great-grandmother waited, and waited for her father to come back. He never did.
Eventually his body was found at the hill; he died from a heart attack.

carreonaiwille 2020-11-01 04:47:23 UTC #2

This one is from my coworker. Apparently, a close relative had an accident near a hospital (it's quite an accident-prone zone) and went to coma. They were told by a folk doctor that the relative's soul can't leave or was pulled to the place by other spirits of people who'd died in the zone or in the hospital. Whether that is true or just simply bad PR against the hospital, it is not a secret that the hospital's services were umm... not that great.

Another, public schools always had a story about them where supposedly built over a cemetery. (Which gives enough motive for rowdy kids who'd go ghost hunting during in-school campings). Does not say how many are true though, but I do work in a school exactly beside a cemetery and many teachers wouldn't want to be left there when night comes.

My classmate apparently saw a white lady ghost on a bridge between our village and the public market. Years later, I searched up the name of our village on the Wikipedia and it was mentioned that many people were executed on that bridge during the War.

This one was on an Acquaintance Party for College students, one girl going to the party was apparently seen headless by the driver taking her to school. It scared her so much. They burned the clothes she was seen in and brought in a pastor or was it a priest? to pray over her. The headless thing was taken as an omen of death.

Another, an employee saw some ghost on the seat of her coworker who had been quite a negative presence to their department. Didn't know if she was biased.

Our place is a bit on the rural side and though people believe in science, people are not above believing conspiracy theories or acknowledging the presence of ghosts and other such things.

DasIstWunderblyat 2020-11-01 04:48:44 UTC #3

There is a little known legend that my clan is cursed that we cannot be the best or number one at anything

If what you need is paranormal experiences I probably have some stories (mostly not involving me because I am too oblivious to those), let me just recollect some memories first.

Eiranyx 2020-11-01 04:51:05 UTC #4

The place where my grandmother lives thrives with supernatural stories, myths and folklore.
it was pretty long but here it goes:

Summary

One of the story that my grandmother told me a story about her sister ---
Well they are 6 siblings, and the said sister was the youngest -- apparently, she was also the prettiest, she clearly describe that she have reddish-brown hair, and she looks like a living doll -- a pretty uncommon trait in our country.
So one day, when they were out near the forest area to play, they didn't notice that the youngest one isn't with them. So they frantically looked for her -- until they found her in the forest, napping on an old acacia tree.
At first, they thought she just slipped away to nap, but then it became a common occurrence that she always went missing at noon and sometimes, they noticed that every time they find her, she was talking to someone -- but no one can see who is she talking to.
She told them, that a handsome young man confessed to her.
Their parents decided to seek help from a folk-healer (we call them albularyo) who then revealed that an "Engkanto" is pining for her and he wants her as his bride.
So my grandma's parents did everything to protect her, to the point that she wasn't allowed to go near the woods or even out of the house alone.
Until one day she went missing, no one noticed if she left her room even her sisters.
So they looked for her -- but she was never found again -- not even the body, she just vanished.

Fast forward it happened again, but this time, it happened to my aunt, the same thing, an engkanto was enchanted with her too and she was almost 'taken' but luckily for her, she was saved (but that story is for another time)

So everytime I visit her, my grandma always cut my hair until growing up -- she said those engkantos prefer those with long hair and she always warned me growing up, not to go near the woods or the river alone.

Anyways for those who aren't familiar
Engkantos are kinda like fairies/elves -- they can appear to look like human but for one to identify one you can notice that they have no philtrum/ their hands don't have palm lines or when you look in their eyes and see your reflection upside down.
They are said to be there to protect nature.
They

carreonaiwille 2020-11-01 04:55:51 UTC #5

Brokenhearted girls have the advantage. Also, are those creatures the ones said to be from Biringan? or do all engkantos are said to share the same feature?

Eiranyx 2020-11-01 05:01:02 UTC #6

Hahahaha yeah if you brokenhearted, you safe.
I'm not sure if those creatures are from the mysterious island of Biringan, but when it happened to my aunt, when she recalled what happened to her, she told them that she boarded a glowing ship made of gold and was on the way to an island -- she doesn't know the name of the island though.
Then, when she sat in a banquet, she told us they have shared features but their looks varies.

carreonaiwille 2020-11-01 05:13:55 UTC #7

They have a cruise ship now, I see. This was the first time I heard the mention of a ship in these kinds of stories.

Eiranyx 2020-11-01 05:19:10 UTC #8

It's not exactly like a cruise ship that we know lol honestly when I heard it from her I was like 'a ship?! as in the one we board when going to grandma's province ?'
But yeah she said she really can't recall what exactly it looks like but she knows it's gold and it is a ship.

Macarenaoftime 2020-11-01 05:24:23 UTC #9

This one gave me chills

DeformedSunflower 2020-11-01 14:50:40 UTC #10

This happened to my mother, and I was there to witness it:

My mother has always loathed my paternal grandfather. He was incredibly strict and had a very hot temper, and she didn't dare to defy him. So in front of him, she acted like the sweetest daughter-in-law, but behind his back, she only had bad things to say about him.

My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and naturally me and my mother attended his funeral. As his coffin was being lowered down, my mother suddenly started trembling. She was shaking so much she had to hold my hand, and even my hand shook when she grabbed me. After a few minutes, she finally calmed down enough to explain what happened.

Apparently, she suddenly felt really scared, and she believed that it was because my grandfather's spirit was angry and at all the things she said about him. She started internally apologising to him, and only then did the chills finally stop.

Macarenaoftime 2020-11-01 15:49:09 UTC #11

I think you would like "100 years of solitude", it's a pretty good book!
It kind of describes what you're mentioning here, but in the context of the life of a family.

carreonaiwille 2020-11-01 17:13:26 UTC #12

Am I living in a Magical Realism book without me knowing? Suddenly had that thought for a while

I believe I've only read one chapter or an excerpt and it was too long and complex for the younger me. Barely remembering anything but that one girl had powers. I'll see how it will change if I read it now.