Are urban legends really a myth or were they just invented in the actual film Urban Legend

A.� Tricky one there, daniela.� Quickest answer is that most are myths. Some are not. Believe nothing. The film Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000) follows the story of a student who struggles to complete her thesis film on urban legends - only to have her crew members fall prey to fatal 'accidents'. She must uncover the case before she becomes an urban legend too... Take the example of that poor poodle and the microwave.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� Terrible, wasn't it

A.� Yeah. And a lie.�

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Q.� But it can't be. I've heard it from so many sources.

A.� And with good reason. It's a joke�- a story that gets sent around. I'll repeat it. An elderly lady who used to breed pedigree poodles and had to make sure they were perfectly groomed. To do this, she evolved the practice of first washing the dog, towelling it dry and then giving it a brief warming in her electric oven. One Christmas her cooker developed a fault and her son bought her a microwave oven. On the day of the next show, not understanding the difference in the technology, she washed her prizewinning poodle and popped it into the oven for a few seconds. It exploded.

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Q.� Was that myth

A.� Indeed. That tale is also told of Highland terriers, Persian cats and sickly hedgehogs. There are many more. Take the story of the Blue Bell Hill Ghost.

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Q.� Go on, then.

A.� It is a wild and stormy night. A bride goes out on a drive the night before her wedding. Tragedy. She dies in a car crash. Soon after, motorists travelling up that desolate hill see a distressed girl in white. She needs help�- so they give her a lift. She climbs into the back of the car. They drive a few hundred yards, turn round and she is gone. That tale exists in many forms. The punchline is usually: 'And then they found, X years before on that very night, she was killed.' There are more subtle ones, though.

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Q.� Such as

A.� One that continues an long-held but erroneous belief. Take Coca-Cola, for example. If you take a tooth and put it in a glass of Coke, the tooth will dissolve almost instantly. Wrong. Nor does it cause hallucinations when you mix it with aspirin. And as for the Coca-Cola Santa Claus...

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Q.� Don't talk rubbish! Everyone knows that Coca-Cola invented the modern image of Father Christmas.

A.� Well they know wrong then. It's even claimed that he wears red and white as the corporate colours. In fact, the Santa we all know and love is an amalgam of many images, including St Nicholas and Christkindlein, the Christ child. They became a full Santa figure about 1840. Soon after, a Philadelphia merchant hired a man to dress in 'Criscringle' clothing and climb the chimney outside his shop. In 1863, caricaturist Thomas Nast began developing his own image of Santa in Harper's Weekly. The English custom of Christmas cards was introduced to the States in 1885 and soon Santa was printed upon them. It was not until 1930 that the Coca-Cola company wanted to find a way of selling its ice-cool drink at a chilly time. Illustrator Haddon Sundblom created a series of memorable drawings - and the image (and myth) stuck.

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Q.� Wow, so how can I find out if these tales are urban myths or not

A.� Easy. An urban myth has never been experienced directly by the person who's telling it. It's happened to their brother-in-law's friend, or their friend's friend's boss's sister. Failing that, log into this splendid urban legends site http://www.snopes2.com/ You'll be surprised at how many of those stories you've heard turn out to be false.

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By Steve Cunningham

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