Essay On Urban Legends

Legend had it that anyone who disturbed the tomb would be cursed until death, and a short while after the excavation, those involved started dropping dead.First, a cobra killed Carter’s pet canary in his home, then Lord Carnarvon (who funded the excavation) died from a mosquito bite. Twenty-seven people died in the following years, and it was said the curse would only end once all the treasures had been returned to the tomb.The Zambezi River god, Nyaminyami, who has features akin to that of a dragon and is in charge of all living creatures in and around the Zambezi River, took vengeance on those involved with the construction of the Dam.

Legend had it that anyone who disturbed the tomb would be cursed until death, and a short while after the excavation, those involved started dropping dead.First, a cobra killed Carter’s pet canary in his home, then Lord Carnarvon (who funded the excavation) died from a mosquito bite. Twenty-seven people died in the following years, and it was said the curse would only end once all the treasures had been returned to the tomb.The Zambezi River god, Nyaminyami, who has features akin to that of a dragon and is in charge of all living creatures in and around the Zambezi River, took vengeance on those involved with the construction of the Dam.

No child wanted to run mad, so they stayed close to their parents or guardians, and of course refrained from being too playful.

If they took food from strangers or indiscriminately ate biscuits or toffees from their peers, they could be initiated to a witchcraft coven.

A calf was slaughtered and offered to Nyaminyami, and true to legend, the bodies of the workers appeared where the animal was placed.

The science of it at first glance, is unexplainable. In the late nineties and early noughties in Nigeria, as a child, if one saw money on the ground in the streets, one was told he would turn to a yam tuber if he picked it.

He had been trapped in a bush crying all night, and from the sounds, it was quite clear he was in severe pains.

The legend of the Bush Baby cautions one to refrain from rushing out to help when one hears the pitiful cries of a toddler for they can be demonic.

And if the ghost knocked their heads, they would run mad.

“Ghosts” were a euphemism for “kidnappers” or “kids getting lost”.

The consensus of social commentators is that legends have a basis in fact.

While this may sometimes not necessarily be true, it usually is a reasonable conclusion.