A collection of Urban Legends around the world.

1. The Yeti, or the Abominable Snowman, is said to roam the
Himalayas by the Sherpa people.
Alleged Yetifootprints in 1951. Eric Shipton/Royal Geographical Society via Getty Images
Sherpasarea Nepalese ethnic group, not just an occupationor a verb,
like many people believe. According toCNN, the word translates
to "people from the East." They're best known as the seemingly
superhumanclimbersthat help othersascend Mount Everest.
But they have a rich cultureand history, including thelegend of the
Yeti. According totheBBC, there aremore thana few stories about
Yetis, and what they areexactly. The generally accepted descriptionofa
Yeti is "an enormous, shaggyape-manwith huge feet and aggressive
sabre-liketeeth." It's said to reach about 6 feet tall, and produce
footprintsthat arearound 13 incheslong.
One story says that a village of Sherpaswerebeing tormented by a
group of Yetis, so they decided totrickthe Yetisintogetting drunkand
fighting each other. The surviving Yetisdeclared revenge, and moved
up higher intothe mountains, periodicallycoming downto terrorize
the Sherpas.
Over the years, explorers have flocked to the Himalayastotry and find
evidence of the beast. In 1921, a journalist named Henry
Newmaninterviewed localswho told him about theexistenceof a
"metoh-kangmi," which means"man-bearsnow-man," according to
LiveScience. Newmanmistranslated the"metoh" part tomean"filthy,"
and he chose to use the word "abominable" instead. Thus, the
AbominableSnowmanwasborn.

2. The Indian village of Kuldhara was seemingly abandoned
overnight, and no one knows why, though there are a few
eerie theories.
What Kuldhara looks like today. SONAL SACHAN/Shutterstock
There are structuresinthe town of Kuldhara that datebackto the 13th
century, but no one haslived theresince 1825, when all itsresidents
seemingly vanished into thinair.
According tolocal lore, 1,000 villagers completelyabandoned their
home overnight, without a trace. No one knows why they left, where
they went, or even saw them leave.
Theoriesas to why they left rangefrom poisoned wells to a greedyruler
levying high taxestoa dwindling water supply, though none of those
explainwhy the inhabitantsleft so suddenly.
You might bewondering why no one has tried to resettle the town —
that'swhere thelegend comesin. It's said that the village chief cursed
the land: apparently, anyonewho triesto live there will die.
The IndianParanormalSocietyspent a night there, and reported
"Disembodied whispers, screams, noisesarecommonat darkhours.
Manyof our membershave witnessed apparitions, heard footsteps,
experienced unusualtouch and so on," according toGulf News.

3. In the UAE, citizens are afraid of the jinn (genie)
Umm Al Duwais.
Beware of strangers. Fer Gregory/Shutterstock
The word "genie" is the anglicized version of the Arabic word
"jinn." Jinns can be good or malevolent beings.
Umm Al Duwais is one the most famous jinns in the United
Arab Emirates. She was even immortalized in a film in 2013.
Her story is simple: At first, she appears as a beautiful
woman to attract men. But as soon as she's reeled them in,
Umm Al Duwais changes into a terrifying figure who eats the
men she's enchanted.
Though it might just be a scary story to tell kids to warn them
about stranger danger, there's a video that purports to be
footage of one such jinn.

4. There are rumors that the Sydney Harbour Bridge doubles
as a tomb for three workers buried inside.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is located nearthe iconic opera house. Getty Images
Officially, 16 people died during the construction ofthe famous
Harbour Bridgein Sydney, Australia, which wascompleted in1928.
However, legends posit that thereshould be threemore men added to
the death toll.
According tothestories, threemen died during constructionafter they
fell into the brickpylons of the bridge. However, sincethey were
migrant workers, and becauselabor laws didn't seem all that stringent
at the time, their disappearancewasn't noticed for weeks.
Apparently, retrieving thebodieswould have been too difficult, and so
they were entombed therefor eternity.

5. The labyrinth of Parque Chas
Many people dare not set foot in the area delimited by the streets Berna,
Marsella, La Haya and Ginebra. Once inside, it’s said to be impossible to
escape because these circular streets are arranged like a maze. If you turn
around and attempt to head back, you’re likely to end up in any part of
the Parque Chas neighbourhood other than where you intended.
Legend has it that once, in 1957, a group of French explorers tried to
navigate the labyrinth and were next seen three kilometres away in Villa
Urquiza. On another occasion, a group of Catalan town planners decided to
divide into two groups and walk in opposite directions on one of the
circular streets, planning to find each other on the other side. Instead, the
first group to arrive on the other side, after some long minutes waiting,
finally saw their companions appear coming from the same direction they
had walked themselves.
This legend is told in a story by the writer Alejandro Dolina, who talks
about the difficulty in finding one’s way around the circular streets in this
neighbourhood, concluding that, “Really, it’s better not to approach
Parque Chas”.

6. Legend of the almamula
According to the legend this being was a woman without morals, who
committed Incest with her brother and her father, and even had sexual
relations with the priest of the town; and she never repented of it, neither
did any of the other three individuals. In punishment for this behavior
before her death, she would have been cursed by God, who would have
turned her into a lead-colored mule that drags heavy chains. She is very
dangerous since she can kick to death whoever she finds in the high
Cerrana night.
It is said that it wanders at night in the thick of the mountains and roams
the outskirts of towns on stormy days. She gives cries of pain that freeze
the blood of whoever hears them, due to the fact that she is dragging a
"bridle" that causes great Pain when she steps on its reins. It is said that
her journey ends at the door of the church of the nearest town, from where
she starts her race again, shooting fire from her eyes and mouth. [3]
Regarding the reason that the almamula carries a large chain, which also
produces a great noise, is that she is the representation of the weight of
her sins; but it would also be the hope that the cursed Woman turned into
a mule that someday a brave man manages to suffocate her, overcoming
the fear and thus can complete the ritual that would achieve that her soul is
finally redeemed to travel to heaven.
Other traditions also indicate that as a result of the Power of her curse,
which extends wherever she has traveled, all people who have immoral
relationships and do not repent of it, would also be cursed as punishment
and would be transformed into a mule during the night. Some say that to
prevent the mulanita from killing the person with whom it has crossed it
must be to contain the fear and be brave..

7. The first reported chupacabra attack was in Puerto Rico in
1995. Since then, there have been alleged sightings up and
down North America.
A rendering of a chupacabra. Alexlky/Shutterstock
The word "chupacabra" isSpanish for "goat-sucker." Indeed,
chupacabras werefirst believed to be vampiric reptiliancreaturesthat
draingoatsand other small animalsof their blood.
The first reported sighting ofa chupacabra wasinMarch 1995 in
PuertoRico, when eight sheep were found dead and drained of blood,
with three small puncturewoundsin their chests. Five monthslater, as
many as 150 farm animalswerefound dead in the samemanner.
The legend spread, and more sightingsfollowed in Latin America and
the southernUS, though there have been alleged sightingsasfar north
as Maine.
In the 2000s, thechupacabra re-emerged, but it looked a bit different.
According totheBBC, "it was described asa hairless, dog-likeanimal
walking on four legs," and "quitehorrific-looking: hairless, with a gaunt
appearanceand burnt-looking skin."
When alleged cupacabrabodiesturned up, scientistsDNA tested them,
identifying them asnormal animalsthat wereaffected by sarcoptic
mange — their hair and fur had fallen out.
However, thelegend persists.

8. The chilling story of Beijing's ghost bus is sure to put
some people off public transportation.
Not allbus stops are this spooky. Florida Chuck/Shutterstock
Like so many urbanlegends, thisone beginson a darkand stormy
night. Whilethere are more thana few variationsonthe story, like
what number the routewas, the story generally goes like this: A busis
traveling lateat night, around midnight, and it'sthelast one of the
evening. Two men flag down the bus, and even though the driver is
reluctant topickthem up since they're not at a stop, he acquiescesand
lets them on anyway. So far, so good.
But, it turns out, it'sactually three men. The two areholding up
another one who appearstobe in rough shape. It also turnsout that all
three of them are extraordinarilypale, and wearing garb from the Qing
Dynasty (which lasted from 1644 through 1911). The bus driver
apparentlyexplainsit awayby claiming that thethreeare actorswho
didn't have timeto changeafter work.
As the bus slowly emptiesout, it getsdown to a young manand an
elderly person (which has been both a manor a woman, depending on
the story). Out of nowhere, the older person picksa fight with the
young man, claiming that hestole his wallet and forcing him to get off
at the next stop to go to thepolice. Upon disembarking, theytell the
young manthat the fight was a ruse to help them get off the bus:
apparentlythethree men on the bus hadn't been touching theground.
Some versions claim that themen didn't have legs at all. The two go to
the policeto report the alleged spirits, but get ridiculed.
However, thenext morning they find out that the bus never completed
itsroute. Someversions statethat thebus was never found, while
others claim that thebus wasfound dayslater with threeseverely
decomposed bodiesinside.

9. The Loch Ness Monster of Scotland is perhaps the
most famous urban legend of all time.
A purported photo of the fabled Loch Ness monster. AP
Nessie, as she's been affectionately nicknamed, allegedly
swims in the depths of Loch Ness, the second-deepest lake in
Scotland. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, sightings of
her go way, way back: stone carvings by the Pict (ancient
people who lived in eastern Scotland) of a "mysterious beast
with flippers" have been discovered.
Sightings really began to pick up in 1933, after a road was
completed that gave visitors an unobstructed view of Loch
Ness. A couple claimed to have seen some type of giant sea
creature, and the hype grew.
Though the famous photograph has been revealed as hoax, it
hasn't stopped monster hunters from descending on
Scotland. Nessie has been estimated to bring Scotland £40.7
million ($50.6 million) in tourism money annually.

10. In Europe, Santa Claus has an evil doppelgänger:
Krampus.
A reveler dressed up as Krampus for the Krampus Creatures parade. SeanGallup/ Getty
You might have heard of the 2015 comedy/horror hybrid film,
but the real story of Krampus is just as terrifying as you'd expect.
National Geographic describes Krampus as a "half-goat, half-
demon, horrific beast."
Krampus is the bad cop to Santa's good cop. While the jolly
bearded fellow up north gives the nice kids presents, Krampus
aims to scare the naughty kids into behaving better by beating
them with birch branches or hauling them off to hell in sacks.
He's mainly a German and Austrian figure, though other countries
have their own versions, and traditionally shows up on December
5, which is known as "Krampusnacht" (Krampus Night).
Though no one quite knows for certain, this tradition is often
believed to have begun when the Moors raided European towns,
kidnapping locals and sellingthem into slavery.

11. You don't want to come across the night marchers
of Hawaii.
Steer clear of the marchers. Dave Etheridge-Barnes/GettyImages
Night marchers, or huaka'i pō in Hawaiian, are the spirits of
former ancient Hawaiian warriors who once, in life, protected
Hawaii's most scared people. These people were so sacred, in fact,
that commoners were not allowed to look at them — if they did
they would be killed. The night marchers weren't there to
harangue anyone, they were simply doing their jobs, which is why
they traveled at night to avoid too many prying eyes.
They continue to roam around Hawaii at night as spirits, and
legend has it that if you look directly at a night marcher you will be
marked for death. If you do happen to find yourself in the middle
of a procession, you're supposed to lie down in the middle of the
road in order to show respect.

12. According to legend, water babies can be found
throughout the US, but most famously in Utah and
Idaho.
Utah Lake. Johnny Adolphson/Shutterstock
Water babies, according to Native American lore, can be found at
Massacre Rocks State Park in Idaho and in Utah Lake, though one
origin story is distinctly more upsetting.
The Idaho water babies are believed to be the ghosts of young
children that the starving people of the Shoshone tribe drowned in
the river, choosing this death over one of starvation. It's said that
if you sit at the rocks, you can still hear their cries. While some
stories claim that the babies simply drowned, others posit that
they adapted, grew gills, and have sworn revenge on the living.
In Utah, water babies are believed to be another type of creature
altogether. According to Weird US, these water babies were a type
of dwarf that lived in the lake and mimickedthe sounds of babies
crying to drown unsuspectingpeople.
Different water baby legends can be found in Nevada and
California, as well. The commonality between them all seems to be
luring people into the lake to drown them.

13. The Scandinavian gjenganger is sort of like a ghost-
zombie hybrid that haunts the living.
Zombies or gjengangers? LedyX/Shutterstock
Literally translated, gjenganger means "walking after death."
Traditionally, a gjengagner is a sort of hybrid of a ghost and a
zombie, in that it has a corporeal form (like a zombie), but still
possesses its mind and memories (like a ghost).
Gjengangers are created when a dead person has unfinished
business,or if they were killed violently, through murder or
suicide. The belief in them dates back to the Vikings, when
gjengangers were believed to have been relatively common.
A more recent belief has another connection to zombies
— gjengangers can infect the living by pinching them. Typically,
the gjengnger will pinch someone while they're sleeping, and the
pinched person will then be marked for sickness and death.

14. Pinky Pinky made girls in South Africa afraid to go
to the bathroom.
Bathroom stalls. SvedOliver/Shutterstock
While American kids had Bloody Mary to terrify them out of going
the bathroom alone, girls in South Africa had Pinky Pinky, a
demon with shockingly pink hair who would target women just
trying to use the bathroom.
According to The South African, Pinky Pinky particularly does not
like girls who wear pink underwear, and has been known to
attack or even murder them.