Urban Legends (UL's) are tales of modern folklore that can be passed on through traditional methods such as 'word of mouth', or by modern methods such as E-Mail, faxes, and the Internet. Variations of the same UL can be heard in many different countries spontaneously spreading like a virus and often mutating to the environment they are told in, with details being localised by the storyteller. UL's often play on the fears, beliefs, and anxieties of a particular period or moment in time, and over the years the legends adjust to reflect the themes of the new modern era. For example, The Vanishing Hitchhiker (HR4704) is a classic and one of the oldest ULs. In the story, the mode of transport has changed over the years to adapt with the times. The transport has changed from horseback and 'Horse and Chariot' in the early legends, then to the 'Horse and wagon', and eventually to the modern versions with a car.

Because the legends often reflect the 'sign of the times', they often contain morals or lessons that are embedded within the tale. It may be possible to use the influence of UL's to manipulate and to use as a propaganda tool for political motives, or for more sinister gains. This is an area that I hope to tap into and uncover some truths!

The answers to the following questions interest UL investigators the most:

1. How and where did the legend originate from?
2. How has the legend spread?

The answers to these questions are not as easy as you may think, as the legends are normally totally believed to be true by the teller. The teller will probably tell you that he/she had heard the story from someone they know (i.e. friend or relative), and if you asked the friend/relative about the story, they would probably tell you it has actually happened to someone they know. The same pattern will repeat itself again and again, leading to a dead end at every turn and the investigator around the bend! It is this complicated set of events that led the author Rodney Dale coining the term (FOAF), which simply means "A Friend Of A Friend".

Tracing the origins of the legends can also be a frustrating business because the legends have a habit of mutating over the years, and so may have originally reflected a totally different set of events to which they do now. Of course, not all UL's are an impressive work of fiction, some are true and others contain an element of truth. Sometimes the borders between fiction and reality are blurred so much it is impossible to tell one from the other. As they say (don't ask me who), the truth can be stranger than fiction.

UL's can cover every subject you can imagine, and like jokes, seem to arrive on the scene immediately after an important event has happened. At present, UL's are thriving with the use of modern technology. The spread of the legends, which used to be very reliant on the word of mouth process, are spread rapidly by faxes, E-Mail and the Internet. This gives the legends an instant global audience. The flip side of the coin is that the new technology is very vulnerable to hoaxes. UL's in particular have thrived on the fear of computer viruses, spreading worldwide panic over something that is nothing more than a hoax.