Urban Legends in San Antonio and South Texas

Contributions From Our Honors Students!

San Antonio's Murder Mansion - https://ghostcitytours.com/san-antonio/haunted-places/midget-mansion/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22689265386&gbraid=0AAAAADpl_Nn6EDzRHmmL0W9oQ7pocUo7C&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Y3HBhCxARIsAN7931WaRmEf09Odl_zIzjAbgd_D35BywB7CysNZMafWpswkxwLWl0nz0SwaAmeuEALw_wcBLinks to an external site.

The Ghosts in La Villita - https://ghostcitytours.com/san-antonio/haunted-places/la-villita/Links to an external site.

Kitsune - https://www.triplemoonpsychotherapy.com/archetypes-and-symbolism-myth-and-psyche/foxsymbolismLinks to an external site.

"According to Japanese folklore, the Kitsune, a mischievous and cunning fox-trickster, is believed to have been the creator of the enigmatic shapeshifting fire"

"For the Celts, the fox was not merely a physical creature but a spiritual one. Furthermore, they believed the fox could move between the physical and spiritual realms as a bridge between the two worlds. Thus, the fox was seen as a guide in the spirit world, able to lead the Celts on journeys of discovery and enlightenment."

Rosita y Conchita: https://www.mommymaestra.com/2018/10/rosita-y-conchita-book-review.html

The Majestic Theater San Antonio: https://ghostcitytours.com/san-antonio/haunted-places/majestic-theatre/

Christus Santa Rosa Hospital | Haunted Places | San Antonio, TX

San Fernando Cathedral: https://ghostcitytours.com/san-antonio/haunted-places/san-fernando-cathedral/

The Dancing Devil of El Camaroncito: https://folklorethursday.com/regional-folklore/top-5-texas-urban-legends/

La Lechuza: https://www.caller.com/story/news/special-reports/building-our-future/throwback/2020/10/21/corpus-christi-ghost-stories-did-la-lechuza-terrorize-robstown-1975/6005182002/

The Donkey Lady of the Bridge - https://www.rjaghosttours.com/the-donkey-lady-bridge

San Antonio Spooky Folklore: https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/article/san-antonio-spooky-folklore-21057725.php

Some books

Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys by Xavier Garza
Have you ever been too scared to sleep with the lights off? Were you frightened by a scratching sound inside of your walls or the beady red eyes and knotted green fingers of a duende? In his first collection of scary stories, Xavier Garza asks these questions. The stories in this collection curdle with the creepy and crawling characters of traditional folklore. These stories brim with the supernatural: the mysterious disappearance of children who made deals with duendes, evil trolls who live inside the walls of our houses; the ghostly specter of La Llorona who floats along the creek bed, howling, Ay, mis hijos ; witches that turn into great white owls; a severed hand that hurtles across floors and catches a death grip; and even the Devil himself harvesting wayward souls. These are all cucuys, supernatural beings who have come to haunt the imagination in these tales of wonder and warning. These delicious and frightful stories come down through generations of grandmas teaching children to respect the laws of nature and the All Powerful. These particular spooky cucuys are recounted and illustrated by master storyteller Xavier Garza, just the way he heard them at the knees of other masters when he was growing up in South Texas. Garza has preserved just the right gory detail and startling surprise to frighten the socks off you. And he always insists that you learn your lesson and take heed, or else...
Folk Horror on Film by Kevin J. Donnelly (Editor); Louis Bayman (Editor)
ISBN: 9781526164933

Publication Date: 2023-10-10

What is folk horror and how culturally significant is it? This collection is the first study to address these questions while considering the special importance of British cinema to the genre's development. The book presents political and aesthetic analyses of folk horror's uncanny landscapes and frightful folk. It places canonical films like Witchfinder General (1968), The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and The Wicker Man (1973) in a new light and expands the canon to include films like the sci-fi horror Doomwatch (1970-72) and the horror documentary Requiem for a Village (1975) alongside filmmakers Ken Russell and Ben Wheatley. A series of engrossing chapters by established scholars and new writers argue for the uniqueness of folk horror from perspectives that include the fragmented national history of pagan heresies and Celtic cultures, of peasant lifestyles, folkloric rediscoveries and postcolonial decline.
When Darkness Falls by Docia Shultz Williams
ISBN: 1556225369

Publication Date: 1997-06-01

San Antonio is such an interesting and fascinating place to live, it seems a lot of folks just don't want to leave when it's their time to go. So, those Spirits of San Antonio just keep on returning--most often "When Darkness Falls". Once again, well-known ghost story writer Docia Williams brings us a new book about recent ghost sightings and mysterious happenings in the Alamo City. A chilling book for those wanting a guide to places where spirits are known to rendezvous or for those who just like a good ghost story.

Some academic articles

Urban Legends and Paranormal Beliefs: The Role of Reality Testing and Schizotypy

Dagnall, N., Denovan, A., Drinkwater, K., Parker, A., & Clough, P. J. (2017). Urban Legends and Paranormal Beliefs: The Role of Reality Testing and Schizotypy. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 942. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00942

Tall, Dark, and Loathsome: The Emergence of a Legend Cycle in the Digital Age

Peck, A. (2015). Tall, Dark, and Loathsome: The Emergence of a Legend Cycle in the Digital Age. The Journal of American Folklore, 128(509), 333–348. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerfolk.128.509.0333