HORRIFYING HALLOWEEN LEGENDS AND FOLKTALES

Halloween has tons of legends: witches, vampires, werewolves. 

So on the event of Halloween, Here’s a small collection of Horrifying Halloween legends and folktales!

1. STINGY JACK 

This story is the reason why we have carved pumpkins on our doorsteps. Stingy Jack was a drunkard. Satan was fascinated by the devious man and decided to get his soul. When Satan came to collect his soul, Jack demanded a final drink at his favorite pub, to which Satan agreed. Jack suggested Satan turn into a coin to pay for the drinks and have his soul. He then slid the “coin” into his pocket with a crucifix. The demon, trapped and helplessly, asked Jack to let him go. Jack again demanded to let him live for another decade. Satan agreed and left.

Ten years later, Jack saw Satan. He again demanded Satan to go and get one last apple for him from the tree, and then he will willingly go to hell. Satan once again agreed. While Satan was climbing, Jack carved a cross on the tree. Satan once again trapped (he got fooled by a drunkard…again). And comes another demand from Jack.

He made Satan promise him never to take his soul to hell. Only then will he be released. Many years later, when Jack died, St. Peter refused his entrance into heaven due to his evil deeds. Satan didn’t allow him in hell due to their last contract. Satan gave him aturnip ablaze with hellfire. Even now, Jack is said to be roaming around with a carved turnip glowing with hellfire.

We carve pumpkins instead of turnips because pumpkins are easier to carve.

 2. THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN 

You have a lovely walk in the woods, and then you hear a noise, a horse. The sound of a horse running in the dark on your right. After a few seconds, you finally see the horse ridden by a guy, a guy with no head. That would be lovely for your heart, won’t it?. 

The headless horseman is a Hessian soldier headless Hessian soldier, a fictional character from the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Abraham Van Brunt’s head was smashed by an American cannonball and was later buried in the graveyard of Sleepy Hollow.

It is said that the soldier wakes up from his grave to look for his head. In contrast, some claim that he rose from his grave to lead his men to Chatterton Hill, still unaware that the British have already won it. For many unknown reasons, the headless horseman still wanders the roads around Tarrytown. So, maybe uh look for any horse sounds, would you! 

3. BABA YAGA 

In one of the Slavic folktales lives a petite old woman. She is said to have a large distorted nose and long iron teeth. She wears dirty old rags. She lives in a house in the middle of woods that has chicken legs and can uproot itself and run with the house if required. She flies in her giant pestle and mortar. She carries her broom to sweep away the evidence she had left behind. Sounds weird, I KNOW!

 She is depicted as good and evil. Some people seek her for her knowledge. While many say she eats people lost in the woods and that she especially loves to eat human children, and that she is the devil’s grandmother. Whether she is the evil old woman living in a weird house and eating little children or a wise older person with excellent knowledge…it’s a mystery. But I would suggest not to act brave and search for her, especially kids. 

4. WENDIGO 

This monster originates from Native Americans. It’s a cannibalistic spirit that I would describe as something with a human-like body but with really long limbs and sometimes with horns that look like a stag. It is said to wander around the woods looking for “food” or, in much simpler words, humans.

According to the story, Wendigo’s non-stop hunger is due to them growing in proportion to the size of the meal it just had. Some others also say that the spirit possesses men filled with selfish and greedy desires and curses them to seek to eat human flesh. And here’s a heads up. If you ever get seen by a Wendigo, you won’t be able to escape. It’s quick and unharmed by any elements of nature. Even if you get in a shelter, it knows how to open a door. So watch out if you are thinking of going down the woods for camping on Halloween!!!

check out our other scary Halloween stories here!