[On December 5th, 1945, five naval jets disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle, helping establish an urban legend that has endured to this day. So this week I’ll AmericanStudy five such urban legends, leading up to a crowd-sourced weekend post!]
On
AmericanStudies takeaways from pop culture works about three legendary
creatures.
1)
Harry and the Hendersons (1987): I’m
not going to make the case that this E.T.-lite film about a suburban
family who accidentally adopt a Bigfoot and have to keep him safe from hunters
and scientists is any great shakes. But I do think that the tagline, captured
on the
original theatrical poster, is really telling: “According to science, Bigfoot
doesn’t exist. When you can’t believe your eyes, trust your heart.” There are
various reasons why folks have been determined to believe in Bigfoot/Sasquatch for more
than a century, and indeed why cryptids of all kinds maintain their hold on our
collective imaginations—but I think high on the list is that we want to believe
that there are mysteries beyond the reach of science or knowledge. I agree with
that perspective, by the way, even if I’m not quite sure that one of those
mysteries is Harry the Bigfoot.
2)
“El Mundo Gira” (1997): There’s
no shortage of cultural representations of El
Chupacabra, the goat-killing cryptid whose story seemingly originated in
Puerto Rico but who has also haunted much of the American Southwest,
Mexico, and further into Central America for at least half a century. But I
think this Season 4 episode of The X-Files is particularly interesting for
two reasons: it links the mythic creature to one of the show’s most realistic
social commentary plotlines, about Mexican American migrant workers in
California; and, as the title (which translates to “The World Turns”) suggests,
the entire episode is presented in the style of a telenovela.
I’m not sure either of those elements entirely works, but both are a great reminder
that urban legends can and must always be contextualized with both real-world issues
in their societies and the kinds of cultural forms of storytelling through
which all legends are told.
3)
“A Night with the Jersey
Devil” (2008): You didn’t think I could resist including a Springsteen song,
didya? This single-only, b-side type release isn’t anywhere close to Bruce’s
finest work, but it’s got a very unique and interesting sound and vibe, one
that nicely complements its gruesome description of the activities of the
famous cryptid who supposedly inhabits New Jersey’s Pine
Barrens. And most interesting, to me, is Bruce’s choice to make that
cryptid the song’s speaker, right from the striking opening lines: “Hear me
now!/I was born 13th child, ‘neath the 13th moon/Spit out
all hungry and born anew.” As this whole blog series will illustrate, plenty of
folks believe in urban legends—but it’s one thing to believe in these mysterious
and often frightening tales, and another to actually listen to what they might
tell us. As Bruce’s song reveals, that’s an even scarier prospect.
Next urban
legend tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What
do you think? Urban legends you’d highlight for the weekend post?
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