Do motorists pick up a phantom hitchhiker on Blue Bell Hill during stormy nights? Does Satan appear if you dance round the Devil's Bush in the village of Pluckley? Do big cats roam the local woods? And what happens if you manage to count the 'Countless Stones' near Aylesford? For centuries strange urban legends have materialised in the Garden of England. Now, for the first time, folklorist and monster-hunter Neil Arnold looks at these intriguing tales, strips back the layers, and reveals if there is more to these Chinese whispers than meets the eye. Folklore embeds itself into a local community, often to the extent that some people believe all manner of mysteries and take them as fact. Whether they're stories passed around the school playground, through the internet, or round a flickering campfire, urban legends are everywhere. Kent Urban Legends is a quirky and downright spooky ride into the heart of Kent folklore.

Do motorists pick up a phantom hitchhiker on Blue Bell Hill during stormy nights? Does Satan appear if you dance round the Devil's Bush in the village of Pluckley? Do big cats roam the local woods? And what happens if you manage to count the 'Countless Stones' near Aylesford? For centuries strange urban legends have materialised in the Garden of England. Now, for the first time, folklorist and monster-hunter Neil Arnold looks at these intriguing tales, strips back the layers, and reveals if there is more to these Chinese whispers than meets the eye. Folklore embeds itself into a local community, often to the extent that some people believe all manner of mysteries and take them as fact. Whether they're stories passed around the school playground, through the internet, or round a flickering campfire, urban legends are everywhere. Kent Urban Legends is a quirky and downright spooky ride into the heart of Kent folklore.

Do motorists pick up a phantom hitchhiker on Blue Bell Hill during stormy nights? Does Satan appear if you dance round the Devil's Bush in the village of Pluckley? Do big cats roam the local woods? And what happens if you manage to count the 'Countless Stones' near Aylesford?For centuries strange urban legends have materialised in the Garden of England. Now, for the first time, folklorist and monster-hunter Neil Arnold looks at these intriguing tales, strips back the layers, and reveals if there is more to these Chinese whispers than meets the eye.Folklore embeds itself into a local community, often to the extent that some people believe all manner of mysteries and take them as fact. Whether they’re stories passed around the school playground, through the internet, or round a flickering campfire, urban legends are everywhere. Kent Urban Legends is a quirky and downright spooky ride into the heart of Kent folklore.

Provides evidence either verifying or disproving thirty urban legends, such as exploding silicon implants, cooking a chicken in a tanning bed, and cleaning chrome with cola, as seen on the television show "Mythbusters."

How long has a corpse been staring out at passengers on the tube? Was London Bridge really shipped abroad by an American thinking he'd bought Tower Bridge? Did the Queen really mix with the crowds as a princess on VE Day? And did Hitler actually want to live in Balham? Where are there razor blades hidden and where did all these parakeets come from? Did they really belong to Jimi Hendrix? Urban legends are the funny, frightening and fierce folklore people share. Just like the early folk tales that came before them, which were attempts to explain the spiritual world, these tales are formed from reactions to spectacular events in the modern world, and reflect our current values. From royal rumours to subterranean legends, Scott Wood has researched and written about them with a sense of wonder, humour and a keen eye. He finds the truth, the myth and the lies amongst these tales.

100 short stories, and over 25 images from the stories.Myths, Legends, Ghosts & Mysteries of historic Kent, Just like anyone else born in Kent, we grew up being told stories of the villages where we lived. Many were local legends, like the ghostly highwayman of Oxney Bottom, which spooked generations of children from the village.As well the ghost stories there were fascinating legends like Grey Dolphin. Did Robert de Shurland really kill his horse on the word of a local witch? Was that church in Gravesend really visited by aliens? If you ask the locals you will get ten different versions of the story.With Kent being the eldest county in England it's reasonable to expect a few famous names and events to have links here, yet Kent has an abundance of them.Names and events that when you hear them for the first time leaves you thinking "wow I didn't know that" Did you know about Kent's own "Bermuda Triangle", what about the Kentish folk who saw battle at Trafalgar or at Rorkes Drift, or even the Titanic passenger from Sittingbourne?Throughout the generations these stories have been told and re-told thousands of times and with each telling the story grows and adapts a little bit more.The stories we have written in this book are the versions, which we have come to know and love. How historically accurate they are could be debated forever, although the basic facts of many of the stories are 100% accurate as our research has found. We leave you to decide, fact or fiction, myth or legend or a mixture of all four.So join us on a journey across history and through the towns and villages immortalised in Kentish folklore and see how many times you say..."Wow I didn't know that"

Kent boasts a plethora of characterising traditions which include hop-growing, smuggling and saints. All this reflects the curious history and geography of the area. It is bounded by sea on three sides, has the longest coastline of any English county and was the base for much maritime activity. This included trade and invasions, which gave rise to communities rich in sea-lore. This book also covers topics such as seasonal customs including harvest traditions; drama; witchcraft, saints and holy wells; and the background and songs surrounding fruit and hop-growing. This book charts the traditional culture of a populous and culturally significant southern county.

A case-centred study of Phantom Hitch-Hikers & Phantom Jaywalkers in Folklore and Fact. Tales of Phantom Hitch-Hikers are found the world over. But is there anything more to them than the staple of contemporary folklore they appear to be? Cases like Blue Bell Hill suggest there is. Here, and in numerous other modern cases, witnesses report vivid and terrifying encounters with solid-looking figures that step into the paths of their vehicles. These events show an affinity with the legendary Phantom Hitch-Hiker, suggesting that far from being mere vestiges of a superstitious folk tradition, they may reflect a genuine but complex phenomenon that continues to manifest in modern times and settings, and challenges our very notions of reality. This book traces Blue Bell Hill's ghost from its roots in folklore to compelling fact, with nearly 50 witness accounts attesting to it as an important modern example of haunting on record, and arguably the foremost case of its kind in the world today.

An unlucky gambler who haunts the Curtis House, the ethereal White Lady who wanders among the tombs of Union Cemetery and a ghostly diner who still insists upon joining the meal are among the otherworldly residents of Southwestern Connecticut. With a long and sometimes turbulent history, the region has become a host to lingering spirits who cannot leave behind the sites of their demise. Through spirit photography and firsthand accounts, Donna Kent, founder of the Cosmic Society of Paranormal Investigation, explores the most haunted locations from Stratford to Easton. These hair-raising tales are sure to intrigue seasoned enthusiasts and convert even the most skeptical reader into a believer.

Urban Legends of Theology surveys 40 of the most common misunderstandings of Christian doctrine. Some of the urban legends are cultural truisms that turn out not to be true; others are misconceptions of what the Bible and Christian tradition actually teach. Author and theologian Michael Wittmer writes in an engaging and incisive manner, probing beliefs nearly every churchgoer has heard at one time or another, such as: The Bible is our only authority All sin is the same before God God won’t give you more than you can handle Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship We are the hands and feet of Jesus Urban Legends of Theology corrects these misconceptions and offers a better alternative in each one’s place, guiding readers into the full riches and freedom of Christian theology rightly understood.