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The Cursed and Haunted Elfin Forest in California

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Amidst the haunted rumors about a white witch on the prowl, a native burial ground as well as an old gypsy curse on the land, the sunny Elfin Forest in California holds dark secrets.

Within the heart of North County San Diego close to Escondido, Elfin Forest remains a hidden gem, known for its picturesque landscapes and scenic trails through the shrub landscape. However, beneath the tranquil façade of this seemingly idyllic forest at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains lies a tapestry woven with eerie tales and haunted rumors that have captured the imaginations of locals and thrill-seekers alike. 

Read more: Check out all ghost stories and haunted places in the USA

Officially known as the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, it encompasses over 700 acres of diverse ecosystems, including chaparral, woodland, and riparian habitats. It also used to go under the name Questhaven. There have been many tales about what you can find inside, everything from haunted asylums, strange creatures and ancient burial grounds. But how much of it is really true?

Elfin Forest: View of Escondido Creek inside of the forest which is located in the northern half of San Diego County. The forest is a popular hiking spot as well as thought to be haunted. Some go as far as saying it is cursed. // Source: Wikimedia

The area is a haven for hikers, birdwatchers, and nature enthusiasts who seek solace amidst the serene beauty of Southern California’s natural landscapes. The roads going through the area are curvy, full of twists and in some places the phone reception completely disappears.

Who knew that some of the darkest legends would be found in sunny California?

Gypsy Ghosts and Curses

There are stories that the area was inhabited by Romani people or something like them in the 19th century and well into the 20th century. There certainly is a spiritual community that has been there for a while called Harmony Grove.  

According to the local legends, the original spiritual romani settlers were chased away by their neighbors, killing those that refused to follow command. According to their neighboring communities they held rituals around the forest. 

Read more: Check out more stories about haunted forests

Because of how they were treated and as retribution, they cursed the land and the forest. Many of the urban legends and haunted rumors stem from this belief of a gypsy curse and gave rise to the paranormal rumors hovering over Elfin Forest ever since. 

The Urban Legend of the White Owl

One of the urban legends that came out of Elfin Forest is the one of the white owl. According to the stories, it is a ten-foot owl that comes out at nights, soaring above the trees and seeks those that dares enter the forest.

Giant Owls: There are many variants of urban legends concerning owls. One so is the tale of La Lechuza that comes from Mexico and has a heavy influence over California which used to be a part of it. According to the narrative, a lechuza, or owl, notably a white one, embodies a bruja, a witch transformed into this avian form. While smaller owls are associated with witches, La Lechuza stands out as a colossal owl in this folklore. Though some accounts describe it as a white owl, conflicting stories and reports also depict it as a mysterious black owl, adding an air of uncertainty to the haunting legend.

If you are in a car the owl is said to have landed on top of the car, causing it to crash and killing the passengers of the vehicle as it has the power to possess people. If you walk into the forest on foot the owl will come straight for you and kill you. 

The White Witch of Elfin Forest

One of the enduring legends found within the forest is the legend of the white witch that is supposedly haunting tha area still. In some variations of the legend, she is said to have haunted the place since the gypsies stayed in the area. According to the story she was once married to a man and had a son. 

The story tells that she once came home and found them both murdered. According to the legend she is still searching for their murderer. Was it when the gypsies were driven out?

In one version of the story the three of them entered the forest together to explore. The family didn’t return for three days and friends and neighbors started to become concerned. Just then, one of them returned from down the hill and it was the mother, her clothes ripped and her face covered in dirt. Total fear in her eyes.

According to her they had been attacked by a gang of men and only she had been able to escape their deadly attack. After this she was said to have started taking an interest in darker arts and planning for her revenge. One day she claimed she was ready and dressed in all white before entering the forest again. What happened after, is up to legends.

Read more: Check out more stories about witches

She is said to be one of the more dangerous spirits in the forests and rides a black stallion with a black cloak covering her. Some claiming to have seen her say they didn’t hear the horse galloping but was soaring through the air instead. 

When entering the forest, it is said she marks the person with a spiritual tag, and if you dare enter the forest again, you will face certain death. Also if you happen to see her eyes covered in the dark cloak, they are green and are said to kill you instantly. 

Tales of Witches: The many legends of owls, bruja’s white witches, ghosts and gypsy curses echoes from the trees of the forest. Some merge into the others, and one can perhaps never get to the bottom of what really happened inside of this forest.

The roads are said to be dangerous as it is said this is where she rides her stallion. She has also been accused of causing accidents when cars crash after falling into a trance causing them to drive off the road and into the shadows were she leads them. 

Whether she is still haunting the forest here or not is up for debate. The Harmony Grove Spiritual Center is a psychic village found close by and were used to see her from time to time. According to them, she found peace a long time ago and she no longer makes an appearance in the forest.

Native American Ghosts

Before the Europeans took over, this land used to belong to the Northern Diegueño Natives and there is archeological evidence for their presence dating back thousands of years, with their language even dating back 9000 years.

According to the legends and speculations, they believe that Elfin Forest was a sort of meeting place for the different tribes in the area with a good energy. However, as time passed it is said that the energy lingering in the forest turned bad for some reason. 

The stories concerning the Native American are many, but vague. There are as always rumors that there are ancient Native American burial grounds in the area and that a lot of the paranormal activity stems from this. It has been reported on several occasions that people have seen their spirits hanging from trees.

The reporting of these stories were told from the Harmony Grove Spiritualists. One of the members, like Corinne Pleasant (1897-1984) was a resident and told the San Diego Union paper about how they would try to come into contact with them. According to her, they could see the children of these native people running around at night. 

The Lady in White

Another well-known tale centers around the “Lady in White” who is said to wander the trails of Elfin Forest. Described as a spectral figure dressed in a flowing white gown, she is believed to be the ghost of a woman who met a tragic fate in the forest. Some versions of the story suggest a love affair gone awry, while others allude to more sinister circumstances. 

She is said to be following hikers inside of the forest. Encounter stories range from fleeting glimpses to chilling apparitions that vanish without a trace.

A Walk Through the Trees

Elfin Forest, with its lush landscapes and bewitching trails, captivates the hearts and minds of those who seek both natural beauty and a touch of the mysterious with its tales of ghosts, legends and spiritual communities. 

Perhaps the tales are simply echoes of the past, carried through time by the rustling leaves and winding trails of this magical woodland. As visitors tread lightly through its paths, they may find themselves wondering if the whispers in the wind are just that or something more otherworldly, weaving the tales of Elfin Forest into the fabric of California’s haunted lore.

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References:

The Mystery of Questhaven: Exploring the Rumors of Hauntings in the Elfin Forest | Encinitas, CA Patch 

Elfin Forest | Hidden San Diego 

The Terrifying Mysteries of the Elfin Forest. | by Stefan Georgeta | Medium 

Elfin Forest Ghost Haunted Legends and the Paranormal – San Diego Haunted Locations 

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The Disappearance of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill in Beijing

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In China they tell about an urban legend about the disappearance of Bus 330 or the last bus to Fragrant Hills that involves both a ghost story as well as a murder mystery. 

One of the most famed urban legends from China is the mysterious story about the Bus 330 that disappeared and the close call one of the passengers had to become one of the victims of something supernatural if we are to believe the legend. 

Read More: Check out all our collection of ghost stories from China

So what really happened inside of the mysterious Bus 330 to Fragrant Hill on this cold November night in 1995 on the roads in Beijing, and how much of the retold story is true?

The Last Bus to Fragrant Hills

In 1995 the last bus of No. 330, or 375 in some variations, departed from the main station of Yuanmingyuan at 10 o’clock on November 14th to Fragrant Hill in Beijing. In this legend and ghost story there was a young couple, a young man and an old woman in addition to the driver and the conductor involved.

At first it was just another late night bus in the dark, but it soon started to take a dark turn. After a few stops the bus picked up two passengers on the way back to the terminal and this is when it all changed. 

The men were running after the bus, trying to wave it down in the cold November night. Although some passengers protested as they just wanted to get home, the bus driver stopped and opened the doors for the two men with a person between them, propped up that looked passed out drunk. 

The passed out man was not the strangest thing about them as the two men were wearing Qing Dynasty costumes and although a little peculiar attire, no one gave them too much attention as they thought they might have been filming something and the bus ride continued in peace through the dark night with only a few dimly lit street lights on the close to empty road. 

The Legless Ghosts

The driver and the conductor were laughing and talking together and the young couple got off the bus three or four stops later on their way to Fragrant Hill in this smoggy Beijing Night. 

Only the old woman watched the two men closely and suddenly got up and claimed that the young man had stolen her wallet, yelling at him and telling him they needed to head to the nearest police station to settle the matter. 

Two passengers, a young man and an old woman disagreed about the wallet, and the old lady insisted they get off the bus that was making its way through Beijing. When they were safely off the bus, she told the young man, annoyed for getting off at the wrong bus stop, that the two strange passengers on the bus actually turned out to be ghosts from the Qing Dynasty. 

She had noticed that the two men had no legs at all and she had made the story about the wallet up to get him to get off the bus with her. Who knows, the ghosts could very well be dangerous.

The Death and Disappearance of the Bus

The Last Bus to Fragrant Hill never made it back to the terminal, and when questioned by the police, the young man and old lady told them about the ghost passengers. It seemed to have simply disappeared. No one believed them, but the ending of the story seemed to be the most mysterious about it all. 

The Last Bus to Fragrant Hill: Did this ghost story start to be told in the 90s because of a trend or did it actually happen in the 90s. Did it happen at all?

The Last Bus to Fragrant Hill was found three days later in the Miyun Reservoir, over 100 kilometers from Xiangshan and its original route. According to the legend the bus was already rusted like it had been there for years, not just a couple of days and then there were three bloody murdered bodies found inside of it, already starting to decompose. 

The Truth of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill Disappearance

Was this story really a sensation in 1995 as the legend of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill wanted it to be, and do the details really hold up ?

The case of the the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill that went missing has today been solved according to many people, and there were no ghosts, the bus wasn’t rusted and the bodies were decomposed as it time had moved quicker than the rest of the world. But they were indeed dead according to this version as this was a straight up murder case, not a ghost story. 

The two passengers boarded the bus with the person between them already dead and covered up the blood with wine and pretended to be drunk rather than dead. They killed both the driver as well as the conductor and drove the bus to a remote place to hide it and got away with the crime. 

So could this be it? Could the incident of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill be a murder case more than a ghost story? There are however no found written records about a crime case like this either from this time and place and the story lives on as an urban legend, even without the supernatural elements to it. 

The Urban Legend Evolves to Modern Times

There has also been a shift in the bus number in recent years, and it looks like the newer generation often credit the bus number as 375, not 330 anymore. Recent retellings of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill also add on newer technology like that it was a phone that was stolen, and puts more focus on surveillance cameras that were not as widespread in the 90s. 

The fact it has such a specific date, makes the story much more believable at once, but when looking closer it is also easier to see there really wasn’t a mystery in any papers at the time.

There were however several stories similar to the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill circulating even before 1995, and some sources put the event at 1992, and perhaps even earlier. However, as the legend stands today, there are several things that can debunk the story. Online the earliest entry found of this story so far dates back to 2015. 

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References:

北京330公交车事件真相？来看看真正北京人的讲述 

北京公交车失踪事件，轰动北京的灵异案件(谣言解密) 

北京的330路公交车，司机死相诡异(实际上是捏造出的故事) 

https://kknews.cc/society/q2bzqkr.html

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The Braided Girl on the Train Tracks

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Passed around on the school campuses, the story about the Ghost of the Braided Girl from the train tracks have been told for decades now and close to all students attending the Chinese University of Hong Kong have heard about the haunting urban legend. 

A male student attending the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) passed by the campus and saw a girl with braids crying with her back to him, covering her face. When he asked her why she was crying the girl said that no one wanted to talk to her. 

The CUHK‘ student, feeling sorry for the crying girl all alone, said that he would talk to her if she turned her head and looked at him. 

“You will be afraid when you see me,” the girl said, but the student just thought she was shy and claimed that he wouldn’t be afraid. When she turned her head however, her scalp and face were horribly disfigured with one of her braid ripped of her head. He was indeed very afraid. 

School Campus Ghost Story on CUHK

School campuses are a perfect place to pass around ghost stories, especially in Hong Kong at orientation in August close to the ghost month. One of the most famous haunted legends from the university campus at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and according to some of the polls, over 90 percent of the students attending says they know the story of the Braided Girl. 

Read more about: The Obon Celebration

The story of The Braided Girl is set around the train station close to Chinese University of Hong Kong and where the old train tracks used to run. In the 1960’s, or according to some, even before that, a girl was trying to smuggle herself into Hong Kong from mainland China to elope and be with her lover. Back then there were a number of people from mainland China who tried to hide in the trains carrying cattles and jumped off the train when reaching the destination. 

The Braided Girl was wearing two plaited braids and had no ticket for the train she was on. She was caught when the conductor asked for her ticket and she knew she had to get away. 

To escape she jumped from the train, but one of her long braids was caught in the train door or even the tracks as she hit the ground and she tore the braids from her scalp and destroyed her face and died a horrible death. 

People have seen the braided girl weeping with her backs to them around the path where the story allegedly happened where the tracks used to run. The place is now known as Braid Road (辮子路 or 一條辮路).

When the students, mostly male students, are looking closer she turns toward them and shows her torn face. 

Read Also: The Urban Legend of the Mouth Slit Woman

Behind the Legend of the Braided Girl

Most tell the story about the Braided Girl  as if it happened in the 1960s or 70s, and many think this is when the urban legend started. There are however sources that mean that this happened long before.

The Braided Girl: There have been a ghost story about a braided girl appearing in front of male students in the night close to the train tracks. When she turns around, it is said she has a torn face.

Former students and lecturers at CUHK tell that there used to be a much simpler version of the Braided Girl, but the plot involving the train came later. 

The Elevators on CUHK Passing the Haunted Floor

The story about the Braided Girl is not the only ghost story told from this particular university. There are also stories about the Haunted Mong Man Wai Building (蒙民偉樓), home of the biochemistry department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

The building is built against the steep hills and makes good use of elevators for the students to get back and forth from lectures, research in the libraries and other activities. 

Read Also: Check out all of the ghost stories from China

Students that have attended the school claim it is haunted, as the second floor formerly served as a morgue and gave off a haunted and creepy vibe.

There are many stories telling about the hauntings going on in the university department. One of them is about the many elevators in the building that are said to be haunted. They are not really stopping by the second floor that used to serve as a morgue.

When the elevators filled with mirrors and dim lightning are passing the second floor and people get an eerie feeling and a sense of something paranormal going on. When the elevator is passing by the floor people report a feeling like the speed of the elevator is slowing down, almost if something is holding it back. 

Ghost Stories on the Campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong

In conclusion, the legend of the Ghost of the Braided Girl from the train tracks continues to captivate the students of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Passed around on school campuses for decades, this haunting urban legend has become deeply ingrained in the university’s culture.

These ghost stories serve as a reminder of the rich folklore and legends that permeate the university environment, adding a touch of mystery to the bustling campus life. Whether these tales are based on historical events or pure imagination, they contribute to the vibrant culture and shared experiences of the students at CUHK.

As generations of students come and go, the Ghost of the Braided Girl and other eerie legends will continue to be whispered in hushed tones between classmates. These stories create a sense of shared history and identity for the students, connecting them to the supernatural realm and fostering a bond that transcends time.

So the next time you find yourself walking the halls of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, beware of the shadows that lurk in the corners and the ghostly whispers that echo through the night. The legends may be terrifying, but they have become an integral part of the university’s fabric, reminding us that there is more to this world than what meets the eye.

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References:

蒙民伟楼_百度百科

各大大學鬼故及傳聞- 第4頁 – 其他討論題目(N) – hkitalk.net 香港交通資訊網- 手機版- Powered by Discuz! 

香港中文大学有哪些特色建筑？ – 匿名用户 的回答- 知乎 

Phantom menace | South China Morning Post

辮子姑娘- 維基百科，自由的百科全書 

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The Takeout Ordering Ghost in Hong Kong

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An urban legend about a ghost ordering takeout has been one of the most retold ghost stories in Hong Kong for a while now. And according to some of the sorcerers, we can trace the origin of the story back to a real thing that happened. 

One of the more famous urban legends in Hong Kong is the story about the ghost that ordered takeout from the same restaurant, 鬼叫餐, in Chinese. 

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories from China

The story most likely started out in the 1950s in a post war Hong Kong. A young man was working in Chiu Yong Kee, a cha chaan teng, a Hong Kong styled restaurant and delivered food in Yau Ma Tei (油麻地) district. 

The Ghost Money

The delivery boy went out after a food order came by phone and he headed out to a nearby condo, often said to be a place around Leighton Road. When he came to the door, he knocked, and the door opened just slightly. A hand came out and gave him the money for the food. The young man checked the money and went back to the restaurant. 

When the owner counted the money for the register later that night he saw that it was ghost money, modern version of joss paper in the register. This is small sheets of paper Chinese people burn as offerings to the dead for them to keep in their afterlife. They are also called hell money and makes an appearance in more than one ghost story.

The restaurant owner thought it was the young man that had scammed him and stolen from the register and put the ghost money in. He brought it up, but his employee refused that it was him and promised he didn’t take the money, it had to be the people at the nearby condo. The owner believed or at least forgave him. 

The next day the same thing happend. They got the call at the restaurant, and a hand from the door gap gave the delivery boy the money. He double checked them, and everything seemed fine. But when he returned to the restaurant they had turned to ghost money again. Something was seriously wrong.

The third day the owner decided to go by himself when they got another order from the condo. The same thing happened and the owner became sure that they had to be professional scammers, so he called the police.

The Dead Mahjong Players

The neighbors of the condo had also noticed the sound of people gathering in the apartment, and when they peeked in they saw the shapes of men playing Mahjong in the dark night. That wasn’t an uncommon sight, but what was horrifying thought, was that they all looked like they were missing their heads.

When the police came around there was no one answering, and they ended up knocking the door down. Inside they found four decomposing bodies around a Mahjong table. The food containers from the restaurant were next to them. 

When they examined the bodies, they found out they had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and had been dead for some time and wouldn’t have been alive to take the deliveries from the restaurant. After further examination though, it did really look like they had gotten their food in their bodies after their death. 

The Truth Behind the Story of the Takeout Ordering Ghost

Unlike many urban legends, there seems to be a real case that happened that transformed into what is now known as the takeout ghost. Although the origin of the story was very different. 

On March 6th in 1953, it was reported in the newspaper that  a group of people were playing Mahjong in an apartment when one of the participants saw an extra hand join in the game that didn’t belong to anyone. They all got frightened and ran from the place. 

Neighbors heard about what happened and the story spread to the rest of the city. According to the news, in the end there was a crowd of more than a thousand people who came to the area to see for themselves if the place really was haunted or not. In the end the police had to come and disperse the gathering crowd. They also launched an investigation into what happened in the apartment. 

According to the police investigation, the case of the ghostly hans was all a hoax made by an evicted tenant with a grudge to his former landlord. As revenge, he spread a rumor that the apartment was haunted and the rumor grew so much that even the neighbors thought it was true. 

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References:

https://www.localiiz.com/post/culture-local-stories-creepy-urban-legends-hong-kong

Local Myths: 5 Famous Hong Hong Urban Legends – Shroffed 

Urban Legends: Hong Kong Ghost Takeout 

http://chinesefolktales.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-haunting-in-hong-kong-case-from-1953.html

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The Haunted Inunaki Village in Japan

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The urban legend of Inunaki Village in Japan is about a forgotten village of villagers refusing to conform to the Japanese constitution. They would do everything to protect themselves from the outside world, even killing the ones that trespasses.

In 1999, Nippon TV, one of Japan’s biggest TV channels, received a letter from an anonymous person about Inunaki Village in the Fukuoka Prefecture all the way south in Japan. The anonymous letter was titled “The Village in Japan That Isn’t Part of Japan” and urged the TV channel to visit the place. In the letter it told about the legend about a couple that once went there, but never came back. 

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories from Japan

The Inunaki Village (犬鳴村) means the Howling village and is an urban legend that dates back to the 1990s. The Legend of Inunaki Village, as we know the legend today, likely first appeared online in 1999. An anonymous person sent a letter to the TV station, NTV with the title “The Village in Japan That Isn’t Part of Japan.” It describes the legend as we know it today.

Inunaki Village: The place is said to be an almost abandoned village in the mountains, separated from Japan as they recognize themselves as outsiders. Even killing trespassers to keep outsiders out.

The Inunaki Village is supposedly a forgotten village in Fukuoka Prefecture by the Mount Inunaki mountain pass and is easily missed as the path to the village is along a narrow path. And according to the mysterious letter to Nippon TV, the legend goes like this:

Sometimes in the early 1970s, a young couple was making their way to Hisayama on the other side of the mountain when the car engine broke down. They left their car and headed up to the forest to see if they found someone that could help. They passed a handwritten sign on the way that read “The Japanese constitution is not in effect past here.”

Eventually they reached a village, but when they walked through it it seemed abandoned. But as they walked among the abandoned village with the dark windows they saw a man and approached them. Something that they really shouldn’t have. In what is explained as being a “crazy old man” he came to them and welcomed them to Inunaki village before he murdered them with a sickle. 

Now, only their old black Sedan car they left is the proof they were ever there.

The Urban Legend of Inunaki Village

What is it about this village? Supposedly it is a village that consists of residents that refuse to follow the rules of the Japanese Constitution. This is a statement from the village from all the way back to the Edo period when mistreated peasant chose to cut of the world and live in exile. There are also theories about that the village was taken by a horrible sickness and they closed down the village to people coming and going. Even to the point of murder.

The very name Inunaki is said to be of a haunted origin. According to the legend, a man killed his dog because it wouldn’t stop barking. But then the man and his whole family was murdered and the dog was just trying to warn his master about the approaching danger.  

Another story related to the village is that of the telephone booth near the Inunaki bridge. Allegedly it gets a call from the Inunaki Village every night. If you are the unfortunate soul that answers the phone call you are cursed and transported to the village. 

The Haunted Village through the Tunnel: The Urban Legend about the Inunaki Village have inspired several Movies and Animes that keeps the legend alive, and gives it more legs to stand on for every adaptation that are made. // From the 2019 movie Howling Village.

There used to be an actual real village called Inunaki Village from 1691 to 1889, but it has no connection to the legend that started in the 1990s. Or does it?

The Haunted Inunaki Tunnel

The whole area around these parts have been considered to be haunted for a very long time by now. Like the area around the Old Inunaki Tunnel for example which have been according to rumours ‘haunted’ long before the 90’s. The tunnel is located near the Inunaki reservoir.

According to legends many people died building the tunnel that opened in 1949. At night you can hear the screams from children coming from within the tunnel and mysterious finger and handprints on the windshield of your car after passing through the Inunaki tunnel. 

After a new tunnel opened in 1975 nearby, the old one became abandoned, eventually falling into disrepair until it was sealed off. Although it had many stories of vengeful ghosts residing inside the story before the murder, it really sealed the place as a place of violence and death as we know from the Inunaki legends.

The Inunaki Tunnel: The old Inunaki Tunnel in Miyawaka, Fukuoka Prefecture is now sealed off. It is believed to be haunted because of a murder that happened there years ago and the entrance to the Inunaki Village. // Source: Wikimedia

The Inunaki Tunnel Murders

The stories of the Inunaki tunnel is believed to be haunted because of the murder cases that have occured around the area for many years. It is already a pass with harsh weather wich causes many accidents every year. On top of this is the murders. Like when on 6th of December in 1988 found a factory worker named Koichi Umeyama burned to death inside the tunnel, long before the legend about the lost Inunaki Village went viral.

That night, five boys aged 16 to 19 years old from the Takawa district tried to steal a car from a man working as an engineer without success when they met him randomly at a gas station. They ended up abducting and tortured him for a long time, contemplating about throwing him off the bridge, drowning him or burning him in the tunell. They decieded on the latter, and even though their victim nearly escaped several times, he never got out of it alive.

The perpetrators burned him to death after pouring gasoline over him to destroy as much evidence as possible. They were quickly rounded up and got life imprisonment for it.

In 2000, a dead body was also found in a nearby dam were the original Inunaki Village is said to be submerged in. 

The Movie about the Howling Village

A movie was released in 2019 called Howling Village. It was directed by Takashi Shimizu who is best known for being the creator of the Ju-On franchise, and directing four of its films, internationally, in both Japan and the U.S. This movie blew new life into the old legend and led to an increase in trespassing and vandalism in the area, especially in the tunnel.

The movie follows a young woman and psychologist. After her brother goes missing, she visits an infamous haunted and cursed location known as ‘Howling Village’ to investigate his disappearance and uncover her family’s dark history.

The movie also had a sequel named Jukai Mura, or the Suicide Forest Village in 2021, also rather inspired by urban legends about the abandoned outside of Japan.s wilderness. Rumors exist about the Aokigahara forest on Mount Fuji that is a real place and also have a lot of haunted rumours surrounding it. The rumors say things like nobody leaves Aokigahara alive.

The Enduring Legend of Inunaki Village

Inunaki Village, with its chilling urban legend and haunted reputation, continues to captivate the imagination of those who seek tales of the supernatural. Whether rooted in historical events or born from the collective fears of a secluded community, the enduring mystery surrounding the village and its infamous tunnel persists. As the legends of Inunaki Village seep into popular culture through movies, anime, and ghost stories, it serves as a reminder of the enduring power of urban legends to both frighten and fascinate us.

But the question remains, who was the anonymous writer of the letter to the broadcasting channel back then, and was there any truth to the haunted rumors that already surrounder the place around Mt. Inunaki back then?

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Inunaki Village In Fukuoka, Japan. The Evil, Lost Village.

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Tomino’s Hell — The Cursed Poem

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The supposedly cursed poem known as Tomino’s Hell has been a famous creepypasta for a long time and an urban legend before that. But what is the truth behind the dark and twisted poem?

A popular Japanese urban legend is about Tomino’s Hell,トミノの地獄. It is a poem that is said you should only read in your mind, never out loud. It follows the tradition of Bloody Mary and Candyman that words hold power, and sometimes it can hurt like hell. 

It is said that if you dare read Tomino’s Hell out loud, a certain and agonizing death will follow the reader as the poem is said to have a curse lingering between the lines.

The Legend Passed Around About the Cursed Poem

But who created this supposedly cursed poem that are said to have even killed people?

The legend is that Tomino, often thought to be a boy, lived in Japan and wrote the poem. He was a sickly child and sat in a wheelchair. The supposedly cursed poem is pretty gruesome at some parts and his parents didn’t approve of it at all when they found it. Because of the hellish content of the poem, they locked Tomino in the cellar, not feeding him and he eventually died of bronchitis. 

The poem was from then on cursed with Tomino’s spirit and anger imprinted in every word, ready to come to life when reading it out loud. 

The Origin of the Tomino’s Hell Poem

This is obviously just the legend that is created of the legend of the legend. In fact we do know quite a bit about the actual writer of the poem, and he wasn’t thrown in a cellar to die because his parents thought the poem was too grim. 

The Writer: Yaso Saijō, 西條 八十 is the original writer of Tomino’s Hell that he wrote in 1919.

The poem is originally written by Yaso Saijō, 西條 八十, when he was 26 years old in a  collection of poems in 1919 called Sakin or Gold Dust. He was a university professor that studied at Sorbonne in France and had a long literary career.

Although most of his work was really geared towards children, making nursery rhymes and was recognised as one of the three great nursery rhymes of the Taisho period. He was for example the one introducing Alice in Wonderland in Japan, making Tomino’s Hell a work not like anything else from Yaso Saijō. Because this particular poem stands out as much darker and twisted than the average poem you read out loud. 

Read More: Check out all of our ghost stories and urban legends from Japan

There are many theories about the poem and why it was created in the first place. Many say that Yaso Saijō wrote the poem after the death of a family member as a way to express the feeling of sorrow and despair. His original intent is now lost though, and we are only left with his written words and the legend they created.

How could this poem from the turn of the century ended up being seen as a cursed poem many decades later? There is not a specific thing that is said to happen, but most often comes with a warning that ‘bad things will happen’. Most commonly, you are supposedly dragged to hell. 

What is the Cursed Poem about?

If you are curious about the whole poem of Tomino’s Hell, a translation into English is included at the end. but in summary it seems to tell the story of a little boy and his journey into hell. There are also many references to war and a descent into darkness and loneliness. 

Tomino’s Hell: The painting commonly associated with the poem ‘Tomino’s Hell’ was not created with this specific poem in mind. It has been attributed to an artist named Yuko Tatsushima and was supposedly designed to represent death or suicide but not as they relate to the poem. The painting is called ‘I don’t want to be a bride anymore.’

The Deadly Poem

The effects of the cursed poem are many, but alas, not well documented, but it is often accidents, loss of their voice, illness and in the worst scenarios, death. A young girl supposedly died a few moments after reading the poem out loud, but when, who she was, is never discussed. This also goes for the rumors of the university students dying after reading it also. The question is, did anything happen to those reading the poem?

Read Also: Check out more Japanese Urban Legends like Kuchisake-onna – The Urban Legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman or The Haunted Inunaki Village in Japan

What we do know is that a man made a movie called To Die in the Countryside ( 田園に死す, Den-en ni shisu) in 1974, it was much based on the poem of Tomino’s Hell. The movie itself is an eerie and confusing experience of adolescence much like the poem. The writer and director Terayama Shuji ( 寺山 修司) died in 1983 and people have since speculated that it was because of the coursed poem.

Pastoral: To Die in the Countryside: Poster from the movie. Also known as Pastoral Hide and Seek, is a 1974 Japanese drama movie with a film-within-film structure, about a young man battling with the film he is trying to finish like a reimagination of his adolescence.

Although we know that Terayama died early at 47, nine years after the movie came out, he died of a liver complication of a liver disease that he had been battling since he was a teenager. And he didn’t even quote the poem in his movie, but was only influenced. Is that enough to invoke the curse? 

When we got to the 80s, there was a trend of filming when friends read the poem out loud. This also became a trend in the early 2000s across forums of users writing that they were going to read the poem out loud, but then never came back to post how it went. 

The poem was read out loud many times throughout the writer’s lifetime without it doing anything to the writer who lived a long life. So according to the legend lore, the writer himself can read Tomino’s Hell out loud without the backlash of the curse?

It wasn’t until by Yomata Inuhiko, 四方田 犬彦, in his book of poem The Heart is Like A Rolling Stone, 心は転がる石のように, he called out the poem in 2004. Yomota claimed that the reader would suffer a terrible fate, but rumors about the dead director and the students were already whispered about under the surface. And at the dawn of the internet, the poem got resurrected and was sent frequently in forums with the curse attached to it. 

Tomino’s Hell Translated to English

Perhaps the feeling of sickness from reading Tomino’s Hell is something we can attribute more to the poem itself and the eerily feeling it leaves you with. And it perhaps isn’t the power of a curse people feel the sickness off, but the power of word. 

The English translation of the poem has been mostly done by people just trying to get the point across. However, when translated and spread on a global scale, it often shows up in a vacuum without any history of both the real writer and the history from the previous decades before the internet. But a writer and translator David Bowles did a good translation of the disturbing poem that weren’t just a simple google translate. Read the entirety with his more in depth notes here.

Tomino’s Hell

Elder sister vomits blood
younger sister’s breathing fire
while sweet little Tomino
just spits up the jewels.

All alone does Tomino
go falling into that hell,
a hell of utter darkness,
without even flowers.

Is Tomino’s big sister
the one who whips him?
The purpose of the scourging
hangs dark in his mind.

Lashing and thrashing him, ah!
But never quite shattering.
One sure path to Avici,
the eternal hell.

Into that blackest of hells
guide him now, I pray—
to the golden sheep,
to the nightingale.

How much did he put
in that leather pouch
to prepare for his trek to
the eternal hell?

Spring is coming
to the valley, to the wood,
to the spiraling chasms
of the blackest hell.

The nightingale in her cage,
the sheep aboard the wagon,
and tears well up in the eyes
of sweet little Tomino.

Sing, o nightingale,
in the vast, misty forest—
he screams he only misses
his little sister.

His wailing desperation
echoes throughout hell—
a fox peony
opens its golden petals.

Down past the seven mountains
and seven rivers of hell—
the solitary journey
of sweet little Tomino.

If in this hell they be found,
may they then come to me, please,
those sharp spikes of punishment
from Needle Mountain.

Not just on some empty whim
Is flesh pierced with blood-red pins:
they serve as hellish signposts
for sweet little Tomino.

—translated by David Bowles
June 29, 2014

The Enduring Legend of Tomino’s Hell

In conclusion, the legend of Tomino’s Hell is a captivating tale that has captured the imaginations of many. While the origins of the curse surrounding the poem are unclear, it’s evident that the eerie and dark nature of the verses has contributed to its status as a famous creepypasta and urban legend.

Whether the curse is real or simply a product of superstition, one thing is certain: Tomino’s Hell continues to intrigue and haunt those who come across it. The power of words and their ability to evoke intense emotions and even fear is a theme that resonates throughout this chilling cursed poem.

So, if you dare, immerse yourself in the dread of Tomino’s Hell, but remember to tread cautiously, for you never know what secrets and curses may be unleashed when the words are spoken aloud.

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トミノの地獄 – アニヲタWiki(仮) – atwiki（アットウィキ） 

https://indie88.com/tominos-hell-the-cursed-japanese-poem-you-shouldnt-read-out-loud/

“Tomino’s Hell” by Saijō Yaso – Japanese

Japanese Urban Legends: Tomino’s Hell | Kowabana 

Tomino’s Hell by Saijō Yaso – Poem Analysis

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The Kong Kong Ghost Haunting Korean Schools

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One of the urban legends from the Korean classroom is the legend of The Kong Kong Ghost haunting the schools. It is a legend of the dangers if you reach for the number one spot without really deserving it, and the consequences of your actions. 

The Kong Kong Ghost (콩콩콩 귀신) is an Korean urban legend about the student of a ghost haunting the school. There are many ghost stories tied to the school premise because of the long hours kids spend there and the means for stories to travel between the students. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Korea

This particular legend about The Kong Kong Ghost became told in the hallways, in the bathrooms and locker rooms throughout Korea’s schools in the 1990s. Still to this day, and at least back then, it wasn’t uncommon for students to stay until late in the evening to self study, and the schools were open until 10 and 11 in the evenings. 

The legend of The Kong Kong Ghost that is about the best student in school speaks to the fear of not being number one, and the ultimate defeat of being number two, no matter how you handle the situation. 

In many of the reimaginings of the urban legend of the Kong Kong ghost haunting the Korean schools, art and other, it is often about two girls competing for the number one spot, but not always. They are usually in high school age as there is high stakes of what type of university they get accepted into on the line.

The Legend of the Second Best

The story of The Kong Kong Ghost follows the second best student in school. It is better than most, but it still isn’t enough for some. For the students’ future there is only one option, and that is becoming the number one. Because of the pressure from the school, the teachers, parents and even from the student herself. 

To get into the college this particular student wants, she needs to prove that she was number one in something, but she is constantly beaten by her classmate that always score as the top of the class. Being the second best is simply not good enough. Because of this, the student turns her anger at her enemy and starts to hate her for being better. 

One day the number one and number two student stands at the rooftop of the school together, perhaps taking some fresh air in between the intense study sessions. The anger that has been building in the second best student is reaching its building point and number two pushes number one off the roof, killing her as she hits head first into the ground when landing. 

The murder is looked at as a tragic suicide of the pressure of constant being number one and no one really suspects that the good student, now the best one could have anything to do with it. For a while it looks like the new number one got away with it, but her horrible actions comes back to haunt her. 

Read More: Check out stories like The Ghost in Red at Ping Shan Tat Tak School or Madam Koi Koi and The School Hauntings in Nigeria for more ghost stories from haunted schools.

Strange sounds are heard throughout the school, at least the new number one student hears it constantly. A mysterious thumping sound Kong Kong it goes. It is the sound of the murdered student walking the hallways, jumping on her head to move forward because of the horrible way she died. It is said that the horrible disfigured ghost of the student is looking for her killer. 

According to the legend, the Kong Kong Ghost finally got her revenge. The new number one student sat to the late hours in the classroom to study one night when she heard it: Kong… Kong… it sounded from the hallways and a door to another classroom opened further down the hall. Perhaps just someone looking for the right classroom?

Not here!

A voice could be heard in the distance, and it sounded eerily familiar to the new number one that is starting to realise something isn’t right. This is not the sound of a student getting lost in the hallways. More knocking sound of something heavy is heard down the hall before another door opened, closer this time. 

Not here!

The student is now panicking and afraid because she now recognized the voice of her former nemesis. She hides under her desk in hopes that the thumping sound will just pass her classroom and leave her alone. Kong… Kong… and the door opens slowly and something is staring in, looking for someone in particular. 

Not here!

The door closes and the relieved student crawls out from under the desk, ready to pack up her things and get out from the haunted school. But when she stands up she is faced with her former classmate she pushed to her death and took the place of. Upside down she hangs from the ceiling, bloodless white face with eyes filled with hate. 

Here!

The Kong Kong Ghost: Reimagined in Goeadam, the Netflix series about Korean urban legends and ghost stories, including a retelling of the urban legend about The Kong Kong ghost..

Of course, the student that thought she could get away with murder and take first place, was brutally murdered. Perhaps the ghost story of the Kong Kong ghost show us just how fierce the competition of school rankings in Korean schools can be, and to the extent it can drive certain people to madness.

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Featured Image: Deviantart/ iCephei

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The Jayuro Road Ghost

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On a big and foggy highway north of Seoul, there is an urban legend of a ghost known as the Jayuro Ghost along the road, looking like she has a pair of sunglasses on in the dark. 

The Jayu Motorway, or simply Freedom Road is a big highway in South Korea connecting Seoul to Gyeonggi Province. In some parts you can even see all the way to North Korea from the motorway. The Jayuro Road has a high rate of car accidents because of frequent foggy weather and being badly lit along some parts. 

Check out all of our ghost stories about haunted roads in the Moon Mausoleum.

But there is something else in the misty road to be wary of, according to many passing drivers, that claims to have encountered something that has been known as the Jayuro Ghost. 

The Jayuro Road Ghost (自由路鬼神) is a very famous korean urban legend that appeared in the early 2004 or 2005 and follows in with the many local variations of the global Vanishing Hitchhiker trope we have many stories about. 

Read the Urban Legend of the Vanishing Hitchhiker

The Vanishing Hitchhiker

The Vanishing Hitchhiker is a well known urban legend throughout the world. Here is a Moonmausoleum original writings based on the Urban Legend – The Vanishing Hitchhiker

Keep reading

The urban legend grew large because of several celebrities that claimed to have witnessed the Jayuro Ghost along the highway. And although the popularity of the legend ebbs and flows since the early 2000s, there are still those who speak about seeing the Jayuro Ghost when driving in the dark.  

The Legend of the Woman in Sunglasses

Since it’s such a well known urban legend, there are now countless of variations of it as well. But most of them follow the same pattern.

If you drive along Jayuro Road in the middle of the night, there is supposedly a young woman in her 20s, waving to you while trying to hitchhike. It looks like the woman is wearing a long coat with large black sunglasses, and many realise who they met after they drive past her. 

Urban Legend: There have been multiple things inspired by the urban legend. Here from Goedam, an anthology horror series.

To just get a glimpse and not noticing anything strange of a lonely woman by a highway is perhaps the best. Because if you look closer, you notice that she is not alive at all. When you get closer to inspect, you can clearly see it’s not sunglasses, but rather a big black hole where her eyes were supposed to be. 

The Hitchhiker

One of the reports comes from a man that actually claims to have picked the Jayuro Ghost up when she tried to hitchhike. 

He was driving back from a dinner party and looked away from the road for a second. When he looked up, he saw the woman standing along the highway and he nearly ran her over. It looked like she had just escaped from an accident herself. She asked him if he could give her a ride home. The man accepted and put the address in the navigation system to follow. 

But before they reached the destination, the Jayuro Ghost disappeared. When he found out where the destination was, he realized that it was a cemetery. 

Who was this Woman?

Can you really trace back a specific person to an urban legend? It is not for lack of trying at least. When they aired a piece on the story on a TVN show in 2007, Kim Sehwan tried to contact the ghost through a medium. 

According to that story, the Jayuro Ghost was a woman in her 20s that was killed on the road in 2002 by strangulation, not far from where she is spotted. It was because of decay that she looked like she did with her dark gouged out eyes. 

According to the medium relaying the story, the culprit behind her murder was arrested in 2005. Although they never really followed up with a police report on this though. 

No matter who she is supposed to have been, a name has never come up. Although, stories of her along the foggy highway often does.

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자유로 귀신 – 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전

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The Jersey Devil in the Pine Barrens New Jersey

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Enter into centuries-old folklore of the legendary Jersey Devil from the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. Uncover its sinister past, how it has been remembered, and why so many theories persist today.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is a place in New Jersey in the USA. The place is shrouded in mystery and steeped in more than one legend, the most famous one being that of the Jersey Devil who has been a source of fascination for centuries. 

Dating back to the 18th century New Jersey folktale, the Jersey Devil has inspired a multitude of theories — some plausible, and some outlandish. Learn more about this legendary creature and its continued cultural significance today.

The Origins of the Jersey Devil

According to local legend, the Jersey Devil, sometimes known as the Leeds Devil, often described as a flying biped with hooves. The Jersey Devil was born in 1735 in Estellville, New Jersey. The story goes that a woman named Deborah Leeds, known as Mother Leeds gave birth to a child cursed with the form of a dragon or other fantastical beast. 

She already had twelve children, and when she found out she was pregnant with the 13th one, she cursed the child in her womb, calling the child the devil himself. Mother Leeds gave birth on a stormy night, and the child was born as a monster. 

In some variations of the legend, Mother Leeds was a witch herself and the father of the Jersey Devil was the Devil himself. 

The Jersey Devil: Here are several depictions of the creature known as the Jersey Devil or the Devil of Leeds throughout the years.

The creature soon escaped and began terrorizing the locals, swooping down from the sky and stealing farm animals, destroying crops, and even reportedly attacking some people. To this day, it remains an enduring element of local folklore — as well as a source of mystery and enchantment for many.

Sightings and Reports Throughout History

Since its first sighting in 1735, the Jersey Devil has been reported to have been seen in various forms and places in and around New Jersey. Before the 1900s, it was mostly referred to as the Leeds Devil or the Devil of Leeds, either because of the family name of Leeds or because of the New Jersey town called Leeds Point. 

Sightings of the legendary creature have been reported throughout the centuries, most often as a winged demonic creature that walks on two legs and is able to fly. According to these sightings, it was blamed for killing many livestocks, and even Napoleon Bonaparte was said to have seen the Jersey Devil when he was out hunting in 1820.  

Reports of its presence grew after a wave of sightings occurred near Camden between 1909 and 1910, leading to widespread newspaper coverage when the Jersey Devil allegedly attacked a trolley cart as well as livestock and the police themselves supposedly opened fire at the creature. 

People reported footprints in the snow looking like the Jersey Devil as far as Delaware and Maryland. According to the writer Gordon Stein in his book Encyclopedia of Hoaxes, a man came forward as the culprit behind the mysterious footprints. 

Nevertheless, there were organized manhunts and in the woods and people were advised to stay in their homes. Although these reports tapered off over time, tales of its exploits continue to be told among local residents today.

The Blue Hole

But where does the Jersey Devil really live? The Pine Barrens is a large area, but there is one particular place that is talked about more than others. In the middle of a dense forest there is a lake with a very unusual color that is often connected to the Jersey Devil called the Blue Hole.

As well as being a popular party spot, it also contains countless legends. For instance it is supposedly bottomless with powerful currents. In real life the Blue Hole really has some cold spots, but the legend tells that the water is freezing cold all year-round. It is around these parts that the Jersey Devil is most active.  

Modern Theories and Beliefs About the Jersey Devil.

There are various theories and beliefs about the Jersey Devil that have been held throughout history. These range from mythological explanations such as the creature being the Thirteenth Child of Mother Leeds to more scientific concepts like a rare species of mammal surviving in an area where it is not known to exist. 

More down to earth explanations have also been put forward saying the Jersey Devil is nothing more than the figment of imagination that came from the fear of the isolated place the Pine Barrens was at the time. It was considered dangerous and inhospitable with highwayman, fugitives, and outcasts like poor farmers, Native Americans and runaway slaves. 

Some people believe that the Jersey Devil is actually an alien or interdimensional being, while others speculate that it may be a form of cryptid capable of shape-shifting. Regardless, speculation and legends surrounding the Jersey Devil continue to this day.

Captain Kidd

One of the other legends from the Pine Barrens is that of Captain Kidd. His real name was William Kidd and was a Scottish sea captain who turned into a pirate. He was executed in London in 1701 for both murder as well as piracy. 

According to legend he buried a treasure that has yet to be found. It is not only in the Pine Barrens, but also in Nova Scotia, Connecticut and Long Island that have legends and myths about there being buried treasure around those parts. 

According to legend from Pine Barrens though it is around Barnegat Bay that CAptain Kidd is haunting as a ghost, often reported about being a headless ghost. 

Captain Kidd is often seen in company with the Jersey Devil himself, walking along the beach. 

The Black Doctor of the Pines

The ghost of the Black Doctor is said to be the spirit of a man known as James Still. Still was said to be forbidden from practicing medicine due to his race, and he went to the Pine Barrens to practice medicine in the isolated communities of the Barrens. 

There he studied medicine from textbooks and according to some legends, learned herbal medicine from the Native Amercans as well. 

How he died is still debated. Some say the locals in the Pine Barrens tells the story of how he was lynched when they found out he practised medicine. 

Others tell the story about how he was a hero in the isolated community and died of a heart attack, which is the true story of how James Still died. 

He is said to be a helping ghost and is said to still come to the aid of lost or injured travelers in the Pine Barrens woods. 

The Girl With the Golden Hair

Another ghost that haunts these parts is said to be a woman dressed in white found by the seaside, staring out into the sea as she is still mourning her lover she lost out there. 

Her ghost stories are often mixed with the Jersey Devil as well, as he is said to sit next to her. 

The White Stag

Something less menacing than the Jersey Devil is the spirit of a white deer that is said to show up when lost travelers need aid in the Pine Barrens. It is also said that the spirit is a warning of danger ahead. 

This comes after a story where a stagecoach nearly fell into the Batsto River. The coaches reached Quaker Bridge and the horses refused to move and go over it. When the driver investigated further, he saw the white stag on the road before it disappeared before his eyes. 

A closer inspection showed that the bridge was destroyed and since then it is said to mean good luck if you ever spot it. 

The Black Dog

Another animal spirit around these parts is that of the Black Dog. Most often, seeing a Black Dog is a bad omen in European mythology, but in this instance, it is a good luck charm. It roams on the beaches and forests from Absecon Island to Barnegat Bay and is considered a harmless spirit. 

It is said to be the ghost of a dog that was on board a ship that was attacked by pirates on Absecon Island. They killed the crew on the ship and among the killed were the cabin boy as well as hin trusted black dog. 

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The Haunted Black Forest of Fairy Tales

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The Black Forest in Germany is known for its haunted dark fairy tales from the brothers Grimm and the magical place has more than one legend about something magical and strange happening. But how haunted is really this place?

The Black Forest in Germany is not really a single forest, but a whole forested mountain range covering a large part of the country of dark fairy tales where around 60 % of the area is covered with some form of woodland. The Black Forest or Schwarzwald in German goes from southwest in Germany, down the Rhine Valley to the west, almost reaching the border to France and Switzerland, covering over 6000 km2. 

The place is mainly rural with a few large towns and many scattered little villagers around and has become a place where legends of the supernatural and fables are allowed to live between the brooding thick woodlands with miles and miles of a forestry trail. 

The Most Haunted Places in the World?

The place often pops up on lists of Most Haunted Places both in Germany as well as worldwide, but what exactly makes this entire place haunted as it is known as this dark and magical place for any outsiders? Calling the entire place haunted in the strictest sense doesn’t quite cover it all as the world enchanted does, with both the good and the bad. 

Read also: Check out all the haunted places around Germany: Here

The Black Forest with its ominous sounding name is said to house everything from wicked witches, hungry werewolf, beautiful nymphs and forest goblins between the dark trees. Many of the stories sound like they come from one of the Grimm brother’s fever nightmare, and a couple of the stories of the Grimm brothers actually take place in a place that looks a lot like the Schwarzwald. 

Stories like Hansel and Gretel losing their way in the forest and being captured by a witch, the menacing Pied Piper leading the children away from the urban town into the wild or the Little Red Riding Hood with the wolf knocking on the door. But do they actually take place here like the tourist guides would like you to believe? Have a bite of the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, and finish your glühwein, because many of these legends is like a super dark fairy tale.  

Background of the Black Forest

Walking through the landscape of the Black Forest you will see the romantic part of Germany with stout timber farmhouses and remnants of Baroque fortification from the 17th century, especially on the mountain passes. The highest peak is the Feldberg at 1493 meters above sea level before drooping down with its deeply carved valleys and rivers like the Danube river starts and continues through Europe. 

In ancient times, The Black Forest was known as Abnoba Mons after a Celtic deity, Abnoba. She was worshiped in the Black Forest and the surrounding areas and couldn’t encapsulate the spirit of The Black Forest better. She was of course a forest and river goddess, showing just how much of an importance the thick woodlands with its wispy waterfalls and evergreen meadows had for the people living there.

Historically the people living in this forest area were known for forestry and the mining of ore deposits. Today however it is tourism that is the primary industry. 

It was the Romans that gave the mountain range the name The Black Forest because of the densely growth of the very dark green conifer trees. 

Because of its long history, it is easy to believe like The Black Forest area has been this unchanged and wild place forever without any disturbances. However that is not the case and the area has been through many changes and has been thoroughly cultivated by the human hand.

It used to be a mixed forest until the 19th century, when the Black Forest was almost completely deforested by too much forestry. It was replanted, this time, mostly with spruce as the only type of tree. Then in the 90s, a series of windstorms, among them Hurricane Lothar in 1999, swept over the Black Forest and destroyed much of the replanted forest. Large areas were left to nature and have since grown into a natural mixed forest again, showing how nature always finds a way. 

Myths and Legends of Schwarzwald

Deep and dark forest landscapes create mysteries and legends and Schwarzwald is no exception. Legend has it that the forest area is haunted by werewolves and witches and in some cases, the devil himself. 

Read more about the haunted forests around the world: Here

There are also stories about a headless horseman riding on a great white steed, a mythical motif we see in many instances in countless ghost stories and written horror like the famous Sleepy Hollow for example. 

We can also find dark fairy tales of an evil king who kidnaps women to take them to his magical underwater lair where he lives among the nymphs. 

The Black Forest is not short of stories that tell about the dangers of the wild and what will happen to those that step outside from the path. And none more of them than what we can find in the Grimm brothers collected stories. But did the brothers really find some of the stories among the dark pine cone trees?  

The Stories of The Brothers Grimm

This is a place where magic is everyday, the birthplace of Cuckoo Clocks ticking away on walls, fairy tale is real life and the people use tarot cards as playing cards. The Black Forest is also were most people connect the often bizarre and dark fairy tales of the Grimm brothers, and many of them can be traced back to the area.

Stories from the Black Forest: The Brother Grimm’s Fairy Tales definitely helped making the Black Forest a place of magic and wonder.

Brothers Grimm set many of their most scariest folk tales to the Black Forest as this was one of the places where they collected them throughout Germany. The brothers didn’t actually write the fairy tales themselves though. The stories themselves had been told orally for ages locally, they simply put them down to paper. 

Like Hansel and Gretel’s encounter with the witch were well suited as the place had a reputation for witches and witchcraft long before any of these tales were written down. Fairy Tales like Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty are also said to have been set inside of the Black Forest. But is this true?

How accurate it is though is hard to say, as many of the stories are also said to be from northern part of Germany, especially around Hesse. Although the fairy tales doesn’t really have a super specific location attached to them, and many are reworks of tales that have been told all over the place, locating these fairy tales to this specific mountain range is difficult.

Although the marketing of the tourism in the Black Forest will tell you another story, because many parts of the area really fits perfectly for the more darker tales.

If you are looking for a fairy tale which explicitly plays in the Black Forest is the more under the radar fairy tale called “Heart of Stone” by Wilhelm Hauff.

The Modern Myth of Der Grossmann

There is a particular creature that shows up today on many listicles online about the Black Forest being one of Germany’s most haunted places. This is the story of Der Grossmann and it looks like it originated online together with the urban legend of Slenderman, not in the forest as a fairy tale to keep children out from the dark forest. 

Der Grossmann tells of a tall and ugly man, badly disfigured with bulging eyes and too many arms. He is associated with woodcuts carved in the 1700s by an unknown artist in Germany and has as of today a pretty extensive backstory. According to ‘local legend’ bad children were sent into the forest, and they had to confess their sins to der Grossman. It is said that the worst children never came out from the forest again. 

This particular story looks like it didn’t originate in the depth of the Black Forest because all information about it comes from articles discussing the historical aspects of the urban legend, the slender man. And in no place does the old legends from Germany mention a creature like this.  

Even though it isn’t necessarily an old folk tale, the story is a pretty good one.

Hauntingly Beautiful

Whether a modern ghost story from one of the small towns, or an ancient legend that over time turned into one of the darker fairy tales, the Black Forest holds the macabre and haunted together with the whimsical and magical. 

It has and probably will continue to draw people that wish to disappear in between the trees and off the beaten path that leads into the wild. 

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References

Abnoba – Wikipedia

Black Forest – Wikipedia

Werewolf Legends from Germany 

Werewolf Legends from Germany