American Urban Legends: Visions of Death
For Halloween 2022, I am taking a quick detour from my usual posts and the lore vs the facts for something more fun - American Urban Legends! We all have our favorite ones, told around the campfire or at slumber parties. No one ever really knows how the legend started, but we all know some version of it...
Stepping away from the facts and with no debunking allowed, this spooky season I want to bring you not just the generic story, but possible locations for origins, eyewitness accounts of monsters, and any possible "how-to" when it comes to summoning...whatever goes bump in your lore.
Now don't say I didn't warn you. After all, I didn't check the facts. Today's legend might not get you, but go looking too deep and I'm sure another one will.
Visions of Death
The statue had been there since before the town grew up around it. No one knows who sculpted it, only that after hundreds of years, the hooded figure was still as flawless as the day it was carved. A statue that old, that pristine, naturally had a lot of stories woven around it. Stories of where it came from and who made it. Stories of how it has survived without so much as a crack, chip, or discoloration. Even stories of it moving every once in a while. But those stories aren't why you are here. You are here because of one story and one story alone - seeing your own death.
The story goes if you are in front of the statue at sunset on Halloween and the statue glows bright, you will be granted the honor of seeing exactly how you will die. Not one for believing in such things but also a little more than curious, you set out to visit the statue on Halloween, making sure to arrive just before sunset. Unfortunately for you, about a dozen other people wanted to test this urban legend as well and there is a line.
Exactly how many death visions are granted per year?
Death is a mystery all in itself. We never know when or how it will get us, only that in the end, death is inevitable. When it comes to the spooky side of life though, there are more than a few ways to learn of your own demise. From tarot readers and psychics to ouija boards and seances, you are never short on people and spirits to ask. But if you want to go the extra spooky route in finding out how you are going to die, cemeteries add that extra special ingredient.
Today's urban legends take us to cemeteries where if you are lucky (or unlucky) enough, you will be granted a vision of your death. (Careful though, no one should spend their life worrying about how they will die.)
100 Steps Cemetery - Clay County, Indiana
Located near Brazil and Terre Haute in Indiana, Cloverland Cemetery goes by several names, but most notably 100 Steps Cemetery. Legend says that if you perform the steps just right (pun intended), you will see the ghost of the first caretaker and a vision of your death. Afterward, you close out the ritual, and either the vision is known to be false or correct. Fail to close out the ritual and you will be pushed to the ground.
The Ritual
At the stroke of midnight, you climb the steps in the cemetery, counting each step. Once you make it to the top, turn around and look down the hill. You will see the ghost of the first caretaker and your death vision. Afterward, you walk back down the stairs, again counting each step. At the bottom, if you counted the same number of steps, your death vision is wrong. If you counted a different number of steps on the way down, your vision is accurate. Fail to count the steps and you will find yourself being pushed to the ground by an unseen force.
The Eternal Silence at Graceland Cemetery - Chicago, Illinois
Hauntingly beautiful, the Eternal Silence statue guards the tomb of Dexter Graves and it is said if you look into its eyes long enough, you will see a vision of your death. There do not seem to be any special steps other than staring at the closed eyes of a statue.
Lovely lore readers, I hope you have enjoyed today's urban legends, and should you decide to attempt any such rituals (these or otherwise), please remember to stay safe, complete all the steps, be respectful of anyone you may meet, and if possible, record it for future research purposes.
Please don't forget to check out the rest of the American Urban Legends. I update the main page as I share posts but to make sure you don't miss a legend, sign up for email notifications. I swear, I will only message you when there is a new post or extra important news, like I befriended a wolf during a walk.
Until next time lore lovers, stay spooky💖
~Lily
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