Some people are just born bad and rotten to the core. And then they're unleashed onto society, so we get to deal with them.
Stranger danger and red flags are mantras to commit to memory. We have to beware who we allow into our lives.
Danger and evil are abound. It's good to discuss the times we've crossed paths with dangerous people. It can be a warning for others and a way to release the memory.
Redditortrash_coleswanted to hear about the people some of us have encountered that left an uneasy feeling, by asking:
"Who's the most dangerous person you've met and what did they do?"
Everything you're about to read is really for people 17 and over. Not that people below 17 haven't encountered trash but some of these stories can be a little much.
What a piece of work.
"I've got two. It's hard to choose. Guy I went to high school with. Only about 5foot4 but ripped. Sort of your stereotypical Napoleon complex. Obsessed with his ex-girlfriend. Showed up to her house, drove up onto her lawn with his S2000 as she was walking out the house to go to school."
"Jumped out of the car and beat her to an inch of her life. Broke her jaw and then some. At the current time she was dating my friend's brother and he planned on breaking up with her that afternoon. Went to prison since he was 18. Not sure where he is at now."
"Sister in law's husband. What a piece of work. Steroids for days. Forced sister-in-law down put a gun to her head and told her to pull the trigger when he lost his crap. He calmed down, she grabbed her two kids in tow and went to the neighbors house who called the cops. Cops showed up and did a standoff when they found out he was a bit of a gun nut."
"At one point he came out of the house and told the cops everything is okay and they can go home. He finally gave up. Turned out he had a previous felony in his 20's (started a high speed chase with the cops) so all the guns he had were purchased illegally."
"Sister in law didn't divorce him or press charges, but the ATF took it upon themselves to make an example of him. He did 8 years in prison for felony gun postilion. Just got out during Covid. They are still together and have a third kid on the way. Fun fact he's got 5 other children out in the world." ~ LeKy411
He gave me the creeps.
"One day at work my coworker's boyfriend showed up with her three kids, and she introduced me to him. He gave me the creeps. A couple of years later, he smothered her kids and strangled her to death, during which she gave partial birth." ~ WoolaTheCalot
"I remember when that happened. My sister's childhood friend was one of the people that found them. It really messed her up for very long time." ~ Pretending2beme
Get in the car!
"I had a sort of similar experience once! I was 16 and had gone out for a run, twisted my ankle, and skinned my knee badly. I was limping home and bloodied, so when this guy stopped and offered me a ride, it seemed like just kindness at first. This was around 7-8 am and this guy was dressed professionally in a nice car, at first I thought it was some dude on his way to work who was trying to be helpful."
"But the rule "never get into a stranger's car" has been so thoroughly drilled into me that I politely refused, and that's when it got weird. He started insisting, and changing his jovial tone to an increasingly aggressive and angry tone. I kept refusing. Before long he started angrily saying "Get in the car! Get in the CAR!" and it was clear that I was in a bad situation."
"I'm not sure what changed his mind, but while I was saying "no!" and backing away, he finally paused and looked at me and just said "ok" and hit the gas, speeding away as fast as possible. That was a weird experience." ~ Kubanochoerus
The Strangest Superstitions People Actually Observe | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The world can be a superstitious place. If you've ever knocked on wood or thrown salt over your shoulder then you've run into one or two throughout your life...A psychopath like that shouldn't get to taste freedom again.
"I grew up with a guy that always seemed like there was something a little off about him. We were in Boy Scouts together for a couple of years, and I remembered him always getting in trouble for small stuff, like saying things he shouldn't (mostly swearing from what I remember) and going off to do his own thing (he once just walked away one night during a retreat without saying anything and made the troop leaders and parents have to search for them for about an hour)."
"He was also prone to getting into fights at school and cutting class and such. Anyway, he was a couple of years older than me and we weren't close in any way, shape, or form, so I all but forgot about him when I moved away in middle school. I didn't think about him again until my mom showed me his mugshot when I was in high school let me read the news article about him."
"He was living in a house with his pregnant girlfriend and some of her family. There were a good number of people in the house, including several kids, so you could imagine how loud and cramped it must've been in there. Anyway, he said was afraid that there wouldn't be enough space for the baby with all of the other people living there, so one day, he took one of the kids (a toddler, mind you) to the pond out back, tossed him in, and walked away."
"He'd also talked it through with one of his girlfriend's cousins or aunts about it, so it was a premeditated decision (side note: she was also arrested and sentenced). The guy apparently had no remorse for what he did, even considering that the kid was part of his girlfriend's family, because he believed that he had to "make room" for his own kid. He got sentenced to life with no parole, and that's well-deserved. A psychopath like that shouldn't get to taste freedom again." ~ Elegant-Narwhal-506
Damn Cuz
"My cousin. He has been a violent person since we were kids. He only does the bad stuff when he's high on meth, so there is that. in 1998 he shot up a convenience store trying to kill another cousin. His wife at the time was a dispatcher for the local police department."
"He had physically abused her and they were separated at the time. The story was that he resisted arrest (highly likely), but the local officers who were friends of his wife gave him a long, generous beating before he made it to jail. He got 20 years but served only 8. It should have been longer." ~ donedoneitonce
"ghost hunting"
"I don't recall the man's name, but he was the self appointed leader of a local militia in Maryland. This was back in the late 90's, and he claimed to be gearing up himself and others in preparation of Y2K. At first I thought it was all bluster and hot air, after all the man hung out in a Denny's in the middle of the night."
"One night some friends and I elected to go "ghost hunting" and one of my friends invited this guy along (since my friend also hung out in a Denny's in the middle of the night). We decided to stop at this guys house on the way so that he could be "prepared." When we step through the threshold of the house we are instantly greeted with enough firearms to equip a unit of about fifty men, and there were five people sitting around the house cleaning various rifles."
"A short moment of deliberation and the man settled on a pistol and we went out to a few haunted sites in the Ellicott City area. When we reached the third site, an alleged haunted stretch of train track, we spot flames from a camp fire and hear voices. The majority of us recognize this as people camping by the tracks, and this guy interprets this as a ghost and draws the pistol as though he will somehow kill an ethereal creature."
"If not for my friend I am confident that this guy would have just opened fire on these people, who turned out to be a couple of teenagers, without a second thought. I did not drive that night so I was stuck in the situation, but I never went back to that Denny's and pretty much stopped hanging out with my friend that night as well." ~ Therearenogoodnames9
The Roomie
"My old roommate, S. A tiny little 18 year old girl who was just truly evil. She gave a dog a lick of molly one time just to see what would happen, randomly smashed a glass frame against the wall, took 3 Xanax before driving, etc. Just really reckless and scary crap." ~ meganemk
They were both short, stocky dudes.
"My high school JROTC instructors. The senior instructor served in Vietnam on a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) team. He survived three tours; read up on the LRRP's for a clearer picture. I know he was wounded at various points, and he claimed to have been able to aim a M-79 grenade launcher by sound."
"He retired as a colonel and decided to teach JROTC just to pass the time. The lower ranking instructor was likewise a Vietnam veteran. Green Beret, MACV-SOG, and a founding member of Delta Force. This man, and I have no reason to doubt him (the senior instructor vouched for him) was a participant in the failed attempt to rescue the American hostages held by Iran in the early 1980's."
"He was also on the team that captured Manuel Norigea in Panama. He was likewise teaching JROTC just for something to do. They were both short, stocky dudes. Very clean cut, polite, and well educated and well spoken. And without a doubt in my mind, extraordinarily dangerous men. I wouldn't have crossed either of them." ~ Mr_Metrazol
A Bad Rub
"I worked in maintenance at a resort with three different properties. This one guy got hired at one of them and would occasionally come to our property when we needed help. Something about him just rubbed me the wrong way. He was quiet but when he spoke it was usually a sharp or harsh comment and his did something with his eyes when he was talking to you that made you feel like he was angry about something. Anyway, he ended up breaking into someone's house and shooting them in the face with a .357 magnum." ~ BaconReceptacle
Zero
"The drunk driver the killed my late-S/O. He had zero remorse. He was more upset about getting time for it." ~ Shes_dead_Jim
Thanks Mom...
"The most memorable moment was when I was 7-9 years old, I don't really remember. We were living in Huntington Beach a relatively safe place in So Cal. I was in the front yard playing on our corner lot. We had hedges around our front yard and I was outside of them near the side yard where the backyard fence began."
"I don't recall what I was doing or why I was on the side of the house, but I remember a VW bus going down the end of the cul-de-sac, slowly. For some reason it caught my attention as it looped around the end of the cul-de-sac and I vaguely watched it. My dad, a policeman had instilled onto us situational awareness. I turned my back onto the bus as I heard it speed up."
"I remember turning around and seeing a man half hanging outside the sliding side door. Immediately I ran. I screamed for help, and luckily my mom had just stepped outside to water the plants. Hose in hand, while hearing me scream she shot the hose in my direction."
"I jumped through the hedges as the man leaning out the car door touched my back. He was clearly trying to get me. The water hose threw him off as I tore my way through the bushes. He fell and scrambled back into the car and sped off. To this day I vividly remember the fear, details, and face of that man. Thanks Mom." ~ rchristokes13
The Guy from the Past
"A former friend of mine. He wasn't dangerous at first but he drifted apart from our group and we found out that meth got the best of him. We started seeing him in the news for car theft, robberies, stabbing people, dealing drugs, illegal possession of firearms, and for shooting at cops. His grandfather used to bail him out a lot. I just hope they stopped and kept him behind bars." ~ den1300
The Bad Guy
"My daughter's boyfriend. He almost strangled her to death. The ER said she was seconds away from dying. 😔 He's been in and out of prison over the past 7 years and every time he gets out he hurts another woman and then he's right back in again. I don't know why his sentence isn't longer. Are they waiting for him to actually kill someone? 😠." ~ kre8ive1
The Blind Spot
"I met a hitman once, was a friend of my mum's. She warned me not to approach him from his blind spots cuz he would instinctively lash out. She preceded to get drunk and do just that as a joke, and he slapped her." ~ Dualmilion
Well, this is enough to give me new nightmares. Be careful out there.
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The Absolute Weirdest Questions People Have Been Asked In A Job Interview
Reddit user TinyTbird12 asked: 'What is the weirdest question you’ve been asked at a job interview, what happened?'
I once burst out laughing during a job interview.
It was for an internal position so I knew all of the interviewers well, but even if I hadn't I doubt I could have kept a straight face.
What cracked me up?
This interview question:
"If I attended a backyard BBQ with your last boss, what do you think they'd say about you?"
After I stopped laughing,
I told the interviewer—who happened to be my then boss' boss:
"I'm sorry, but that sounds like a question from the Miss America Pageant."
The interview panel got a laugh out of that. And yes, I did answer the question.
So what odd, absurd or just plain strange interview questions have people gotten?
Reddit user TinyTbird12 asked:
"What is the weirdest question you’ve been asked at a job interview, what happened?"
Apple Jacks Is Even Better
"Went to a job interview at Applebee’s. After going over my extensive work experience in the service industry, the manager asked:"
"If you were a cereal, which one would you be?"
"Me: 'Mm, I don’t know. Cheerios?'."
"Him: 'Why Cheerios?'."
"Me: '…because I seem like a Cheerio kinda person?'."
"Him: 'Hmm. Most people say Fruit Loops, because they’re fun and colorful'."
"Me: 😐"
"I did not get the job."
~ Numerous_Age_3223
The Best Medicine
"Do you like to laugh?"
"Asked by the most stoic woman who worked in that office."
"I laughed in response and got the job. Apparently I answered correctly."
~ Danceinthepurplerain
Wut?
"Well, I already know your weaknesses. What are some of your strengths?"
"I had no idea what he was talking about since we never discussed weaknesses."
~ JoshuaByer
No, And Goodbye
"I was asked at an interview if I planned on having kids soon."
"I answered that I was 19 and still living with my parents so, no, I wasn’t but based off him asking that question I didn’t want to work for him and cut the interview short."
"He seemed entirely shocked but I could tell he was asking out of misogyny and not any other reason."
"He was an arse and I’d already decided I didn’t want the job—this was just an excuse to cut the interview short."
~ Chinateapott
"It was 2 guys interviewing me for an ICU RN job. I am female and this was several years ago."
"Their very FIRST question was 'So are you married? Have any kids?'.”
"Which yeah, is maybe small talk, but you can’t ask that in an interview and it’s not your business and why is that the VERY FIRST THING you are saying to me upon meeting me‽‽"
"I said 'Come on, you know you can’t ask that kind of stuff'."
"It was awkward after that and I didn’t get a call back."
~ Free-While-2994
"I was asked in an interview if I had any children. The guy even lamented he knows he isn't supposed to ask me that, but the hours are very strict and people use their kids as an excuse too often to not work their full hours."
"Little Miss Helpful that I was told him then that's how he should phrase the question so as not to appear discriminatory towards women. He looked surprised as I gave him a better script example."
"And then proceeded to answer the more PC version of the question I created and told him, 'I don't have any obligations that would keep me from working the hours and shifts I'd be scheduled for'."
"I was not given a job offer. No surprise there."
"Which was fine and dandy because I wouldn't have wanted to work there anyway for a variety of reasons."
~ NolaJen1120
Were They Applying At X?
"I had an interview where the CEO randomly sat in."
"When he learned about my heritage, the CEO asked what my views were about the current government of the country my parents are from."
"Even the main interviewer cringed and was speechless."
~ Craptardo
Gotcha!
"Interviewer: 'You don't have any kids?'."
"Me: 'No, not yet'."
"Interviewer: 'You're Mexican, aren't you?'."
"Me: 'You can't ask that during an interview'."
"Dude went bright red and apologized immediately before I burst out laughing. The interview was going well and I already had the job in the bag. At this point we were more or less just chatting."
~ messonamission
Is It A Job Requirement?
"If I hire you as the HR manager will you go and f*ck all the nurses? Because that is what the former HR manager did."
"Interviewer was the Hospital CEO."
~ heartofgold48
Run, Girl, Run!
"I got hired and quit the same day. I turned 19 and was looking for something full time. I got a call for an interview at some promotion business."
"I got called into a room where my potential new boss was sitting. He was very friendly and nice but it all became very very weird very quickly."
"He asked me normal interview questions: 'What made you want to apply? Do you have experience in promotion work? Where do you see yourself in this company?'."
"Eventually he trailed off to make small talk which would be normal if it wasn’t weird."
"He asked, 'How old are you? Oh wow, you’re young. I think you’ll have an easy time here, you’re very beautiful. Very beautiful. You know, as soon as you walked in here I just felt something. You have such strong energy, I don’t know if it’s that smile or your charisma'."
"I was very shy, I did not have a bubbly personality at all."
"He sent me 'out in the field' alongside another girl to test the waters I suppose. We stood in front of a well known bar where our 'mentor' told us that the promotion at his stand was to sell backpacks for kids in need of school supplies."
"After he explained that, he called my boss and said I was a good fit."
"Immediately after that my boss called and was like, 'I KNEW you had it in you. Ahh, I don’t know what it is about you, [my name] but you just have something amazing going on. I already decided not to go with [other girl's name] because it’s your name I want to see with mine'.”
"I told him I was late for class and sped back to campus where I told my teacher why I was late and what had happened. He advised me to quit immediately."
~ Advanced_District789
Not A Nanny
"What would you do if someone started shouting at you in a meeting?"
"I responded that I'd just leave the meeting. I don't get paid to babysit. if someone wants to act like a child I'll leave them to it. The interviewer seemed taken aback while the other guys where chuckled."
"Turns out the guy who asked the question had a habit of raising his voice to people who disagreed with him."
"I ended up getting the job and found out the guy was just super invested in the product he was developing. Like he had patents on it, books written, etc..."
"So when he's in a meeting and gives an input, and someone disagrees with him, he will not let it go until they are on board because in almost every case he IS right. He was a great guy and I miss working with him."
"He never raised his voice with me, though."
~ shaidyn
Just Plain Wrong
"During an interview my insulin pump went off (it does this quite often). My potential boss asked me if I had to wear it all the time."
"I said yes and explained I was a type 1 diabetic. They then asked me if I could leave my insulin pump in a locker for an 8 hour shift."
"Obviously I can’t."
"It got awkward and I didn’t get the job."
~ kayguy55
Not Long Ago, In An HR Office Not Far Away...
"My GF was recently asked in an interview:"
"What weapon would you want to have in a zombie apocalypse?"
"She answered 'light saber'. They asked why."
"She said because it doesn't run out of ammo or get dull."
"They seemed to like that answer."
~ freezingprocess
Did They Need Help With Theirs?
"How do you tie your shoes?”
"Opening question."
"It honestly helped calm me down and made the interview easier to get through. I brought up the TedTalk on how to properly tie your shoe and the lesson I learned from that."
~ i_like_pretzels
"They really wanted help figuring it out, all the other applicants couldn't teach them."
~ Just-Good-2851
I was the interviewer at different points in my career and I'm struggling to understand the point of some of these questions.
Maybe their lack of purpose is the point.
So what odd, absurd or just plain strange interview questions have you been asked?
Gifts People Really Want For Christmas But Know No One Is Going To Get Them
The holiday season is lovely, but it's full of pressure to travel, plan, host, and of course, get gifts for a lot of people.
But the thing we don't really talk about is how common it is to want something specific and to not have someone in our life who tries to seek out what that thing is.
Unless we get it for ourselves, it's common that we won't get what we actually want.
Redditor GeneralSpectatorTots asked:
"What do you want for Christmas that you know you aren't going to get?"
Sobriety
"My brother to be sober and happy."
- whatwhatwhat82
"I’m also trying to get sober. I wish your brother well. Keep being a support to him."
- Keri2816
A New Home
"A house deposit."
- WolfGirl_4
"A house deposit? Just gift you a house!"
- Grenflik
A Financial Advantage
"A winning lottery ticket."
- Krem541
"Every year I ask Santa. Every f**king year."
- kuchikopi626
Grandma's Homecooked Meals
"One last meal from my grandma. She made the best food, and of course, you don't know the last time is going to be the last time until it's too late."
- fakefishy
Family Love
"Love from my parents."
- bub_501
"This mom is sending you a long hug."
- hippocampus237
A Professional Massage
"A gift certificate for a professional massage. I can't bring myself to spend the money on myself. I need to just bite the bullet and do it."
"I have asked for one every year for years. Sometimes it's the only thing I ask for from my parents and my partner (when they ask what I want)."
"I always get wonderful gifts that I love, use, and/or needed but I REALLY WANT A F**KING MASSAGE."
- agbmom
The Best Neighbor
"A card from my twin brother saying, 'Just kidding, I’m not moving to Washington, I actually found a place in your neighborhood!'"
- insertcaffeine
Very Important Things
"Free Healthcare and a good used car for my husband."
- Sufficient_Letter883
The End to Ableism
"Independence and not being infantilized because I’m a 37-year-old disabled woman and no one in my family understands (extended family who all live within 10 mins of me)."
- Keri2816
World Travel
"Guilt-free travel! It's like asking for a never-ending vacation. How I wish I could just hop around the world without worrying about a thing!"
- KayleNewirk
Sounds Like Paradise
"A pretty, and big apartment for me and my cat."
- cats-autumn
"For my cat to let me sleep through the night."
- Cheese_BasedLifeform
Moving Solutions
"A stress-free move, with eight days between closings of two houses four states apart, and four pets to manage in temporary housing. Help me, Santa, I’ve been a good girl."
- Kind-Dust7441
Ready To Be Done!
"For my doctoral capstone paper to finally be approved so I can be done with school! Please, please, Santa, I’m on rewrite 19!"
- TomatilloNo4213
Two Front Teeth
"My two front teeth... My two front teeth."
"But seriously, teeth."
"Mine are all falling out due to an autoimmune disease, and I need implants."
- donkeybrainz13
The Perfect Partner
"A partner to go on adventures with… have singalongs with… and who adores and truly sees me."
- miaoouu
While we may have been expecting some silly responses, or even for someone to finally buy the right brand of a favorite candle or lotion or makeup, these responses were a great reminder of what's really important.
And unfortunately, many of the most important things can't be replaced or fit into a Christmas stocking.
Breaking up is hard to do no matter who initiated it.
But once time has passed and exes have moved on, the healing process can be jarred by a surprise.
A regretfilled person may try and make contact with the one they broke up with and ask for forgiveness, or the person who had their heart broken could also reappear and plead for a fresh new start.
The outcome depends on how much, or how little, the spark of love remains.
Curious to hear more of this scenario from strangers online, Redditor XenaVonKeksdose asked:
"What would you say to your ex if they suddenly showed up at your door?"
For these Redditors, it wouldn't be a happy reunion.
Either, Or
"It ranges from 'come on in and make yourself comfortable' to 'get the f'k out of here' , depending on which one shows up."
– Lone_Buck
"Odds of it being the one who got away: low."
"Odds of it being the one who took 5 years to understand what 'f'k off' meant: pretty high."
– liquid_acid-OG
It's A Nightmare
"Screaming. They've passed."
– BigGrayBeast
"Similar situation here. I did have a dream that my late wife showed up at my door. She said, 'There was a mix up at the coroner, you wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through.”'
"Still in the dream we talked for a bit about nothing. Then I said, 'Wait, what about the life insurance, do we have to pay it back?' And just after that I woke up."
– AnonEMoussie
No Thanks
"Nah"
"Slowly closes the door while maintaining eye contact."
"Also aggressively locks the door."
– SnooCats7666
"raises drawbridge."
– lunalives
Some would show traces of resentment.
Unwelcome
"The f'k do you want? And how did you get this address?"
– s73v3m4nn
"wtf ffs"
– zxr7
Too Little Too Late
"You couldn't put in effort in messaging me, but you have effort now to see me months after we break up‽"
– ShyTerraWolf
"Wait, if you’re here who’s running hell?”
– So__bored
"Who’s guarding HADES."
– Boostio_TV
Hit 'Em Where It Hurts
"I lost weight... You seem to have found it."
– elmo-1959
"now get the f'k off my lawn."
– starkresilient
"Savage."
– 20190229
Others shared less bitter responses.
Coming Clean
"Honestly, I apologize. I know dealing with my prior alcoholism must have been a nightmare. I regret causing you and anyone else pain and hope you are happy. I am a year into sobriety and can understand why it ended. I wish you well."
"Edit: Since this is getting so much traction, I just want to say thanks for all the support. This could honestly be directed at a few of my exes. I am happily married now to someone that also got a taste of my drinking. We stuck it out while I got sober and I have to credit her with being an amazing support system. I also need to shout out r/stopdrinking for providing reinforcement on a daily basis. It is a great community. Naltrexone was also a major part of it. I can't change the past but I think I have a much better hold on the future."
– vivazeta
Someone That I Used To Know
"I've been married for almost 25 years, I don't know if I would even recognize any exes."
– 4a4a
"Yep. That person went from 'ex' to 'someone I once dated' years ago."
– ktwhite42
Expressing Regrets
"I'm sorry for the way I treated you."
– warlordwinters
"Good on you for growing."
– Zealousideal_Ad_7465
Catching Up
"I’d say hello! What are you doing here? It has been a long time."
– ExaminationLucky6082
Wish You Well
"A lot of snarky or comical answers in here, but I'll try to be as sincere as I can."
"My first major ex, first time I got my heart broken: I would sincerely hope that she's doing well. She broke my heart, but it was for the best and it made me into the man I am today. I don't want to think of how much worse I would be if she hadn't given me a reality check wake-up-call. So really just 'Hey, how have you been? I hope the years have been kind to you.'"
"My most recent ex, the first and only time I've had to break someone's heart: I honestly just hope that she can forgive me for having to make taking care of myself and my needs the priority in my life. She's an amazing woman, kindergarten school teacher, unanimously adored by everyone that meets her. But we met via travels, and lived in two different states. Circumstances shifted and seeing each other became much less frequent. Neither of us wanted to quit our jobs and chuck a grenade into our lives and careers. Eventually, for my own mental and emotional health, I had to call it. I truly hope she finds someone amazing, she deserves it. So I would just sincerely hope that she understands, and has moved on."
– obaterista93
I once showed up at an exes door after I broke up with him about a month prior.
I genuinely loved and missed him after making the very difficult decision to end things due to conflicting circumstances that kept us from maintaining a healthy relationship.
But I quickly learned that if you did the breaking up, you should respect the other person's space for a respectable amount of time.
I went to visit him at the apartment where we lived together and a new lover answered the door for him after there was a long period of giggles and lots of feet shuffling from behind the door.
Clearly, he was doing just fine.
Of course, I wasn't welcomed in and was asked what I wanted, to which I had no answer but, "do you have any mail for me?"
Indigenous Americans Share Their Tribe's Best Ghost Stories And Legends
People the world over develop their own specific folklore, heavily influenced by the natural world around them and their own culture.
The North American continent was no different.
Reddit user A_KULT_KILLAH wanted to know about the myths and legends of the Indigenous peoples of North America.
They asked:
"Native Americans of Reddit, what are your or your tribes ghost stories, legends, or supernatural occurrences?"
Here are some of the interesting legends and superstitions of North America's First Nations and Indigenous tribes.
Uktena
Brice Cooper on Unsplash
"Uktena. It's a legend about a horned snake in Tsalagi [Cherokee] legend. Uktena is said to be very large and round like a tree trunk, with horns on his head."
"The only way to wound him is to shoot at a singular spot on his forehead that emits bright light. It's similar to a diamond. If you defeat Uktena, you become a miracle worker."
"A great warrior. Yet, once you see the light of his forehead, you run toward it instead of trying to escape."
"Even to see Uktena sleeping is death. Not to the hunter, but to his family."
~ Faith-Hope-TacoBell
Dog Tails or Why They Sniff Each Other
gotdaflow on Unsplash
"Lenni Lenape story about why dogs sniff each other's butts."
"When the humans slept, dogs would get together and party, but not before taking their tails off. They'd dance the entire night, put their tails back on and return home."
"But one time a wolf found them and all the dogs had to scramble away to their homes for safety, but a lot of them grabbed the wrong tail."
"They never danced again at night because they were afraid of the wolf, so they were stuck with weird mismatched tails for the rest of their lives."
"This is the reason that dogs sniff each other's butts; to see if the other dog has their tail."
~ ChurroChick
Haida Raven Brings Light to the Earth
Cristina Glebova on Unsplash
"In the beginning there was no light in the world, because an old magician kept it hidden in a box inside his house. Raven, who was always hungry, didn't like the darkness because it was difficult to find food."
"One day he was looking for food near the old magician's house. He heard a voice saying, 'I have a box, and inside this box is another box, and inside this there is another box, and inside the smallest box is all the light in the world'."
"Raven decided to steal the light."
"Raven waited until the old man's daughter went down to the river to collect water. Just as she was dipping her basket into the river, he changed himself into a hemlock needle."
"The needle floated into her basket. When the girl drank some water, she swallowed Raven too."
"Inside the girl's belly Raven took the form of a human baby. He grew and grew, and in time she gave birth to a funny looking child with black eyes and a big nose."
"The old man loved his grandson so much that he gave in to the child's every wish. Raven became spoilt and greedy. He was bored with all his toys, and wanted to play with the box that held the light."
"Finally the grandfather opened the box and tossed the glowing ball of light to Raven."
"As soon as Raven caught the light, he immediately changed into his bird form. Holding the light in his beak, he flew up the chimney hole into the dark world."
"The magician was angry. He wanted to get the light back into his box."
"He flew after Raven."
"The light was heavy in Raven's beak, and he was getting tired. The magician was coming closer."
"Raven broke off some pieces of the light and threw them into the sky. They became the stars."
"The magician was still coming closer, so Raven broke off another piece of the light and threw it into the sky. It became the moon."
"Finally Raven became so tired that he tossed the last and biggest piece of the light into the sky. It became the sun; and that is how daylight came to the world."
~ deviety
Nakani
Oliver Roos on Unsplash
"Dené from northern British Columbia here, my mom used to always tell me stories of the Nehgunni [Nakani], or bushmen/wild-men when I was young."
"They were people who lived in the forest and took away people who wandered too far out, specifically children."
"I always figured these stories were created by my people to serve two purposes, first to teach young children to not wander far off, and second to give explanations to kidnappings or missing people."
~ spanishLION
See-at-coh
green trees near lake under blue sky during daytimePhoto by Jasper Gronewold on Unsplash"See-at-coh (don't know the translation in English) is a Cowlitz legend. Lived at this lake and it was his spot."
"We DO NOT go there or he will kill you. Used to have nightmares about him based on what I was taught as a kid."
"Like how you could stand at the edge of the water and be looking in and he would come out of it and just grab you. No whistling at night and keep windows covered."
"But then the mountain blew up [Mt. Saint Helen] and filled in the lake so don't know if he's still around or not."
~ kalimah1
Nahual of Mexico
Joshua Wilking on Unsplash
"I live in rural Mexico. There are many, many different Indigenous peoples in what's now Mexico."
"The ones who settled here speak Nahuatl—the language of the Aztecs. This legend took place in the early 1900's."
"One of my favourite Nahuatl myths is the Nahual."
"Some people were thought to be able to turn into an animal. Most of them could only turn into one, but the most powerful Nahual could turn into different animals."
"There was a man who owned a hacienda where my town is, and he had a sort of overseer that everyone was afraid of."
"Said overseer could take a message all the way to the next state (think hundreds of miles) and bring back a sealed response in a single day."
"He also seemed to know everything everyone did, all the time. He was rumoured to be a Nahual that could turn into a coyote and an eagle."
"His quarters were heavily warded in his absence, which only added fuel to the rumor. You can only kill a Nahual if you find the human skin he sheds to transform and burn said skin."
~ CTalina78
Yamǫ́rıa & Yamǫǫ̀zha
Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
"Yamǫ́rıa & Yamǫǫ̀zha—the giant twins [of the Dené]."
"There are landmarks all around the territory I live in that is exhibited as 'proof' they were alive."
"In the middle of the Mackenzie river( biggest river in the NorthWest Territories) there is a large stone sticking out of the river which looks like the petrified guts of a beaver, there is a giant branchless, leafless tree sticking out of the top of this stone."
"It is said that Yamǫǫ̀zha had hunted a giant beaver and gutted him there in the river. He used his spear to anchor down the cuts so fish may feed on them. They are still there to this day."
"Yamǫ́rıa's body can be seen laying down, it is essentially a mountain range that looks like a giant human laying on his back, completely with face and feet. This can be seen from the peak of the hill as you enter a town called Ft. Liard, the southwestern most town in the NWT."
Walking Sam of the Pine Ridge Reservation
Boston Public Library on Unsplash
"'Walking Sam' skulks in the shadows of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and convinces people to take their own lives, especially young people."
"He's 7 feet tall, very thin and has no mouth. When he stretches out his long arms, nooses hang down with Lakota children hanging from them."
"Walking Sam finds you when you're alone and puts thoughts in your head until you feel worthless and kill yourself.
"Sometimes Walking Sam is depicted looking like Abraham Lincoln, complete with the stovepipe hat. 'Walking Sam', 'Uncle Sam', I don't know if that's where the name came from."
"But Walking Sam is an evil infected upon the people when the Oceti Sakowin were forced onto the reservations; he isn't a legend of the people before Pine Ridge Reservation existed."
"Lincoln was President when the Lakota were being forced onto reservations. Lincoln also ordered the execution of 38 Lakota men the day after Christmas in 1862. It's the largest mass execution in U.S. history."
"I always thought Walking Sam was Lincoln. They carved his face onto Ŝa´kpe Tuŋkaŋŝi (Mount Rushmore was called Six Grandfathers) in the Paha Sa´pa (Black Hills)
"My Father attended Holy Rosary boarding school at Pine Ridge in the 1940s & 1950s, but our people didn't live on the reservation. My Grandmother said evil stalked the people there."
"My Father never wanted us to ever even visit any of our cousins or his Uncles there."
~ LakotaGrl
Este Lopocke or Este Lubutke
Morgane Perraud on Unsplash
"Miccosukee [Seminole] tribal member here (South Florida) and for us it's the little people."
"Essentially really small people (like barbie doll sized and smaller) that live in the trees. They play jokes and stuff mainly, unless you piss them off."
"Had family members get tricks played on them that couldn't be explained."
"And then we have our fair share of stories that circulate our reservation like a tribal member being taken by the little people."
"All on the reservation in the Everglades (like 40 mins west of Miami)."
~ SSBMBabyCakes
Haudenosaunee Rules
Chris Chow on Unsplash
"I know the Haudenosaunee [Iroquois Confederacy] rules."
"1. If you hear someone you know calling your name, but you also know they are not supposed to be there, DON'T respond. Especially if they are out of sight and insisting you come to them."
"2. Always play group games in counter-clockwise order, otherwise your playing with the dead."
"3. Also don't eat in the dark, this is considered inviting the dead to eat with you. If you can extend your hand all the way out and still see it clearly then your fine."
"4. Don't play card games past midnight. If you do, and someone knocks at the door, don't answer it."
"5. Try not to drop your cards, if you do then don't bend down to pick them up, or you will see hooves under the table. That's bad."
"6. Say thank you after meals, even if you're the one that made it. Even better if you say it in native tongue."
"7. If someone finishes their meal and says thank you, you say 'you're welcome', even if you didn't give it to them. Even better in native tongue."
"8. After someone dies, you should gather family as quickly as possible to have feasts for 10 days. The first dinner is large, then every meal after that is a smaller feast meant for portions of the family to come at different times to help.
"The last feast on the 10th day is the closing dinner, which is the largest, with the entire family expected to show up and help. For every meal of these 10 days, put out a plate of the deceased's favorite foods first."
"Contrary to rule 6, you do not say thank you at any time during these 10 days. This is because it is believed that it takes the dead 10 days to relive their lives before they pass on, so this is your last chance to eat with them."
"Saying 'Thank you' during this time will make them stop before they're done because you're saying you're done. This will have bad consequences."
"9. Don't try to contact spirits, especially with board games. This is not a tribe custom, it's more of an unspoken common sense among the Rez people."
"10. If a bird flies into your house, someone's going to die."
"11. Pregnant woman should not hold any child that isn't theirs."
"12. It's accepted that if you actually try to curse someone, literally going through all of the steps with the intention of harm, not accidentally wishing them bad luck, then your family will also be cursed horribly."
"13. If you play with fire you'll wet the bed."
~ kinda-always-hungry
To learn more general information about Indigenous mythology of the United States, visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian website.
For Canada, visit the First Nations in Canada website.
For information about specific tribes, visit their tribal government website for recommended resources.