Welcome back, Dynatrace Community!
We're posting this Community Challenge exactly in the middle of October. It means the well known in many countries Halloween is right around the corner! You do not necessarily have to celebrate it, we're using it just as a pretext for an interesting theme 😎
Share spooky legends or stories from your country or culture! It can be a tale or urban legend, just like a story or film. Only rule - it needs to be spooky! Let's explore what scares people around the globe!
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👉 Every participant receives a unique "Spooky Badge"
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👉 Engage with others and have fun!
Hi,
When I was young, in our old building, the elevator was OOS mode, and the legend says that there is someone leaving inside the elevator.
so, It was a challenge everyday to climb the stairs as the elevator and stairs share the same area.
But now, Im a real man and I climb without scaring
This is one historic tale, from the greatest Portuguese book (poem) ever written, almost 500 years ago: Os Lusíadas. At the time, Portuguese explorers had gone by sea where no one had gone before. But there was one particular spot on the planet that instilled fear in those brave navigators: going around the Cape of Good Hope, in southern Africa.
And thus the spooky figure of Adamastor came to life: adapted from the Greek word for "untameable", living in the deep sea, it was a mythological symbol of the natural challenges that those navigators faced!
Today, we know ahead about hurricanes, just like the one last week. Several centuries ago, these same forces of nature were beyond imagination. And Adamastor would spook those fearless mariners like no other, for at least a couple of centuries:
"O you, the boldest of the nations, fir'd
By daring pride, by lust of fame inspir'd,
Who, scornful of the bow'rs of sweet repose,
Through these my waves advance your fearless prows,
Regardless of the length'ning wat'ry way,
And all the storms that own my sov'reign sway,
Who, mid surrounding rocks and shelves explore
Where never hero brav'd my rage before;
Ye sons of Lusus, who with eyes profane
Have view'd the secrets of my awful reign,
Have pass'd the bounds which jealous Nature drew
To veil her secret shrine from mortal view;
Hear from my lips what direful woes attend,
And, bursting soon, shall o'er your race descend.
"With every bounding keel that dares my rage,
Eternal war my rocks and storms shall wage
The next proud fleet that through my drear domain,
With daring search shall hoist the streaming vane,
That gallant navy, by my whirlwinds toss'd,
And raging seas, shall perish on my coast:
Then he, who first my secret reign descried,
A naked corpse, wide floating o'er the tide,
Shall drive—— Unless my heart's full raptures fail,
O Lusus! oft shalt thou thy children wail;
Each year thy shipwreck'd sons shalt thou deplore,
Each year thy sheeted masts shall strew my shore.
Oooh I love this theme, spooky stories are the best! I'll go with a couple:
- Aqueduto das Águas Livres
Originally, it was built in 1713 to bring water into Lisbon. But in the 19th century, this Aqueduct became the hunting grounds of one of Portugal's first serial killers: Diogo Alves. He would hide out in there, rob his victims and throw them off the aqueduct. It is said he killed over 70 people in this manner, and his ghost is rumored to still haunt the aqueduct to this day, with several reports of eerie noises and screams echoing through the structure. The extra fun thing about this one? Diogo Alves' head is preserved to this day. He was caught, sentenced and hanged. But his head was preserved in order to study the origin of his evil. Yes, I'm serious it's really the man's head. And yes, you can google it if you really want to: Diogo Alves' head. Immediate results, ultra extra creepy.
- The Blind Ghost Girl on the cliff by Castelinho de São João do Estoril
"On the cliff overlooking the blinking blue ocean of Portugal, a young blind girl fell to her death while playing by the Castelinho de São João do Estoril. She is now forever haunting the place.
Locals tell a story about a girl that was dancing at the edge of the cliff and fell to her death in the sea by the Castelinho de São João do Estoril. They say that ever since, you can sometimes spot a dancing girl at the very edge, always dancing.
One of the potential buyers in 1983 was José Castelo Branco, a Portuguese reality star, but when he got to the place, he gave up any plans of buying the place. At arrival he saw a girl playing with other children by the cliff and suddenly felt the urge to throw himself into the sea. Not buying a bad omen, he left without buying.
And although today, the story of the little girl on the cliff is mostly brought up when the house is put up for sale, it still persists to be told, again and again. And reports of a ghost of a little girl with a doll in her hand comes in as she dances on the cliff or goes through the walls of the house."
In October 2017, my friend and I embarked on trip to Jaipur, India, with a thrilling mission: exploring the infamous Bhangarh Fort, one of India's most haunted places. Located about 50 miles from Jaipur, this eerie fortress has a chilling legend.
According to local lore, a Hindu priest (Sadu) cursed the entire village, condemning it to destruction. This ominous warning keeps tourists away after 5 pm.
On October 5, 2017, we entered the fort premises, eager to uncover its secrets. As we strolled through the abandoned street market, the pleasant weather belied the foreboding atmosphere. I snapped my first photo, which surprisingly got distorted (see below). Locals claim that a priest once worshiped at the mountain top, marked by a small dome structure (zoom in to spot it).
Photo burst shivers down our spines. I quickly took another photo, which turned out normal. We proceeded with caution, exploring the fort's rooms. However, we sensed very strong odor musty, ammonia-type smell which was massive bat colony – forced us to expedite our exit as it was give us headache.
During our hasty exploration, I lost my friend for 10 minutes. Relieved to find him capturing landscape photos, we swiftly departed, abandoning our plans to explore further.
Our experience left us with an unsettling memory feeling that Bhangarh Fort still guards its dark secrets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhangarh_Fort
https://www.easemytrip.com/blog/experience-the-presence-of-ghosts-at-these-haunted-places-in-india
Cheers!
RN
The legend of the Chupa Cabra is a dark tale that haunted Brazil in the 1990s, especially in rural areas. It all began with sinister reports from small communities, where farmers and locals would wake up to find their livestock dead, drained of blood, and left with strange wounds on their bodies. The scene seemed like something out of a nightmare: sheep, goats, chickens, and even dogs were found scattered across fields, completely bloodless, their eyes staring into the void.
Rumors about the mysterious creature quickly spread. Witnesses described a terrifying being with bright, piercing eyes that cut through the night like knives, sharp claws, and scaly skin that seemed to reflect the moonlight. Some said it was the size of a large dog; others claimed they had seen it standing like a man. The sound it made was a high-pitched, unsettling hiss that echoed in the darkness, like a distant scream of pain.
People began to fear the creature and avoided going out at night, but the reports kept coming. Armed farmers and hunters tried to capture it, but it was as if the Chupa Cabra knew it was being hunted and vanished into the dense brush, leaving behind only terror and the dry bodies of animals.
Over the years, sightings dwindled, and many believe it still roams in remote areas, a nocturnal predator that feeds on the blood of unsuspecting animals.
I have a nice movie memory from my young ages. It is not so scary...
There is a scene in the Roman Holiday which is my favourite one:
Based on the story Joe (Gergory Peck) takes Ann (Audry Hepburn) to the Mouth of Truth and tells her the legend attached to it: if a liar puts their hand in the mouth, it will be bitten off. After Ann tries it, when it is Joe's turn, he startles her by pretending that his hand was cut off. I have also tired it, but I still have two hands... 😉
If you visit Rome check the Mouth of Truth, it is quite close to the Colosseum.
Not really a horror story, but a little spooky legend or who knows, maybe real story from my home town Hamburg in North Germany.
There was a pirate called Klaus Stoertebecker. He was born in 1360 and robbed many North German merchants (part of the Hanseatic League) of their wares. There are many stories of how he escaped many times but in 1401 he and his 73 man crew were captured.
The Senate of Hamburg sentenced them all to death - and Stoertebecker was supposed to be executed as the first one. Because of his good negotiation skills, he managed to make a deal with the the mayor. He bargained that the mayor would spare all men, who he would still manage to walk by after he was beheaded (yea just the body had to pass them, not the head).
He managed to walk past 11 of his crew members, before the executioner had enough and tripped him over. Well this act was all for nothing. The mayor broke his promise and the entire crew was beheaded and their heads put on spikes.
THE END 😄
In Brazil we have a rich folklore, and the most iconic one is the Saci (which we celebrate in Oct 31).
"He is a one-legged black man, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes (usually in the middle of a dirt devil). Considered an annoying prankster in most parts of Brazil, and a potentially dangerous and malicious creature in others, he nevertheless grants wishes to anyone who manages to trap him or steal his magic cap. "
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