h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Vanishing Hitchhiker: An Urban Legend for the Ages - A88000319
Author: Dmitri Gheorgheni - Not Banned in China - U1590784

On Twitter, Snopes.com tweeted out the 'Vanishing Hitchhiker' again. That's the Ur-legend of urban legends. I noticed we didn't have a guide entry on it, even though it had the word 'hitchhiker' in. This needs to be rectified, so here is an entry on the 'Vanishing Hitchhiker'.

I love being a folklorist.

Nice! It sums everything up nicely. Believe it or not, I must be the only person left in the planet who hasn't heard of this story.

The only parallel I could think of was where Jesus joined some pilgrims in their walk. It is celebrated here every year.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmausgang


Based on Luke 24, 13-29.

There's an 'e' too many in the sentence

<< These stories are very satisfying to the teller and the listener, fore some reason. >>

The road to Emmaus! You're right - what a great phantom hitchhiker story. That's definitely going in! The Emmausgang is a new one to me, too, wow.

And thanks for finding the typo.

A87813273

Better on two wheels!

Aha! Live and well and hitchhiking on the Wirral!

I'm not sure if this is related but there is a syndrome where people in extreme situations get the feeling that someone else is with them. It was mentioned on QI once.

Ha! Found it quite quickly on wiki.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Man_factor

Guardian angels, coping mechanisms? Nah, I'm going for a time loop hippy chick situation type thingy, apologies for the technical jargon!

Now I've learned something new, TC! I didn't know about that phenomenon. It probably deserves its own entry.

'Hippie chick time loop', indeed...

Very intersting, I wouldn't have guessed that this legend is so old!

... also someone whould write that space story.

Go right ahead! Thanks, Tav!

This is most excellent Guide material

I knew of the vanishing hitchhiker legend and also the Jesus story. I am intrigued by "the third man" (which was a new name to me) but I knew of the phenomenon - I have experience of a "presence" at times when they were needed, saved my life, my mother's, my baby brother's, and a schoolgirl who ran in front of my car while I was on my driving test. I call it my Guardian Angel.



Couple of typos:
>> As an early Christian, Philip might be said to have followed the example of Jesus, who seems to have been become a vanishing pedestrian after his resurrection. << ("been" not required).

>>And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. Luke Luke 24, 13-15,30-31<< (one excess "Luke")


GB

Thanks for the proofreading! Typos removed.

Yes - sometimes it's good to have confirmation that other people have shared these liminal experiences.

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Congratulations! I know of the 'third man' but didn't know about this - excellent Entry