-Connecticut Ghost Hunters Society -
Lamb Paranormal Podcast
The Slender Man
Seen: 1600's - Still seen today
About
The Slender Man is an alleged paranormal figure purported to have been in existence for centuries, covering a large geographic area. Believers in the Slender Man tie his appearances in with many other legends around the world, including; Fear Dubh (or, The Dark Man) in Scotland, the Dutch Takkenmann (Branch Man), and the German legend of Der Großmann or Der Grosse Mann (the Tall Man).
Description
In almost every description Slenderman's basic attributes will vary greatly, however several basic traits are typical of his behavior. He is shown to behave in a very passive aggressive manner, stalking targets for years at a time, torturing his target mentally for various unknown reasons. He is rarely ever shown in a benevolent light and is typically shown as a malevolent force. This behavioral pattern has an uncertain reasoning behind it, and exactly why he behaves in such a way has yet to be fully ascertained.
The most important factor about Slenderman is the mystery. He lives unlike any human being despite having a similar appearance to one. It is uncertain if he is social, or even understands human languages or behaviors, nor why it is humans appear to be his main target. His targets will typically behave in off ways as if possessed (Proxy), but whether their psychosis is causing them to speak for him or for themselves isn't entirely certain either.
Slenderman's appearance is variable as the years go on, but as of to date the most recent appearance is that of an abnormally tall human with long arms and no face whom is wearing a business suit. Again it is uncertain if his suit is real cloth or some form of skin molded into such an appearance. If it is the former, this would imply an intelligent being attempting to try to blend in. If it is the latter, it shows a being whom is extremely adaptive and evolves to match his environment and stick out less (or more).
Slenderman's appearance provokes a wide range of responses, the most common being fear. This is partially due to his extremely towering size over a full grown adult, which mimics the childhood fear of adult humans bigger than the child. His behavior also factors into it. Finally, the main fact is he is completely unable to be described in human terms. While a description in words can be given, human language lacks the ability to truly define the entity until such a time as when humans can interact with him (if at all possible). This problem stems from the fact that he operates in a plane of existence further from humans. This is believed to be fourth dimensional space which gives him powers a human cannot understand due to humans living in three dimensions of space and being unable to comprehend the fourth dimension at this time.
In total two major types of Slender Man descriptions exist. The original versions depict him as not only malevolent, but extremely dangerous. He will do odd things such as removing organs and placing them in bags, impaling targets on trees, and aggressively stalking targets after a period of time. A contemporary depiction shows Slender Man as being extremely passive aggressive, often letting a person slowly delve into madness at their situation until being unable to cope. If invited to anger, he will typically charge a target down until caught and vanish with them to unknown locations. This version also shows an odd response to electronic equipment and causes massive problems with audio, surveillance, camera, and other various electronic devices with displays or audio. Sometimes an individual can determine if he is near simply by how certain electronics react such as radios, televisions, or cameras. How powerful this effect is seems to vary, and can either be due to Slender Man's own state of aggression, or other outside factors either inside or beyond Slender Man's control.
Behavior
Much of the fascination with Slender Man is rooted in the overall aura of mystery that he is wrapped in. Despite the fact that it is rumored he kills children almost exclusively, it is difficult to say whether or not his only objective is slaughter.
Often times it is either reported or recorded that he can be found in sections of woods, and these generally tend to be suburban. He also has been reported seen with large groups of children, as many photographs portray. It is commonly thought that he resides in woods and forests and preys on children. He seems unconcerned with being exposed in the daylight or captured in photos.
It is often thought as well that he enjoys stalking people who become overly paranoid about his existence, purposefully giving them glimpses of himself in order to further frighten them. For this reason, it seems like Slenderman very much enjoys psychologically torturing his victims.
He also often appears to float or drift around rather than walk, which suggest the possibility of him being an ethereal being rather than a creature or a man. This would also explain why he is able to remain mobile in spite of his poorly proportioned body.
Even though Slender Man was fabricated on SomethingAwful forums (or was he?), some people have already claimed sightings. He is seen mostly at night peering into open windows and walks out in front of lone motorists on secluded roads.
His main intentions appear to be kidnapping children, as when he is seen near them in photographs, they usually disappear shortly afterwards. The Slender Man has also inspired many stories such as those of Marble Hornets.
In the end though, his purpose remains unknown.
An interesting take on Slender Man by a pasta member who is relying on the Marble hornets series for evidence/facts:
“There has been a big misconception about my pal the Slender Man due to the appearance of this article. He does not have hair or a face. Everything else is correct. There is also some questioning as to whether or not there is more than one. I find that unlikely. It's most likely Slendy fucking with your head in order to make you think that there is more than one, which he has been known to do. As of now, Slendy has 3 or 4 known accomplices.
These are Hoodie, Maskie, The Rake and possibly The Observer. Not much is known yet because the next episode of the Noah Maxwell ARG has not yet been released. In the Marble Hornets ARG, Hoodie and Maskie are possibly his followers. In the Everyman HYBRIDS ARG the Rake seems to be working with him, but we aren't really sure if that is true or not.”
