Alligators in the sewer,dragons in the well and Freud in the toilet

One of the most popular of all urban legends is the story about alligators in the sewers of New York (abbreviated AIS story). While previous investigations have been concerned with the historical origins of AIS stories, this article is concerned with developing a psychoanalytic explanation which accounts for the continuing popularity of such stories. In developing such an explanation, this article makes use of the association between‘penis’ and ‘feces,’ an association that is very likely among the earliest associations formed in the human mind. Given the penis = feces association, and given Freud's suggestion that the young child will typically take defecation as a model for castration, it is argued that AIS stories are ultimately concerned with castration. The fact that ‘castration’ has different connotations for males and females helps to explain some of the details invariably incorporated into an AIS story. Finally, the argument developed in connection with modern AIS stories is used to provide a new perspective upon traditional English stories about dragons.