Slender Man

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).
== Appearance ==
The Slender Man is a being (male in appearance) who looks like a man 
with extremely long, slender arms and legs. He also appears to have 4 to
 8 long, black tentacles that protrude from his back, though different 
photographs and enthusiasts disagree on this fact, and therefore it is 
theorized he can 'contract' these tentacles at will.
He is described as wearing a black suit strikingly similar to the
 visage of the notorious Men In Black, and as the name suggests, appears
 very thin and able to stretch his limbs and torso to inhuman lengths in
 order to induce fear and ensnare his prey. Once his arms are 
outstretched, his victims are put into something of a hypnotized state, 
where they are utterly helpless to stop themselves from walking into 
them.
He is also able to create tendrils from his fingers and back that he uses to walk on in a similar fashion to Doctor Octopus. The superhuman stretching ability could also be seen as a similarity between himself and Mr. Fantastic.
Whether he absorbs, kills, or merely takes his victims to an 
undisclosed location or dimension is also unknown as there are never any
 bodies or evidence left behind in his wake to deduce a definite 
conclusion.
His face is pale and slightly ghostly, and almost appears to have
 been wrapped in a type of gauze or cloth. his facial features are also 
an object of debate, and many people believe that his face looks 
different to each person, if it is seen at all.
He sometimes is portrayed wears a hat, which is sometimes a 
bowler, a fedora, or sometimes a tophat. He may also be seen wearing a 
long flowing necktie or scarf, which is either red or grey.
He often keeps his long, pale hands crossed politely behind his 
back or hanging loosely at his sides. His suit 
is black, sometimes 
portrayed as pinstripe in artwork, a common misconception thanks to the 
very similar Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas. He
 has long coattails which he lets flow proudly. He wears long dress 
shoes, which are always shined a perfect, gleaming black.
== 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:
== Historical References ==
=== Brazilian Cave Paintings ===
The earliest argued reference to the legend is within the cave 
paintings found in the Serr da Capivara National Park in the Northeast 
of Brazil, which are believed to date from as far back as 9000 BC. These
 paintings show a strangely elongated character leading a child by the 
hand, but make no reference to the 
extra appendages.
=== Egyptian Hieroglyphs ===
The next known possible reference to the Slender Man comes from 
around 3100 BC in lower Egypt, with references to the "Thief of the 
Gods" or the "Thief of Kuk" becoming common place during the reign of 
Pharaoh Wazner. Hieroglyphic carvings representing the Thief were found 
in the pharaoh's tomb, who was rumored to have had some kind of 
encounter with the entity. The carvings resemble a strange figure with 
multiple upper limbs, one that has never been found in any other 
hieroglyph language.
=== German Woodcuts ===
Renowned German woodcutter Hans Freckenberg created at least two 
woodcuts featuring a character he described as Der Ritter (The Knight) 
during the mid-sixteenth century that were discovered in Halstberg 
Castle in 1883.
Whilst Freckenberg was well-known for his realistic depiction of 
human anatomy - something that was unusual 
among woodcuts of the time - 
these pictures featured a skeletal, multi-limbed character.
Historians are unsure of the exact symbolic nature of the 
character, with some claiming that it is a personification of the 
religious wars that raged in Europe at the time, while others say it 
represents the mysterious plagues that have been believed to be the 
reason for the mysterious abandoning of the Hastlberg Castle and the 
nearby village in 1543.
However, many insist that Freckenberg was attempting to represent
 "Der Großmann" (the Tall Man). According to legend, he was a fairy ho 
lived in the Black Forest. Bad children who crept into the woods at 
night would be relentlessly chased by Der Großmann, who wouldn't leave 
them be until he either caught them or they were forced to tell their 
parents of their wrongdoing. Even then, there is a chilling account from
 an old journal, dating from about 1702:
=== Romanian Mythology ===
There is also a Romanian fairytale which tells the legend of the Tall Man, featuring this description which may have taken to refer to the Slender Man
"The tall man stood in a clearing, dressed as a nobleman, all 
in black. Shadows lay over him, dark as a cloudy midnight. He had many 
arms, all long and boneless as snakes, all sharp as swords, and they 
writhed like worms on nails. He did not speak, but made his intentions 
known,"''
In the fairytale, the Tall Man causes a mother to kill her 
husband and child, before he slid from a fireplace and "clenched her in 
his burning embrace."
=== English Mythology ===
There is also an english myth referring to the "Tree Man", whom is 
said to have a slim body with apendages that looks like tree branches.
He is only known to be seen in the woods and was used as a story 
that parents told their children to thwart bad behavior. There have been
 quite a few disappearances of children that have been said to be linked
 to the "Tree Man".
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