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Ghost

Engraving of the HammersmithGhostin Kirby's Wonderful and ScientificMuseum, a magazine published in 1804[1]

Ghost

Grouping Legendary creature

Sub

grouping

Undead

Similar

creatures

Revenant

Region The

Americas, Europe, Asia,Africa, Oceania

[show]Part of a series of articlesontheparanormal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation).

"Ghostly" redirects here. For other uses, see Ghostly (disambiguation).

In traditional belief and fiction, aghost (sometimes

known as aspectre (British English)

or specter(American

English), phantom,apparition or spook) is

the soulor spiritof a dead person or animal that can

appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the

living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghostsvary

widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely

visible wispyshape s, to realistic, lifelike visions. Thedeliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased

person is known as necromancy, or in spiritismas

a sance.

The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is

widespread, dating back to animismor ancestor

worshipin pre-literate cultures. Certain religious

practicesfuneral rites, exorcisms,and so me practices

of spiritualismand ritual magicare specificallydesigned to rest the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are

generally described as solitary essences that haunt

particularlocations, objects, or people they were

associatedw ith in life, though stories of phantom

armies, ghost trains, phantom ships, and even

ghost animalshave also been recounted. [2][3]

Contents [ hide]

1 Terminology

2 Typology

2.1 Anthropological context

2.2 Ghosts and the afterlife

2.3 Fear of ghosts

2.4 Common attributes

2.5 Locale

3 History

3.1 Ancient Near East and Egypt

3.2 Classical Antiquity

3.2.1 Archaic and Classical Greece

3.2.2 Roman Empire and Late Antiquity

3.3 Middle Ages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Middle_Ageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostly_(disambiguation)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Archaic_and_Classical_Greecehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ancient_Near_East_and_Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ancient_Near_East_and_Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Localehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ghosts_and_the_afterlifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ghosts_and_the_afterlifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ghosts_and_the_afterlifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Anthropological_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Anthropological_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Typologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Typologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_locationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor_worshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(spirit)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Middle_Ageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Roman_Empire_and_Late_Antiquityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Archaic_and_Classical_Greecehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Classical_Antiquityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ancient_Near_East_and_Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Localehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Common_attributeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Fear_of_ghostshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Ghosts_and_the_afterlifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Anthropological_contexthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Typologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Terminologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_shipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_train_(folklore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_locationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_magichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor_worshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9ancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparitional_experiencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(spirit)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostly_(disambiguation)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_(disambiguation)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Paranormalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Americashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undeadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legendary_creaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Kirby-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Ghost.PNG


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3.4 European Renaissance to Romanticism

3.5 Modern period of western culture

3.5.1 Spiritualist movement

3.5.2 Spiritism

3.6 Scientific view

4 By religion

4.1 Judo-Christian

4.2 Islam

4.3 Buddhism

5 By culture

5.1 African folklore

5.2 European folklore

5.3 South and Southeast Asia

5.3.1 India

5.3.2 Austronesia

5.4 East and Central Asia

5.4.1 China

5.4.2 Japan

5.4.3 Thailand

5.4.4 Tibet

5.5 Americas

5.5.1 Mexico

5.5.2 United States

6 Depiction in the arts

6.1 Renaissance to Romanticism (1500 to 1840)6.2 Victorian/Edwardian (1840 to 1920)

6.3 Modern Era (1920 to 1970)

6.4 Post-modern (1970present)

7 Metaphorical usages

8 See also

9 References

10 Bibliography

11 Further reading

12 External links

Terminology

Further information: spirit, soul (spirit), wikt:anima, genius (mythology)andGeist

The English word ghostcontinues Old English gst, from a hypothetical Common Germanic *gaistaz. It is

common to West Germanic, but lacking in North Germanicand East Germanic(the equivalent word

in Gothicis ahma, Old Norsehas andim., ndf.). The pre-Germanic form was *ghoisdo-s, apparently

from a root denoting "fury, anger" reflected in Old Norse geisa"to rage". The Germanic word is recordedas masculine only, but likely continues a neuter s-stem. The original meaning of the Germanic word

would thus have been an animating principle of themind, in particular capable of excitation and fury

(compare r). In Germanic paganism, "Germanic Mercury", and the later Odin, was at the same time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_Mercuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_paganismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93%C3%B0rhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Norsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germanic_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Germanic_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Germanic_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Germanichttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gast#Old_Englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Englishhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_(mythology)http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/animahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(spirit)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Bibliographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Metaphorical_usageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Post-modern_.281970.E2.80.93present.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Modern_Era_.281920_to_1970.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Victorian.2FEdwardian_.281840_to_1920.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Renaissance_to_Romanticism_.281500_to_1840.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Depiction_in_the_artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Mexicohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Americashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Tibethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Thailandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#East_and_Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Austronesiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#South_and_Southeast_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#European_folklorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#African_folklorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#By_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Buddhismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Jud.C3.A6o-Christianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#By_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Scientific_viewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Spiritismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Spiritualist_movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#Modern_period_of_western_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#European_Renaissance_to_Romanticism


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theconductor of the deadand the "lord of fury" leading the Wild Hunt.

Besides denoting the human spirit or soul, both of the living and the deceased, the Old English word is

used as a synonym of Latin spiritus also in the meaning of "breath" or "blast" from the earliest

attestations (9th century). It could also denote any good or evil spirit, i.e. angels and demons; the Anglo-

Saxongospel refers to the demonic possessionof Matthew 12:43 as se unclna gast. Also from the Old

English period, the word could denote the spirit of God, viz. the "Holy Ghost". The now prevailing sense

of "the soul of a deceased person, spoken of as appearing in a visible form" only emerges in MiddleEnglish(14th century). The modern noun does, however, retain a wider field of application, extending on

one hand to "soul", "spirit", "vital principle", "mind" or "psyche", the seat of feeling, thought and moral

judgement; on the other hand used figuratively of any shadowy outline, fuzzy or unsubstantial image, in

optics, photography and cinematography especially a flare, secondary image or spurious signal.[4]

The synonym spookis a Dutchloanword, akin to Low German spk(of uncertain etymology); it entered

the English language via the United Statesin the 19th century. [5][6][7][8]Alternative words in modern

usage include spectre(from Latin spectrum), the Scottish wraith (of obscure origin), phantom(via French

ultimately from Greekphantasma, compare fantasy) and apparition. The term shade in classicalmythologytranslates Greek , [9]or Latin umbra,[10]in reference to the notion of spirits in the Greek

underworld. "Haint" is a synonym for ghost used in regional English of the southern United

States,[11]and the "haint tale" is a common feature of southern oral and literary tradition. [12]The

termpoltergeistis a German word, literally a "noisy ghost", for a spirit said to manifest itself by invisibly

moving and influencing objects.[13]

Wraithis a Scotsword for "ghost", "spectre" or "apparition". It came to be used in Scottish Romanticist

literature, and acquired the more general or figurative sense of "portent" or "omen". In 18th- to 19th-

century Scottish literature, it was also applied to aquatic spirits. The word has no commonly acceptedetymology; theOEDnotes "of obscure origin" only. [14]An association with the verb writhe was the

etymology favored by J. R. R. Tolkien.[15]Tolkien's use of the word in the naming of the creatures known

as the Ringwraithshas influenced later usage in fantasy literature. Bogey[16]or bogy/bogieis a term for

a ghost, and appears in Scottish poet John Mayne's Hallowe'en in 1780. [17][18]

A revenantis a deceased person returning from the dead to haunt the living, either as a disembodied

ghost or alternatively as an animated ("undead") corpse. Also related is the concept of a fetch, the

visible ghost or spirit of a person yet alive.

Typology

Anthropological context

Further information:Animism,Ancestor worship, Origin of religionandAnthropology of religion

A notion of the transcendent, supernaturalor numinous, usually involving entities like

ghosts, demonsor deities, is a cultural universal.[19]In pre-literate folk religions, these beliefs are often

summarized under animismand ancestor worship.[20]

In many cultures malignant, restless ghosts are distinguished from the more benign spirits involvedin ancestor worship.[21]

Ancestor worship typically involves rites intended to prevent revenants, vengeful spiritsof the dead,

imagined as starving and envious of the living. Strategies for preventing revenants may either
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vengeful_spirithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenant_(folklore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor_worshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-EncyOccult-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor_worshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_universalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numinoushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_(religion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology_of_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestor_worshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetch_(folklore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undeadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenant_(folklore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-17http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bogiehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeymanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazg%C3%BBlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkienhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/writhehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OEDhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_languagehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wraithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Cohen1984-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-12http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_underworldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_mythologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shade_(mythology)http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fantasyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phantasma_(philosophy)&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Germanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_languagehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spookhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vital_principlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonic_possessionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conductor_of_the_dead


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Yrei(Japanese ghost)from the Hyakkai Zukan, ca.1737

include sacrifice, i.e., giving the dead food and drink to pacify them, or magical banishment of the

deceased to force them not to return. Ritual feeding of the dead is performed in traditions like the

Chinese Ghost Festivalor the Western All Souls' Day. Magical banishment of the dead is present in

many of the world's burial customs. The bodies found in many tumuli( kurgan) had been ritually bound

before burial,[22]and the custom of binding the dead persists, for example, in rural Anatolia.[23]

Nineteenth-century anthropologist James Frazer stated in his classic work, The Golden Bough, that

souls were seen as the creature within that animated the body. [24]

Ghosts and the afterlife

Further information: Soul (spirit), Psyche (psychology), Underworld, Hungry ghostand Psychopomp

Further information: Ghost Festival,All Souls' Day, Day of the Deadand Ghost Dance

Although the human soul was sometimes symbolically or literally depicted in ancient cultures as a bird or

other animal, it appears to have been widely held that the soul was an exact reproduction of the body in

every feature, even down to clothing the person wore. This is depicted in artwork from various ancient

cultures, including such works as the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which shows deceased people in theafterlife appearing much as they did before death, including the style of dress.

Fear of ghosts

Main article: Fear of ghosts

While deceased ancestors are universallyregarded as venerable, and

often imagined as having a continued presence in some sort ofafterlife,

the spirit of a deceased person which remains present in the material

world (viz. a ghost) is regarded as an unnatural or undesirable state ofaffairs and the idea of ghosts or revenantsis associated with a reaction

of fear. This is universally the case in pre-modern folk cultures, but fear

of ghosts also remains an integral aspect of the modern ghost

story, Gothic horror, and other horror fictiondealing with the

supernatural.

Common attributes

Another widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they are composed

of a misty, airy, or subtle material. Anthropologistslink this idea to early

beliefs that ghosts were the person within the person (the person's

spirit), most noticeable in ancient cultures as a person's breath, which

upon exhaling in colder climates appears visibly as a white mist. [20]This

belief may have also fostered the metaphorical meaning of "breath" in

certain languages, such as the Latin spiritusand the Greekpneuma, which by analogybecame extended

to mean the soul. In the Bible, Godis depicted as synthesising Adam, as a living soul, from the dust of

the Earth and the breath of God.

In many traditional accounts, ghosts were often thought to be deceased people looking for vengeance

(vengeful ghosts), or imprisoned on earth for bad things they did during life. The appearance of a ghost

has often been regarded as an omen or portent of death. Seeing one's own ghostly double or "fetch" is

a related omen of death.[25]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelg%C3%A4ngerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vengeful_ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_(Bible)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-EncyOccult-20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_horrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_storyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenant_(folklore)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_universalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_ghostshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Book_of_the_Deadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Dancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Deadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopomphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(spirit)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-GoldenBough-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Boughhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Frazerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoliahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumulihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial_customhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Festivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrificehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakkai_Zukanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%ABreihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Suushi_Yurei.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Suushi_Yurei.jpg


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White ladieswere reported to appear in many rural areas, and supposed to have died tragically or

suffered trauma in life. White Lady legends are found around the world. Common to many of them is the

theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband or fianc. They are often associated with an individual

family line or regarded as a harbinger of death similar to a banshee.

Legends of ghost ships have existed since the 18th century; most notable of these is the Flying

Dutchman. This theme has been used in literature in The Rime of the Ancient Marinerby Coleridge.

Locale

See also: Haunted house

A place where ghosts are reported is described as haunted, and often seen as being inhabited

by spiritsof deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property.

Supernatural activity inside homes is said to be mainly associated with violent or tragic events in the

building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide sometimes in the recent or ancient past.

But not all hauntings are at a place of a violent death, or even on violent grounds. Many cultures

and religionsbelieve the essence of a being, such as the ' soul', continues to exist. Some religious viewsargue that the 'spirits' of those who have died have not 'passed over' and are trapped inside the

property where their memories and energy are strong.

History

Ancient Near East and Egypt

Main article: Ghosts in Mesopotamian religions

Main article: Ghosts in ancient Egyptian culture

There are many references to ghosts in Mesopotamian religions the religions

ofSumer, Babylon, Assyriaand other early states in Mesopotamia. Traces of these beliefs survive in the

later Abrahamic religionsthat came to dominate the region. [26]Ghosts were thought to be created at

time of death, taking on the memory and personality of the dead person. They traveled to the

netherworld, where they were assigned a position, and led an existence similar in some ways to that of

the living. Relatives of the dead were expected to make offerings of food and drink to the dead to ease

their conditions. If they did not, the ghosts could inflict misfortune and illness on the living. Traditional

healing practices ascribed a variety of illnesses to the action of ghosts, while others were caused by

gods or demons.[27]

The Hebrew Biblecontains few references to ghosts, associating spiritism with forbidden occult activities

cf. Deuteronomy18:11. The most notable reference is in the First Book of Samuel(I Samuel 28:319

KJV), in which a disguised King Saulhas the Witch of Endorsummon the spirit/ghost of Samuel.

There was widespread belief in ghosts in ancient Egyptian culturein the sense of the continued

existence of the souland spirit after death, with the ability to assist or harm the living, and the possibility

of a second death. Over a period of more than 2,500 years, Egyptian beliefs about the nature of the

afterlife evolved constantly. Many of these beliefs were recorded in inscriptions, papyrus scrolls andtomb paintings. The Egyptian Book of the Deadcompiles some of the beliefs from different periods of

ancient Egyptian history.[28]In modern times, the fanciful concept of a mummy coming back to life and

wreaking vengeance when disturbed has spawned a whole genre of horror stories and films.[29]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Vieira2003-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-28http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Book_of_the_Deadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_soulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_in_ancient_Egyptian_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_(biblical_figure)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_of_Endorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_the_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Samuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuteronomyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-black-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_in_Mesopotamian_religionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_in_ancient_Egyptian_culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_in_Mesopotamian_religionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(spirit)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_(spirit)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_locationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rime_of_the_Ancient_Marinerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Dutchmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bansheehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Lady_(ghost)


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Egyptian Akh glyph Thesouland spirit re-unitedafter death

Classical Antiquity

Further information: Shade (mythology)and Magic in the Greco-Roman world

Archaic and Classical Greece

Ghosts appeared in Homer's Odysseyand Iliad, in which they were described as vanishing "as a vapor,

gibbering and whining into the earth". Homers ghosts had little interaction with the world of the living.

Periodically they were called upon to provide advice or prophecy, but they do not appear to be

particularly feared. Ghosts in the classical world often appeared in the form of vapor or smoke, but at

other times they were described as being substantial, appearing as they had been at the time of death,

complete with the wounds that killed them.[30]

By the 5th century BC, classical Greekghosts had become haunting, frightening creatures who could

work to either good or evil purposes. The spirit of the dead was believed to hover near the resting placeof the corpse, and cemeteries were places the living avoided. The dead were to be ritually mourned

through public ceremony, sacrifice and libations, or they might return to haunt their families. The ancient

Greeks held annual feasts to honor and placate the spirits of the dead, to which the family ghosts were

invited, and after which they were firmly invited to leave until the same time next year.[31]

The 5th-century BC play Oresteiacontains one of the first ghosts to appear in a work of fiction.

Roman Empire and Late Antiquity

The ancient Romansbelieved a ghost could be used to exact revenge on an enemy by scratching acurse on a piece of lead or pottery and placing it into a grave.[32]

Plutarch, in the 1st century AD, described the haunting of the baths at Chaeroneaby the ghost of a

murdered man. The ghosts loud and frightful groans caused the people of the town to seal up the doors

of the building.[33]Another celebrated account of a haunted house from the ancient classical world is

given by Pliny the Younger( c.50 AD). [34]Pliny describes the haunting of a house in Athensby a ghost

bound in chains. The hauntings ceased when the ghost's shackled skeleton was unearthed, and given a

proper reburial.[35]The writers Plautusand Lucianalso wrote stories about haunted houses.

In the New Testament, Jesushas to persuade the Disciplesthat he is not a ghost followingthe resurrection, Luke24:3739 (some versions of the Bible, such as the KJV and NKJV, use the term

"spirit"). In a similar vein, Jesus' followers at first believe him to be a ghost (spirit) when they see

him walking on water.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_on_waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Lukehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Apostleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testamenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plautushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Youngerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-33http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaeroneahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutarchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Romehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oresteiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Greecehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_in_the_Greco-Roman_worldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shade_(mythology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_soulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Akh_glyph.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Akh_glyph.svg


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One of the first persons to express disbelief in ghosts was Lucian of Samosatain the 2nd century AD. In

his tale "The Doubter" (circa 150 AD) he relates howDemocritus"the learned man

from Abderain Thrace" lived in a tomb outside thecity gatesto prove that cemeteries were not haunted

by the spirits of the departed. Lucian relates how he persisted in his disbelief despite practical

jokesperpetrated by "some young men of Abdera" who dressed up in black robes with skull masks to

frighten him.[36]This account by Lucian notes something about the popular classical expectation of how

a ghost should look.In the 5th century AD, the Christian priest Constantius of Lyonrecorded an instance of the recurring

theme of the improperly buried dead who come back to haunt the living, and who can only cease their

haunting when their bones have been discovered and properly reburied.[37]

Middle Ages

Ghosts reported in medieval Europetended to fall into two categories: the souls of the dead, or demons.

The souls of the dead returned for a specific purpose. Demonic ghosts were those which existed only to

torment or tempt the living. The living could tell them apart by demanding their purpose in the name ofJesus Christ. The soul of a dead person would divulge their mission, while a demonic ghost would be

banished at the sound of the Holy Name.[38]

Most ghosts were souls assigned to Purgatory, condemned for a specific period to atone for their

transgressions in life. Their penance was generally related to their sin. For example, the ghost of a man

who had been abusive to his servants was condemned to tear off and swallow bits of his own tongue; the

ghost of another man, who had neglected to leave his cloak to the poor, was condemned to wear the

cloak, now "heavy as a church tower". These ghosts appeared to the living to ask for prayers to end

their suffering. Other dead souls returned to urge the living to confess their sins before their owndeaths.[39]

Medieval European ghosts were more substantial than ghosts described in theVictorian age, and there

are accounts of ghosts being wrestled with and physically restrained until a priest could arrive to hear its

confession. Some were less solid, and could move through walls. Often they were described as paler

and sadder versions of the person they had been while alive, and dressed in tattered gray rags. The

vast majority of reported sightings were male.[40]

There were some reported cases of ghostly armies, fighting battles at night in the forest, or in the

remains of an Iron Agehillfort, as at Wandlebury, near Cambridge, England. Living knights weresometimes challenged to single combat by phantom knights, which vanished when defeated.[41]

From the medieval period an apparition of a ghost is recorded from 1211, at the time of the Albigensian

Crusade.[42] Gervase of Tilbury, Marshal of Arles, wrote that the image of Guilhem, a boy recently

murdered in the forest, appeared in his cousin's home in Beaucaire, near Avignon. This series of "visits"

lasted all of the summer. Through his cousin, who spoke for him, the boy allegedly held conversations

with anyone who wished, until the local priest requested to speak to the boy directly, leading to an

extended disquisition on theology. The boy narrated the trauma of death and the unhappiness of his

fellow souls in Purgatory, and reported that God was most pleased with the ongoing Crusade againstthe Catharheretics, launched three years earlier. The time of the Albigensian Crusade in southern

France was marked by intense and prolonged warfare, this constant bloodshed and dislocation of

populations being the context for these reported visits by the murdered boy.
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"Hamletand his father's ghost"byHenry Fuseli(1780s drawing). Theghost is wearing s tylized plate armorin17th-century style, including

a moriontype helmet and tassets .Depicting ghosts as wearing armor, tosuggest a sense of antiquity, wascommon inElizabethan theater.

By 1853, when the popularsong Spirit Rappings waspublished, Spiritualism was

an object of intense curiosity.

Haunted houses are featured in the 9th-centuryArabian Nights(such as the tale of Ali the Cairene and

the Haunted House in Baghdad).[43]

European Renaissance to Romanticism

Renaissance magictook a revived interest in the occult,

including necromancy. In the era of the Reformation and

Counter Reformation, there was frequently a backlash againstunwholesome interest in the dark arts, typified by writers such

asThomas Erastus.[44]The Swiss Reformed pastor Ludwig

Lavatersupplied one of the most frequently reprinted books of

the period with his Of Ghosts and Spirits Walking By Night.[45]

The Child ballad" Sweet William's Ghost" (1868) recounts the

story of a ghost returning to his fiance begging her to free him

from his promise to marry her. He cannot marry her because he

is dead but her refusal would mean his damnation. This reflectsa popular British belief that the dead haunted their lovers if they

took up with a new love without some formal release.[46]" The

Unquiet Grave" expresses a belief even more widespread, found

in various locations over Europe: ghosts can stem from the

excessive grief of the living, whose mourning interferes with the dead's peaceful rest. [47]In many

folktales from around the world, the hero arranges for the burial of a dead man. Soon after, he gains a

companion who aids him and, in the end, the hero's companion reveals that he is in fact the dead

man.[48]Instances of this include the Italian fairy tale" Fair Brow" and the Swedish "The Bird 'Grip'".

Modern period of western culture

Spiritualist movement

Main article: Spiritualism

Spiritualism is a monotheisticbelief system or religion, postulating a belief

in God, but with a distinguishing feature of belief that spiritsof the dead

residing in the spirit worldcan be contacted by " mediums", who can then

provide information about the afterlife.[49]

Spiritualism developed in the United States and reached its peak growth

in membership from the 1840s to the 1920s, especially in English-

language countries.[50][51]By 1897, it was said to have more than eight

million followers in the United States and Europe, [52]mostly drawn from

the middleand upperclasses, while the corresponding movement in

continental Europe and Latin America is known as Spiritism.

The religion flourished for a half century without canonical texts or formal

organization, attaining cohesion by periodicals, tours by trance lecturers,camp meetings, and the missionary activities of accomplished mediums.

Many prominent Spiritualists were women. Most followers supported

causes such as the abolition of slaveryand women's suffrage.[50]By the late 1880s, credibility of the
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informal movement weakened, due to accusations of fraud among mediums, and formal Spiritualist

organizations began to appear.[50]Spiritualism is currently practiced primarily through various

denominational Spiritualist Churchesin the United States and United Kingdom.

Spiritism

Main article: Spiritism

Spiritism, or French spiritualism, is based on the five books of the Spiritist Codificationwrittenby Frencheducator Hypolite Lon Denizard Rivail under the pseudonym Allan

Kardecreporting sancesin which he observed a series of phenomena that he attributed to incorporeal

intelligence (spirits). His assumption of spirit communication was validated by many contemporaries,

among them many scientists and philosophers who attended sances and studied the phenomena. His

work was later extended by writers like Leon Denis, Arthur Conan Doyle,Camille Flammarion, Ernesto

Bozzano, Chico Xavier, Divaldo Pereira Franco,Waldo Vieira, Johannes Greber[53]and others.

Spiritism has adherents in many countries throughout the world, including Spain, United States,

Canada,[54]Japan, Germany, France, England, Argentina, Portugal and especially Brazil, which has the

largest proportion and greatest number of followers.[55]

Scientific view

See also: Paranormal

The physician John Ferriarwrote An essay towards a theory of apparitions in 1813 in which he argued

that sightings of ghosts were the result of optical illusions. Later the French physician Alexandre

Jacques Franois Brire de Boismontpublished On Hallucinations: Or, the Rational History of

Apparitions, Dreams, Ecstasy, Magnetism, and Somnambulismin 1845 in which he claimed sightings of

ghosts were the result of hallucinations.[56][57]

Joe Nickellof the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, wrote that there was no crediblescientific evidencethat

any location was inhabited by spirits of the dead.[58]Limitations of human perceptionand ordinary

physical explanations can account for ghost sightings; for example, air pressurechanges in a home

causing doors to slam, or lights from a passing car reflected through a window at night. Pareidolia, an

innate tendency to recognize patterns in random perceptions, is what some skeptics believe causes

people to believe that they have 'seen ghosts'.[59]Reports of ghosts "seen out of the corner of the eye"

may be accounted for by the sensitivity of human peripheral vision. According to Nickell, peripheral

vision can easily mislead, especially late at night when the brain is tired and more likely to misinterpretsights and sounds.[60]

According to research in anomalistic psychologyvisions of ghosts may arise

fromhypnagogichallucinations ("waking dreams" which are experienced in the transitional states to and

from sleep).[61]In a study of two experiments into alleged hauntings(Wiseman et al. 2003) came to the

conclusion "that people consistently report unusual experiences in haunted areas because of

environmental factors, which may differ across locations." Some of these factors included "the variance

of local magnetic fields, size of location and lighting level stimuli of which witnesses may not be

consciously aware".[62]

Some researchers, such as Michael Persingerof Laurentian University, Canada, have speculated that

changes in geomagneticfields (created, e.g., by tectonic stresses in the Earth's crust or solar activity)

could stimulate the brain's temporal lobesand produce many of the experiences associated with
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hauntings.[63]Sound is thought to be another cause of supposed sightings. Richard Lord and Richard

Wisemanhave concluded that infrasoundcan cause humans to experience bizarre feelings in a room,

such as anxiety, extreme sorrow, a feeling of being watched, or even the chills. [64] Carbon monoxide

poisoning, which can cause changes in perception of the visual and auditory systems, [65]was

speculated upon as a possible explanation for haunted housesas early as 1921.

By religion

Judo-Christian

Further information: Hallowtide

The Hebrew Torahand the Biblecontain a few references to ghosts, associating spiritismwith

forbidden occultactivities. [66]The most notable reference is in the First Book of Samuel,[67]in which a

disguised King Saulhas the Witch of Endorsummon the spirit/ghost of Samuel. In the New

Testament, Jesushas to persuade the Disciplesthat He is not a ghost following

the resurrection, Luke24:3739 (some versions of the Bible, such as the KJV and NKJV, use the term

"spirit"). Similarly, Jesus' followers at first believe Him to be a ghost (spirit) when they see him walking on

water.[68]

Most of the Christian Church[citation needed]considers ghosts as beings who while tied to earth, no

longer live on the material plane.[69]Some Christian denominationsteach that ghosts are beings who

linger in an interim statebefore continuing their journey to heaven.[69][70][71][72] On occasion, Godwould

allow thesoulsin this state to return to earth to warn the living of the need

forrepentance.[73] Jewsand Christiansare taught that it is sinfulto attempt to conjure or control spiritsin

accordance with DeuteronomyXVIII: 912. [74][75]

Some ghosts are actually said to be demonsin disguise, [76]who the Church teaches, in accordance

with I Timothy4:1, that they "come to deceive people and draw them away from God and into

bondage."[77]As a result, attempts to contact the deadmay lead to unwanted contactwith a demon or

an unclean spirit, as was said to occur in the case of Robbie Mannheim, a fourteen-year-old Maryland

youth.[78]The Seventh-Day Adventist view is that a "soul" is not equivalent to "spirit" or "ghost"

(depending on the Bible version), and that save for the Holy Spirit, all spirits/ghosts are demons in

disguise. Furthermore, they teach that in accordance with (Genesis2:7, Ecclesiastes12:7), there are

only two components to a "soul", neither of which survives death - with each returning to its respective

source.

Christadelphiansreject the view of a living, conscious soul after death. [79]

The Talmud[80] tells of a being called a shade that is similar to other creatures in that it lives and dies

but consists only of a form but lacks matter that forms mass, thus rendering it invisible. Since it has no

physical mass it is capable of transporting itself from one end of the world to the other.

Islam

This article needs additional citationsforverification. Please help improve thisarticle by adding citations to reliable sources.Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. (February 2014)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing/1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghost&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-80http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-79http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christadelphianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesiasteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Genesishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Sue_Lim_-_Contact-78http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Mannheimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unclean_spirithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonic_possessionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Spotlight_Ministries-77http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Timothyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Ron_Rhodes-76http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_demonologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Michele_Klein-75http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Eric_Stoutz-74http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuteronomyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinfulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-J.P._Somerville-73http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_in_the_Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Paulist_Fathers-72http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Eleanor_Prosser-71http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-UMC-70http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Emissary-69http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven#In_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_denominationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Emissary-69http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Churchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Oxford-68http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_on_waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Lukehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Apostleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testamenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_of_Endorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_the_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-67http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Samuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-66http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occulthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallowtidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-pmid11410684-65http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning#Haunted_houseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-sound-64http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasoundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wisemanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-63


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According to Islamic teachings, there are no such thing as ghosts.[81]Muslims believe that 'Ghosts' are

in fact jinns. The Korandiscusses spirits known as jinns. [82]

Buddhism

In Buddhism, there are a number of planesof existence into which a person can be reborn, one of which

is the realm of hungry ghosts.

By culture

African folklore

The Humr people of Sudan consume the drink Umm Nyolokh; which is created from the liver and marrow

of giraffes. Umm Nyolokh often contains DMT and other psychoactive substances from plants the

giraffes eat such as Acacia; and is known to cause hallucinations of giraffes, believed to be the giraffes

ghosts by the Humr.[83][84]

European folklore

Further information: Revenant (folklore), Necromancyand Samhain

Belief in ghosts in European folkloreis characterized by the recurring fear of "returning"

or revenantdeceased who may harm the living. This includes the Scandinavian gjenganger, the

Romanian strigoi, the Serbian vampir, the Greekvrykolakas, etc. In Scandinavian and Finnish tradition,

ghosts appear in corporeal form and their supernatural nature is given away by behavior rather than

appearance. In fact, in many stories they are first mistaken for the living. They may be mute, appear and

disappear suddenly, or leave no footprints or other traces.

British folkloreis particularly notable for its numerous haunted locations.

Belief in the souland an afterliferemained near universal until the emergence of atheismin the 18th

century.[citation needed]In the 19th century, spiritismresurrected "belief in ghosts" as the object of

systematic inquiry, and popular opinion in Western cultureremains divided. [85]

South and Southeast Asia

India

Main article: Bhoot (ghost)

A bhootor bhut( , , or ) is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, inthe popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of theIndian subcontinent. Interpretations of

how bhoots come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be

perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to transmigration, non-

being, nirvana, or heaven or hell, depending on tradition). This could be a violent death, unsettled

matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.[86]

In Central and Northern India,Aojha spirit guidesplay a central role. [citation needed]It duly happens when

in the night someone sleeps and decorates something on the wall and they say that if one sees the spirit

the next thing in the morning he will become a spirit to and that to a skondho kata which means a spirit

without a head and the soul of the body will remain the dark with the dark lord from the spirits who reside

in the body of every human in Central and Northern India. It is also believed that if someone calls one
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Spirit of the Dead Watchingby Paul

Gauguin

An image of Zhong Kui, thevanquisher of ghosts and evil beings,painted som etime before 1304 A.D.byGong Kai

from behind never turn back and see because the spirit may catch the human to make it a spirit. Other

types of spirits in Hindu Mythology include Baital, an evil spirit who haunts cemeteries and takes demonic

possession of corpses, and Pishacha, a type of flesh-eating demon.

Austronesia

Main articles: Malay ghost myths, Ghosts in Filipino cultureand Ghosts in Polynesian culture

There are many Malay ghost myths, remnants of old animistbeliefs that have been shaped by later Hindu, Buddhist and

Muslim influences in the modern states

ofIndonesia, Malaysiaand Brunei. Some ghost concepts such as

the female vampires Pontianakand Penanggalanare shared

throughout the region. Ghosts are a popular theme in modern

Malaysian and Indonesian films. There are also many references

to Ghosts in Filipino culture, ranging from ancient legendary

creatures such as the Manananggaland Tiyanakto more

modern urban legends and horror films. The beliefs, legends

and stories are as diverse as the people of the Philippines.

There was widespread belief in ghosts in Polynesian culture, some of which persists today. After death,

a person's ghost normally traveled to the sky world or the underworld, but some could stay on earth. In

many Polynesianlegends, ghosts were often actively involved in the affairs of the living. Ghosts might

also cause sickness or even invade the body of ordinary people, to be driven out through strong

medicines.[87]

East and Central AsiaFurther information: Preta

China

Main article: Ghosts in Chinese culture

There are many references to ghosts in Chinese culture. Even

Confucius said, "Respect ghosts and gods, but keep away from

them."[88]

The ghosts take many forms, depending on how the persondied, and are often harmful. Many Chinese ghost beliefs have

been accepted by neighboring cultures, notably Japan and

south-east Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with

traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of

which were incorporated in Taoism. Later beliefs were influenced

by Buddhism, and in turn influenced and created uniquely

Chinese Buddhist beliefs.

Many Chinese today believe it possible to contact the spirits oftheir ancestors through a medium, and that ancestors can help

descendants if properly respected and rewarded. The annual ghost festivalis celebrated by Chinese

around the world. On this day, ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out
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Utagawa Kuniyoshi, The Ghosts, c. 1850

Krasue, a Thai femaleghost knownas Ap in Khmer

from the lower realm. Ghosts are described in classical Chinese texts as well as modern literature and

films.

A recent article in the China Post stated that nearly eighty-seven percent of Chinese office workers

believe in ghosts, and some fifty-two percent of workers will wear hand art, necklaces, crosses, or even

place a crystal ball on their desks to keep ghosts at bay, according to the poll.

JapanMain articles: Yrei,Onryand Japanese

ghost story

Yrei (?) are figures in Japanese folklore,

analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The

name consists of two kanji,( y), meaning

"faint" or "dim" and ( rei), meaning "soul" or

"spirit". Alternative names include (Brei)

meaning ruined or departed spirit,(Shiry)

meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing

( Ykai) or ( Obake).

Like their Chineseand Western counterparts, they are thought to be spiritskept from a

peaceful afterlife.

Thailand

Main article: Ghosts in Thai culture

Ghosts in Thailandare part of local folkloreand have now become part of

the popular culture of the country. Phraya Anuman Rajadhonwas the first

Thai scholar who seriously studied Thai folk beliefs and took notes on

the nocturnalvillage spirits of Thailand. He established that, since such

spirits were not represented in paintings or drawings, they were purely

based on descriptions of popular traditional storieswhich were transmitted

orally. Therefore most of the contemporary iconographyof ghosts such

asNang Tani, Nang Takian,[89] Krasue, Krahang,[90] Phi Hua Kat, Phi

Pop, Phi Phong, Phi Phrayaand Mae Nakhas its origins in Thai films that

have now becomeclassics.[91][92]The most feared spirit in Thailand is PhiTai Hong, the ghost of a person who has died suddenly of a violent

death.[93]The folklore of Thailand also includes the belief that sleep

paralysisis caused by a ghost, Phi Am.

Tibet

Main article: Ghosts in Tibetan culture

There is widespread belief in ghosts in Tibetan culture. Ghosts are explicitly recognized in the Tibetan

Buddhistreligion as they were in Indian Buddhism,[94]occupying a distinct but overlapping world to the

human one, and feature in many traditional legends. When a human dies, after a period of uncertainty

they may enter the ghost world. A hungry ghost(Tibetan: yidag, yi-dvags; Sanskrit:preta, ) has a tiny

throat and huge stomach, and so can never be satisfied. Ghosts may be killed with a ritual dagger or

caught in a spirit trap and burnt, thus releasing them to be reborn. Ghosts may also be exorcised, and
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Catrinas , one of the mostpopular figures of the Day ofthe Deadcelebrations inMexico

19th-century etchingby JohnLeechof the Ghost of

an annual festival is held throughout Tibet for this purpose. Some say that Dorje Shugden, the ghost of

a powerful 17th-century monk, is a deity, but the Dalai Lamaasserts that he is an evil spirit, which has

caused a split in the Tibetan exile community.

Americas

Mexico

Main article: Ghosts in Mexican culture

There is extensive and varied belief in ghosts in Mexican culture. The

modern state of Mexicobefore the Spanish conquestwas inhabited by

diverse peoples such as the Mayaand Aztec, and their beliefs have

survived and evolved, combined with the beliefs of

the Spanishcolonists. The Day of the Deadincorporates pre-Columbian

beliefs with Christianelements. Mexican literature and films include many

stories of ghosts interacting with the living.

United States

Further information: Ghosts of the American Civil Warand Shadow

people

According to the Gallup Poll News Service, belief in haunted houses,

ghosts, communication with the dead, and witches had an especially

steep increase over the 1990s.[95]A 2005 Gallup poll found that about

32 percent of Americans believe in ghosts.[96]

Depiction in the arts

Ghosts are prominent in the popular cultures of various nations. The ghost storyis ubiquitous across all

cultures from oral folktalesto works of literature.

Renaissance to Romanticism (1500 to 1840)

One of the more recognizable ghosts in English literatureis the shade of

Hamlet's murdered fatherin Shakespeares The Tragical History

of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In Hamlet, it is the ghost who demandsthat Prince Hamletinvestigate his "murder most foul" and seek revenge

upon his usurping uncle, King Claudius. In ShakespearesMacbeth, the

murdered Banquoreturns as a ghost to the dismay of the title character.

In English Renaissance theater, ghosts were often depicted in the garb

of the living and even in armor, as with the ghost of Hamlets father.

Armor, being out-of-date by the time of the Renaissance, gave the stage

ghost a sense of antiquity.[97]But the sheeted ghost began to gain

ground on stage in the 19th century because an armored ghost couldnot satisfactorily convey the requisite spookiness: it clanked and

creaked, and had to be moved about by complicated pulley systems or

elevators. These clanking ghosts being hoisted about the stage became
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Christmas Presentasdepicted in Charles Dickens'AChristmas Carol

John Deeand EdwardKelleyinvoking the spirit of adeceased person (engravingfrom theAstrologyby EbenezerSibly, 1806)

objects of ridicule as they became

clichd stage elements. Ann Jones and

Peter Stallybrass, in Renaissance

Clothing and the Materials of Memory,

point out, "In fact, it is as laughter increasingly threatens the Ghost that

he starts to be staged not in armor but in some form of 'spirit drapery'."

An interesting observation by Jones and Stallybrass is that...at the historical point at which ghosts themselves become

increasingly implausible, at least to an educated elite, to believe in

them at all it seems to be necessary to assert their immateriality,

their invisibility. ... The drapery of ghosts must now, indeed, be as

spiritual as the ghosts themselves. This is a striking departure

both from the ghosts of the Renaissance stage and from the

Greek and Roman theatrical ghosts upon which that stage drew.

The most prominent feature of Renaissance ghosts is precisely

their gross materiality. They appear to us conspicuously clothed.

Ghosts figured prominently in traditional British ballads of the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly the

Border Ballads of the turbulent border countrybetween England and Scotland. Ballads of this type

include The Unquiet Grave, The Wife of Usher's Well, and Sweet William's Ghost, which feature the

recurring theme of returning dead lovers or children. In the ballad King Henry, a particularly ravenous

ghost devours the kings horse and hounds before forcing the king into bed. The king then awakens to

find the ghost transformed into a beautiful woman.[98]

One of the key early appearances by ghosts in a gothic tale was The Castle of Otranto by HoraceWalpole in 1764.[99]

Washington Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow(1820), based on an earlier German

folktale, features a Headless Horseman. It has been adapted for film and television many times, such

as Sleepy Hollow, a successful 1999 feature film.[100]

Victorian/Edwardian (1840 to 1920)

The "classic" ghost story arose during the Victorian period, and included authors such as M. R.

James, Sheridan Le Fanu,Violet Hunt, and Henry James. Classic ghost stories were influenced bythe gothic fictiontradition, and contain elements of folklore and psychology. M. R. James summed up the

essential elements of a ghost story as, Malevolence and terror, the glare of evil faces, the stony grin of

unearthly malice', pursuing forms in darkness, and 'long-drawn, distant screams', are all in place, and so

is a modicum of blood, shed with deliberation and carefully husbanded....[101]

Famous literary apparitions from this period are the ghosts ofA Christmas Carol, in which Ebenezer

Scroogeis helped to see the error of his ways by the ghost of his former colleague Jacob Marley, and

the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.

Oscar Wilde's comedy The Canterville Ghosthas been adapted for film and television on several

occasions. Henry James's The Turn of the Screwhas also appeared in a number of adaptations, notably

the film The Innocents and Benjamin Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turn_of_the_Screw_(opera)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Brittenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innocents_(1961_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turn_of_the_Screwhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterville_Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wildehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Marleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Scroogehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-101http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Jameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Hunthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheridan_Le_Fanuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._Jameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-sleepyhollow-100http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepy_Hollow_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_Horsemanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_storyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irvinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Newman.2C_pg._135-99http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castle_of_Otrantohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-98http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Henry_(song)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_William%27s_Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wife_of_Usher%27s_Wellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unquiet_Gravehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_balladshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Siblyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kelleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Deehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_Magician_by_Edward_Kelly.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_Magician_by_Edward_Kelly.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_Christmas_Present


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The ghos t of a pirate, from HowardPyle's Book of Pirates (1903)

Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, aclaimed ghost photograph by CaptainHubert C. Provand. First publishedinCountry Lifemagazine, 1936

Oscar Telgmann's opera Leo, the Royal Cadet(1885)

includes Judge's Songabout a ghost at the Royal Military

College of Canadain Kingston, Ontario. [102]

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things is a 1904

collection of Japanese ghost storiescollected by Lafcadio

Hearn, and later made into a film.

In the United States, prior to and during the First World War,

folklorists Olive Dame Campbelland Cecil Sharpcollected

ballads from the people of the Appalachian Mountains, which

included ghostly themes such as The Wife of Usher's Well, The

Suffolk Miracle, The Unquiet Grave, and The Cruel Ship's

Carpenter. The theme of these ballads was often the return of a

dead lover. These songs were variants of traditional British

ballads handed down by generations of mountaineers

descended from the people of the Anglo-Scottish borderregion.[103]

Modern Era (1920 to 1970)

Professional parapsychologists and ghosts hunters, such

as Harry Price, active in the 1920s and 1930s, and Peter

Underwood, active in the 1940s and 1950s, published accounts

of their experiences with ostensibly true ghost stories such as

Price's The Most Haunted House in England, andUnderwood'sGhosts of Borley(both recounting experiences

at Borley Rectory). The writerFrank Edwardsdelved into ghost

stories in his books of his, like "Stranger than Science."

Childrens benevolent ghost stories became popular, such

as Casper the Friendly Ghost, created in the 1930s and

appearing in comics, animated cartoons, and eventually a 1995

feature film.

Nol Coward's play Blithe Spirit, later made into a film, places amore humorous slant on the phenomenon of haunting of

individuals and specific locations.

With the advent of motion pictures and television, screen

depictions of ghosts became common, and spanned a variety of

genres; the works of Shakespeare, Dickens and Wilde have all

been made into cinematic versions. Novel-length tales have been difficult to adapt to cinema, although

that of The Haunting of Hill Houseto The Hauntingin 1963 is an exception. [99]

Sentimental depictions during this period were more popular in cinema than horror, and include the1947 film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which was later adapted to television with a successful 196870 TV

series.[99]Genuine psychological horrorfilms from this period include 1944's The Uninvited, and

1945's Dead of Night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_of_Nighthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Uninvited_(1944_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_horrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Newman.2C_pg._135-99http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_%26_Mrs._Muir_(TV_series)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_and_Mrs._Muirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-Newman.2C_pg._135-99http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_(1963_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_of_Hill_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blithe_Spirit_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blithe_Spirit_(play)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Cowardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animated_cartoonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casper_the_Friendly_Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Edwards_(writer_and_broadcaster)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borley_Rectoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Underwood_(parapsychologist)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Pricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-103http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cruel_Ship%27s_Carpenterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unquiet_Gravehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suffolk_Miraclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wife_of_Usher%27s_Wellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Sharphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Dame_Campbellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafcadio_Hearnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaidanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwaidan:_Stories_and_Studies_of_Strange_Thingshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-102http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Military_College_of_Canadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo,_the_Royal_Cadethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Telgmannhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Life_(magazine)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Lady_of_Raynham_Hallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_lady.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_lady.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Pylehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pyle_pirates_ghost.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pyle_pirates_ghost.jpg


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Main article: List of ghost films

Post-modern (1970present)

The 1970s saw screen depictions of ghosts diverge into distinct genres of the romantic and horror. A

common theme in the romantic genre from this period is the ghost as a benign guide or messenger,

often with unfinished business, such as 1989's Field of Dreams, the 1990 film Ghost, and the 1993

comedy Heart and Souls.[104]

In the horror genre, 1980's The Fog, and theA Nightmare on ElmStreetseries of films from the 1980s and 1990s are notable examples of the trend for the merging of

ghost stories with scenes of physical violence.[99]

Popularised in such films as the 1984 comedy Ghostbusters, ghost huntingbecame a hobby for many

who formed ghost hunting societies to explore reportedly haunted places. The ghost hunting theme has

been featured in reality television series, such as Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters

International, Ghost Lab, Most Hauntedand A Haunting. It is also represented in children's television by

such programs as The Ghost Hunterand Ghost Trackers. Ghost hunting also gave rise to multiple

guidebooks to haunted locations, and ghost hunting "how-to" manuals.The 1990s saw a return to classic "gothic" ghosts, whose dangers were more psychological than

physical. Examples of films from this period include 1999's The Sixth Sense and The Others.

Asian cinemahas also produced horror filmsabout ghosts, such as the 1998 Japanese

film Ringu(remade in the US as The Ringin 2002), and the Pang brothers' 2002 film The

Eye.[105] Indian ghost moviesare popular not just in India, but in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia

and other parts of the world. Some Indian ghost movies such as the comedy / horror

film Chandramukhihave been commercial successes, dubbed into several languages. [106]Generally the

films are based on the experiences of modern people who are unexpectedly exposed to ghosts. Theyusually draw on traditional Indian literature or folklore, but in some cases are remakes of western films,

such asAnjaane, based on Alejandro Amenbar's ghost story The Others.[107]

In fictional television programming, ghosts have been explored in series such asSupernatural, Ghost

Whispererand Medium. In animated fictional television programming, ghosts have served as the central

element in series such asCasper, Danny Phantom, and Scooby-Doo. Various other television shows

have depicted ghosts as well.

Metaphorical usagesNietzscheargued that people generally wear prudent masksin company; but that an alternative strategy

for social interaction is to present oneself as an absence, as a social ghost - One reaches out for us

but gets no hold of us[108]- something later echoed (if with a less positive spin) by C. G. Jung.[109]

Nick Harkawayconsidered that we all carry a host of ghosts in our heads, in the form of impressions of

past acquaintances ghosts that represent our maps of other people in the world: our reference

points.[110]

Object relations theorysees our personalities as formed by splitting offaspects of ourselves we find

incompatible; whereupon we may be haunted in later life by such ghosts of our alternate selves.[111]

See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-111http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_relations_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-110http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Harkawayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-109http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._G._Junghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-108http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nietzschehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Phantomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casper_the_Friendly_Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_(TV_show)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Whispererhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(U.S._TV_series)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost#cite_note-anjaane-107http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Others_(2001_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Amen%C3%A1barhttp://en.wikip

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