A ghost has been defined as the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased person, although in popular usage the term refers only to the apparition of such a person. Often described as immaterial and partly transparent, ghosts are reported to haunt particular locations or people that they were associated with in life or at time of death.
Phantom armies, ghost animals, ghost trains and phantom ships have also been reported.
Ghosts or similar paranormal entities appear in film, theatre, literature, myths, legends, and some religions.
Terminology
Further information: spirit, soul, anima, and genius (mythology)The English word ghost continues Old English gást , hypothetical Common Germanic *gaisto-z . It is common to West Germanic, but lacking in North and East Germanic (the equivalent word in Gothic is ahma , Old Norse has andi m., önd f.). The pre-Germanic form would have been *ghoizdo-z , apparently from a root denoting "fury, anger", cognate to Sanskrit hedas "anger", reflected in Old Norse geisa "to rage". The Germanic word is recorded as masculine only, but likely continues a neuter s -stem. The original meaning of the Germanic word would thus have been an animating principle of the mind, in particular capable of excitation and fury (compare óðr ). In Germanic paganism, "Germanic Mercury", and the later Odin, was at the same time the conductor of the dead and 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, blast" from the earliest (9th century) attestations. It could also denote any good or evil spirit, i.e. angels and demons; the Anglo-Saxon gospel refers to the demonic possession of Matthew 12:43 as se unclæna 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 Middle English (14th century).
The synonym spook is a Dutch loanword, akin to Low German spôk (of uncertain etymology); it entered the English language via the United States in the 19th century. Alternate words in modern usage include spectre (from Latin spectrum ), the Scottish wraith (of obscure origin), phantom (via French ultimately from Greek phantasma , compare fantasy ) and apparition . The term shade in classical mythology translates Greek σκιά, or Latin umbra , 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, and the "haint tale" is a common feature of southern oral and literary tradition. The term poltergeist is a German word, literally a "noisy ghost", for a spirit said to manifest itself by invisibly moving and influencing objects.
The word "ghost" may also refer to any spirit or demon.
A revenant is 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 religion, and Anthropology of religionA notion of the transcendent, supernatural or numinous, usually involving entities like ghosts, demons or deities, is a cultural universal shared by all human cultures. In pre-literate folk religions, these beliefs are often summarized under animism and ancestor worship.
In many cultures malignant, restless ghosts are distinguished from the more benign spirits which are the subject of ancestor worship.
Ancestor worship typically involves rites intended to prevent revenants, vengeful spirits of the dead, imagined as starving and envious of the living. Strategies for preventing revenants may either include sacrifice, i.e. the provision of the dead with food and drink in order to pacify them, or the magical banishment of the deceased, preventing them from returning by force. Ritual feeding of the dead is performed in traditions like the Chinese Ghost Festival or 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, and the custom of binding the dead persists, for example, in rural Anatolia.
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.
Ghosts and the afterlife
Further information: Soul, Psyche, Underworld, Hungry ghost, and PsychopompFurther information: Ghost Festival, All Souls' Day, and Day of the DeadAlthough the human soul was sometimes symbolically or literally depicted in ancient cultures as a bird or other animal, it was 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 the afterlife appearing much as they did before death, including the style of dress.
Common attributes
Another widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they were composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material. Anthropologists speculate that this may also stem from early beliefs that ghosts were the person within the person, most noticeable in ancient cultures as a person's breath, which upon exhaling in colder climates appears visibly as a white mist. This belief may have also fostered the metaphorical meaning of "breath" in certain languages, such as the Latin spiritus and the Greek pneuma , which by analogy became extended to mean the soul. In the Bible, God is depicted as animating Adam with a breath.
In many traditional accounts, ghosts were often thought to be deceased people looking for vengeance, 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.
White ladies were 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 fiancé. They are often associated with an individual family line, as a harbinger of death. When one of these ghosts is seen it indicates that someone in the family is going to die, 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 Mariner by Coleridge.
Locale
See also: Haunted houseA place where ghosts are reported is described as haunted, and often seen as being inhabited by spirits of 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. Amongst many cultures and religions it is believed that the essence of a being such as the 'soul' continues to exist. Some philosophical and religious views argue 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
Antiquity
Further information: Shade (mythology)King Hsuan (827-783 BC) according to Chinese legend executed his minister, Tu Po, on false charges even after being warned that Tu Po's ghost would seek revenge. Three years later, according to historical chronicles, Tu Po's ghost shot and killed Hsuan with a bow and arrow before an assembly of feudal lords. The Chinese philosopher, Mo Tzu (470-391 BC), is quoted as having commented:
"If from antiquity to the present, and since the beginning of man, there are men who have seen the bodies of ghosts and spirits and heard their voices, how can we say that they do not exist? If none have heard them and none have seen them, then how can we say they do? But those who deny the existence of the spirits say: "Many in the world have heard and seen something of ghosts and spirits. Since they vary in testimony, who are to be accepted as really having heard and seen them?" Mo Tzu said: As we are to rely on what many have jointly seen and what many have jointly heard, the case of Tu Po is to be accepted."
The Hebrew Torah and the Bible contain few references to ghosts, associating spiritism with forbidden occult activities cf. Deuteronomy 18:11. The most notable reference is in the First Book of
Southern Ghost Stories
enter a description here ... Trying to update from being idle and off line for 2 yrs. Doing some research on dirctions to some of the stories.
Amazon.com: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories ...
Amazon.com: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories (9781570722318): Sherry Austin: Books
Amazon.com: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories ...
Amazon.com: Mariah of the Spirits: And Other Southern Ghost Stories (9781570722394): Sherry Austin: Books
Franklin Subject Browse Demo
American fiction -- Southern States; Southern States; Filed under: Ghost stories, American -- Southern States ... Items below (if any) are from related and broader terms. Filed under: ...
Projo Halloween 2005 Blog: Southern ghost stories, text and audio
« Horror photos | Main | Frugal and smart Halloween projects » October 15, 2005 Southern ghost stories, text and audio. At The Moonit Road, Ghost stories haunt the moonlit ...
Kathryn Tucker Windham's Spooky Southern Ghost Stories Praised on ...
Kathryn Tucker Windham's Spooky Southern Ghost Stories Praised on Halloween Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 by Brian
The Moonlit Road.com - Southern Ghost Stories, Folktales and ...
If you enjoy The Moonlit Road, here's a list of other sites you might like. If you'd like to trade links, and your site fits into the categories below, let
Real Ghost Stories
Southern Ghost Stories Not rated yet Here are some Southern ghost stories, or tales that take place in the South. Animal Ghost Stories
Southern Belle Ghost Sighting
Here is a true ghost story about the Southern Belle Ghost.
Salem Black River Church - The Southern Belle Ghost
This is a a true story about ghostly experiences in a grave yard.