#types of ghosts

[wronghands1]

[ayamari-no-goshi]

DP and folklore - church grim

Church grims are usually depicted as large black dogs that haunt graveyards. However, they don't have to be dogs, and they don't necessarily have to be animals which is why I'm filling it under folklore as opposed to just a subset of animal ghosts.

The most famous tales are from England where they're also called Church Kirks. There was a belief that the first person buried in a graveyard would be doomed to protect it from all dangers physical and spiritual for the rest of eternity. To prevent a human from being the eternal guardian, a dog would be buried first.

In English tradition, while they are not evil, they're presence is often a sign of an impending death. In Yorkshire tradition, they toll the church bell at midnight to indicate an upcoming death. In other traditions, the priest preforming the funeral can use the appearance of the grim as a sign on whether or not a person's soul passed on to heaven.

They are also featured in Scandinavian lore. Called Kyrkogrim in Swedish and Kirkegrim in Danish, they serve an identical function to their English counterparts. However, they can appear as other animals such as lambs, sows, boars, and horses if those animals were used instead.

The church-lamb, as the lamb version is sometimes called, was buried under the alter to represent Christ. It was believed to not only protect the church and graveyard, but also bring security and longevity to the congregation. It could sometimes be seen in the church when mass wasn't being held. However, if it appeared in the graveyard, it meant a child would be passing away shortly.

I'd like to point out that the sow version (called a grave-sow) is said to appear in the streets of Kroskjoberg as an omen of death. However, I have no idea where this place is as it doesn't exist per google. I don't know if that's a town or city that was renamed at one point, or if it's a misspelling of Kronoberg which is a Swedish county. This is why I double check information.

Moving on, I need to talk about the Scottish version (this version also might exist in Ireland, but I can't find anything specific). Their belief is a bit different than the English and Scandinavian versions in that the most recent person buried in a cemetery acts as the grim. They are replaced when new person is buried. This is called the 'faire chlaidh' or graveyard watch.

I would like to point out that I can't find any information on what happens to those guardians when the cemetery is no longer used. This bothers me.

For completion's sake, the term faire chlaidh is also associated with a different tradition in Scotland and Ireland where on New Year's Eve, St. Mark's Eve, Midsummer's Eve, and Halloween, people would sit on the porch of a church during the night. They'd watch for apparitions of people who would die in the upcoming year.

[nottknormal]

World Building: Types of Ghosts

There are several different types of ghost one may encounter during ghost hunting

Listed from least to most dangerous

Wisps: Mischievous and playful ghosts of small children. They like to steal socks and move small things around the house. The easiest type of ghost to appease or pacify

Spirits: The most common type of ghost out there. They are normally peaceful. Some even make friends with the humans they are haunting. (If left alone for too long, they can turn into Poltergeists)

Phantoms: Ghosts with a vendetta against the living. They like to play cruel tricks on humans and shapeshift into dead loved ones. Tampers with temperatures of room making them hotter or colder.  Can half possess people (a possession that can be fought against by the possessed). Professionals are unsure why they do this, since they seem to have an intense hatred for the living. These ghosts don’t cause physical harm to people, but can be very bad for their mental health and wellbeing..

Poltergeists: Spirits that have gone too long without being dealt with. When these ghosts are around you know that you’re being haunted. They throw, break, and destroy things. Powerful enough to toss a person. These ghosts have a bit of an anger issue. 

Demons: Rarest type of ghost to come in contact with. They are the hardest to appease. Masters of hiding in plain sight by being able to fully possess a person, making them into their own personal puppets. They like to target children for this, because of how impressionable they are. The possessed person gets superhuman abilities (i.e.. superhuman strength, speed, hearing).  Because of their rarity there isn’t much information about where they come from or why they do what they do. Only the most elite of ghost hunters are allowed to fight these apparitions.

Taglist:  @writing-is-a-martial-art @ashen-crest @talesfromaurea @47crayons @a-wild-bloog @wannabeauthorzofija

[reservedfortheartist]

https://teespring.com/types-of-ghosts#pid=2&cid=2397&sid=front

[ayamari-no-goshi]

DP and types of ghosts - animal spirits

If you're wondering, I'm still dealing with some things offline, so posts will continue to be sporadic. Onto the folklore!

There are actually not a lot data on this type of ghost. Dogs do seem to be the most commonly reported.

The majority of tales I know are of owners reporting being visited by the spirit of one their previous furry friends. Most of those tales are very positive, and the former pet just seems to be checking in.

However, there are several stories of the ghosts of hunting dogs and even horses appearing around some castles in the UK. Carew Castle in Wales is said to have the ghost of a Barbary ape which was formerly the pet of one of its owners. It is not considered to be a pleasant ghost.

China has a few subsets. One is called the maogui, which are the ghosts of cats raised from the dead by a person, and their task is to destroy a target. Hu Gui / Hu Xian are spirits of animals, usually foxes, that inhabit domestic objects like plates. They are considered benign and helpful. There are also several mythical animals that appear in Chinese folklore. There are too many to list here.

In Japan, there are the famous Inugami. These are spirits of dog who were ritually killed, and they're famously known to possess people. There are also several youkai which derive from animals or are animal-like.

Moscow, Russia has several tales of spectral cats, who appear to be benign. However, there is a tale of a spectral black cat called the black cat of Tverskaya Street which has various tales, but no known reports of attacks.

In the Caribbean, there are malevolent spirits called Duppy, which often appear in various animal forms.

In the US, the most common tales are again of ghostly dogs, some good and some bad, throughout the country. Then there is the tale of the black cat that haunts the tunnels of Capital Hill in DC which is only said to appear when something bad is about to occur.

Specific subsets:

Black dogs - I will make a separate post going more in depth later.

The most famous variant are the spectral black dogs that haunt the mores of the British Isles. They are either considered an ill omen or actively dangerous depending on location and have a variety of names. There are several other accounts of them around the world, and the majority also have negative connotations.

Church grims - another subset I will make a more in depth post about.

Most commonly, they are described as black dogs that haunt and protect graveyards, and the most well known legends are from England. The Scandinavian version can appear as other animals. While they are not evil, seeing one is usually an omen of an upcoming death.

[ayamari-no-goshi]

DP and types of ghosts - Shadow beings

This is an area of great debate in the paranormal world right now. There seem to be 2 distinctive types: ghosts that appear as shadows and the other things. They are almost always described as human-shaped black shadows. These are usually considered to be negative entities. The term ‘Shadow People’ became popular on the radio show “Coast to Coast AM” in a 2001 broadcast. 

Ghosts who appear as shadows are just that. For whatever reason, some ghosts just get perceived as shadows. This might mean that the person who sees them isn’t able to discern their features (there does seem to be a spectrum regarding the human ability to interact with the paranormal), or perhaps the inverse is true. Perhaps the ghost is unable to manifest itself as anything other than a shadow. There is also a third possibility that the ghost wants to be seen that way. Some researchers believe that conscious entities can sometimes pick their appearances.

Then there are the other things - the real shadow people. No one is certain what these things are. They are pitch-black and often described as solid looking. Most reports describe them as featureless, but some accounts give them red eyes or what appears to be a hat. 

They don’t behave like ghosts. Some researchers believe they are entities from another dimension, and depending on the source, may try to abduct people. Some think they’re aliens. Others link them to sleep paralysis, and that they’re just a modern incarnation of the night hags of yore. Some even think they might be entities created by thought making them something like Tuplas or Egregores. Most agree that they are very negative and potentially dangerous things. 

There are similar entities that appear in some folklore. The Choctaw have something called Nalusa Chito which is described similarly and is just as dangerous. Some of the accounts of ‘Stick Indians’ (a term used because the tribes won’t provide their names for it out of fear) of tribes in the Pacific Northwest of North America (Salish, Lummi, Yakama, Cayuse) are similar to Shadow People, but they’re also described as bigfoot-like creatures in other tales. There is something called “the Tall Man” in Lakota lore and “Walking Sam” in Sioux lore which are believed to be a suicide causing spirits, but I’m uncertain of the age of them. It’s possible they were inspired by Slender Man stories.

Outside of First Nation lore, there’s the Alû from Akkadian and Sumerian lore which is similar. The Japanese have something called an Umibozu, which is a large black figure that appears at sea and threaten ships. In Burmese tradtion, you have the Thayé. This is a dark or black spirit that brings harm to the living - they are usually described with frightening facial features.

[ayamari-no-goshi]

DP and types of Ghosts - White Ladies

I think this will become an occasional thing too. There are a lot of different classifications of ghosts/spirits which can again be used as you, the readers, see fit. I want to start with the ‘White Ladies’ due to having a family connection to one.

As suggested by their title, White Ladies are ghosts who appear in white or very pale garments, usually a dress. Most, if not all of them, are associated with some sort of tragedy in their lives. Sometimes, they lost a lover or child and died of grief or suicide. Other times, they were unfairly killed. There are variations of this legend around the world.

One of the most famous subtypes is the ‘phantom hitchhiker.’ There are variations of them in the UK and throughout Asia, but the majority of the tales I’ve found appear to be from the US. The stories are very similar - a young woman is seen walking around the road at night. If she’s picked up, she’ll usually be there until you reach her desired destination (those stories describer her as looking no different than a human except very cold to the touch). Other times, she’s described as a dark entity that will cause car crashes. 

The legends in Europe typically fall under 4 categories: those who guard treasures who either want them found or protected, those that are reliving a tragic event, neutral entities, and the omens. The omens are the most dangerous as they are said to foretell misfortune. Interestingly, many of the European White Ladies are linked to the lunar cycle and are more likely to appear when the moon is full.

There are a few standout variations. Switzerland has one that is directly associated with local disappearances. The Netherlands has a type that is more fey-like where they’re reported to switch children with ‘changelings’. And in Eastern Russia, there’s a legend they haunt fiancés and can spirit them away.

In Asia, they’re often the phantom hitchhiker type, but are usually considered malevolent. They are also commonly associated with Western style buildings no longer in use. The Philippines has a variation (also seen in Malaysia) called a Kuntilanak. They are considered vampiric and vengeful and are often described as wearing blood smeared white dresses. A variation of this legend spread to Australia as well - they call her the Poinciana Woman. Some of the Japanese yūrei also fall under the category of White Ladies, particularly the Onryō, but they might better fall under the category of vengeful especially because those ones aren’t limited to women. 

Moving on to Central and South America, you have wide reaching variations that are sometimes considered White Ladies but also fall under other categories. They are also very dangerous. The most famous is La Llorona. Most stories state she’s looking for the spirits of her children who drowned, but she cause direct harm and is not tied to a specific location. La Siguanaba is similar entity found throughout Central America - she’s sometimes depicted as having an animal head and will harm unfaithful husbands. Venezuela has a spirit call La Sayona, but that spirit, after killing her family, was cursed to wander and seek revenger against unfaithful husbands. Brazil also has a version that is not considered dangerous. Those ones are just believed to be the ghosts of daughters killed by their fathers who disapproved of their relationships.

I only found one legend in Africa (near Cape Town), which falls under the phantom hitchhiker type.

Oh, and that family connection I mentioned? Well, the ancestral mother of my grandmother’s family is said to appear as a White Lady in her old home in Wales. Locals describe her as a friendly spirit.