GODS AND MONSTERS: THE GHOST
Eve Volungeviciute
As we keep making our way down the gods and monsters list, we have now arrived at quite an obvious one. However, in no way does that mean it’s not worth talking about! Ghosts are extremely versatile when it comes to folklore and fiction throughout the centuries, so there is a lot of ground to cover there. Without any further ado, let’s begin.
Origins
Folklore describes a ghost as a soul or a spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to make themselves known to the living. Ghostlore has a wide variety of depictions of ghosts, including but not limited to invisible presence, translucent shapes, or lifelike forms. Other terms used to describe spirits are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, wraith, demon, and ghoul.
The belief that an afterlife, and in turn manifestations of the spirits of the dead, exists has been prevalent since pre-literate cultures. Some religious practices are specifically designed to put these spirits to rest, such as funeral rites, exorcisms, and some forms of ritual magic.
Ghosts are generally perceived as human-like solitary figures, and although there are stories of ghost armies, collectives were not as common. They are thought to be haunting certain locations, objects, or people that were important to them in life somehow. Pew Research Center conducted a study in 2009 where 18% of Americans claimed they have seen a ghost.
Interestingly enough, fear is an aspect of ghost culture even to this day in a sense that, despite ancestors being worshipped, their continued presence on Earth in the spirit form is something to be scared of.
Mesopotamian cultures had countless references to ghosts in their religions. They were thought to be created at the time of death retaining the person’s appearance and personality, assuming their position in life. Ancient Egyptians had a great belief in ghosts, with said belief system evolving constantly. Classical Greek ghosts became haunting creatures, working for either good or evil. Ancient Romans thought ghosts could re-enact revenge on their enemies through various means. Igbo people believed that a human consisted of both physical and spiritual matter, with the spiritual one being eternal.
In Medieval times, there were two strict categories – souls of the dead or demons, the latter only existing to mess with the living. Most ghosts were stuck in a purgatory to atone for their transgressions in life, their penance matching said misdeeds. The Renaissance time period saw a renewed interest in any and all occult matters.
Ghosts in Bengali culture are similar to their general depiction elsewhere, having died in abnormal circumstances or not having enjoyed their life on Earth and not being ready to leave it.
Chinese ghost lore, on the other hand, has deep roots in ancestor worship, which affects how people treat the subject – spirits of family members are seen less as supernatural, more divine beings deserving of respect and honour. The Hungry Ghost Festival is one of China’s most popular and important annual celebrations, a time for people to remember and give thanks to the dead; however, it does feature some eerie superstitions and warnings about ghosts to avoid.
Appearance
The human spirit was most widely depicted as an exact match of what they looked like while still living, down to the very clothing they were wearing. They were thought to be composed of a misty material. Some even possessed wounds, if they had died in a violent way.
In Scandinavian tradition, ghosts often appeared in such corporeal form that they were frequently mistaken for the living.
Protection measures
Many cultures have a way to differentiate malignant ghosts from more benign ones. This especially stems from European folklore, where a recurring fear of returned deceased with abilities to harm the living was prevalent. Ancestor worship even has rituals intended to drive away vengeful spirits; these might include sacrifice where the dead are offered food and drinks. There is also magical banishment, which is pretty self-explanatory.
A place where ghost apparitions had been spotted was deemed to be haunted. Since supernatural occurrences in the home were often associated with a violent death and therefore the spirits were spiteful, lots of different measures were taken, including but not limited to an exorcism.
Various fictional portrayals throughout history
A Francis James Child ballad published in 1868 called Sweet William’s Ghost tells the story of a ghost who is haunting his fiancée because his promise to marry her is keeping him tied to Earth. This tale reflected a British belief back then that the dead would haunt their beloved, should they move on without properly breaking off any ties to the deceased.
Arguably one of the most famous portrayals of a ghost is that of Hamlet’s father in the titular play by William Shakespeare. In this story, the ghost demands that Hamlet solves his murder and seeks revenge on his uncle. This leads to disastrous consequences, so the intentions of Hamlet’s father’s ghost could be debated. As far as his appearance goes, ghosts of English Renaissance theatre were shown in armour that was out-of-date for the time, to give them a more antique look.
Gothic fiction was used as a heavy influence on ghost theatre design while containing folklore and psychology elements. The first gothic novel with one of the first-ever ghost appearances is The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole in 1764. During the nineteenth century, the sheeted ghost began to make appearances in theatre because the armoured one did not capture the required spookiness: the metal made creaking sounds and was too complicated to constantly move around. The Victorian period was when the ghost stories that contemporary audiences will recognise as more traditional came about. Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is yet another classic that heavily features spirits.
Children-friendly ghost stories have since become more popular. Casper the Friendly Ghost comics have been around since 1930s, also receiving animated cartoon and feature film adaptations.
The 1970s saw ghosts diverge into romance and horror genres. As one would imagine, romantic movies would feature benevolent spirits who are looking to pass on some kind of message, whereas horror films would focus on the more malignant ones and the havoc they can cause.
Ghost hunting reality TV shows have also become a major thing with many different ones filling the market. The 1990s took a step back towards a more gothic and sophisticated approach, diving more into psychological effects of a spirit haunting. I feel like most of us have at least heard of the movie The Sixth Sense (lucky for anyone who has not been spoiled of the twist before seeing it), which is a wonderful example of such approach. Japanese film Ringu and its U.S. remake The Ring look at a quite different take on a ghost, one that (spoiler alert!) wants to keep poisoning the living and inflicting pain.
As far as TV goes, it’s not often that ghosts are the main characters of their own story, but rather entities that the protagonists encounter. Shows such as Charmed, Supernatural and Ghost Whisperer feature this, with the characters interacting with ghosts who are either harming the living and need to be vanquished or are confused souls seeking guidance to help them cross over.