Ghosts: A Home Guide

PoltergeistsPoltergeists are troublesome and unruly, though usually not seriously dangerous. They turn appliances on and off, open and close doors, and knock things off shelves. They are also not calm, which is why they got their name.poltergeistThis term means “noisy ghost” in German. The evidence for poltergeists is clear, yet people never see them.

Poltergeists result from trauma. This trauma comes from a living person, often a child or teen, who does not know they cause it, or it comes from a past event. Some ghost believers dispute poltergeists exist, thinking they are a type ofpsychokinesisSomeone living in the house causes this.

Learn about other spirits that might share your home.here.

A boogeyman (also known as a bogey or bogle) is a malevolent spirit that dislikes children. Some boogeymen punish naughty, unruly, or lazy children by playing tricks or teasing them.

Various cultures globally have somevariant of the boogeymanHe uses tactics to make children behave. This includes hiding under beds or in dark closets to frighten young children who won't sleep, or he might snatch a child in his sack to eat them for misbehaving.

An incubus or succubus This demon seduces and has sex with humans in their sleep. An incubus is a male demon; a succubus is a female demon. Folklore sometimes links the succubus to Lilith, the first wife of Adam in some Jewish and Christian versions.

Lilith’s origin storydiffers, but some tales say she was sent from the Garden of Eden for refusing to obey Adam. Adam then got a new partner, Eve, who was naturally submissive and came from Adam's rib.

Succubi and incubi have taken many names inmany different culturesthroughout the world and history. Their visits are rarely welcome or pleasant. If you have had experiences with these creatures and want them gone, here are some ways togetting rid of them.

In Cornish folklore,the piskie (also spelled "pixie") is a fairy-type creature. It looks like a small old man wearing a red cap and a wig made of gray lichen. It is smaller than a mouse and often rides snails. Piskies are usually harmless and sometimes helpful, but they are tricksters who might play irritating pranks, like leading travelers astray. Some claim piskies are the souls of unbaptized babies; others, the souls of pagans. A piskie dies once it shrinks so small it stops existing.

Piskies are related to "knockers," small creatures that live in mines and warn miners about falling.

A brownieis a creature in Scottish folklore like a hobgoblin. These small, solitary creatures are wild and shaggy.wild and shaggy in appearance.

Having a brownie in your house is generally good. If you leave the brownie food, it performs small chores while you sleep. You will not see it during the day. It might take up space in the walls or attic, but it leaves if you treat it well. Keep the brownie around by speaking kindly, praising it, and leaving food like porridge, cream, or honey.

You might startle yourself late at night, mistaking a dark patch for an intruder. You might just see an optical illusion, or you might have a Shadow Person in your house.

There are shadow people in the dark corners of your house.many ideas and reports about who shadow people are, what forms they take, and what their intentions might be. Some think shadow people live in another dimension; others think they are ghosts. Some think they are harmless, while others believe they cause harm, with some reports of shadow people jumping on an unaware person’s chest.ShadowPeople.org

ShadowPeople.orgShadowPeople.org has many accounts from people who claim to have seen these entities. Many describe them as solid black beings, sometimes with red eyes, causing no harm.

Jewish folklore says a dybbuk exists.dybbukA dybbuk is a ghost or disturbed spirit. People believe it is the soul of someone who died and now tries to possess a living person. You can exorcise a person possessed by a dybbuk. Knowing what the dybbuk wants during possession can help you make the spirit leave.

The 2012 horror filmThe PossessionThe Possession was inspired by the dybbuk.

Apervasive urban legendA pervasive urban legend surrounds black-eyed children. These children sound like little kids with totally black eyes. People spot them on roads, public transit, or doorsteps, where they knock and ask to use a restroom or phone.

Brian Bethel emailed a story about seeing a pair of black-eyed children outside a Texas movie theater in 1996. This may have started the legend. People now post about them on creepypasta, nosleep, and other horror forums.

Black-eyed children need to be invited in, like vampires. Most stories show the narrator feeling intense dread and refusing the children's requests. Other accounts show bad things happen, like sickness or death, when the children get a ride or shelter. Read about 9 supposed encounters with black-eyed children here.here.

AchindiIn Navajo folklore, a chindi is the ghost a person lets go with their last breath. It shows bad energy. Contact with a chindi brings sickness or death. People preparing for death should do it outside so their spirit disperses like smoke. If someone passes inside, the space becomes haunted. Living people should also avoid saying the person's name and destroy their things; otherwise, the chindi might stay.

Chindis appear as dust devils. They spin counter-clockwise. A good spirit spins clockwise.

AfetchA fetch is an apparition from Irish folklore. It looks like someone dying or very recently dead, like a doppelgänger. Often, the fetch shows itself to people who recognize the person, like friends or loved ones. Living people might notice the fetch seems farther away than the real person. Fetches also tend to disappear.

Seeing a fetch is usually bad. It means its human counterpart is dying or just died. A fetch might also signal how the death will happen.

Ascreaming skullAn actual skull often stays where it wants. Move it, and screaming and other ghost disturbances start.

One famous "screaming skull" story involves a slave. He made money in the West Indies then returned to England. Both the man and the enslaved person lived at Bettiscombe Manor. The enslaved person asked to be buried in his home country after death, which the businessman promised. Instead, the lazy businessman buried the enslaved person in the local graveyard.

The town suffered screaming and moaning near the graveyard until the body was dug up and moved to the manor. Even though it wasn't his home country, the manor seemed to calm the enslaved person's spirit. Other bones have gone missing over time, but the skull remains. Anyone who tries to move it from the manor faces screaming and bad luck until it is returned.

Aresidual hauntingA residual haunting happens in a house after something bad occurs. This bad event marks the house and is set to repeat forever. These hauntings feature repetitive sounds, like a piano playing or laughter, or visual scenes that play over and over, but then disappear. Unlike poltergeists, these ghosts show up, even if only briefly.

Many hauntings report aLady in Gray(or black, or white) - often a weeping widow, mother, or scorned lover mourning a tragedy. Other ghosts are ghostly babies wailing or children seeking playmates.

These hauntings do not interact with living people or cause harm. You can watch them or simply ignore them.

This covers animal ghosts returning to visit former owners in the 'Ghosts: A Home Guide' list.An animal ghost.This is what an animal ghost sounds like: the disembodied spirit of a former animal. Most animal ghosts are pets returning to visit their owners. Cats, dogs, horses, and other pets are common types. Some reports show they appear as shadowy, foggy figures. Other hauntings present only sounds: a jingling collar, a meow, or a bark.

Some animal ghosts are bad omens because they can signal ill fortune.The Black Dog.sometimes signals impending doom in many countries' beliefs. However, black dogs can also act as protectors.