Fear of ghosts
Encyclopedia
The fear of ghosts in many human culture
s is based on beliefs that some ghost
s may be malignant towards people and dangerous (within the range of all possible attitudes, including mischievous, benign, indifferent, etc.).
The fear of ghosts is sometimes referred to as phasmophobia and erroneously spectrophobia
, the latter being an established term for fear of mirrors and one's own reflections.
wrote:
In many traditional accounts, ghosts are 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 doppelgänger
is a related omen of death.
The belief in and fear of ghosts and other supernatural beings, such as spirits and gods
, has been said by some scholars to be a mechanism of social control
.
Anthropologist John Whiting
indicates that studies of various cultures show a correlation between the fear of ghosts and low indulgence during infancy and the severity of punishment of children for aggression observed in these cultures, leading to the hypothesis that these cultures have mourning customs designed to protect the living from ancestral ghosts.
, an Amazon rainforest
tribe
, believe that the spirits of dead people may appear as a scaring specters called jima. The jima is said to grab a person with very strong, cold and poisonous hands and try to pull the person's spirit away.
ese ghost (yurei
) who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek vengeance
. While male onryō can be found, mainly in kabuki
theatre, the majority are women. Powerless in the physical world, they often suffer at the capricious whims of their male lovers. In death they become strong. Goryō
are vengeance ghosts from the aristocratic classes
, especially those who have been martyred.
literary genre and in ghost movies
.
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s is based on beliefs that some ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s may be malignant towards people and dangerous (within the range of all possible attitudes, including mischievous, benign, indifferent, etc.).
The fear of ghosts is sometimes referred to as phasmophobia and erroneously spectrophobia
Spectrophobia
Spectrophobia is a kind of specific phobia involving a morbid fear of mirrors and one's own reflections.Catoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors...
, the latter being an established term for fear of mirrors and one's own reflections.
Typical character
The fear of ghosts is widespread even in post-industrial societies. Philosopher Thomas V. MorrisThomas V. Morris
Thomas V. Morris, also known as Tom Morris is an American philosopher. He is a former Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, founder of the Morris Institute of Human Values, and author of several books...
wrote:
"...I am perfectly aware that the fear of ghosts is contrary to science, reason and religion. If I were sentenced to spend a night alone in a graveyard, <...> I should already know that twigs would snap and the wind moan and that there would be half-seen movements in the darkness. And yet, after I had been frog-marched into the graveyardGraveyardA graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
, I should feel a thrill of fear every time one of these things happened..."
In many traditional accounts, ghosts are 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 doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
is a related omen of death.
The belief in and fear of ghosts and other supernatural beings, such as spirits and gods
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
, has been said by some scholars to be a mechanism of social control
Social control
Social control refers generally to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. Many mechanisms of social control are cross-cultural, if only in the control...
.
Anthropologist John Whiting
John Whiting (anthropologist)
Jonh Wesley Mayhew Whiting was an American sociologist and anthropologist, specializing in child development....
indicates that studies of various cultures show a correlation between the fear of ghosts and low indulgence during infancy and the severity of punishment of children for aggression observed in these cultures, leading to the hypothesis that these cultures have mourning customs designed to protect the living from ancestral ghosts.
Wari'
Wari'Wari'
The Waricaca, also known as the Pakaa Nova, are an Amerindian nation indigenous to the Amazon rainforest. They are native to the state of Rondônia, Brazil and were first seen by European settlers at the shores of the river Pakaa Nova, which is a right-bank-tributary of the Mamoré River...
, an Amazon rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
, believe that the spirits of dead people may appear as a scaring specters called jima. The jima is said to grab a person with very strong, cold and poisonous hands and try to pull the person's spirit away.
Papuans
A 19th century missionary describes the fear of ghosts among Papuans as follows:
"That a great fear
of ghosts prevails among the Papuans is intelligible. Even
by day they are reluctant to pass a grave, but nothing
would induce them to do so by night. For the dead
are then roaming about in their search for gambierGambierGambier may refer to:People* James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier , Lord Gambier – British admiralPlaces* Gambier Islands, French Polynesia* Gambier Islands * Gambier Island, British Columbia, Canada* Gambier, Ohio, USA...
and
tobaccoTobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, and they may also sail out to sea in a canoeCanoeA canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
.
Some of the departed, above all the so-called Mambrie or
heroes, inspire them with especial fear. In such cases for
some days after the burial you may hear about sunset a
simultaneous and horrible din in all the houses of all the
villages, a yelling, screaming, beating and throwing of sticks;
happily the uproar does not last long: its intention is to
compel the ghost to take himself off: they have given him
all that befits him, namely, a grave, a funeral banquet, and
funeral ornaments; and now they beseech him not to thrust
himself on their observation any more, not to breathe any
sickness upon the survivors, and not to kill them or "fetch"
them, as the Papuans put it."
Japanese
Onryō (怨霊) is a JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ghost (yurei
Yurei
are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...
) who is able to return to the physical world in order to seek vengeance
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
. While male onryō can be found, mainly in kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
theatre, the majority are women. Powerless in the physical world, they often suffer at the capricious whims of their male lovers. In death they become strong. Goryō
Goryo
are Japanese ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 御 meaning honorable and 霊 meaning soul or spirit.Traditionally, Goryō are vengeance ghosts from the aristocratic classes, especially those who have been martyred....
are vengeance ghosts from the aristocratic classes
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, especially those who have been martyred.
Literature and arts
Fear of ghosts, their vengeance and mischief is a common base for a plot in the ghost storyGhost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
literary genre and in ghost movies
Ghost movies
This is a long list of ghost films—films about ghosts, or films that prominently feature ghosts. As well as the horror genre, ghost films may belong to comedy or romance genres...
.