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The topic of ghosts and spirits (kehua) in Māori culture is often considered a tapu subject, yet many Māori legends contain mentions of apparitions and paranormal occurrences. It is claimed that long deceased family members may appear to warn of upcoming danger, such as with the famous phantom canoe in 1886 that many reportedly saw on Lake Tarawera, that is believed to have been an omen for the volcanic eruption that occurred eleven days later.
In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or cremation ceremonies are important, such vengeful spirits may also be considered as unhappy ghosts of individuals who have not been given a proper funeral.
Mononoke are vengeful spirits (onryō), dead spirits (shiryō), live spirits (ikiryō), or spirits in Japanese classical literature and folk religion that were said to do things like possess individuals and make them suffer, cause disease, or even cause death. It is also a word sometimes used to refer to yōkai or henge.
Ghostlore is an intricate web of traditional beliefs and folklore surrounding ghosts and hauntings. Ghostlore has ingrained itself in the cultural fabric of societies worldwide. Defined by narratives often featuring apparitions of the deceased, ghostlore stands as a universal phenomenon, with roots extending deeply into human history.
References
- ↑ "Phasmophobia. (n.d.). Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, Preview Edition". Lexico Publishing Group. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
- ↑ Urdang, Laurence (1986). -ologies & -isms. Gale Research Co. ISBN 0810311968.
- ↑ Clarkson, Michael (2004). Quick Fixes for Everyday Fears. Marlowe & Co. p. 148. ISBN 1569244626.
- ↑ "God and the Philosophers", edited by Thomas V. Morris (1996) ISBN 0-19-510119-7 p. 39
- ↑ Christina Hole (1950) Haunted England: 13-27
- ↑ "Consuming Grief", by Beth A. Conklin ( 2001) ISBN 0-292-71236-7, p. 161, "Ghost Fears and Dissociation"
- ↑ "The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead", by James George Frazer (1913), [ p. 305] in Google Books
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