List of ghosts

Last updated August 24, 2025

African folklore

Adze, Ewe vampiric being
Amadlozi, Nguni spiritual figures
Asanbosam, Akan vampire
Egbere, Yoruban malevolent spirit
Kishi, Angolan two-faced demon
Madam Koi Koi, Nigerian ghost
Mbwiri, Central African demon

Obambo, Central African supernatural being
Obayifo, Ashanti vampire
Obia, West African monster
Ogbanje, Igbo evil spirit
Tikoloshe, spirit from Zulu cultures
Zar, Ethiopian demon

Asian folklore

East Asia

China

Korea

Japan

South Asia

India

A male kumbhanda (left) and female Kumbhandaka (right). Jiu Pan Tu .jpg — A male kumbhāṇḍa (left) and female Kumbhāṇḍakā (right).

Aavi
Brahmarakshasa
Bhakolwa
Bhoota (ghost)
Baak
Chetkin
Chir batti
Churel
Challava
Dakini
Daayan
Ded futiya
Jokkho
Nishi daak
Naagin
Nale Ba
Pishacha
Preta
Pūtam
Shakini
Vetala
Yakshini

Sri Lanka^[1]

Asura
Bodilima
Devil Bird
Gara yaka
Holnab
Kalu Kumara
Kola Sanni Yaka
Kumbanda
Maha Sohona
Mala preta
Mara
Pisacha
Preta
Riri yaka
Suniyam yaka
Yaksha

Nepal

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Bhrommo Doitto
Bhoot
Dayniburi
Daynii
Doitoo
Geccho Bhoot
Kana Bhola
Khuqqush
Jukkho
Meccho Bhoot
Mamdo Bhoot
Nishi
Petni
Pishach
Shakchunni

Southeast Asia

Indonesia/Malaysia

Babi Ngepet
Hantu Air
Hantu Bongkok
Hantu Raya
Hantu Tinggi
Jenglot
Kuntilanak, also called Matianak or Pontianak (folklore)
Langsuyar
Leyak
Orang Bunian
Orang Minyak
Pelesit
Penanggalan
Pocong
Sundel bolong
Toyol
Wewe Gombel

Myanmar

Philippines

Thailand

Middle East and Central Asia folklore

Egyptian and Arabic

Persian

Jewish mythology

Turkish

European folklore

Albania

Finland

Grey Lady, believed to haunt the Mustio Manor (Finnish : Mustion linna) in Karis, Raseborg ^[3]

Germany

Graeco-Roman

Vrykolakas

Malta

Black Knight, believed to haunt Fort Manoel
Blue Lady, believed to haunt Verdala Palace
Grey Lady, believed to haunt Fort St Angelo
Katarina, believed to haunt Mdina

Netherlands

Witte Wieven, benevolent or malicious white female spirits

Romania

Iele, feminine mythical creatures
Moroi, a type of vampire or ghost
Muma Pădurii, an ugly and mean old woman living in the forest
Pricolici, similar to Strigoi, but for worse souls
Samca, an evil spirit, said to curse children and pregnant women with illness
Spiriduş, a domestic spirit/familiar that when summoned, acts as an intermediate between the devil and the master of the home
Stafie, spirits of the dead who are bound to a place in which they lived in life; a poltergeist
Strigoi, troubled souls of the dead rising from the grave
Vâlvă, feminine nature spirits that control various phenomena. Can be good or bad
Vântoase, female spirits of the wind
Zmeu, a fantastic creature

Scandinavia

Knights of Ålleberg, are the ghosts of twelve knights that died in the Battle of Ålleberg in 1389

Landvættir

Myling, a child ghost

Slavic folklore

Baba Yaga
Countess Báthory allegedly haunts her former castle at Čachtice
Dhampir
Dvorovoi
Dziwożona
Kikimora
Sava Savanović
Upiór

Spain

The ghost of Catalina Lercaro in the Museum of the History of Tenerife
Santa Compaña

United Kingdom

Agnes Sampson, known as Bloody Agnes, believed to haunt Holyrood Palace
Bloody Mary ^[4]^[5]^[6]
The Brown Lady ^[7]
Cock Lane ghost (called "Scratching Fanny") received massive public attention in 18th-century England
Drummer of Tedworth
Dullahan, similar to the headless horseman
The ghost nun of Borley Rectory
The ghost of Anne Boleyn, reportedly seen at the Tower of London
Grey Lady, a ghost believed to haunt Glamis Castle
Man in Grey of the Theatre Royal
Nan Tuck's Ghost, believed to haunt Nan Tuck's Lane, one mile from Buxted
Sweet William's Ghost ^[8]

North American

Canada

Aeneas Shaw's daughter, Sophia allegedly haunts Queenston, Ontario
Alexander Keith allegedly haunts his brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ann Crosby Currier allegedly haunts Watson's Mill in Ottawa, Ontario
Charles Melville Hays allegedly haunts Château Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario
The Dungarvon Whooper is a ghost believed to haunt Blackville, New Brunswick
Emily Carr allegedly haunts James Bay Inn in Victoria, British Columbia
Francis Nicholson Darke allegedly haunts Darke Hall in Regina, Saskatchewan
The Headless Nun is a purported ghost believed to haunt French Fort Cove in Nordin, New Brunswick
Lady in Red, attributed to a jilted lover, prostitute killed in a fit of passion, or woman of vanity
Minnie Hopkins, wife of Edward Nicholas Hopkins, allegedly haunts Hopkins Dining Parlour in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Nils von Schoultz allegedly haunts Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario
White Lady, a ghost dressed in a white dress or similar garment, reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with local legends of tragedy

Caribbean

Douen, a mischievous entity associated with pranks and practical jokes
Duppy, malevolent spirits who bring misfortune and woe on those they set upon
Hupia, the spirits of deceased people; portrayed as faceless people or in the form of deceased loved ones
Jumbee, the generic name given to all malevolent entities, including demons and spirits
Lwa, a Voodoo spirit who acts as an intermediary between humanity and Bondye
Phantome, an immensely tall spectre stands at the crossroads on nights of the full moon with his legs wide apart
Soucouyant, a blood-sucking hag

United States

The Bell Witch was a poltergeist said to haunt the family of John Bell near the town of Adams, Tennessee in 1817. The spirit was said to have manifested itself as various animals and a disembodied voice and cited Bible scripture. The Bell Witch partly inspired The Blair Witch Project and the events of her story were depicted in the film An American Haunting
Emily, the ghost of a young girl who supposedly haunts a covered bridge in Stowe, Vermont. The bridge is dubbed "Emily's Bridge" and she is said to be seen only at midnight
Oscar Washburn, the ghost of a black goat farmer who allegedly haunts Old Alton Bridge in Copper Canyon, Texas. He is commonly known as "the Goatman" as he is said to appear as a half-human half-goat like entity. The bridge has been nicknamed "Goatman's Bridge" by locals as a result of the legend.^[9]
Joe Bush, a legendary ghost that allegedly haunts the Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge in Sumpter, Oregon. He is said to leave wet, bare footprints on the decks of the dredge, cause lights to flicker, and doors to open and close
The ghost of Resurrection Mary allegedly haunts roads and buildings around Resurrection Cemetery near Justice, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Ghost of Queen Esther, the ghost of an Iroquois woman who allegedly mourns the massacre of her village in Pennsylvania.
Ghosts of the American Civil War
Greenbrier Ghost, the alleged ghost of a young woman in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. In a court trial, the woman's mother claimed that her daughter's ghost told her she had been murdered.
Kate Morgan, a ghost which is said to haunt the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California
Minnie Quay, a legendary ghost of Michigan
Old Book is the name given to a ghost or spirit which allegedly haunts a cemetery at Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois
Pedro Benedit Horruytiner, colonial governor of Florida. Alleged encounters with his ghost have been reported there
President Abraham Lincoln's ghost has been reported in the White House numerous times, many of those by prominent people such as President Theodore Roosevelt, First Lady Grace Coolidge, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and Winston Churchill
The Red Lady of Huntingdon College is a ghost believed to haunt the former Pratt Hall dormitory at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama
The Ridgeway Ghost of Wisconsin Folklore, is believed to terrorize people along a 25-mile stretch of old mining road
Slag Pile Annie, a ghost said to appear as an elderly woman working in a remote and hard-to-access location in the former Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Wizard Clip was a ghost said to have clipped articles of clothing and visitor's hair at a home in Middleway, WV after a Catholic traveler died there in 1794 without receiving any last rites
White Lady
Vanishing hitchhiker

Central America and Mexico

La Llorona, a ghost of Latin American folklore who is said to have murdered her children
Sihuanaba, a shapeshifting spirit of Central America who lures men into danger before revealing her face to be that of a horse or a skull
Headless priest, the spirit of a decapitated priest

South American folklore

Sayona, a Venezuelan vengeful spirit who appears to unfaithful husbands
The Silbón, a legendary figure in Colombia and Venezuela, described as a lost soul

Oceania

Australia

Fisher's ghost - The legend of Fisher's ghost is a popular Australian ghost story or folk tale dating to the early 19th century.
Frederick Baker ("Frederick Federici") of Princess Theatre, Melbourne

Poseidon is brutely believed to have reunions in lore myth and reading The Devil and God in place of the Holy Spirit; to cause peace and grandness of Proven Strength of his own name; solemn in origin and hauntingly strong an operator of the afterlife is always open for question because of physicality being able to travel.

Monte Cristo Homestead of Junee, New South Wales; allegedly Australia's most haunted house^[10]

Micronesia

Taotao Mona

List of reportedly haunted locations

Ghosts by culture

Asia

Others

Popular culture

Television and film

Annie Sawyer and Alex Millar from the television series Being Human , and Matt Bolton from the spin-off Becoming Human
Casper the Friendly Ghost ^[11] and his uncles, the Ghostly Trio also known as of Fatso, Stinky, and Stretch
Danny, a human-ghost hybrid child from Nickelodeon's animated TV series, Danny Phantom.
The Dead Men of Dunharrow in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings . Also the Nazgûl in the same work; nine former men resurrected as wraiths to do Sauron's bidding
The Flying Dutchman, a pirate ghost from SpongeBob SquarePants
Ghosts (2019 TV Series) includes the Captain, Mary, Robin, Kitty, Thomas Thorne, Julian Fawcett, Lady Fanny Button, Pat Butcher and Humphrey
The Grudge : Kayako Saeki, the onryo , and her homicidal husband Takeo Saeki, the evil yurei
Harry Potter series:

Lonesome Ghosts from the Mickey Mouse series
Penny Halliwell, Patricia "Patty" Halliwell from Charmed
Barbie creator Ruth Handler appears as a ghost in the 2023 film Barbie
Scratch and several others from the Disney animated series The Ghost and Molly McGee
Slimer from Ghostbusters and its sequel
Spectra Vondergeist, daughter of the ghosts from Monster High

Comics

Deadman (DC Comics): Boston Brand was originally a trapeze artist who assumed the mantle of Deadman as part of his performances, donning a red costume and white body paint. After Brand is murdered by the Hook, his spirit is empowered by the goddess Rama Kushna, who gives him the ability to possess any living being to assist him in finding his murderer and bring justice.^[12]^[13]

Gay Ghost (DC Comics): The Gray Ghost was originally an 18th-century Irish earl named Keith Everet who was killed by three footpads while traveling to propose to his lover, Deborah Wallace. Everet's three killers are swiftly captured and executed, but Deborah dies of a broken heart shortly afterward. Following his death, the spirits of Everet's ancestors manage to keep his spirit on the mortal plane. However, Everet remains in an incorporeal form until the 1940s, when he manages to possess Mike Collins, the fiancé of Deborah Wallace's descendant.^[14]
Gentleman Ghost (DC Comics): Gentleman Ghost (Jim Craddock) originates from the 19th century and is a notorious highwayman and robber known as "Gentleman Jim". After being killed by Nighthawk, Craddock learns that he is unable to leave the mortal plane until his killer dies as well. However, he is unable to do so as Nighthawk is an incarnation of Hawkman, who is cursed to continually reincarnate.^[15]^[16]
Ghost (Dark Horse Comics): The main protagonist of her series, Elisa Cameron is an assassin with the ability to become invisible and intangible. Due to having her memories erased, Cameron believes herself to be a ghost.
Homer the Happy Ghost (Atlas Comics)
Red Ghost (Marvel Comics): A supervillain and enemy of the Fantastic Four who derives his codename from his ability to become invisible and intangible, resembling a ghost.^[17]
Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost, a comic book and animation ghost related to Casper
Timmy the Timid Ghost, a comic book ghost

Literature

Rudrayamala Tantra, Kaulajnananirnaya): Discuss various spirits, their invocation, and control for spiritual or worldly purposes.
Vetala Panchavimshati is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. Internationally, it is also known as Vikram-Vetala.
"Pretasiddhanta": Treatises on preta (ghosts) and ways to liberate them.No authentic copy available.
"Vetala Tantra": Focused on controlling spirits like vetalas.
Banquo from William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth ^[18]
The Canterville Ghost of Oscar Wilde's popular 1887 short story of the same name
Captain Daniel Gregg, a sea captain from the 1945 novel, The Ghost of Captain Gregg and Mrs. Muir, later adapted into a 1947 film and 1968–1970 television series
Charles Dickens' 1843 novel A Christmas Carol which includes Jacob Marley, The Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Emily, a ghost from the single volume graphic novel Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
The Flying Dutchman , originally from A Voyage to Botany Bay (1795) by George Barrington
Hamlet's father from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet ^[19]
Hugh Crain from the 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House , its 1963 film adaption and the 1999 remake
The Little Ghost Godfrey a Swedish children's book character
Marion and George Kerby, ghosts who haunt Cosmo Topper in the two novels by Thorne Smith, the film Topper and its sequels Topper Takes a Trip and Topper Returns , and the television series Topper

Video games

Boo (formerly Boo Diddley) and King Boo, an enemy in the Mario series of games.
LeChuck of the series of graphic adventure games Monkey Island
Pac-Man 's ghosts Blinky (red), Pinky (pink), Inky (blue) and Clyde (orange) and Sue
Hisako, playable Onryō in the fighting game, Killer Instinct

References

↑ Ria Rameez (11 Jun 2016). "ලංකාවේ ජනප්‍රවාදයේ එන අවතාර 7ක්" [7 ghosts in Sri Lankan folklore] (in Sinhala). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
↑ "Weird NJ Stories, The Lady in White". Archived from the original on 2005-11-02. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
↑ Hui, kummituksia! Suomalaiskohteet, joihin liittyy hurjia aavetarinoita (in Finnish)
↑ "mythologyweb.com". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
↑ "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Bloody Mary". Snopes.
↑ "Bloody Mary, Mary Worth and other variants of a modern legend". MythologyWeb. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
↑ "Brown Lady of Raynham Hall - Castle of Spirits". Archived from the original on 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
↑ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, "Sweet William's Ghost"
↑ "Alton, Texas and the Haunted Goatman's Bridge – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
↑ "Monte Cristo". www.montecristo.com.au.
↑ Nash, Eric P. (2001-12-17). "Seymour V. Reit, 83, a Creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost". New York Times . Retrieved 2010-08-21.
↑ Markstein, Don. "Deadman". Don Markstein's Toonopedia .
↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2010). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
↑ Green, Paul (2017). Encyclopedia of Weird War Stories: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Film, Television, Games and Other Media. McFarland & Co. p. 76. ISBN 978-1476666723.
↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
↑ Wallace, Dan (2008), "Gentleman Ghost", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 137, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
↑ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains . New York: Facts on File. p. 294. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
↑ Braunmuller, A. R. (1997). "Introduction". In Braunmuller, A. R. (ed.). Macbeth. The New Cambridge Shakespeare. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 266. ISBN 0-521-29455-X.
↑ Sylvan Barnet, "Shakespeare: An Overview," in Macbeth , ed. Sylvan Barnet, A Signet Classic, 1998, p. ix.

External links

Media related to Ghosts at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] Ria Rameez (11 Jun 2016). "ලංකාවේ ජනප්‍රවාදයේ එන අවතාර 7ක්" [7 ghosts in Sri Lankan folklore] (in Sinhala). Retrieved 6 November 2021.

[2] "Weird NJ Stories, The Lady in White". Archived from the original on 2005-11-02. Retrieved 2011-05-18.

[3] Hui, kummituksia! Suomalaiskohteet, joihin liittyy hurjia aavetarinoita (in Finnish)

[4] "mythologyweb.com". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

[5] "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Bloody Mary". Snopes.

[6] "Bloody Mary, Mary Worth and other variants of a modern legend". MythologyWeb. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2011-05-18.

[7] "Brown Lady of Raynham Hall - Castle of Spirits". Archived from the original on 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2011-05-18.

[8] Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, "Sweet William's Ghost"

[9] "Alton, Texas and the Haunted Goatman's Bridge – Legends of America". www.legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved 2023-09-18.

[10] "Monte Cristo". www.montecristo.com.au.

[11] Nash, Eric P. (2001-12-17). "Seymour V. Reit, 83, a Creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost". New York Times . Retrieved 2010-08-21.

[12] Markstein, Don. "Deadman". Don Markstein's Toonopedia .

[13] Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2010). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.

[War-14] Green, Paul (2017). Encyclopedia of Weird War Stories: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Film, Television, Games and Other Media. McFarland & Co. p. 76. ISBN 978-1476666723.

[Guide-15] Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.

[dc-ency-16] Wallace, Dan (2008), "Gentleman Ghost", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 137, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017

[17] Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains . New York: Facts on File. p. 294. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.

[18] Braunmuller, A. R. (1997). "Introduction". In Braunmuller, A. R. (ed.). Macbeth. The New Cambridge Shakespeare. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 266. ISBN 0-521-29455-X.

[19] Sylvan Barnet, "Shakespeare: An Overview," in Macbeth , ed. Sylvan Barnet, A Signet Classic, 1998, p. ix.

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