Vengeful ghost

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Vengeful ghost
Kwade gedachten veranderden Raigo van de Miidera tempel in een rat.-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1984-36.jpeg
The onryō of the priest Raigō returns as a rat plague and destroys the Mii Temple. T. Yoshitoshi 1891
Grouping Legendary creature
Sub grouping Ghost, undead
Similar entities Revenant
Other name(s)Vengeful spirit
Region The Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa
As a husband passes by the place where his pregnant wife was brutally murdered, her ghost appears and hands their child to him. She then tells him the story of her murder and assists him as he takes revenge for her death. Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1845 Ibaya Sensaburo - Tokaido gojusan tsui - Walters 95568.jpg
As a husband passes by the place where his pregnant wife was brutally murdered, her ghost appears and hands their child to him. She then tells him the story of her murder and assists him as he takes revenge for her death. Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1845

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. [1]

Contents

Cultural background

The concept of a vengeful ghost seeking retribution for harm that it endured as a living person goes back to ancient times and is part of many cultures. According to such legends and beliefs, they roam the world of the living as restless spirits, seeking to have their grievances redressed, and may not be satisfied until they have succeeded in punishing either their murderers or their tormentors. [2]

In certain cultures vengeful ghosts are mostly female, said to be women that were unjustly treated during their lifetime. Such women or girls may have died in despair or the suffering they endured may have resulted in early death caused by the ill-treatment or torture they were subject to. [3] [4]

Exorcisms and appeasement are among the religious and social customs practiced by various cultures in relation to the vengeful ghost. The northern Aché people group in Paraguay cremated old people thought to harbor dangerous vengeful spirits instead of giving them a customary burial. [5] In cases where the person has been killed and the body disposed of unceremoniously, the cadaver may be exhumed and reburied according to the proper funerary rituals in order to appease the spirit. Another option is to salt and burn their remains (bones).

Media

Vengeful ghosts have been featured in many contemporary movies of different countries such as Candyman , The Grudge , The Pit and the Pendulum , Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? , Poltergeist , Ghost , The Fog , High Plains Drifter , The Ward , Cassadaga , Kaal , Left for Dead , Bees Saal Baad , Darling , ParaNorman , Ragini MMS , Stree, Dark Shadows and the Troublesome Night film series, as well as the television series Spooky Valentine , Spooky Nights , Charmed , Ghost Whisperer , Supernatural and the popular Thai television soap opera Raeng Ngao and a popular K-television series Hotel Del Luna. They are also part of the theme of novels such as Tamír Triad and Tamsin , comic books such as the character the Gentleman Ghost, animated television series like Danny Phantom and adventure games such as the Chzo Mythos. Finally, there is also a female, controllable character called Vengeful Spirit in the MOBA videogame Dota 2.

Examples

Africa

Ancient Rome

Ancient Greece

United Kingdom

Eastern Europe

Jewish culture

China and Vietnam

India

Japan

Latin America

North America

Southeast Asia

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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