Ghost stories and legends occur
in countries all over the world.
The spirits come in all shapes and sizes. They behave in
many different ways, mainly based on the customs of the
area which they are thought to haunt.
Many of the ghosts are created by people's imagination.
But one question remains unanswered - if ghosts do not
exist, why should so many stories have been invented
about them?
These pages show you just a few of the phantoms which,
perhaps haunt the Earth.
The Bandit Ghost (Mexico) In Mexico, ghosts of people who
had died violently were said to be
able to cure illness. The ghost of
the famous bandit, Pancho Villa,
cured an insane boy by whipping
and shouting to drive out the evil
spirits thought to possess him.
The Glowing Ghost (Europe)
A ghostly apparition seemed to
foretell the death of Roderigo
Borgia in 15th century Italy.
Minutes after the glowing ghost
was seen, Borgia fell screaming to
the ground, dying from the
Poisoned wine that he had drunk.
The Slave Ghost (South Africa)
In Southern Africa, people believed
that if a witch doctor dug up a
corpse and stole part of the body,
he could turn its ghost into a slave.
Then the witch doctor sent the
ghost out to do his evil deeds - to
spread sickness and kill his enemies.
The Railway Ghost (North America)
There is an American legend that
claims that the ghostly funeral
train that carried President
Abraham Lincoln's Body still
rumbles along the railway track
in New York State, more than
100 years after his death.
The Legless Ghost
(Japan)
Japanese ghosts were believed to
be deformed as a punishment for
evil deeds when alive. Many were
legless, their lower limbs engulfed
in flames. According to legend,
they warned people when death
was near.
The Eating Ghost
(Pacific)
The people of the Banks Islands in
the Pacific Ocean believed that
certain stones were haunted by
'eating ghosts'. If a person's
shadow fell across such a stone
the ghost was thought to suck out
the person's soul. After losing his
soul, the person died. These stones
were placed in empty houses to
keep away thieves.
The Gibbering Ghost
(India)
Indians believed in ghosts called
bauta. They were hideous creatur
with small, red bodies and huge,
lion-like teeth. They gibbered
through their noses when they
spoke. They were supposed to
roam at night, attacking people.
The Waterfall Ghost
(Australia)
In 1905, two men on holiday saw a
pair of ghostly hands come out of
a waterfall. The hands beckoned to
them. Looking behind the waterfall,
they found a cave with three
skeletons in it. The ghostly
presence had fulfilled its task -to
draw attention to the remains of
of the dead.
