Rebecca Felix - Ghosts: The Truth Behind Historys Spookiest Spirits

Beliefs about ghosts and spirits are found throughout history. Many ancient culturesfollowed specific customs for dealing with dead bodies. They wanted to be certainthe spirits of the dead were happy in the afterlife.

In ancient Egypt it was believed that peoples spirits could return to their bodiesafter death. The Egyptians often mummified dead bodies to keep them whole. The mummiesprovided a home for peoples spirits to come and go as they pleased.

In ancient Greece it was believed that .When people died their bodies were usually buried with food and money. The Greeksbelieved that the dead needed these supplies to reach the afterlife. Without them,the spirits of the dead were thought to remain in the world to haunt the living.Most ancient Greeks werent scared of such spirits. But they didnt want to be hauntedby them either! Burying bodies properly was very important in ancient Greece.

FACT: The ancient Greeks believed the dead had specific uses for food and money afterdeath. Food was given to the fierce three-headed dog Cerberus that guarded the entranceto the Underworld. Money was paid to the ferryman named Charon. He carried the deadacross the river Styx so they could reach the afterlife.

to preserve a body with special salts and cloth to make it last for a verylong time

Underworldthe place under the earth where ancient people believed the spirits ofthe dead went

Keeping the spirits of the dead happy was a goal in many cultures for hundreds ofyears. If angry ghosts haunted the living, people thought there could be scary anddangerous results. In many African cultures, people worshipped the spirits of deadfamily members. As long as people honored their ancestors, the spirits gave themgood fortune. But if people disrespected the dead, the spirits might punish or evenkill them.

KNOWN BY MANY NAMES

Long ago the souls of people who returned from the dead were often called revenants.But ghosts have been known by many names through the years. Spirit, spook, and specterare general terms for all types of ghosts. A poltergeist is an invisible ghost thatmakes a lot of noise and likes to move or throw things. Apparitions are ghosts thatcan be seen. Theyre often human-shaped but are pale, transparent, or glowing. Awraith is the appearance of a soul as it leaves a dying persons body. In certainancient cultures, ghosts have also been called fairies, angels, ghouls, or devils.

In ancient China people often made offerings of food and money to the spirits oftheir ancestors. It was believed that these offerings helped provide for the needsof the dead during the afterlife.

FACT: In ancient China people sometimes took unusual steps to make the spirits happy.People often didnt want unmarried family members to be lonely after death. So theyarranged ghost marriages for their dead loved ones.

A team of horses pulling a carriage races toward an old castle. As the horses drawnear, it becomes clear that they have no heads. A headless coachman also bouncesatop the carriage. Inside is a woman who does have her headin her lap! It is EnglandsQueen Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded in 1536.

The ghost of a headless Anne Boleyn is just one of thousands of reported ghost sightingsin England. Bloody often took place at castles across Europe. It was oftenthought the spirits of the dead remained to haunt the places where they were killed.

Englands Queen Anne Boleyn and many others were killed at the Tower of London. Todaythe Tower is said to be one of the most haunted places in the United Kingdom.

FACT: In the late 1600s, thousands of people across Europe were accused of beingwitches. Hundreds were found guilty and beheaded at Austrias Moosham Castle. Todaythe castle is supposedly crawling with angry spirits!

executionwhen a person is put to death as punishment for a crime

EUROPEAN BELIEFS

As in ancient cultures, many people in Europe believed that souls lived on afterdeath. They also thought that some peoples spirits didnt move on to the afterlife.These spirits instead remained stuck somewhere between life and death. The livingwere often terrified of such ghosts. They would scream, run away, or even faint ifthey thought they saw one. Such reported hauntings and unexplained events frightenedpeople across Europe for hundreds of years.

WHERE DID GHOSTS COME FROM?

People commonly believed that spirits remained in the world because of unfinishedbusiness. If someone was murdered, his or her ghost might haunt the killer to getrevenge. Or if people were suddenly killed in accidents, their spirits might tryto visit their families one last time. People also thought that some restless spiritswere the result of improper burials.

It was also believed that a few ghosts had important duties to complete before theycould move on. These ghosts were said to haunt the living to ask for their help. Thespirits requested proper burials for their remains, or they asked people to help themcomplete their unfinished tasks. It was thought that helping spirits in this way allowed themto rest peacefully in the afterlife.