A ghost is popularly held to be the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased person.[1][2] Popularly described as insubstantial and partly transparent, ghosts are reported to haunt particular locations that they were associated with in life or at time of death. A revenant is a deceased person returning from the dead to haunt the living, either as a disembodied ghost or alternatively as an animated ("undead") corpse.
A related concept is the poltergeist, literally a "rumbling ghost" said to manifest itself by moving and influencing objects.[3] Phantom armies, ghost-animals, ghost airmen,[4] ghost planes,[5] ghost trains and phantom ships have also been reported.[6][7] Also related is the concept of a fetch, the visible ghost or spirit of a person yet alive, a notion widespread in shamanistic cultures. Necromancy is the purposeful summoning of the spirit of a dead person for the purposes of divination. The word "ghost" may also refer to any spirit or demon.[8][2][9]
A poll conducted in 2003 showed that more than half of adults in the United States believe in ghosts and/or demons.[10]
In literature, notable ghosts have appeared in works of Aeschylus in Classical Greece through Shakespeare, Dickens, Oscar Wilde and many others. Cinematic depictions have been diverse, and ranged from Casper the Friendly Ghost to Beetle Juice and Freddy Krueger, in comedy and childrens genres as well as horror.
A related concept is the poltergeist, literally a "rumbling ghost" said to manifest itself by moving and influencing objects.[3] Phantom armies, ghost-animals, ghost airmen,[4] ghost planes,[5] ghost trains and phantom ships have also been reported.[6][7] Also related is the concept of a fetch, the visible ghost or spirit of a person yet alive, a notion widespread in shamanistic cultures. Necromancy is the purposeful summoning of the spirit of a dead person for the purposes of divination. The word "ghost" may also refer to any spirit or demon.[8][2][9]
A poll conducted in 2003 showed that more than half of adults in the United States believe in ghosts and/or demons.[10]
In literature, notable ghosts have appeared in works of Aeschylus in Classical Greece through Shakespeare, Dickens, Oscar Wilde and many others. Cinematic depictions have been diverse, and ranged from Casper the Friendly Ghost to Beetle Juice and Freddy Krueger, in comedy and childrens genres as well as horror.
