After reading at least a thousand accounts of Ghost sightings,watching hundreds of television shows involving ghosts, and hearing numerous first-hand accounts of hauntings, I've noticed something. When you don't seem to be dealing with the Ghost of a deceased relative many ghost stories all boil down to the same four types of spirits.These are:
1. The Lady in White/Gray/Red; take your pick.
2.The hooded Monk-like Figure
3.The cute and Mischievious Child
4.The sinister Grinning Man
I realize there are many Ghost reports that do not include these types,but they are by far the most common. So, what could this mean? Does this mean Ghosts conform to stereotypes? Or is it evidence that ghosts do not really exist and this is the popular image our mind creates for us when we think we've seen or felt one? Are these Ghosts at all, or another type of life form that takes on one of the four characteristics above when it appears to us?
I know these questions may seem bizarre, but I found it odd that so many ghost stories seperated by time and location would have the exact same details.
I would have thought that since ghosts are thought to be the spirit of a deceased person or a playback of past events, then each one would be unique.
And yet many of them seem to conform to a spirit Archetype instead...
I'd love to hear some other members thoughts on this....

You make a good point! But as for myself I believe in the existence of the paranormal. I think alot of it has to do with our abilities to tell stories.For instance, say you were telling a friend about an experience that happened to you. Then that friend moves away and finds themself talking to someone else about a similar experiance only this time some of the details of the original story are changed. Like maybe they put themselves in your place and maybe the location that it happened has changed as well. Maybe instead of it happening at your house this time they say it happened where they live now. So in that case you have two stories that are almost identical except the person and location.Now say that new person tells someone else and changes a small detail like putting themselves into the situation but keeping with the same new location. So now that builds more on this new tale. Thats just an idea though.

I've got loads of books which list different types of 'ghost' (and would you believe I cant find any right now?).

One author lists 10 types.
I can only remember a few ~ sorry

1} Revenant or residual - the popular idea of a ghost from many years before, wandering empty corridors, walking through doors.
Probably explained by the Stone Recording theory.

2} Crisis Apparitions - the projected image of a loved-one at the moment, or shortly after death. A kind of 'early warning' or a final goodbye. Some of these projections have been of people who are very very ill but have recovered, so perhaps Astral Projectionof some sort can explain this.

3} Poltergeists - my favourite! Widely believe to be a restless and aggrassive spirit. Almost certainly caused by RSPK

4} Elementals - supposedly some kind of force created by negative energies, or something that has never taken on human form. Believed to be nasty and unpleasant, violent and spiteful. Could be from the post office then

I know I have failed miserably in remembering the other types but hey - gimme a break here!

Hammy x x x

Here's a list found on the forum and posted by one of our most well read members .

Althalus in the Ouija board thread. It's more than likely the list your after Hammy .

i wonder if there's a a Lady in Plaid ghost...i'd like to see that one...

I think Xgaryedgesx has come closest to answering the point at the beginning. Unless I'm mistaken, Falco Rex was talking not about the various types of ghosts, but the way many visible ghostly forms bear great similarities to the extent that they too can be categorized, eg white lady, green lady, monk, headless horseman, black dog...

The reason that they appear to be archetypal figures is because they are archetypes. Story telling would contribute to this because the process tends to tap into archetypal material.

Tremendously interesting, and I'd say at least somewhat valid, as I think we can agree that at least to some extent, archetypes (in general) play undeniable roles in our society as a whole (regardless of culture).

If these are archetypes, WHY are they there? Were they something else to begin with, and became archetypes? Or were they created, as collective unconscious thoughtforms, which *match* ghosts that have been heard of before, or that may corrospond to people who were once living (but may not actually *be* the spirit of that person)... hmmm.

Hi Falco

I feel that the reason why there are so many stories of the four characters you listed is because over the years these are what have made up all the best ghost stories around. We have been conditioned almost and have grown up scared of such images because of what they relate to, the typical haunting and they make classicaly good stories.

What the heck is a

Thanks for the input so far. I'll go on record here and say that I actually believe in ghosts, although I don't believe every ghost story,as many are clearly that. However, I can't help but wondering if, while various paranormal researchers are out there trying to define and scientifically prove the existence of ghosts, they're actually buying into some big joke from the other side..

Oh yeah; here's for Chico del Nacho..

Ghost in Plaid

Loonboy,

A Vardoger is a spirit that precedes the observer. Hence, whenthe observer first goes somewhere there is evidence that he or she has been theer before.

a lady in plaid!

i am flabbergasted...

Thanks Al. You are, as ever, my oracle.

Okay... Now all I need to see is Elephants fly and I've seen everything.

Oh wait... that happened in Dumbo... Guess I can go die now.

J/K

And to go back ON topic.

I think people who report seeng Ghosts just describe the figures in ways they can understand.

Sort of like Aliens.

You notice how many reports out there are humaniod?

Though I"m still waiting to meet an inteligent shade of blue... Or maybe a walking jukebox.

(Referances to B5 and an old Science fiction novel... I think the color was in Glory Lane by Dean Anderson.)

Hi, from my perspective, most ghost sightings are mostly not real, or are culturally biased.

If you look in other cultures, ghost apparitions can be very exotic. Some areas of China still believe in the fox spirit. Some areas of china, ghosts are similar to zombie and have long nails and are green in complexion!

One of the reasons why we always see/hear of ghost's being grey, green, hooded monks and so on, is, in part mainly due to the setting of the haunting, if the ghost is female it is either a grey, green, blue lady or a nun figure. If it is male then it is either the monk figure or much less often it is the headless variety.

But, that aside, ghosts are more often seen as normal people, just dressed differently or vaguely see-through.

As I said, the type of ghost seen is down mainly to the setting, if it is an old rectory or priest hole such as Chingle Hall, then the ghhost will usually be the monk, or nun.

If it is a stately hall, it will usually be the coloured lady, or less often the boy or girl. This is usually the case when there is a story of some sort to back up the alleged haunting.

[1. The Lady in White/Gray/Red; take your pick.
2.The hooded Monk-like Figure
3.The cute and Mischievious Child
4.The sinister Grinning Man]

Ok, yeah.. as some people know.. i see them... like i would regualr people.. and yeah. those are the most common Ghosts i see...

The lady in White/Grey/Red.... they aren't so common for me... i suppose i'm not interesting enough for them...

The hood Monk-like Figure... i.. suprised enough as i am, have not seen or experianced a Ghost like that.. though i've been told that they are scary.... Hummm......

The cute Mischievious Child... tons of them! tons! My theory is that the kids are common 'cause they are the ones that have the least amount of knowledge of death... they stick around....

The sinister Grinning Man... like the kids, tons of them... and i've had sinister ginning women too... but not a lot of them...

My theory of the "Ginning Men" is that they don't want to believe that they are dead.. that when they were alive.. they had it going good for them, like they refuse to die.... i've tried to send a lot of them to the light..... bad idea.. believe me!

Anyhoo... yeah... kids are common... angry and scared ghosts come to me... but they come for comfort... so i don't worry.. the scared ones normally bring in more ghosts... kind of like they are the invitation... that brings more in...

Well.. that's what i think.. i don't know if you'd believe it... but i deal with it almost evey day... i should know the drift...

Reader

two i can add to that list after some thought are:
the crying maid- ushually seen in a prom or wedding dress, crying, sometimes sitting on her grave or tombstone.
the maimed slave- ushually has an eye poked out or limb cut off because of rage of owner, or burn marks on her neck. from a noose. often haunts old plantations.

i had just made this point on another forum before i saw this one.
but i think the ones like "the lady in grey" or "the hooded monk" are a time loop of sorts.
at their time something happened which imprinted their image on a time line, somehow this turns into a time loop that plays over and over again. we can't interact with them because they aren't her, neither is the spirit, we are just seeing a person and event that occured a long time ago, and it will play again and again until maybe the time loops degrades.
just a thought