According to traditional beliefs, ghosts, often referred to as a specter, apparition, spook or phantom is the soul of a deceased person which appears in the form of a spirit or another form of visual manifestation to the living. Various accounts and descriptions of ghosts and other apparitions have been widely reported, ranging from those which appear ad vaguely transparent to others as visible wispy figures to some with the appearance of realistic lifelike versions. Persons who attempt to deliberately contact or communicate with the spirit of a deceased individual are famed to practice what is often known as necromancy or séance according to the Christian doctrine Spiritism.
The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the deceased persons dates as far back as to the practice of pre-literate cultures who were noted for worshiping their ancestors in in what was known during that period as ancestor worship or animism. Many religious practices such as exorcisms, funeral rites, and other forms of ritual magic and spiritualism are primarily designed to put the spirits of the dead to rest. Nonetheless most ghosts are often described as a lonely quintessence which will haunt a specific location or house, a particular object or even a person of whom the spirit when living may have been closely associated with. Additionally accounts of ghosts have been frequently reported as told through stories where that are rumored to exist in the form of phantom ghost armies, on ghost ships and trains and sometimes in the form of ghostly animals.
Facts about Ghosts and Haunted House
- The term ghost is derived as a continuation of the Old English term gást, which comes from the Common Germanic word “gaistaz” which roots from the meaning of fury and anger. The Old English word “ghost” in addition to symbolizing the soul or spirit of a deceased individual is synonymously used with the latin word spiritus which means blast or breath. The word could also mean any evil or good spirit such as angels and demons. The word spook which is also used to describe a soul or spirit comes from the Dutch word akin which when translated to Low German becomes spôk. This word subsequently made its entry during the 19th century into the English language by the United States and used ever since. The word poltergeist is loaned from the German word which actually means a “noisy ghost” and is used to describe a spirit which manifests its presence by moving objects. The word wraith as seen in all three episodes of the movie “The Lord of the Rings” used to describe the Ring Wraiths is a Scots word used to describe an apparition or specter.
- The human spirit or soul was according to ancient mythology was depicted as a bird or other type of animal. Today the spirit or ghost is more recognized as an exact reproduction of the body of the individual right down to the type of clothing worn by the individual upon the time of their death. This general depiction is often presented in the artwork of several ancient cultures such in the ancient Egyptian funerary text known as The Book of the Dead which shows the deceased in the afterlife with the exact same appearance just as they did before their death.
- Although deceased ancestors are often regarded as venerable and considered as having a continued presence with the living in some type of afterlife; a spirit of a deceased person which chooses to physically remain among the living is strongly regarded as an highly unnatural and unwanted and generally leads to a sense of fear among most people.
- A location where ghosts have been continually reported is often described as haunted and seen by many as unnaturally inhabited place by spirits of the dead who may have formally resided there and somehow familiar with the location. Paranormal activity seen within the homes of individuals is often said to have some close relation with a tragic or often violent event which may have previously or recently transpired there such as an accidental death, suicide or murder. Nonetheless not all hauntings are considered as violent as it is believed by many that a spirit can exist as a result from being trapped by an energy created from having a strong connection to previous memories of the location.
- Considerably, a number of researchers including Canada’s Michael Persinger from Laurentian University theorize that changes occurring within the geomagnetic fields of the Earth can temporarily stimulate the temporal lobes within the human brain resulting in the many reports of hauntings and ghost sighting. However despite these inconclusive theories, many published accounts made by professional parapsychologists and “ghost hunters” like the British psychic researcher Harry Price are used as a basis for locating ghosts by modern – day “ghost hunters”.
- Ghost hunters today are known to rely on a variety of equipment such as digital thermometers, night and thermographic vision cameras, digital audio recorders, EMF meters, as well as several types of computers and laptops.
Live Haunted House Webcams
The Willard Library Ghost Web Cam
Located in Evansville, Indiana within the United States it is rumored that the Willard Library is haunted by the ghost known as the Gray Lady. The veiled specter was first seen by the library’s janitor in 1937 while in the basement. Since the initial sighting there have been several reports made by other members of staff who have expressed that they had seen and even smelled her perfume and witnessed the unexplained turning on of the faucets in the library. Some believe that the Grey Lady may have been the ghost of Louise Carpenter who was the daughter of the founder of the library.
The Willard Library website features three web cams which can be viewed by clicking on the link posted below where visitors may catch a glimpse of the Grey Lady as well as some screenshots of the apparition that were captured by other viewers.
View The Willard Library Ghost Web Cam.
Llancaiach Fawr Manor Ghost Web Cam
The 1645 Llancaiach Fawr Manor located at Caerphilly, South East Wales within the United Kingdom is undoubtably one of the most popular tourist attractions where visitors can talk and learn about traditional Old English customs of ordinary everyday folk who lived there more than 350 years ago. The Manor rumored to be haunted features a live webcam switched on between the hours of 7 p.m and 11 p.m on weekday evenings during the Ghost Tours.
View Llancaiach Fawr Manor Ghost Web Cam.
Haunted Doll House Webcam
This webcam features several creepy dolls that apparantly are possessed. They might look innocent, but keep an eye on the dolls and you may get creeped out. Check out the forum to see the latest screenshots.
View Live Webcam: Haunted Doll House Webcam
Davids Ghost Cams
This site is home of Davids Ghost Webcams in Illinois. There are six cam in a Victorian home that is over a hundred years old. Do some ghost hunting from the comfort and safety of your home! Zoiks!
View Live Webcam: Dddavids Ghost Cams
Haunted Welsh Castle Ghost Webcam
This site has several ghost webcams at a castle in Penycae, Wales, UK.
View Live Webcam: Haunted Welsh Castle Ghost Webcam