Now Viewing: ghostTag type: General In traditional belief, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely: The mode of manifestation can range from an invisible presence to translucent or wispy shapes, to realistic, life-like visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance. The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread, dating back to animism or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. Certain religious practices—funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic—are specifically designed to appease the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt particular locations, objects, or people they were associated with in life, though stories of the phantom armies, ghost trains, phantom ships, and even ghost animals and numbers have also been recounted. Yūrei (幽霊) are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 (yū), meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 (rei), meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 (Bōrei) meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 (Shiryō) meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 (Youkai) or お化け (Obake). Like their Chinese and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife. Goryō (御霊) are Japanese ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 御 (go) meaning honorable and 霊 (ryō) meaning soul or spirit. Traditionally, Goryō are vengeance ghosts from the aristocratic classes, especially those who have been martyred. Arising mainly in the Heian period, the belief was that the spirits of powerful lords who had been wronged were capable of catastrophic vengeance, including destruction of crops and the summoning of typhoons and earthquakes. The only way to quell the wrath of a goryō was with the help of yamabushi, who could perform the necessary rites that would tame the spirit. Other Wiki Information Last updated: 04/09/11 6:35 PM by jedi1357 This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
     
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