Poltergeist
This could be the most famous type of ghost because of the movie. At least it’s a name that people recognize. So, what is a poltergeist in terms of folklore?
With the name originating in Germany, poltergeists are spirits found across the globe that caused physical disturbances. Their most common activities are making noises and moving stuff around. Sometimes they simply move an object when nobody is looking, but other times they will hurl it in anger. Other stories talk of them attacking people through mysterious bites or even tripping. Flickering lights, foul smells, and sudden fires are considered signs of a poltergeist even if they are not done consciously by the ghost. A person could see how these ghosts are the most physically interactive ones out there.
Now, a poltergeist isn’t tied to a dead person. They could be considered a spirit born from strong emotions of a living person. Many stories tie them to teenagers who are suffering from depression and/or anxiety. If this is the case, a poltergeist would be a manifestation of emotional turmoil. It could even be that the people who conjure them have some level of telekinesis or psychokinesis, but can’t consciously access these abilities. So, a poltergeist is created by the subconscious to unleash these powers. Of course, this is all theory.
Poltergeists have been tied to a lot of hoaxes as well. It seems fairly easy to rig things to move using finishing line, magnets, and/or shadows. Not sure how I feel about this because I know many ghost stories can be chalked up to hoaxes or misunderstandings. It would be why many people don’t believe in them, which I think the poltergeist perfectly encapsulates. There have been so many fakes that most would never believe such a thing exists. The possibility is denied, which means any evidence that it could be real simply points to another hoax. Not like a poltergeist is going to get offended and jump on the news to declare its existence.
This makes me wonder why people are so quick to say ghosts don’t exist. I have a few theories:
- Many require tangibility to believe something. You need to see it, feel it, hear it, or have some sense trigger it. Ghosts may do that at times, but in ways that a rational mind can put on another source. Not like you can grab one, so it’s something fairly impossible to prove.
- Religion ties much of the supernatural into God, angels, and demons. This results in other paranormal entities falling outside of a person’s belief circle. It could even go against their beliefs, which many don’t want challenged.
- The existence of ghosts can bring in difficult questions about the soul and afterlife. I think many people go with either Heaven/Hell or nothing. There are other ideas about what happens after we die, but becoming a ghost is typically seen as a negative. You are either being punished or have become trapped. You can’t move on to the true afterlife and join your loved ones. A ghost is simply stuck on Earth with no way to truly interact and communicate with those around them. It sounds like Hell and believing it’s a possibility can shake a person to their core. Better to feel like that isn’t an option at all.
Odd question: Anybody think they’ve ever encountered or seen the aftermath of a poltergeist?
Legends of Windemere 
Love a good poltergeist! Bring on the spooky season frights! 👻
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For some reason, poltergeists freaked me out a lot as a kid.
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Alas no. Things moving or falling down in the house usually turn out to be a draft blowing something which knocks something else. But I do always listen on BBC radio and also watch the occasional TV series ‘Uncanny’ with Danny Robins, who apparently used to be a comedian. A lot of people seem to have genuinely experienced poltergeists up to all sorts of tricks.
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How do we know the drafts aren’t ghosts blowing things over?
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Excellent thought, which I won’t want to think when it’s dark and there are noises…
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I have never experienced a poltergeist but would certainly like to. I wonder if you could invite one to stop in?
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Must be a way to attract them. Get a lot of breakable things and see what happens.
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Good idea.
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We have friends who live in the medieval quarter of a town in central France. They knocked 2 houses together to make one. Shortly after they moved, my friend was sitting in the lounge when the temperature suddenly dropped.
Another time friends of their son were staying. One had to sleep in the lounge and the next morning complained of things moving around in the night.
Finally, when we were staying, all the brushes, brooms, etc were scattered on the floor whenvwe we t down for breakfast. My friend said to her husband “We’ve had another visit.” So it wasn’t new.
Last time we were there, I asked about the happenings, and he said he’d not thought about it, but they seemed to be confined to one of the original houses.
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The ghost isn’t happy the houses were combined. Probably hated its neighbor and now it’s stuck in that house.
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That’s a thought.
The town was a Hugenot town. When they were renovating it, they found a connecting door between the houses, and a tiny window looking up the street. It seems that connecting doors were there for escape from the Catholic soldiers when they were spotted (through the peephole window). All the houses, I understand, were connected in this way.
Maybe the ghost hadn’t managed to escape, or something. It doesn’t seem to be particularly malevolent, just annoying.
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I shared an experience at Bad Moon Rising this year about a chair and boxes that moved around one morning.
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That had to be freaky.
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The people who don’t believe in ghosts (or any other psychic phenomenon) are the ones who haven’t experienced it themselves.
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Makes sense.
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