Page 48 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Jan-Feb 2018, Vol 27, No 1

48 Ghosts From A - Z

Ghosts From A to Z an act of God. Vigo the Carpathian (Ghostbusters II): He is
Vigo! Originally Vigo Von Homburg
Slender Man (Internet myth): No one knows Deutschendorf, also known as Vigo the Cruel,
Continued from Page 45 what the Slender Man is; his defining Vigo the Torturer, Vigo the Despised, Vigo the
characteristic is mystery, with the ability to Unholy, and possibly Vigo the Butch. Powerful
inspire fear a close second. An urban legend for 16th century magician, tyrant, lunatic and
Poltergeist (Various folklores): While the the 21st century, the Slender Man stalks his genocidal maniac, he returns to life through his
common term for this comes from the German victims, sometimes over long periods of time, creepy self-portrait, looking to regain physical
words for “noisy ghost,” poltergeists feature in and may inspire amnesia, paranoia, and form and return to power. Thwarted by slime.
the folklore of many cultures. The term usually madness; he is allegedly responsible for various
denotes a disruptive entity that haunts a unexplained disappearances. All we really know Oliver Welles (Slings and Arrows):
particular person via strange noises and even is, the Slender Man is terrifying. Temperamental director Oliver Welles is run
petty physical attacks. Poltergeist activity is a over by a ham truck in the first episode of this
popular subject in TV in movies, featuring in Slimer (Ghostbusters): Made of pure darkly comedic Canadian series. When his
everything from Blithe Spirit to Harry Potter to ectoplasm, Slimer is classified as a focused, troubled protege steps into his role as artistic
the Poltergeist movies. non-terminal repeating phantasm, or a Class 5 director of the New Burbage Shakespearian
full roaming vapor (and a real nasty one, at that). Festival to stage a production of Hamlet,
Alice Pyncheon (The House of the Seven After the Ghostbusters stop him from haunting Oliver’s ghost refuses to move on, and meta-
Gables): The ghost of the beautiful Alice haunts the Sedgewick Hotel, he became kind of a pet hijinks and high drama ensue.
the House of the Seven Gables after dying from and a mascot, and became a more developed
shame in Hawthorne’s classic New England character in the Animated Series. Dan Ackroyd The Wild Hunt (Ancient European myth): A
gothic novel. has referred to Slimer as ”The Ghost of John spectral group of huntsmen, horses and hounds,
Belushi.” rampaging in violent pursuit across the sky, on
Queen Anne Boleyn (English history): The ill- the ground, or floating somewhere in between.
fated second wife of Henry VIII, she was found Space Ghost (Space Ghost and Dino Boy/Space Seeing the Wild Hunt is thought to be an omen
guilty of adultery, incest, and high treason after Ghost Coast to Coast): One of the greatest talk of death, war, plague, or other catastrophe, and
her relationship with the king had soured, and show hosts of all time, often accompanied by his has often been depicted in art, literature, and
was beheaded in 1536. Along with many other nemeses/sidekicks Zorak, Moltar and Brak. music. Occasionally the participants in the hunt
ghosts, Anne Boleyn is thought by some to Designed by the great Alex Toth, Space Ghost are thought to be faeries, gods, or ancient heroes,
haunt the Tower of London, where she died and started out as superhero who fought villains and but the tradition is strongly associated with the
is buried. faced off against The Council of Doom (in dead: lost souls, spirits, and ghosts.
space. Natch.), before signing on to host his own
RMS Queen Mary (Real life): A retired ocean show on the Cartoon Network. Wiedergänger (German folklore): Category of
liner that was active between 1936 and 1967, undead spirits who would trouble or torment the
now permanently moored in Long Beach, Strigoi (Romanian folklore): Troubled souls living in different ways; some types would jump
California. After the ship was docked, reports of risen from the grave, a tradition dating back on the backs of their victims and grow heavier
ghostly activity and hauntings began: splashing through Indo-European Dacian/Thracian and heavier until they broke down, exhausted or
noises in drained swimming pools, children mythology. Strigoi are often seen as being dead. Another variation is the headless rider,
crying in the abandoned nursery, and so on. One similar to vampires, immortal undead, but also which made its way from European ghost story
of the cabins is no longer rented out due to manifest as evil spirits who haunt the living, to American literature thanks to Washington
“extreme paranormal activity,” and the ship is often their living family members. Irving.
supposedly haunted by several ghosts of guests
who were murdered or died in violent accidents Patrick Swayze (Ghost): The sexiest ghost of Xunantunich (Real life / Archaeology): The
while the liner was still operational. all. Good with clay and Whoopi Goldberg. name of this ancient Mayan archaeological site
in Belize comes from Mayan words for “Stone
Revenant (European folklore): General term Tomás (El Orfanato / The Orphanage): The Woman,” after the ghostly figure who has been
for an undead corpse or visible ghost that returns protagonist of Spanish suspense/horror film The seen haunting the site since 1892. Dressed all in
from the grave, usually for malevolent purposes. Orphanage first encounters Tomás as the white with fiery, red glowing eyes, the woman
Stories involving revenants usually depict a imaginary friend of her adopted son, Simón— reportedly appears at the site, ascends the steps
specific undead person who returns with a but as events turn sinister, he becomes more of a of the ceremonial pyramid and disappears into a
purpose, such as revenge against a killer or those definite, if ghostly, presence. Depicted through stone wall.
responsible for their death, or to harass people most of the film as a small boy wearing a
who wronged them during life. disturbing mask stitched together out of Y?rei (Japanese folklore): Used as a general
sackcloth, Tomás is simultaneously horrifying term; there are also more specific types of
Ringwraiths (Lord of the Rings): Not and heartbreaking. ghosts, like the Onry? (vengeful spirits who
technically ghosts, perhaps, but certainly spooky return from purgatory), Gory? (aristocratic
enough to make the list, the Ringwraiths (also Urban legends (Various): Whether it’s Bloody ghosts, often vengeful martyrs), or Zashiki-
known as Nazgûl or Black Riders) began as nine Mary or the familiar story of a ghostly vanishing warashi (mischievous ghost children).
mortal men to whom Sauron gave Rings of hitchhiker, American folklore is steeped in tales
Power. The rings gave them power and extended of phantom vehicles, haunted highways and Zhong Kui (Chinese mythology): By some
their lives, but it also corrupted and destroyed roads, and malevolent spirits that haunt Lovers’ accounts, Zhong Kui is the ghost (Gu?) of a man
them, turning them into undead thralls even after Lanes. Take the legend of Skinned Tom, for who failed his civil service exams and
their corporeal form faded away. example: caught in the act by a jealous husband committed suicide, he is a vanquisher of ghosts
and skinned alive with a hunting knife, Tom’s and evil spirits: a ghost who hunts other ghosts.
Samuel’s Ghost (Biblical): According to the vengeful ghost supposedly attacks amorous
Old Testament, King Saul has the Witch of couples in their cars to this day! Because Zuul (Ghostbusters): The Gatekeeper of
Endor summon the spirit of the recently prophet sometimes heavy-handed morality tales need a Gozer; minion of The Destructor. Lovely
Samuel. Samuel’s ghost is not happy about little gore to really help drive the point home. singing voice, but with an unfortunate tendency
being summoned, and predicts Saul’s downfall to manifest as a Terror Dog and/or take over
in battle the next day. It comes to pass, and Saul Vetala (Hindu folklore): Spirits who tend to your fridge. []
commits suicide. The story has been interpreted haunt places of burial and charnel grounds;
in a number of ways, of course: some see trapped between life and the afterlife, they can The Very Best of
Samuel’s ghost as a demon masquerading as the take possession of corpses and cause all kinds of Paranormal / Parapsychology Radio Is
prophet, while others view his reappearance as crazy trouble for the living. www.xzbn.net