History of Ghosts

 

Belief in ghosts can be traced back as far as 2,000 B.C. This first record of a ghost comes from the Babylonian story The Epic of Gilgamesh, and is etched in clay tablets. The story tells of the the hero Gilgamesh and the ghost of his dead friend, Enkidu.

“And Nergal, accustomed to absurd orders, obeyed as soldiers do.
He freed Enkidu to speak once to kin
and showed Gilgamesh how to descend halfway
to Hell through the bowels of earth.
Enkidu’s shadow rose slowly toward the living
and the brothers, tearful and weak,
tried to hug, tried to speak,
tried and failed to do anything but sob.

“Speak to me please, dear brother,” whispered Gilgamesh.
“Tell me of death and where you are.”

“Not willingly do I speak of death,”
said Enkidu in slow reply.
“But if you wish to sit for a brief
time, I will describe where I do stay.”

“Yes,” his brother said in early grief.
“All my skin and all my bones are dead now.

All my skin and all my bones are now dead.
“Oh no” cried Gilgamesh without relief.
“Oh no,” sobbed one enclosed by grief.

London ~ Tower of London

The Tower of London has a long and bloody history. Over the past 1000 years, the Tower of London has seen more than itsÊ fair share of murders, executions, tortures and poisonings. It’s little wonder therefore that a few of its victims should remain there in death.Ê

Many ghostly legends are associated with the Tower. In 1483, two young princes were murdered in the Tower, and their ghosts were reported to have haunted the tower until the year 1674, when their bones were found and buried in a proper ceremony.

The most famous and most often reported ghost in the Tower Green is Anne Boleyn. She was beheaded by her husband, Henry VIII, in 1536. She is now said to carry her head under her arm on the eve of a death. Anne has also been seen in the Tower Chapel. One night, a guard captain and a sentry set off on their rounds, but when they reached the chapel they both noticed lights coming from inside. The captain sent for a ladder and climbed up to a window to look within. He found the interior lit with a blue-white light, and a ghostly procession of men and women in Tudor costume could be plainly seen walking down the central aisle. At the head of the procession was the spirit of Anne Boleyn. Suddenly the light faded and the chapel was left in complete darkness.Ê

In 1816 a sentry was walking his beat in front of the Jewel House when he saw a dark shape moving on the steps of the building. He approached the figure just as the moon came out from behind some clouds, revealing a huge bear lunging at him. Paniced, he struck out at the bear with his bayonet but the blade simply passed through the bear, which then engulfed him. He was later found unconcious by another sentry and died shortly after.

Other Tower ghosts include Sir Walter Raleigh, and Guy Fawkes.

In 1816, a palace guard who was on duty spied a bear. Not realizing he was facing an apparition, the guard attempted to lunge at the creature with his bayonet. The guard reportedly later died of shock.

In 1864, a soldier saw a ghost and again attempted to use his bayonet. The soldier fainted when he realized his antagonist was a ghost, and was later court-martialed for neglecting his duties. The charges against the soldier were eventually dropped when two witnesses came forward to support the soldier’s ghost story.

On the 12th February 1957 a guardsman came face to face with one of the ghostly residents at the foot of the Salt Tower. It was 3.00am when something struck the roof of the sentry-box in which he was sheltering from the rain. Stepping out, he looked up to see what it was, and saw a shapeless white ghost on the top of the tower. He shouted, bringing out the guard captain and the duty warder. They both searched the Tower, but could find nothing. Is it a coincidence that on 12 February 1554 Lady Jane Grey was beheaded on Tower Green, which lies less than 200 yards away from the Salt Tower?

The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall

The Brown Lady is famous mostly as being one of the most reliably photographed ghost in history. Although she has not been seen since 1936, she is said to wear a long brown dress or cape. No one knows who the Brown Lady is, or how she is connected to Raynham Hall.

The first sighting was reported in 1835 by a house guest, Colonel Loftus. He actually viewed her twice. He said she was wearing a brown satin dress and had only black empty sockets for eyes. Another sighting was made by Captain Frederick Marryat. He intentionally slept in the “haunted room,” but instead caught a glimpse of the Brown Lady an upstairs hallway. His description was the same as Loftus’, except this time the Brown Lady was carrying a lantern. Marryat happened to have a gun with him, and fired point-blank at the figure. The bullets, of course, passed right through the ghost. The ghost was not reported again until 1926, at which time it was viewed by two little boys.

Ghosts in Ancient Rome

There are many references to ghosts in ancient Roman mthology.

In 44 B.C., Brutus, an army general, spearheaded a plot to murder Julius Ceasar.

On March 15, he and his co-conspirators stabbed Caesar to death.

Shortly thereafter – Brutus was visited by a huge apparition/ghost claiming to be Julius Caesar, and who then revisited him the night before battle. The purpose of the vision became clear to Brutus, who took it as an omen of doom. The battle was lost and Brutus killed himself afterwards. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar the phantom is described as being that of Julius Caesar.

Ancient China

There is a festival called Da Jui or The Hungry Ghost Festival which occurs on the 15th day of the seventh moon. It to appease the ghosts of the unloved or uncared for. According to Chinese mythology, the gates of hell open during the seventh month, allowing spirits to roam the earth. Spirits of those who have died at their own hands, in accidents, by drowning, or hanging, seek souls on earth to take their place in hell. Lanterns in water are used to guide these bad spirits away, and offerings of fruit and coins are left for the ghosts to take on their wanderings.