Poltergeist (folklore)

A poltergeist is said to be a disruptive spirit that makes its presence known through loud noises and interactions with the physical environment. These interactions can range from mischievous pranks such as lights being turned on and off, to violent behavior such as objects being thrown or fires spontaneously igniting. The term poltergeist comes from the German poltern, “to rattle or make noise,” and geist, “ghost,” and is translated as “noisy ghost.”

Because of their destructive nature, poltergeists have become one of the best-known types of ghostly phenomena, but alleged occurrences of poltergeist activity are relatively rare. Poltergeists are typically associated with specific people, especially children and young teenagers. As a result, some believers have speculated a poltergeist may be caused by a person unknowingly manipulating spiritual energy. However, skeptics have pointed out that most reports of poltergeist activity have turned out to be hoaxes.

Background

Although ancient humans did not leave behind any written records, it is almost certain that they believed in a world inhabited by spiritual beings. These beings existed in everything from the wind to the trees and to the animals people hunted for food. Not surprisingly, ancient humans would likely have believed that each of them also contained a spirit that would leave their body after their death. Almost all ancient humans believed the spirits of the dead departed the physical world for some kind of afterlife, the specifics of which varied by culture. Many cultures celebrated and even worshipped the spirits of the dead, but even to these cultures, spirits were not meant to return to the physical world. The appearance of such a spirit would have been a cause of great concern and fear.

In ancient Mesopotamia, the spirits of the dead were believed to depart for an afterlife below the earth. If the proper burial rituals were not followed, or the person’s death was unnatural, their spirt could return to torment the living. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Chinese cultures believed in different versions of an afterlife, but had similar reactions to the idea of the return of spirits. All believed the dead’s return was a sign that something was wrong and needed to be set right before the spirit could rest. Although ghosts had appeared in literature and myths for centuries, one of the first recorded stories of a haunting came from Roman author Pliny the Younger, who was born in 61 CE. Pliny wrote that the figure of a bearded, chained man was haunting a house in Athens, Greece. A chained male body was subsequently found buried in a courtyard. The apparitions allegedly stopped after the corpse was exhumed and given a proper burial.

Overview

Throughout the centuries, different cultures have developed their own views on ghosts and the actions of such apparitions. In some cases, ghosts are said to be noiseless spirits who can be seen physically or make their presence known through smells or strange lights. Other times, the spirits make noise, throw objects, or manipulate the physical environment. The first recorded instance of what could be classified as a poltergeist occurred in Germany in 856 CE. The mysterious force was said to have terrorized residents of a farmhouse by throwing stones, lighting fires, and harassing the family that lived there.

Although poltergeists are often classified as ghosts, experts who study alleged paranormal activity are not in agreement that poltergeists are spirits at all. One common theory is that they are indeed the spirits of the newly departed, acting out in anger or frustration at the realization that they are dead. However, another theory suggests that the phenomenon is caused by a type of spiritual energy that can be manipulated, often unknowingly, by a person. In many cases, poltergeist activity is associated with children and young teenagers, leading some believers to speculate that the mental and physical changes occurring in a child’s body near puberty makes them more attuned to the spiritual energy. Poltergeist activity is also said to be connected more often to young girls than young boys, resulting in theories that the onset of the menstrual cycle may play a role in the phenomenon.

Typically, poltergeist activity starts out small with relatively mild disturbances, such as a picture suddenly falling off of a wall, or bedsheets being pulled off the bed. Over time, the strange occurrences increase, with lights or household appliances suddenly being turned on and off, or doors mysteriously opening and closing. In some cases, the activity lasts for only a brief time before ceasing, but in others, it can escalate, turning more violent. These poltergeists have been reported to throw objects, slam doors in people’s faces, start fires, and leave scratches on the living. In general, poltergeist activity is relatively short lived, lasting only for a few months before stopping; however, on rare occasions, disturbances have reportedly lasted for years.

Reports of poltergeist activity tend to attract attention for their violent nature, but scientific researchers have yet to find any validity behind the reports. They believe that people may just be adopting supernatural explanations for natural occurrences, such as seismic activity or changes in air pressure or temperature that may cause a house to creak or knock. Skeptics point out that even with the proliferation of cell phones and video surveillance, no scientifically examined video has ever captured an image of an object being moved or thrown around a room.

Furthermore, when reports of poltergeists are subjected to scientific scrutiny, they are often determined to have a natural explanation or discovered to be hoaxes. For example, in 1967, a lawyer’s office in Germany was said to be the site of a haunting where light fixtures and paintings started to swing and furniture was moved. The incidents only occurred in the presence of a young secretary and ceased when she left the firm. Investigators later found the office rigged with a system of nylon threads attached to the objects.

In the late 1970s, a house in the London suburb of Enfield was said to be the site of poltergeist activity surrounding two sisters, one eleven and the other thirteen. The poltergeist supposedly threw objects, moved furniture, spoke in a demonic voice, and made the girls levitate. Some of the strange events were said to have been witnessed by local police officers. However, investigators noted that the strange events stopped when the younger sister was observed closely and that a picture of her levitating was actually just her jumping on her bed. The sisters later admitted to making up some of their story and faking some of the occurrences, calling into question the entire incident.

Bibliography

Dagnall, Neil, and Ken Drinkwater. “Eight Things You Need to Know About Poltergeists—Just in Time for Halloween.” The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2017, theconversation.com/eight-things-you-need-to-know-about-poltergeists-just-in-time-for-halloween-85690. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Fraser, John. Poltergeist! A New Investigation Into Destructive Haunting. Sixth Books, 2020.

“History of Ghost Stories.” History.com, 10 June 2019, www.history.com/topics/halloween/historical-ghost-stories. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Mark, Joshua J. “Ghosts in the Ancient World.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 30 Oct. 2014, www.ancient.eu/ghost/. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Maxwell-Stuart, P. G. Poltergeists: A History of Violent Ghostly Phenomena. Amberley Publishing, 2012.

Radford, Benjamin. “Poltergeists: Noisy Spirits.” LiveScience, 17 July 2013, www.livescience.com/38223-poltergeists.html. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Wagner, Stephen. “3 Famous Poltergeist Cases That Will Creep You Out.” LiveAbout, 11 Jan. 2019, www.liveabout.com/poltergeists-three-famous-cases-2595934. Accessed 1 Jan. 2021.

Wilson, Colin. Poltergeist: A Classic Study in Destructive Hauntings. 1981. Llewellyn, 2009.