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Ghost
,→Types of Ghosts
{{InfoboxCreature
|monster name= Ghost
|image= [[File:Ghosts.jpg]]
|powers and abilities= Varies; can include telekinesis and possession.<br>* [[Possession]]* [[Telekinesis]]* [[Teleportation]]|vulnerabilities= Varies; one standard is the salting and burning <br>* Burning of the ghost's physical remains.* [[Iron]]* [[Salt]]
|appearance= Varies; the form of the deceased, which may have visible signs of trauma or decay.
|episodes= Various in Seasons 1-10 (see See below).
}}
{{Quotation
|title=
|text= '''Tessa:''' Well, like you said. There's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts. So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years. Disembodied, scared, and over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent.<br>'''Dean:''' What are you saying?<br>'''Tessa:''' Dean. How do you think angry spirits are born? They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt.|author= [[Tessa]] and [[Dean]]
|source= [[2.01 In My Time of Dying]]
}}
===Types of Ghosts===
===Powers and abilities===Ghosts can manipulate electronic equipment affect objects in the material world. This is an ability that must be learned. Sam and Dean learn how to communicate by move physical objects and fight when they become astral projections in [[EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon)|EVP4.15 Death Takes a Holiday]]. They can be detected by The ghost [[Haskel Crane]] explains to Bobby Singer and [[Annie Hawkins]] that to do this, the interference they cause with electromagnetic fields through use of an spirit must either become very calm and enter a Zen-like state, or tap into "explosive, anger and pure, red-hot rage."<ref name="seven19">[[EMF Meter7.19 Of Grave Importance]].</ref>
Some ghosts have been shown to possess unique abilities: [[Freeman Daggett]] seemed to be able to make Sam disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye, transporting him from the first floor to the basement, [[Whitman Van Ness]] could destroy other ghosts and absorb their energy, [[Mary Worthington]] could kill anyone through a warped reflection of themselves that accused them of the various deaths they were responsible for. This was also able to be turned back onto her.
* Elemental control – Ghosts can influence the elements, such as causing the temperature to drop in their presence. In rare cases spirits have been shown to have control over fire and water, if it was an element that led to their deaths such as [[Peter Sweeney]] and the [[Sailor’s Ghost]].
* [[EMF|Electromagnetic interference]] – A ghost's presence can cause electrical interference in the place they are haunting. Ghosts can manipulate electronic equipment to communicate by [[EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon)|EVP]]. They can be detected by the interference they cause with electromagnetic fields through use of an EMF meter.
* Invisibility – Ghosts occupy the space within [[the Veil]], making it impossible for humans to see them. Through practice and intense concentration, a ghost can manifest itself in the living world.
* Perception control – Ghosts such as [[Constance Welch]], [[Timmy's Mother]] and [[Fiona Duncan]] showed the ability to shift their forms from a beautiful young woman to a more monstrous appearance. The ghost of [[John Wayne Gacy]] was also able to manifest into a more monstrous form of his clown alter ego, Pogo the Clown.
* [[Ghost Possession|Possession]] – Ghosts have the ability to possess humans, a tell tale sign of ghost possession is the sudden secretion of [[ectoplasm]] from the possessed. Possession also extends to inanimate objects. Ghosts have been known to possess everything from cars to stereo equipment and computers.
* Soul absorption – The spirit of [[Whitman Van Ness]] showed the ability to destroy ghosts and absorb their strength for himself, making him stronger.
* Superhuman strength – Ghosts have strength that far exceeds that of when they were human. The ghost of [[Bobby Singer]] was capable of throwing and keeping down the leader of the [[Leviathans]] [[Dick Roman]]. [[Chester Johnson]] was able to overpower officers while possessing a teenage boy.
* [[Telekinesis]] – Through practice and concentration, a ghost will be able to influence their surroundings with simple gestures. Very powerful ghosts are capable of throwing and pinning people with little effort.
** Biokinesis – Some ghosts can inflict wounds like the ones they received on others. Stronger ghosts can create the wounds in the victims, without needing to have received the wounds themselves.
* [[Teleportation]] – Ghosts can teleport, but typically only in the areas they are haunting or in the vicinity of an object they are tethered to. This ability allows ghosts to move at incredible speeds.
===Dispatching Ghosts===
The boys commonly force a ghost to move on by [[salt]]ing and burning its corpse. Sam admits that , "My dad always said it's like death for spirits. But the truth is, we never know."<ref name="two16"/> [[Bobby Singer]] later tells [[Annie Hawkins]] that he personally believes that ghosts just cease to be when their bones are burned.<ref name="seven19">[[7.19 Of Grave Importance]]</ref>. It has been revealed that when a ghost's remains are burned, a [[reaper]] takes their soul to where it belongs, or as in the case of Bobby Singer, somewhere else if an [[Crowley|outside source]] convinces them to.<ref name="eight19">[[8.19 Taxi Driver]]</ref>
Burning bones is successful in most cases, including those of [[Dr Ellicott]], [[Nurse Glockner]], [[Jonah Greely]] and [[Whitman Van Ness]] and his victims.<ref name="one10"/><ref name="two19"/><ref name="two16"/><ref name="seven19">[[7.19 Of Grave Importance]]</ref> In [[5.09 The Real Ghostbusters]], the final salting and burning is performed by [[Demian and Barnes]]. Sometimes, however, an object can anchor a person's ghost in the living realm. With the [[Hook Man Legend|Hook Man]], the Winchesters salt and burn the corpse but also have to melt all the [[silver]] from his hook, due to the hook having been part of him in life as well as being the his murder weapon, giving him a deep connection to it.<ref>[[1.07 Hookman]]</ref> [[Cyrus Dorian]] is salted and burnt but only banished when he and his truck are lured onto holy ground.<ref>[[1.13 Route 666]]</ref> In most cases, the object that must be destroyed to force the ghost to move on contains a small amount of DNA that has been preserved. This is true of [[Melanie Merchant]] and [[Dirk McGregor]], whose remaining hair has had to be burnt.<ref name="one19">[[1.19 Provenance]]</ref><ref name="four13"/> In the case of [[P.T. Sandover]], his glovesneeded to be destroyed, which may have contained some skin cells or fingernail clippings, have to be burnt.<ref>[[4.17 It's a Terrible Life]]</ref> In one memorable case, [[Rose Brown]]'s kidney, which she donated to her still living sister, [[Isabel Brown|Isabel]], binds bound her ghost to a living, moving object. Even though her body is burned by Sam, she cannot be dispatched, and Sam and Dean consider using [[hoodoo]] to keep Rose in check. Before they can explore that option, Isabel's sudden death, caused by Rose herself, forces Rose's ghost to move on.<ref>[[6.14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning]]</ref> In [[Mary Worthington]]'s case, Sam and Dean were able to turn her power to kill those that have been responsible for other people's deaths with their own reflections back on her by showing her her own reflection.
[[Iron]] repels ghosts. For example, Sam uses an iron poker to protect himself and [[Sarah]] from [[Melanie Merchant]].<ref name="one19"/> The use of iron to repel ghosts has another link with the electromagnetism theory, as striking a ghost with an object made of iron grounds their electric charge, disrupting them and warding them off until they're able to recover. If a person is possessed by a ghost, any contact with iron will repel the spirit from the body, as shown by Sam and Dean using an iron railroad spike to eject [[Chester Johnson]] from the possessed.
Sam and [[Bobby Singer]] also successfully "scare a ghost to death" by making him relive his torture and violent death, thus effectively dispatching him (Although although they only resorted to this questionable method because the circumstances of his death-- he was dragged behind a car for a prolonged distance- meant that it was unlikely at best that all of his remains had been collected after his demise as parts of him would have been scattered over the road). This only worked due to the fact that that kind of spirit was created from fear and made of fear so it could be killed with fear. Presumably it wouldn't work for every type of spirit.<ref name="four06"/>
Occasionally, a ghost is dispatched when it is forced to deal with its unfinished business.<ref name="three06">[[3.06 Red Sky at Morning]]</ref> Others must make the choice to crossover, like [[Molly McNamara]], [[Cole Griffith]] and [[Timmy's Mother]].<ref name="two16"/><ref>[[4.15 Death Takes a Holiday]]</ref><ref>[[9.07 Bad Boys]]</ref>
Sometimes one ghost has been shown to be able to destroy another ghost: the The ghosts of [[Constance Welch]]'s children made her disappear when she finally confronted them, [[Corbett]] was able to destroy [[Freeman Daggett]] and [[Whitman Van Ness]] was able to destroy ghosts and absorb their energy into himself.
===Deterioration===
Over time, the spirits may go mad, or simply degenerate into a state Bobby refers to as "Ghost Alzheimer’s.".<ref name="seven10">[[7.10 Death's Door]]</ref> While they remain trapped in [[the Veil]], spirits will physically and mentally deteriorate at different rates until nothing remains.
When Bobby and Annie investigate the Van Ness House, they are unable to gain the attention of any of the ghosts. They meet [[Haskel Crane]] who explains that the other ghosts around them are falling apart until nothing remains. One nearby ghost even reached both the brink of madness and complete deterioration. According to [[Victoria Dodd]], the [[vengeful spirit]] of [[Whitman Van Ness]] uses these spirits for food and perverse entertainment. After dispatching Whitman's spirit, they burn the remains of the other ghosts trapped in the house.
==Appearances==
* [[Constance Welch]], the [[Woman in White]] in [[1.01 Pilot]], [[14.20 Moriah]] and [[15.01 Back and to the Future]]
* [[Peter Sweeney]] in [[1.03 Dead in the Water]]
* [[Mary Worthington]], aka [[Bloody Mary (urban legend)]] in [[1.05 Bloody Mary]], and [[Jess14.20 Moriah]] in and [[115.05 Bloody Mary01 Back and to the Future]]* [[Jacob Karns]] from the [[Hook Man Legend]] in [[1.07 Hook Man]]
* [[Mary Winchester]] in [[1.09 Home]]
* [[Dr Sanford Ellicott]] from Rockford Asylum in [[1.10 Asylum]]* [[Cyrus Dorian]]'s spirit possesses possessed his [[Racist Truck|truck ]] in [[1.13 Route 666]]
* [[Melanie Merchant]] and [[Isaiah Merchant]] in [[1.19 Provenance]]
* [[Dr. H.H. Holmes]] in [[2.06 No Exit]]
* [[Nurse Glockner]] in [[2.19 Folsom Prison Blues]]
* [[Callie]] in [[3.05 Bedtime Stories]]
* [[Sailor’s Ghost]] and his brother in [[3.06 Red Sky at Morning]]* [[Freeman Daggett]], [[Corbett]] and the [[Death Echodeath echo]]s in [[3.13 Ghostfacers]]* [[Ronald Resnick]], [[Meg Masters]], [[Victor Henriksen]] and 3 unnamed girls ([[Rise of the Witnesses|The Witnesses]]) in [[4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester]]
* [[Luther Garland]] in [[4.06 Yellow Fever]]
* Ghosts raised by [[Samhain]] in [[4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]]
* [[Cole Griffith]] in [[4.15 Death Takes a Holiday]]
* [[P.T. Sandover]] in [[4.17 It's a Terrible Life]]
* [[Leticia Gore]], Leticia's son, Nicholas Keegan, Franklin Elmers and 1 unnamed schoolboy the [[Ghost Children]] in [[5.09 The Real Ghostbusters]]
* [[Maggie Briggs]] in [[5.12 Swap Meat]]
* [[Rose Brown]] in [[6.14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning]]
* [[Kate Fox]] and [[Margaret Fox]] in [[7.07 The Mentalists]]
* [[Lara Coggins]] in [[7.10 Death's Door]]
* [[Bobby]] in [[7.11 Adventures in Babysitting]] and [[7.13 The Slice GirlsHoward]] (unseen)* [[Howard|Howard's]] brother in [[7.14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie]]* [[Marin|Marin]]'s]] brother and [[Bobby]] (unseen) in [[7.17 The Born-Again Identity]]* [[BobbySinger]] in [[7.18 Party On, Garth]] * , [[7.19 Of Grave Importance]], [[Bobby7.20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo]], [[7.22 There Will Be Blood]] and [[7.23 Survival of the Fittest]]* [[Annie Hawkins]], [[Victoria]], [[Whitman Van Ness]], [[Dexter O'Connell]], [[Haskel Crane]], Dudley Scott, Debbie Tellen and others in [[7.19 Of Grave Importance]]* [[Bobby]] in [[7.20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo]], [[7.21 Reading Is Fundamental]] (unseen), [[7.22 There Will Be Blood]] and [[7.23 Survival of the Fittest]]
* [[Vance Collins]] in [[8.06 Southern Comfort]]
* [[Timmy's Mother]] in [[9.07 Bad Boys]]
* [[Kevin Tran]] and [[Candy]] in [[9.14 Captives]]
* Unnamed ghost in [[12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox]]
* [[Dr. Avery Meadows]], Evan, [[Shawn Raider]] and others in [[13.05 Advanced Thanatology]]
* [[Phantom Ghost kidKid]] in [[13.16 Scoobynatural]]
* [[Jordan MacNeel]] in [[14.04 Mint Condition]]
* [[Sarah]] in [[14.12 Prophet and Loss]]
* [[John Wayne Gacy]] in [[14.13 Lebanon]], [[14.20 Moriah]] and [[15.01 Back and to the Future]]* [[Francis Tumblety]] and [[Kevin Tran]] in [[15.02 Raising Hell]]* [[Eileen Leahy]] and [[Jacinda]] in [[15.06 Golden Time]]
==Ghosts in Lore==
==See also==
* [[Hell Ghosts]]
* [[Poltergeist]]
* [[Vengeful Spirits]]