Difference between revisions of "Ghost"
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− | A ghost or spirit remains connected to the mortal realm because it is attached to it through unfinished business or an unwillingness to move on. Many have a desire for revenge against those who they perceive to have caused their deaths, for example [[Peter Sweeney]] | + | A ghost or spirit remains connected to the mortal realm because it is attached to it through unfinished business or an unwillingness to move on. Many have a desire for revenge against those who they perceive to have caused their deaths, or will target people like them, for example [[Constance Welch]] and [[Peter Sweeney]].<ref name="one01">[[1.01 Pilot]]</ref><ref name="one03">[[1.03 Dead in the Water]]</ref> Others like [[Dr Ellicott]], [[Dr. H.H. Holmes]], and [[Nurse Glockner]] were evil in life and continued this after death.<ref name="one10">[[1.10 Asylum]]</ref><ref name="two06">[[2.06 No Exit]]</ref><ref name="two19">[[2.19 Folsom Prison Blues]]</ref> |
− | + | [[Sam]] seems to feel some sympathy for ghosts:<ref name="two16">[[2.16 Roadkill]]</ref> | |
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:'''Molly:''' I don't understand how a guy like this can turn into that monster.<br> | :'''Molly:''' I don't understand how a guy like this can turn into that monster.<br> | ||
:'''Sam:''' Well, spirits like Greely are like wounded animals. Lost... in so much pain that they lash out.<br> | :'''Sam:''' Well, spirits like Greely are like wounded animals. Lost... in so much pain that they lash out.<br> | ||
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:'''Sam:''' Well, they weren't evil people, you know. A lot of them were good, just something happened to them. Something they couldn't control.<br> | :'''Sam:''' Well, they weren't evil people, you know. A lot of them were good, just something happened to them. Something they couldn't control.<br> | ||
− | One common theory of ghosts is that they have the ability to manipulate electromagnetism, hence although they cannot always communicate in the normal human spectrum of hearing they can manipulate electronic equipment to communicate by [[EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon)|EVP]]. | + | One common theory of ghosts is that they have the ability to manipulate electromagnetism, hence although they cannot always communicate in the normal human spectrum of hearing, they can manipulate electronic equipment to communicate by [[EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon)|EVP]]. A ghost who can move objects is referred to as a [[Poltergeist]],<ref name="one09">[[1.09 Home]]</ref> and when they materialize or possess another person they may exude [[ectoplasm]].<ref name="two06"/><ref name="four13">[[4.13 After School Special]]</ref> |
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− | + | Ghosts can also infect a person with [[Ghost Sickness]], a disease that will make the sick person experience the ghost's feelings at the time of their death in slow motion. When Dean is infected, he experiences extreme fear and comes close to suffering cardiac arrest.<ref name="four06">[[4.06 Yellow Fever]]</ref> | |
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From [[4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester]] and [[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]], it is known that ghosts may be summoned by demons. In [[4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester]], [[Lilith]] raises the Witnesses to attack [[hunters]]. In [[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]], the Halloween demon [[Samhain]] summons ghosts and reawakens [[Zombies]]. | From [[4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester]] and [[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]], it is known that ghosts may be summoned by demons. In [[4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester]], [[Lilith]] raises the Witnesses to attack [[hunters]]. In [[4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester]], the Halloween demon [[Samhain]] summons ghosts and reawakens [[Zombies]]. | ||
===Dispatching Ghosts=== | ===Dispatching Ghosts=== | ||
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The boys commonly dispatch a ghost by salting and burning its corpse. In [[2.16 Roadkill]], Sam admits that "My dad always said it's like death for spirits. But the truth is, we never know."<br> | The boys commonly dispatch a ghost by salting and burning its corpse. In [[2.16 Roadkill]], Sam admits that "My dad always said it's like death for spirits. But the truth is, we never know."<br> | ||
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Occasionally, a ghost is dispatched when it is forced to deal with its unfinished business, such as the [[Sailor’s Ghost]] in [[3.06 Red Sky At Morning]]. Others must make the choice to cross over, like [[Molly McNamara]] and [[Cole Griffith]]. | Occasionally, a ghost is dispatched when it is forced to deal with its unfinished business, such as the [[Sailor’s Ghost]] in [[3.06 Red Sky At Morning]]. Others must make the choice to cross over, like [[Molly McNamara]] and [[Cole Griffith]]. | ||
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+ | * See also [[Vengeful Spirits]] | ||
==Appearances== | ==Appearances== |
Revision as of 02:32, 16 May 2011
Ghost | |
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Powers and Abilities | Varies; can include telekinesis and possession. |
Vulnerabilities | Varies; one standard is the salting and burning of the ghost's physical remains. |
Appearance | Varies; the form of the deceased, which may have visible signs of trauma or decay. |
Episode(s) | Various in Seasons 1-6 (see below). |
Contents
Ghosts in Supernatural
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.
Dean: What are you saying?
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.
– Tessa the Reaper and Dean, 2.01 In My Time Of Dying
A ghost or spirit remains connected to the mortal realm because it is attached to it through unfinished business or an unwillingness to move on. Many have a desire for revenge against those who they perceive to have caused their deaths, or will target people like them, for example Constance Welch and Peter Sweeney.[1][2] Others like Dr Ellicott, Dr. H.H. Holmes, and Nurse Glockner were evil in life and continued this after death.[3][4][5]
Sam seems to feel some sympathy for ghosts:[6]
- Molly: I don't understand how a guy like this can turn into that monster.
- Sam: Well, spirits like Greely are like wounded animals. Lost... in so much pain that they lash out.
- Molly: Why? Why are they here?
- Sam: There's some part of them that... that's keeping them here. Like their remains, or unfinished business.
- Molly: Unfinished business?
- Sam: Yeah. It could be revenge. It could be love, or hate. Whatever it is, they just hold on too tight. Can't let go. So they're trapped. Caught in the same loops. Replaying the same tragedies over and over.
- Molly: You sound almost sorry for them.
- Sam: Well, they weren't evil people, you know. A lot of them were good, just something happened to them. Something they couldn't control.
One common theory of ghosts is that they have the ability to manipulate electromagnetism, hence although they cannot always communicate in the normal human spectrum of hearing, they can manipulate electronic equipment to communicate by EVP. A ghost who can move objects is referred to as a Poltergeist,[7] and when they materialize or possess another person they may exude ectoplasm.[4][8]
Ghosts can also infect a person with Ghost Sickness, a disease that will make the sick person experience the ghost's feelings at the time of their death in slow motion. When Dean is infected, he experiences extreme fear and comes close to suffering cardiac arrest.[9]
From 4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester and 4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester, it is known that ghosts may be summoned by demons. In 4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester, Lilith raises the Witnesses to attack hunters. In 4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester, the Halloween demon Samhain summons ghosts and reawakens Zombies.
Dispatching Ghosts
The boys commonly dispatch a ghost by salting and burning its corpse. In 2.16 Roadkill, Sam admits that "My dad always said it's like death for spirits. But the truth is, we never know."
This method is successful in most cases, including those of Dr Ellicott, Nurse Glockner and Jonah Greely. In 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters, the final salting and burning is performed by Demian and Barnes. With the Hook Man Legend, the Winchesters salt and burn the corpse but also have to melt all the silver from his hook. Cyrus Dorian is salted and burned but only banished when he is lured onto holy ground. Other ghosts' bodies have been disposed of, but a small amount of DNA is preserved and must be destroyed. This is true of Melanie Merchant and Dirk McGregor, whose remaining hair is burnt. In the case of P.T. Sandover, his gloves needed burning. Though Rose Brown's body is burned by Sam, she cannot be dispatched because she donated her kidney to her still living sister, Isabel. Sam and Dean consider using hoodoo is keep Rose in check, but Isabel's sudden death causes Rose to disappear.
Iron repels ghosts. Sam uses an iron poker to protect himself and Sarah from Melanie Merchant in 1.19 Provenance. 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.
In 4.06 Yellow Fever Sam and Bobby Singer "scare a ghost to death" by making him relive his torture and violent death, thus effectively dispatching him.
Occasionally, a ghost is dispatched when it is forced to deal with its unfinished business, such as the Sailor’s Ghost in 3.06 Red Sky At Morning. Others must make the choice to cross over, like Molly McNamara and Cole Griffith.
- See also Vengeful Spirits
Appearances
Featured Ghosts:
- Constance Welch, the Woman in White in 1.01 Pilot
- Peter Sweeney, aka the drowned boy in 1.03 Dead in the Water
- Mary Worthington, aka Bloody Mary (urban legend), and Jess in 1.05 Bloody Mary
- Jacob Karns from Hook Man Legend in 1.07 Hookman
- Mary Winchester in 1.09 Home
- Dr Ellicott from Rockford Asylum in 1.10 Asylum
- Cyrus Dorian's spirit possesses his truck in 1.13 Route 666
- Melanie Merchant in 1.19 Provenance
- Dr. H.H. Holmes in 2.06 No Exit
- Claire Becker in 2.07 The Usual Suspects
- Maggie Thompson in 2.11 Playthings
- Father Thomas Gregory in 2.13 Houses of the Holy
- Molly McNamara and Jonah Greely in 2.16 Roadkill
- Ghosts of old Hollywood actors in 2.18 Hollywood Babylon
- Nurse Glockner in 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues
- Callie in 3.05 Bedtime Stories
- Sailor’s Ghost in 3.06 Red Sky At Morning
- Freeman Daggett in 3.13 Ghostfacers
- The Witnesses in 4.02 Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester
- Luther Garland in 4.06 Yellow Fever
- Ghost raised by Samhain in 4.07 It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
- Dirk McGregor in 4.13 After School Special
- Cole Griffith in 4.15 Death Takes A Holiday
- P.T. Sandover in 4.17 It's A Terrible Life
- Leticia Gore and the children in 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters
- Rose Brown in 6.14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning
Ghosts in Lore
Ghosts or spooks are controversial phenomena which have several possible definitions:
- The spirit or soul of a person who has died, especially one which haunts a place which was of emotional significance to that person when living.
- The personality of a person after his or her own death which is not directly tied to the soul or spirit. A sort of psychic memory-imprint.
- The character or memory of some being or thing which has died or, if it was never alive, been somehow destroyed or disassembled, which nevertheless remains existent (and sometimes detectable) in a semi-corporeal form.
According to reported sightings, ghosts have taken the shape of humans, animals, and even vehicles. There are reports of ghosts (usually of deceased humans) in most cultures throughout the world. There is a great deal of dispute whether ghosts are figments of the imagination or part of objective existence. Ghosts are among the subjects studied by parapsychologists.[10]