Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

Tales of otherworldly visitations from around the globe

With its long, dark nights and deathly cold temperatures, winter is the traditional time for telling a chillingly spooky story. Ghosts are said to be spirits of departed people, animals, and even inanimate objects, such as trains or ships. Some people claim to see them. Some people say there's no such thing as ghosts. Who knows? Certainly, tales of ghostly beings are just as popular today as they have always been. The unknown, especially what happens to humans after death, has a powerful grip on the human psyche. So, fact or fiction, stories of ghosts will always have a strong appeal. Here are some famous hauntings.

Flying Dutchman

The sight of a 17th century flagship whizzing towards you through the waves of the ocean is a formidable sight. But imagine if this enormous vessel, aglow with red lights seems about to crash into your boat, only to suddenly disappear before your terrified eyes. This is the spooky tale told by countless sailors since 1641 when the Flying Dutchman supposedly disappeared while rounding the Cape of Good Hope. According to legend the ship is cursed because its captain succumbed to the deadly sins of vanity and greed, when he refused to turn back to land during a storm and instead pressed onwards, challenging the power of sea. Now the ship and its crew are doomed to exist in a twilight world between life and death. Seeing this phantom ship is said to foretell bad fortune. So close your eyes!

The Amityville haunting

A creepy small town murder turned haunting which has inspired films, books and TV programmes. This is a tale of a haunted house in Amityville, New York. The facts of the case were: a son killed his mother, father and four children inside their home in the early Seventies. Investigators were puzzled as to how the whole family was massacred with no apparent signs of struggle and no silencer on the gun, murder weapon. The new family to move into this house stayed less than a month because of the terrifying paranormal activity they claimed to have experienced inside the house. A demonic pig, decay and swarms of flies, as well as mysterious banging sounds and moving furniture were some of the frightening phenomena. Two paranormal investigators also experienced the poltergeist activity. This led some to speculate that the original murderers were committed because the son had been possessed by an evil spirit who inhabited the house. Yikes!

Abraham Lincoln

The most famous of presidents was said to have foretold his own assassination. He told of a dream he'd had in which he attended his own funeral at the White House, discovering he was to die from an assassin's bullet. As if this wasn't spooky enough, the ghost of Lincoln has been reportedly seen in and around the White House by numerous high profile guests, including the most famous of British Prime Ministers, Winston Churchill. According to the story, Churchill was stepping, naked, out of the bath in a White House guest room, when he was confronted with the wispy figure of the dead president. Wonder who was more shocked?!

Tower of London

Since this former royal palace is more than 900 years old, it's little wonder that it's said to have plenty of resident ghosts. For centuries it was the place of execution for British nobility, including Queen Anne Boleyn, and the teenage queen of nine days, Lady Jane Grey. Many people were imprisoned in the tower before their execution, or entered the tower never to be seen again the Princes in the Tower of the 15th century. Ghosts of the tower include queens, dukes, lord, ladies, and children - even animals.

A section of the Tower of London, called Martin Tower is said to be haunted by a ghost of a bear! Animals were, indeed, once kept in the tower, as if it was the monarch's personal zoo.

Aokigahara Woods

Known as suicide forest, this haunting wood is where many people, sadly, have gone to die. Situated at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, the woods have been considered a spiritual place for centuries. But during the past twenty years, the place has become tainted with death. Japanese Buddhist monks say the forest is possessed by evil spirits enticing people to their doom. Consequently many travellers walking in the woods say they have encountered the spirits of people who have died there.

Stanley Hotel

If you're a fan of horror writer Stephen King, you'll know the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado is reportedly the inspiration for the spooky hotel in his book, The Shining. So if you pay this hotel a visit, don't be surprised if some of the other guests are not of this world! A noisy party is reportedly often heard taking place in the grand ballroom - when the room is actually empty. Guests hear children playing in the hallways - but they can't see these children. Also guests awake at night to find ghostly figures standing beside the bed watching them. Sweet dreams!