Do apparitions genuinely exist, or are they merely a fabrication?

         

At 2 o'clock in the middle of the night, Shawpneel suddenly wakes up feeling sweaty and his heart racing. He's breathing heavily, and his throat is very dry, making it hard to swallow. He had a scary dream that woke him up. He gets out of bed and sits on the edge, thinking he needs some water. In the dim light, he sees something in the corner of the room where he usually puts his clothes. There's a bright figure standing there. he tries to see it better, but it's too dark to know who or what it is. He first thinks it might be a thief, but since the figure doesn't move and stays still for a long time, he wonders if it's a human or something supernatural. To find out, he gets brave and turns on the flashlight on his phone. It turns out to be his pile of clothes covered with a white blanket.

Athenodorus in a haunted house

   The Strange Story Book by Leonora Blanche Lang; Andrew Lang.

In a traditional aspect, ghosts are the being of the soul or spirit of a deceased person or non-human animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. Or in other words, ghosts are souls that haven’t fully crossed over to the afterlife. Ghosts are believed in almost every religion as well as every culture’s folklore. 

“The Visionary, 1904, by Italian painter Serafino Macchiati”

                                                     

                                                    

Have you ever thought of an entity near us when no one is there? Or a book drops from a self due to no reason? You put a thing in one place but afterwards, it can be found in another place? You saw someone who’s not alive anymore? Also, seeing lights in the sky at midnight like fireballs. Are they the activities of something paranormal? Are these ghostly activities? Or just our illusion?

Religious viewpoints on ghosts span a spectrum-

The winged genie in the bucket and cone motif. Relief from the north wall of the Palace of King Sargon II at Dur Sharrukin, 713–716 BCE.

In almost every religion, they accepted the appearance of ghosts in different terms. In Islamic belief, “Jinn and Shaitan” are the entities that are believed to be ghosts. According to Christianity, “Demons”, “Spirits” and “Devils” are the entities of ghosts. In Buddhism, the definition of ghosts is interesting. They believe that when a person dies they enter the intermediate Bardo state, from which they may be reborn in this world as a human being or as an animal. In Hinduism, ghosts assume the form of "Bhut," often instilling trepidation in women, children, and newlyweds. Every religion mentioned above is set to believe these entities can possess any human being and stay inside them

Painting of Saint Francis Borgia performing an exorcism, as depicted by Francisco Goya

unless and until a religious scholar performs an exorcism (Process of banishing evil entity from one's body). 

Myth, cultural folklore, urban legends regarding ghosts-

Bengal ghost "Shakchunni"

1. 
   
2. Just like the religious perspective, every culture has its own perception and entities of ghosts.

Bengal ghost "Aleya"

According to Bengali folklore, “Shakchunni'', “Mecho Bhut”, “”Nishi Daak”, “Boba”, “Aleya” are some kind of ghosts that are different from each other.

                                                    

In Indian folklore, “Acheri”, “Ghoul”, “Dayan”, and “Mohini” are some renowned ghost entities.

Head of a Cyclops from the Roman Colosseum

In Greek mythology, some monsters are “Cerberus”, “Typhon”, “Cyclops”, “Medusa”, and “Sphinx”. Japanese urban legends also bring out some ghosts such as “Joro Gumo”, “Rokurokubi”, “Futakuchi Onna”. 

Movies Centered Around Ghosts-

Ghostly portrayals hold an enduring fascination in cinematic productions. While these films often evoke fear and trepidation, their allure deepens when grounded in purportedly authentic events. The famous Indian movie named “Stree” is inspired by the folklore “Naale Ba” ghost in Karnataka, India. Also some Western films such as “The Conjuring”, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, and “The Amityville Horror” are said to be based on real events. Adding to that, Turkish movies “Dabbe 4” and “Siccin” explore the Islamic point of view of ghosts. It is paramount to recognize, however, that the majority of these cinematic depictions are purely works of fiction, designed primarily for entertainment consumption.

The science behind ghosts-

Intriguingly, the debate persists: are ghosts actual entities or mere phantoms of human imagination? Scientific research hasn't really finished regarding ghosts but still there’s some scientific evidence or explanations that disproves the existence of ghosts. 

1. Faces in the clouds -

Pareidolia

Didn’t we ever see any familiar faces in the clouds? Like a rabbit or an airplane-shaped cloud. This is known as “Pareidolia”. We can say human brains are critical enough to misinterpret a normal thing with a non-existential paranormal thing. This is also known as “Hallucinations”.

2. Belief - Psychologists say, the more someone thinks of a ghost in a reasonable, realistic explanatory way, the more they start disbelieving in them. But on the contrary, superstitious people believe in ghosts without thinking logically and mostly they are encountered by such things.

3. Sleep Paralysis -

The Nightmare by Swiss artist Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be a depiction of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation.

When we sleep, sometimes it feels like something is sitting on our chest suffocating us, we feel paralyzed. We can’t move a bit. This was a case of ghosts until researchers brought out the truth behind it. This case is known as “Sleep paralysis”. A state of the body where we are at the transition between wakefulness and rapid-eye-movement sleep.

4. Infrasound - Infrasound makes our brain feel some other existence around us. It can establish spooky effects on the human brain. Infrasound can be generated through a large fan or electrical circuits as well.

Nonetheless, places like the "Balaji Temple" in Tirupati, India, frequented by individuals seeking a remedy from perceived possessions, along with places like "Kamrup Kamakhya" in Guwahati, Assam, associated with Tantra practices, and the infamous "Mayong" in Assam, renowned as a center of black magic, cast a shadow of uncertainty. Are these sites emblematic of genuine spectral interactions, or do they reflect ingrained biases and beliefs?

Name: Abdullah Sajid Nafi

ID: 23101228

Section: 12

Course: ENG101