Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories – Fact or Fiction?

Ghost stories are meant to be frightening. They’re supposed to be downright scary. But why would anyone participate in something meant to frighten? There’s simply something delicious about a scare in a controlled environment.

Ghost stories have been around for many years though there’s no real evidence as to how the tradition of telling ghost stories actually began. Consider the days of the traveling minstrel. In those times, the stories told by these entertainers could be silly, adventurous or historical.

Even those early storytellers took advantage of monsters and spooks to capture the attention of the audience. The levels of Hell in Dante’s “Inferno” and the monsters fought by Odysseus in Homer’s “The Odyssey” are among some of the earliest recorded examples of ghost stories.

History plays an important role in ghost stories. There are lots of terrifically spooky stories about those who lived and died ages ago. Places that could be haunted are the basis for some of the best ghost stories. Naturally, graveyards are great settings, but there are some other common factors in the places ghost stories happen most.

Railroads are often the setting. With some variations, there is always a person who was run over by a train or killed by a railroad worker. A light at that site gives some credence to the stories, making them more delightfully spooky.

But the most incredible ghost stories have at least some basis in fact. In the case of Gurdon, Arkansas, the railroad murder is documented in court records. The light has been seen by many and used on television shows such as “Unsolved Mysteries.”

Old hospitals are also a good setting for ghost stories. When there was the potential for people to have been mistreated, abused or to have died horrific deaths, the stories increase in intensity and believability.

But are these historical ghost stories fact? Or are they simply the product of some overactive imaginations, fueled by our own desire to be frightened? There’s no cut and dried answer to that question, but the truth of the matter lies in our propensity to believe the unbelievable. Though we may be skeptics at heart, there’s no doubt we’re ready to find enough credence in ghost stories to be scared.

For some of the classic ghost stories, visit the History Channel website at www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/ghost_stories1.html. You’ll also find some great ghost stories at http://homepage.virgin.net/martin.farncombe/ghost_index.htm. If you’re up for some frightful stories, check out Vampyra. If you’re looking for ghosts that you might be able to meet for yourself, go to http://paranormal.about.com/od/ghostwalksandtours/.

From the group of kids sitting around with flashlights to the professional storytellers, the tradition of telling ghost stories on specific dates will probably continue. As long as there are those with active imaginations, there will be new ghost stories. And as long as there are unexplained phenomenon and some people who are willing to believe the ghost stories associated with them, there will be ghost stories.

And as long as there are historical accounts of life and death, there will be ghost stories. The only question is, are these just stories?