Mythology

Clíodhna

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Clídna, Clíodna, Clíona, Cleena, Clíodna of Carrigcleena
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Clíodhna is a powerful supernatural woman in Irish mythology, associated particularly with southern Munster, or Desmond, where she rules as queen over the sióga, the fairies. Known as Clíodna of Carrigcleena, she is regarded in some traditions as a queen of the banshees, while others portray her as a goddess of love and beauty and a benefactor of County Cork. Her palace lies among a great pile of rocks near Mallow, at a place known as Carrig-Cleena. She is closely associated with several old Irish families, including the MacCarthys, O’Keeffes, O’Donovans, and FitzGeralds, and appears in numerous local legends.

One of the best-known stories about Clíodhna concerns her love for Ciabhan of the Curling Hair, recounted in the medieval Irish work Acallam na Senórach, or Colloquy of the Ancients. Clíodhna was the daughter of Gebann, a chief druid in the otherworldly land of Tír Tairngire, ruled by Manannán. When she saw Ciabhan, she fell in love with him and agreed to leave the otherworld with him. They sailed to Ireland and reached Teite’s Strand, where Ciabhan went ashore to hunt, leaving her in their boat. People sent after them from Manannán’s realm played enchanting music that lulled Clíodhna to sleep. A tremendous wave then swept her away. The place became known as Tonn Chlíodhna, or “Clíodhna’s Wave,” near Glandore Harbour. Different versions of the legend disagree about whether she drowned.

Clíodhna is also associated with three brightly coloured birds that feed on apples from an otherworldly tree. Their sweet singing is said to heal sickness. In another tradition preserved in the Book of Lismore, she gives Teigue, the son of Cian, three magical birds to guide his warriors and provide music during their voyage, as well as an emerald cup that transforms water into wine. She warns Teigue that losing the cup will bring about his death. With the birds and cup, Teigue and his warriors eventually return home victorious after rescuing their captured people.

Other legends portray Clíodhna as a powerful enchantress whose jealousy can bring terrible consequences. In one tale, she and her younger sister Aoivil both fall in love with a prince named Caiov. When he chooses Aoivil, Clíodhna curses her sister, causing her to lose her beauty and appear dead. She then secretly carries Aoivil to a cave at Castlecor, transforms her into a white cat, and enchants the cave into a palace filled with treasure. Aoivil remains trapped there, returning to human form for only one week each year at midsummer. Clíodhna eventually marries Caiov, but when the truth is revealed, their relationship is shattered. She retires to her fairy palace at Carrigcleena, where she continues to visit her enchanted sister.

Clíodhna also appears in tales of mortals taken into Fairyland. In one story, she abducts the chieftain Fitz-Gerald, whom she desires, but releases him after his beloved Ellen O’Brien travels to Carrigcleena and pleads for his return in poetry. Another legend concerns the Blarney Stone: when Cormac Laidir MacCarthy faced a lawsuit, Clíodhna advised him to kiss the first stone he found on his way to court. He followed her advice and delivered his case with such eloquence that he won. The stone was later incorporated into Blarney Castle and became associated with the gift of persuasive speech. Across these traditions, Clíodhna appears as a figure of beauty, magic, desire, jealousy, and otherworldly power, capable of helping mortals but also drawing them into dangerous encounters with the fairy realm.

Sources

“Clíodhna.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%ADodhna

Kohada Koheiji

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Koheiji Obata, Kohada Koheiji, Ghost Koheiji, The Vengeful Spirit of Asaka Marsh
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Kohada Koheiji is a famous vengeful ghost figure in Japanese ghost stories of the Edo period. His tale is told in Fukushū Kidan Asaka Numa, one of the earliest stories about his supernatural revenge. In life, Koheiji was an actor from Edo who performed in rural theatres throughout Japan. His acting was generally considered poor, earning him the mocking name “Kohada,” after the small fish, although he excelled at ghost plays and was sometimes called Ghost Koheiji. His first wife died after giving birth to their son, Kotaro. His second wife, Otsuka, was cruel to her stepson and secretly involved with Adachi Sakuro, a drummer and acquaintance of Koheiji.

Sakuro conspired with his criminal associates to murder Koheiji so that he could take Otsuka as his wife. Under the pretext of a fishing trip, Koheiji was taken by boat to Asaka Marsh and thrown into the water. His death was treated as an accidental drowning, and the search for his body was soon abandoned. At a hideout, Sakuro found Koheiji’s corpse, covered in mud and foam. He stole five gold coins sewn into the dead actor’s collar and mocked him for being too foolish to recognize the betrayal that had led to his death. As Sakuro prepared to leave, Koheiji’s cold hand suddenly gripped his wrist. The corpse opened its eyes, terrifying Sakuro so badly that his accomplice cut off the hand to free him, eventually severing the fingers that remained embedded in his arm.

When Sakuro returned to Edo and told Otsuka what had happened, she claimed that Koheiji had already returned home sick and was resting behind a screen. A thin, blue hand emerged from behind it and held the screen shut. When Sakuro forced it open, the room was empty, and a faint flame escaped through the window. The rotten fingers left behind were unmistakably those cut from Koheiji’s corpse. Otsuka showed little fear, declaring that such hatred was to be expected. Sakuro nevertheless married her and took possession of Koheiji’s house. For a time, the couple lived peacefully, but Koheiji’s spirit continued to torment them. Sakuro began seeing a mysterious man lying beside Otsuka, and later believed he had caught her with another lover. When he attacked the figure with his sword, it vanished, leaving only mocking laughter from the roof. Otsuka lost the fingers of one hand while gripping the blade and soon fell seriously ill, her mind and body breaking under the relentless haunting.

A Shinto priest warned Sakuro that his house was cursed by the dead and gave him a talisman, instructing him to keep the doors closed and maintain ritual purity for thirty-two days. Each night, Koheiji’s ghost patrolled the house, appearing as a shadowy fire and threatening to take Sakuro’s life. On the thirty-second night, Sakuro believed the danger had passed and opened a window. A gust of wind carried the ghostly flame inside, and a scream came from the bedroom. Otsuka had vanished, leaving blood on the wall and long strands of hair on the eaves. Sakuro later sought protection from a Zen monk, who warned that his life was in danger and gave him a sealed packet that supposedly contained gold and would protect him for three days. After the period had passed, Sakuro discovered that the gold was counterfeit. When he confronted the monk, the man beat him with an iron staff. Sakuro returned home badly injured, developed a high fever, and died in delirium, imagining that he was being dragged into water and forced to drink as though he were drowning.

The tale attributes the disasters that befell Sakuro and Otsuka to Koheiji’s vengeful spirit. His soul remained at Asaka Marsh, tormenting people who encountered the place, and the story became so feared that theatrical performers reportedly avoided discussing it. Even those involved in the murder who escaped the ghost’s immediate vengeance eventually met their deaths. In the end, however, Koheiji’s spirit was said to have attained Buddhahood through the teachings of the Zen master Ryōzen, bringing the hauntings to an end. The marsh was later converted into rice fields known as Koheiji Shinden. His son Kotaro grew up to become a successful actor, but was deeply saddened by his father’s transformation into a vengeful spirit and devoted himself to Buddhist prayer.

Sources

“Kohei Obata.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654425.html

Misho Misho

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Mi-Mi, “Show Me, Show Me”
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Misho Misho is a mysterious supernatural creature described in New Tales of One Hundred Ghost Stories. It appears as a woman’s severed head that floats above the ground, accompanied by eerie flames and mournful cries. Its name is associated with the repeated words “Look, look,” which it speaks as it passes unsuspecting travelers.

The creature appears in a tale about Risuke, a bookseller from Samegai Street in Kyoto who regularly traveled to Nara to sell books purchased in Kyoto and Osaka. One year, after recovering from an illness, Risuke decided to make the journey alone for the first time in a long while. An errand delayed his departure, however, and he was forced to continue along the road after nightfall. As he passed a remote cemetery on the Nara Road, a cold wind swept across the fields, and the darkness of the starless night filled him with unease.

Ahead of him, Risuke spotted a wavering light that was neither foxfire nor the glow of a lantern. As it approached, he heard a woman’s cries. He quickly hid behind a large stone pagoda beside the road and watched as a woman’s head emerged from the darkness, its hair disheveled and its teeth blackened. The head floated about a foot above the ground as though carried by the wind. Passing by with a mournful voice, it repeatedly uttered the words “Look, look,” each time releasing flames from its mouth.

Risuke watched the apparition until it had traveled several dozen feet away, but he soon became dizzy and lost consciousness. He did not recover his senses until just before dawn. When he finally reached Nara and recounted the encounter to his innkeeper, he was still trembling with fear. The tale leaves the nature and purpose of Misho Misho unexplained, presenting it as a terrifying apparition encountered on a lonely road after dark.

Sources

“Misefumisu.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1070141379.html

Yang Wulang Ghost

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 楊五郎鬼, Yang Wulang Gui, The Ghost of Yang Wulang
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Yang Wulang Ghost is a monstrous spirit recorded in the Chinese supernatural collection Yijian Zhi (夷堅志), specifically in the third collection, volume six, chapter four, under the title “The Ghost of Yang Wulang.” The creature is described as enormous and powerfully built, standing approximately one zhang tall, a traditional Chinese unit of length. Its two arms are as thick as human thighs, giving it a formidable appearance, yet it is also remarkably agile and capable of leaping and moving with surprising speed.

The ghost is covered in black hair across its entire body. One account describes how, when its flesh is boiled in hot oil, it dissolves into black liquid that flows away. This disturbing detail emphasizes its unnatural physical nature and distinguishes it from an ordinary human spirit.

The tale centers on a man who kills a ghost, presenting Yang Wulang as a dangerous supernatural adversary that can nevertheless be overcome. The figure’s name has also been connected to the possible inspiration for the fictional Buddhist monk Lu Zhishen, the formidable “Flowery Monk” from Water Margin. According to the account, performers who developed Lu Zhishen’s character may initially have drawn inspiration from Yang Wulang, a monk associated with Mount Wutai. This connection is presented as a possibility rather than a confirmed origin.

Sources

“楊五郎.” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A5%8A%E4%BA%94%E9%83%8E

Guimu

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 鬼母, Ghost Mother, Ghost Goddess, Guigu Shen, Tiger-Dragon Feet, Python Eyes, Dragon-Eyebrows
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Guimu, whose Chinese name 鬼母 means “Ghost Mother,” is a strange and powerful supernatural being in Chinese mythology. According to the Shuyi Ji (述异记), she lives on the small mountain of Yushan in the South Sea. She is also known as Guigu Shen, or Ghost Aunt Goddess, and is described through unusual features and names associated with tiger-dragon feet, the round eyes of a python, and eyebrows resembling those of a dragon. Her appearance is portrayed as extraordinary and bizarre, reflecting her supernatural nature.

Guimu possesses immense powers, with the Shuyi Ji attributing to her the ability to produce Heaven, Earth, and ghosts. She can give birth to ten ghosts in a single birth, making her a formidable maternal figure associated with the origins and generation of spirits. Her role connects motherhood with the supernatural world, presenting her as a being capable of producing numerous ghosts through her extraordinary powers.

Guimu also appears in other Chinese literary traditions. In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi), the character Yingning is described as having been born from a fox but raised by Guimu. In Hou Xiyou Ji (The Later Journey to the West), Princess Iron Fan, after attaining spiritual fulfillment, enables the Bull Demon King to become a Ghost King. The Bull Demon King then revives Princess Jade-Faced as the Rakshasa Ghost Mother. The Bull Demon King and the Ghost Mother later have a son named Prince Lixin, also known as Black Child. These accounts portray Guimu and related ghost-mother figures in different literary contexts, connecting them with the raising, creation, and lineage of supernatural beings.

Sources

“鬼母.” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%AC%BC%E6%AF%8D

Knights in Lake Ägeri

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ghostly Knights of Lake Ägeri, The Knights of Morgarten, The Red Waters of Ägeri
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Knights in Lake Ägeri are the restless spirits of Austrian warriors who perished during the Battle of Morgarten. Many knights were killed by Swiss halberds during the battle, while others who escaped the fighting drowned in the cold waters of Lake Ägeri. Their deaths bound them to the lake, where they remain until the anniversary of their defeat, when the dead return to haunt its shores.

On that fateful anniversary, the lake begins to churn like a boiling cauldron, and its waters turn blood red. From the crimson waves emerges a vast host of armed knights mounted on warhorses. At the head of the spectral army rides the Black Death, carrying an hourglass and a scythe. Together, the ghostly warriors charge along the shoreline at a terrifying gallop, forming a supernatural procession that recalls the violence and slaughter of the ancient battle.

The spectral host continues its furious ride until the church of Oberägeri announces the first hour of night. At that moment, the knights are compelled to return to the lakebed, where they must remain until the anniversary of their deaths comes around again. Their annual appearance serves as a supernatural remembrance of the Battle of Morgarten, while the blood-red waters and the presence of the Black Death transform the lake into a place of terror and lingering death.

Sources

“Der Ägerisee.” SAGEN.at – Zuger Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/aegerisee.html

Ghost of Abraham Lincoln

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Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: Lincoln’s Ghost, The White House Ghost, The Phantom President
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The ghost of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, is one of the best-known spirits in American folklore. According to legend, Lincoln’s ghost has haunted the White House since his assassination in 1865. He is most often associated with the Lincoln Bedroom and the corridors of the presidential residence, where witnesses have claimed to see his figure, hear his footsteps, or sense his presence. He is typically described as resembling Lincoln in life, wearing his characteristic dark frock coat and tall stovepipe hat. Stories of his apparition have become part of the White House’s reputation for supernatural activity.

One of the earliest reported sightings came from First Lady Grace Coolidge, who said she saw Lincoln standing at a window in the Yellow Oval Room in 1927, gazing toward the Potomac River. Other prominent visitors have supposedly encountered his spirit. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands reportedly heard a knock on her bedroom door in 1942 and, upon opening it, saw Lincoln standing before her in his familiar clothing. In another popular story, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill emerged from his bath and encountered Lincoln beside a fireplace. Churchill greeted the apparition with a witty remark about being at a disadvantage, whereupon Lincoln allegedly smiled and vanished. These accounts vary in their details, but repeatedly portray the former president appearing unexpectedly to visitors staying in the White House.

Other reports describe unexplained sounds and less direct manifestations. Residents and staff have claimed to hear footsteps outside the Lincoln Bedroom, knocks at its door, or the sound of someone moving inside. Mary Eben, a secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt, reportedly saw Lincoln sitting on the bed and pulling on his boots, while other witnesses claimed to have seen him lying on the bed or seated in a chair. Eleanor Roosevelt said she had repeatedly felt Lincoln’s presence, although she did not claim to have seen him herself. President Harry S. Truman reportedly heard mysterious knocks while staying in the Lincoln Bedroom, and several members of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration also claimed to have encountered signs of the ghost.

The haunting is not limited to the White House. Lincoln’s spirit has reportedly appeared at former residences and locations associated with his life, including his law office in Springfield, Illinois. Other legends describe a phantom train traveling along the route taken by his funeral train in April, as well as apparitions near his grave. Reports of supernatural activity have also involved Lincoln’s son, Willie, who died of typhoid fever in the White House in 1862. Staff members during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant reportedly saw Willie’s ghost, and later accounts included a claim by Lynda Bird Johnson Robb that she had seen and spoken with the boy’s spirit. Together, these stories have made the White House Ghost a lasting part of American ghost lore, linking the nation’s presidential history with tales of the dead returning to places deeply connected to their lives.

Sources

“Lincoln’s Ghost.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_ghost

Knights of Ålleberg

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Tradition: Swedish Mythology
Alternative Names: The Twelve Knights of Ålleberg, The Sleeping Knights of Ålleberg
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Knights of Ålleberg are twelve legendary warriors whose spirits are said to sleep within Ålleberg Mountain in Sweden. According to tradition, they died at the Battle of Åsle, also known as the Battle of Falköping, fought in 1389 between the forces of Albert, King of Sweden, and Margaret I of Denmark. Rather than finding their final rest, the knights remain hidden inside the mountain, waiting for the day when a new war threatens their homeland.

The legend belongs to the widespread folkloric motif of the sleeping king or hero concealed within a mountain, awaiting the moment when the country needs him again. The twelve knights are believed to awaken when war returns, emerging from their mountain refuge to fight and defend Sweden. Their presence gives Ålleberg the character of a supernatural stronghold where the dead remain ready to answer a future call to battle. The mountain is also associated with trolls, adding to its reputation as a place inhabited by mysterious beings.

In nineteenth-century accounts from the nearby town of Falköping, local peasants claimed that the knights had worn golden coats of armour and that their spirits could sometimes be encountered after nightfall, particularly when war was approaching. One version tells of a young man who entered the mountain at the invitation of a mysterious gentleman. Inside, he discovered a vast chamber where sleeping knights lay around the walls, with golden armour hanging above their heads. From nearby stables came the sounds of horses moving in the darkness. Although the young man tried to walk quietly in his iron-nailed shoes, some of the warriors stirred and asked, “Is the hour yet come?” Their question suggested that they remained asleep only until the time arrived for them to rise and fight once more.

Sources

“Knights of Ålleberg.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_%C3%85lleberg

Takaluma

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Tradition: American Mythology
Alternative Names: Takaluma, the Phantom Chief, The Ghost of the Saline River
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Takaluma is the ghost of an ancient Indigenous chief who haunts the valley of the Saline River in Ellis County, Kansas. According to a tale recorded by Floyd Benjamin Streeter, the phantom appears as a powerful, imposing man whose physical presence is accompanied by a terrible, otherworldly yell. Although he can be seen clearly, he is not bound by the physical laws of the living: bullets pass harmlessly through him, and anyone attempting to touch his hand finds only empty space. He identifies himself as Takaluma, a great chief of the Inciennes, and claims to have wandered beside the river for more than a thousand years.

The encounter begins when a cowboy herding cattle along the Saline River travels back toward his camp late at night. At a river crossing below a settler’s claim, his horse suddenly refuses to move. A horrifying yell breaks the midnight silence, and the rider sees a powerful Indigenous man standing before him. The cowboy instinctively draws his revolver and fires, but the apparition remains unharmed. Laughing mockingly, Takaluma speaks in fluent English and explains that no mortal bullet can injure his spirit. The cowboy, initially terrified, becomes curious and dismounts to build a fire while the phantom tells his story.

Takaluma recounts that his people came from the west in ancient times, crossing a great body of water that he says was once only a narrow stream. They traveled east for many moons before discovering the beautiful valley of the Saline River. Finding abundant game and a landscape suited to settlement, they built their homes there. Their prosperity did not last: a terrible pestilence swept through the community and carried its people away to the Happy Hunting Grounds. Their dwellings decayed, leaving no visible trace of the people who had once lived in the valley. Their rest remained undisturbed until white settlers arrived and disturbed their burial mounds with plows.

The phantom reveals that his restless wandering began after someone unearthed his father’s bones and carried away the skull. Since then, Takaluma has been compelled to search for it for an hour each night. Although he knows who committed the desecration, he claims that he cannot enter human dwellings to retrieve the stolen remains. He therefore asks the cowboy to use his influence to have the skull returned to its resting place. Takaluma warns that if it is not restored within two months, another spirit will be sent to search for it, one powerful enough to enter any building. When his allotted hour ends, the phantom bids farewell and returns to his damp burial mound. The story closes with the hope that the stolen skull will be returned, allowing the dead to rest and preventing further supernatural disturbances.

Sources

Sackett, Samuel John. Kansas Folklore. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1961. https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Sackett%2C+Samuel+John%22

Lady Rokujo

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Rokujo no Miyasundokoro, Lady Rokujo’s Living Spirit, Rokujo’s Vengeful Spirit
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Lady Rokujo is a noblewoman from The Tale of Genji, a classic work of Japanese literature, who becomes infamous for the destructive power of her jealous and vengeful spirit. The daughter of a minister, she became the consort of a Crown Prince at the age of sixteen and gave birth to a daughter. After the Crown Prince died when she was twenty, she began a relationship with Hikaru Genji, a younger nobleman. Lady Rokujo was proud, educated, and dignified, but she also struggled with her age and status in relation to Genji. Her intense and complicated affection overwhelmed him, and he gradually distanced himself from her.

In the chapter known as Aoi, Lady Rokujo’s resentment erupts after she is publicly humiliated during a dispute over the placement of carriages at the Kamo Festival. A servant of Aoi, Genji’s principal wife, treats her disrespectfully, leaving Lady Rokujo consumed by shame and anger. Although she remains physically unaware of what is happening, her living spirit leaves her body and torments the pregnant Aoi. After a difficult labor, Aoi gives birth to a son, but her condition deteriorates and she dies a few days later. Lady Rokujo realizes that her spirit has been acting independently when she notices the scent of poppies, used in prayers and rituals, clinging to her clothing. Genji also witnesses her living spirit while attending to Aoi. Horrified by what she has become, Lady Rokujo decides to end her relationship with Genji. She later bids him farewell at Nonomiya and travels to Ise with her daughter, who serves as an imperial princess at the Ise Shrine.

Lady Rokujo eventually returns to Kyoto, entrusts her daughter’s guardianship to Genji, and dies of illness. Yet her attachment to Genji appears to persist beyond death. Her spirit subsequently torments Murasaki no Ue and Onna San no Miya, directing hateful words toward Genji and demonstrating that her jealousy has not been extinguished. Her daughter grieves over rumors that her mother’s spirit has not found peace, and a memorial service is performed at Genji’s urging.

Lady Rokujo’s transformation into a vengeful spirit became especially influential in Japanese theatre and demon imagery. In the Noh play Aoi no Ue, she appears first as a suffering woman and then transforms into a terrifying spirit and demon, while Aoi herself is represented onstage by a kimono. Her story is also associated with the hannya mask, which represents a woman consumed by jealousy and resentment. The mask’s connection to Lady Rokujo was explained through a legend in which the recitation of the Prajnaparamita Sutra frightens away her vengeful spirit. The artist Toriyama Sekien connected this episode to the name hannya, while also depicting the supernatural oboroguruma, inspired by the carriage dispute at the Kamo Festival. Lady Rokujo thus became one of the most enduring literary examples of how jealousy, humiliation, and unresolved attachment could transform a woman into a terrifying supernatural being.

Sources

“六条御息所 [Rokujo no Miyasudokoro].” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1059982793.html