Mythology

Goryō

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Goryō, Mitama, Honored Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Goryō are the vengeful ghosts of ancient Japanese warriors and nobles who suffered horrible, agonizing deaths. Returning from the dead as dreadful spirits of vengeance, they are closely associated with onryō, ghosts that seek retribution against those who wronged them during their lives. Their name, written 御霊, can be translated as “honored ghost,” reflecting their association with the spirits of people who held status or importance in life.

The wrath of a goryō can bring terrible calamities upon its enemies and the wider community. Fires, wars, plagues, droughts, floods, and violent storms may all be interpreted as manifestations of their vengeance. Even the deaths of members of the imperial family could be attributed to their supernatural anger. Such disasters were understood as curses inflicted by the spirits of those who had been unjustly treated, disgraced, or killed.

Because a ghost could not simply be killed to end its revenge, the living sought to pacify these dangerous spirits and transform them into peaceful, benevolent beings. Priests and onmyōji, practitioners associated with Japanese divination and esoteric rites, performed religious ceremonies intended to appease them. These practices formed part of goryō shinkō, the religious tradition of venerating and pacifying vengeful spirits. Through such rites, a spirit feared for its power to spread calamity could instead be honored and reconciled with the living.

Sources

“Goryō.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/goryou/

Zaraza

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Tradition: Polish Mythology
Alternative Names: Czarny Mór, Morawica, Mór, Morowce Powietrzne, Powietrze, Czarna Śmierć, Pomór, Pomorek, Przymorek
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Zaraza is a personification of deadly epidemic diseases in Slavic mythology, representing the terrifying forces of plague and widespread illness. She is depicted as a gloomy female apparition, unnaturally thin, with disheveled hair and clothing that is either white or black. In some accounts, she wanders through villages in the form of a pale, gaunt woman wrapped in a bedsheet, bringing the threat of sickness wherever she appears. Her dark appearance reflects the fear of contagious diseases that could devastate entire communities.

Beliefs surrounding Zaraza were recorded in Poland, where people sought ways to drive the spirit of disease away from the sick. In the nineteenth century, in the Sandomierz region, when someone fell ill with typhus, people sometimes attempted to frighten Zaraza out of the room by firing guns into the four corners of the ceiling above the patient. Such practices reflected the belief that epidemic illness could be caused or embodied by a supernatural presence that might be expelled through ritual action.

During a cholera epidemic in 1888 in Machów, near Tarnobrzeg, a local woman reportedly recounted that several men standing guard had seen the apparition of the disease itself. They described a tall, black-clad woman with disheveled hair walking through the village. The sight was interpreted as a manifestation of Zaraza, giving a visible form to the invisible threat of contagion. The figure also survives in Polish expressions invoking the plague, such as “May the plague take you!” and “Damn the plague!” These sayings preserve the memory of Zaraza as an embodiment of sickness, calamity, and communal fear.

Sources

“Zaraza (demon).” Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaraza_(demon)

Hemann

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Emann, Homann, Hoymann, Hoimann, Jochhoimann, Hejkadlo, Hehmann, Ropenkerl
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Hemann is a mysterious spirit from German folklore known primarily for its frightening cries, which echo through the darkness and terrify people who hear them. Usually invisible, it announces its presence with strange shouts such as “he he,” “he helfts,” or other distinctive calls that vary between regions. The creature is recorded in traditions from former German-speaking areas of Bohemia and Silesia, as well as the Upper Palatinate, the Fichtel Mountains, the Vogtland, Westphalia, and parts of Baden-Württemberg. In Bohemia, it is also known by the Czech name Hejkadlo.

The Hemann often pursues people with its cries, seemingly chasing them without ever quite catching up. However, anyone who dares to imitate its call risks a much more dangerous encounter. The spirit may leap onto the person’s back, forcing them to carry it, a supernatural attack known in German tradition as aufhocken. Depending on the regional version, it may also lead people astray or strike them in the face. The Hemann is not always understood as the same kind of being: it may be the ghost of a sinner condemned to haunt a boundary that they unlawfully moved during life, a field spirit associated with the final sheaf of the harvest, or occasionally a household spirit. Some accounts connect its cries to the calls of owls, eagle owls, hoopoes, nightjars, and ravens.

Regional traditions give the Hemann a variety of appearances and behaviors. In the Upper Palatinate, the related Hoymann or Hoimann haunts mountain forests, where its rough, manlike voice or owl-like cry can be heard from a considerable distance. Although it is usually invisible, it may appear as a tall hunter wearing a broad-brimmed hat, a giant reaching toward the clouds, or a figure dressed in a smock-frock. It is sometimes identified as a restless soul or even the Devil. The Hoymann punishes those who steal wood from the forest, and it is also associated with the Wild Hunt. In Lower Lusatia, the Homann cries at noon, serving as a natural time signal for local people. In Northern Bohemia, the Hehmann hides in cornfields and leaps onto anyone who imitates its shrill call.

Other related figures appear in neighboring traditions. In Switzerland, the invisible Egelsee-Hüper cries “hüp hüp” around midnight near Lake Egelsee. In Westphalia, the Ropenkerl’s cry is considered an omen of bad weather. The Heitmännchen appears as a small blue flame, punishes those who imitate its voice, but may help with the harvest if offered a sandwich. The Homännchen briefly appears as a tiny man in a grey camisole among a herd of cattle before vanishing. In the Lechrain region, the Hojemännlein are tiny green kobolds inhabiting forests and abandoned farms. During Advent, they shout “hoje,” perform somersaults, and play mischievous tricks. Their cries sound like sorrowful weeping, and although they can behave playfully, they punish anyone who imitates their calls. Across these regional variations, the Hemann tradition combines eerie nocturnal cries, warnings against trespassing or theft, and the danger of answering supernatural voices.

Sources

“Hemann.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemann

Butcher of Imst

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Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ghost of the Butcher of Imst, The Condemned Butcher of Imst
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Butcher of Imst was a dishonest butcher who lived in the Tyrolean town of Imst in Austria. He made a habit of stealing other people’s sheep in the mountains, altering their identifying marks, and allowing them to mingle with his own flock. After some time, he would either slaughter the stolen animals or sell them alive. His deception succeeded for years, but his death brought no peace. Soon afterward, a terrifying ghost began appearing in his house, frightening his family so badly that they were forced to abandon it until the Church could arrange for the spirit to be exorcised.

One pitch-dark night, as the night-watchman of Strad announced midnight, two Capuchin monks appeared on the road, each carrying a burning candle. One of them also carried a massive book beneath his arm. Walking between them was the dead butcher, dressed in black, with his familiar high-crowned hat pulled tightly down over his eyes and his arms crossed before him. The monks signaled for the watchman to move aside, and he obeyed in terror as the strange procession passed through the village.

The three figures continued along the road toward Nassereit, reaching the inn known as Zum Döllinger without entering it. Instead, they turned toward the Gurgl Valley and proceeded to a narrow gorge through which the Klammbach torrent rushed down from the Andelsberg. This chasm was said to be a place where numerous ghosts from the area around Imst had been condemned. In the stillness of the night, terrible cries could frequently be heard coming from the gorge: “Help us! Hoi—hoiiih!” The butcher’s spectral escort suggested that his spirit, like those of other local wrongdoers, was being led to a place of supernatural punishment.

Sources

Von Günther, Amalia, Countess. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874.

Cóiste Bodhar

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Silent Coach, Death Coach, Cóiste na Marbh
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Cóiste Bodhar is a supernatural death coach from Irish mythology whose appearance or sound foretells an approaching death. Its name is commonly translated as “silent coach,” although it is also known as the death coach. It is usually described as a black carriage driven or led by the Dullahan, a terrifying headless horseman. The banshee, another supernatural herald of death, is also associated with the coach and is sometimes said to accompany it on its journeys.

The sight or sound of the Cóiste Bodhar warns that someone is destined to die soon. The threatened person may be the witness themselves or a close relative. According to Irish belief, once the death coach arrives in the earthly world, it can never return empty. Its appearance therefore signals a death that cannot be prevented by mortal intervention, as the fate of the doomed individual has already been decided by a higher power.

Related traditions occur elsewhere in the British Isles. In Scottish folklore, a death coach is said to appear along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, where it collects the souls of the dead. Another supernatural vehicle, known as the Hell Wain, is reportedly seen moving through the night sky. Similar stories of phantom coaches and spectral riders also occur in British and American culture, where they serve as ominous reminders of approaching death.

Sources

“Death coach.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_coach

Hänsken met de Hond

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Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Wilde Jager, Jakko, Dirk met de Beer, Beerneken van Galen, the Eternal Jew, Hubertus, Hakkelberend, Hänsken met de Hond, Lodewijk van Nassau, Duvelsbender
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Wild Hunter is the restless spirit of a man, often someone of high social standing, who was punished for insisting on hunting even on Sundays. Condemned to hunt eternally through the sky, he rides with a supernatural retinue of hunters and hounds, forming the terrifying procession known as the Wild Hunt. His passage is announced by a hellish uproar: dogs barking, hunting horns blaring, and hunters shouting and howling as they race through the air.

Encountering the Wild Hunter is considered extremely dangerous. Those who cross his path may be forced to join the eternal hunt, while others risk having their necks twisted around. His spectral procession is therefore more than a frightening spectacle; it is a deadly supernatural force that threatens anyone unfortunate enough to encounter it.

The Wild Hunter is also associated with strange occurrences on Christmas night. According to local traditions, he may take away anything left loose in a farmyard or move it somewhere else. His identity varies between regions, where he is known by numerous names, including Jakko, Dirk met de Beer, Beerneken van Galen, Hubertus, Hakkelberend, Hänsken met de Hond, and Lodewijk van Nassau. Some traditions also identify him with the Eternal Jew or call him the Duvelsbender. Despite these different identities, the stories share a central theme: a hunter condemned to pursue his quarry forever as punishment for violating sacred time.

Sources

Van der Veen, Abe. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Mleika

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Tradition: Maltese Mythology
Alternative Names: Meika, Mejka, Little Queen, Ghost Queen of Gozo
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Mleika is a ghost queen in the folklore of the Maltese island of Gozo. Her name, also recorded in the Latin spelling Mejka, is associated with a Maltese Christian spirit of good fortune and literally means “little queen.” She visits homes on New Year’s Eve, bringing either good luck or misfortune to the household depending on its cleanliness and tidiness.

Mleika is one of two supernatural Christmas figures in Gozitan tradition. The other is the gavgav, a man who transforms into a monster on Christmas Eve and frightens passers-by. While the gavgav inspires fear outside the home, Mleika enters houses to judge the conditions within them.

According to the tradition, Mleika is accompanied by a distinctive sense of smell. If she enters a house and the milkmaid smells the aroma of flowers and the scent of cooking food, she brings good luck to the household for the coming year. If these pleasant smells are absent, misfortune awaits the family. Her visit therefore makes the cleanliness and atmosphere of the home a sign of the fortune that its inhabitants can expect in the year ahead.

Sources

“Mleika.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). https://www.bestiary.us/mleika

Koalemen’ke

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Tradition: Dutch Mythology
Alternative Names: Kaolmenke, Kasper, Spirit of the Emma Coal Mine
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Koalemen’ke is a supernatural spirit associated with the Emma coal mine in Hoensbroek, Limburg, in the Netherlands. Also known as Kaolmenke, this mysterious being is described as a spirit of the mountain or the mine, connected to the coal deposits hidden underground. In later versions of the legend, the spirit is given the name Kasper. He wears the clothing of a coal miner and has red, glowing eyes, making him a frightening presence in the dark passages of the mine.

The legend tells of a young boy who disappeared inside the coal mine for three days. When he finally reappeared, he claimed to have spoken with the spirit of the mountain. His strange experience became associated with the mysterious being later known as Koalemen’ke, whose presence was believed to explain some of the uncanny occurrences deep underground.

Koalemen’ke protects the mine’s coal reserves, but his behavior toward the miners is not always benevolent. He sometimes steals their food and tools, disrupting their work and unsettling those who encounter him. More dangerously, he is said to be capable of causing a mine collapse. As both a guardian of the underground riches and a potential source of disaster, Koalemen’ke embodies the dangers and mysteries of working beneath the earth.

Sources

Van der Veen, Abe. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Banshee

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Tradition: Irish Mythology
Alternative Names: Bean Sí, Bean Sídhe, Fairy Woman, Woman of the Fairy Mound
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology whose mournful cries foretell the death of a member of a family. Her name derives from the Irish bean sí, meaning “woman of the fairy mound,” connecting her to the ancient burial mounds scattered throughout the Irish countryside. These mounds were regarded as entrances to the supernatural world inhabited by the sí, or fairies. The banshee is most often heard rather than seen, announcing impending death through screaming, shrieking, wailing, or the traditional Irish lament known as keening.

Descriptions of the banshee vary between accounts. She may appear as an old woman with long, streaming hair, which she sometimes combs while lamenting. In some traditions, she wears a grey cloak over a green dress, and her eyes are red from continual weeping. Other descriptions portray her dressed entirely in white, with red hair and a deathly complexion. Her stature also differs between tales: although some accounts describe her as unnaturally tall, many depict her as an exceptionally small, elderly figure, sometimes no more than a few feet in height. She may also appear as a veiled woman crouching beneath trees at night or as a spectral figure flying through the moonlight while crying bitterly.

In some legends, the banshee is the spirit of a young woman who died before her time and was assigned by supernatural powers to warn her mortal relatives of approaching death. She may even appear as a sweet-singing maiden associated with the family she serves. Traditional accounts claim that the banshee’s lament is heard around the home of a family when one of its members suffers from an illness destined to end in death. The belief was particularly associated with ancient and noble families, who were said to possess the privilege of a supernatural mourner. Her cry does not necessarily cause death; rather, it serves as a sorrowful warning that death is near.

Sources

“Banshee.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee

Black Plague Messengers

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Three Plague Messengers, The Dark Messengers of the Plague
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Black Plague Messengers are mysterious supernatural figures associated with the arrival of the plague in the canton of Zug, Switzerland, in 1628. According to the legend, the events began on the Feast of the Assumption in mid-August, when the people of Kolinstadt gathered beneath a linden tree beside the lake to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. Among them was a man troubled by terrible news from friends in Basel, where the plague had begun raging once more. When the townspeople pressed him to explain his melancholy, he revealed the dreadful tidings. The cheerful gathering fell silent, and the citizens gradually returned to their homes, fearing that the epidemic might spread to their own community.

As night descended over the lake, some of the townspeople witnessed a strange vessel approaching the shore. Dark, unfamiliar figures stood aboard, and the sound of iron chains clanking accompanied the boat as it drew nearer. Three dark men eventually stepped onto the shore. They offered no greetings or words of comfort, but instead behaved like grim messengers carrying out a terrible assignment. The tallest among them addressed his two companions in a somber voice, declaring that he would remain behind to perform his duties while the other two went ashore to carry out their orders.

After the three figures separated, the mysterious vessel glided back into the darkness. Their appearance seemed to announce that the plague had reached Zug. The following morning, the first victims of the disease were discovered lying on the slope. The legend thus portrays the outbreak not merely as an epidemic spreading between towns, but as the arrival of supernatural messengers whose silent landing foreshadowed death and suffering. Their dark vessel, clanking chains, and ominous division of duties made them terrifying harbingers of the calamity that was about to strike the region.

Sources

“Die Pestboten.” SAGEN.at – Zuger Sagen. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/zug/pestboten.html