Fun Fact #645 The Forgotten Ghosts

 Fun Fact #645

 The Forgotten Ghosts

Long have there beenGhost stories from places all over the world. Yet oddly as these stories got unified into “The Modern Mythos” several of the features once unique to ghosts have been split off to form other unique creatures in these tales. Such creatures include: Zombies, Mummies, Vampires, Blobs, and WereWolves. While this has allowed each element to be able to shine on it’s own, there is one form of Ghost story which has been largely forgotten as a result with the closest comparison being that of Possession stories.

Deceiving demon stories however often included a demon pretending to be a person of great power, or loved one, which misled the main character until it was revealed to be a demon in disguise the whole time. In the most common versions the demon is responding to those trying to contact a deceased loved one, while in others it just finds an opportunity. 

For those interested in a classic tale like this try the 1815 song “Erlking” which features a child who is being tempted by “The ErlKing (Elf King)” as the father tries to desperately ride home before the child gives in to temptation. 

As for why this type of story is important, it taught people to be careful about what they believed, and encouraged careful investigation. These stories also were used to warn against practices which were inherently dangerous such as listening to a person in a place you would not expect to find them (Like a Nigerian prince online. Invest in some safe cyber security practices!)