Ghosts: Clothed & Naked

[Robbrent]

Traditionally, ghosts were believed to appear in shrouds or winding-sheets, as seen in the famous engraving of John Dee raising the dead.
(Which I previously mentioned in 2006, to the delight of the poster who'd started the thread after thinking of that very image.)

In a ghost book I read years ago someone reported seeing what appeared to be the spirit of their late mother, who strangely had a mark or wound on her face.
This observer later discovered that after their mother's death, her face had been accidentally scratched or caught somehow by the people laying her out. Only a couple of people knew about this.
WELL spooky.

With regards to the scratch on the face, I did read somewhere that some cultures believed that it takes a certain amount of time to die, something like 3 days (I could be wrong) and it's a process at the end the soul leaves the body for good, so perhaps the soul body mimics the last known condition ?

 

[catseye]

On the other hand, if ghosts really are a 'glimpse through' into a parallel dimension/time, then surely we're more likely to glimpse the clothed than the naked? I mean, how much time do YOU spend striding around in the nude? (Don't answer that, @Floyd1 ...)

 

[Floyd1]

I mean, how much time do YOU spend striding around in the nude? (Don't answer that, @Floyd1 ...)

Don't worry- I wouldn't inflict that horror on anyone.

 

[Robbrent]

On the other hand, if ghosts really are a 'glimpse through' into a parallel dimension/time, then surely we're more likely to glimpse the clothed than the naked? I mean, how much time do YOU spend striding around in the nude? (Don't answer that, @Floyd1 ...)

But aren't clothes a cultural thing? We developed clothes to keep us warm or to prevent us getting hurt? As we know some cultures don't really wear clothes, the human body is functional rather than a sexual object, so why would ghosts need clothes, unless the other dimension is just a bit different than this one and we take all our sensibilities with us, then again why to ghosts have bodies at all?

 

[catseye]

But aren't clothes a cultural thing? We developed clothes to keep us warm or to prevent us getting hurt? As we know some cultures don't really wear clothes, the human body is functional rather than a sexual object, so why would ghosts need clothes, unless the other dimension is just a bit different than this one and we take all our sensibilities with us, then again why to ghosts have bodies at all?

Clothes aren't cultural. The specific clothing might be (kimonos in Japan, kilts in Scotland, that kind of thing), but pretty much every single culture wears clothing of some kind. The human body has to be protected from temperature, climate, injurious plants, etc etc. Even jungle tribes wear some form of body covering. So unless the other dimensions with which we may interact (which, I'd envisage as being very close to our own, otherwise there would be other aspects of the 'ghost' appearance and behaviour that would be noted) are hugely different - they'd need to wear something.

 

[escargot]

Even jungle tribes wear some form of body covering.

*nods* Penis gourds.

 

[catseye]

*nods* Penis gourds.

That's either my new band name or a terrific insult. 'Oy, you, penis gourds!'

 

[Xanatic*]

Ghosts in those embarassing hospital gowns seem quite underreported. Surely many people die while wearing those.

 

[escargot]

That's either my new band name or a terrific insult. 'Oy, you, penis gourds!'

You can make any noun into an insult if you add 'You absolute' in front of it.
'You absolute spanner!'
'You absolute pillowcase!'
'You absolute lampshade!'
'You absolute hairpiece!'
Yup, 'You absolute penis gourd!' fits in well. Exotic, y'know.

 

[Robbrent]

Ghosts in those embarassing hospital gowns seem quite underreported. Surely many people die while wearing those.

You make a very good point, if they are real and not figments of imagination they must be living in some other dimension where life appears to go on as normal, for all we know we could be haunting another dimension

 

[SimonBurchell]

Ghosts in those embarassing hospital gowns seem quite underreported. Surely many people die while wearing those.

I think if you read through the extensive All Nurses ghost thread (it's on an external forum, not the Fortean forums), you will find plenty of ghost patients, some in gowns.

 

[escargot]

Ghosts in those embarassing hospital gowns seem quite underreported. Surely many people die while wearing those.

I'm planning to die in one so I can wander the halls mooning onlookers.

 

[Tunn11]

How many people, or ghosts supposing they are spirits of the living, know what they died wearing? If you die in hospital would you know that you were wearing a hospital gown or had it been removed/cut away whatever they do with them when operating?

If you are hit by a number ten bus would you know (Unless you are Father Dougal) that you were wearing your blue cardigan that day?

Are you, as a ghost, therefore "given" what you return in ? By whom? Do they have a sense of humour? No penis gourd for you matey you're getting a small courgette.

 

[catseye]

As @SimonBurchell says, there are plenty of ghosts reported in hospitals wearing hospital gowns. As for out in the community - it would come under the 'naked ghosts' heading; how many people generally walk about in gowns?

And I'm not sure ghosts 'haunt' in the clothing they were wearing when they died, more likely their everyday wear, the sort of thing they were most used to putting on first thing in the morning.

Heaven help the world, I'll be haunting in walking trousers and a dreadful old fleece. Give me a wave...

 

[Sabresonic]

People have seen Ghosts or Time Slips of Victorian people but I wonder if anyone seen a Ghost of a Teddy Boy or Girl from the 50's.

 

[escargot]

People have seen Ghosts or Time Slips of Victorian people but I wonder if anyone seen a Ghost of a Teddy Boy or Girl from the 50's.

When Techy accidentally got his neighbour's house haunted, one of the visitors was a 1960s dolly bird with heavily made-up eyes and a beehive hairdo.

 

[SimonBurchell]

When Techy accidentally got his neighbour's house haunted...

What?

 

[SimonBurchell]

People have seen Ghosts or Time Slips of Victorian people but I wonder if anyone seen a Ghost of a Teddy Boy or Girl from the 50's.

I would say almost certainly; it's triggering vague memories in the back of my mind, I've probably read some such account(s) in my large collection of local ghost books. Fat chance of finding one though.

 

[escargot]

Here you go -

Techy... started colllecting Ouija boards, which can come in various creative designs. He displayed them on his stairway, highly decorative.

One day he was chatting on t'front with his neighbour Phil, who glanced up the stairs and saw the Ouija boards.
Phil said 'So THAT'S where they've come from!'

He reckoned his house had become suddenly haunted. He'd come in and see someone running up the stairs, or get up in the night for a drink and see someone in the kitchen.

Worst of all, his girlfriend refused to stay over after waking up to see a young woman in a mini skirt, heavy eye make-up and beehive hairdo standing over the bed looking at her!

The boards stayed put until Techy moved in with me, when they were placed on shelves facing my room.*
I've had no trouble from them but ghosts know better than to try scaring me.

*Yup, we have separate rooms. All that snoring and farting, y'know. Poor man couldn't stand it any more.