The English word ghost comes from Old English gāst ("breath, spirit, soul, ghost"), which can be traced back to Proto-Germanic *gaistaz ("spirit, ghost"). It is cognate (linguistic sibling from a common origin) with … See more

A notion of the transcendent, supernatural, or numinous, usually involving entities like ghosts, demons, or deities, is a cultural universal. In pre-literate folk religions, these beliefs are often summarized under animism… See more

There are many references to ghosts in Mesopotamian religions – the religions of Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, and other early states in Mesopotamia. Traces of these beliefs survive in the later Abrahamic religions that … See more

The Hebrew Bible contains several references to owb (Hebrew: אוֹב), which are in a few places akin to shades of classical mythology but mostly describing mediums in connection with necromancy and spirit-consulting, … See more