Why do ghosts have to wear sheets over their heads.

[Ziploc Surprise]

A nutty friend of mine is convinced that this (see video) is real footage of a ghost. My 10 year old daughter asked me why it had a sheet over it's head. "It can't see" she said. Why are ghosts depicted with sheets over their heads? If a ghost were a real spirit of the dead wouldn't they be naked? Was the sheet something that covered the body after they died? If the latter case is true how come there are no flowers or patterns on the sheets? How come it takes a 10 year old to point this out?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...hjeCWDdft0

[thesummerqueen]

I expect ghosts involving fabric like structures evolved from rather fabric like 'manifestations' of "ectoplasm" during seances.



Ghost descriptions from prior to those times in folklore books all describe perfectly normal human beings, clothed, unclothed or somewhere in between.

[Jackalope]

I'm convinced.

[Rev. Rye]

There's a reason that ghosts are seen in sheets, and my main source for this is a TVTropes article: it has long been a tradition in fiction to portray ghosts as, if not dressed as they were in life, then they are usually dressed they were in death. For a long time, this meant grave clothes and a long, white, flowing burial shroud. And sometimes, especially in old productions of Hamlet, they were portrayed as suits of armour. Eventually, it became too unwieldy, expensive, and ridiculous-looking to use, and so, it became common to see ghosts buried in their shrouds. And somehow, the fact that we no longer use burial shrouds like this has no bearing on this tradition.

[Ziploc Surprise]

I'm convinced.

What was it that convinced you? The white bed sheet, addias sneakers, or the clarity of the footage? Lol. When I die I'll make sure to wear addias sneakers. I think they look cool on a ghost.


@Thesummerqueen: Yeah, from what I recall, in the past ghosts wore the clothes they wore in life -I didn't know that clothing had souls. Did sheets become popular when people needed cheap and easy Halloween costumes (the sheet representing the ghost that appeared more like a vapor than a clothed human being)?

[Rev. Rye]

@Thesummerqueen: Yeah, from what I recall, in the past ghosts wore the clothes they wore in life -I didn't know that clothing had souls. Did sheets become popular when people needed cheap and easy Halloween costumes (the sheet representing the ghost that appeared more like a vapor than a clothed human being)?

More like when theatre companies needed a cheap and easy costume for Hamlet's Ghost. Oh, and it's actually supposed to be a burial shroud.

[Tiberius]

Er, I'm pretty sure that video is a parody. All they've done is take some "Ghost Hunters" footage and replaced the "ghost" footage with their own. The people who do the "Ghost Hunters" show aren't retarded; they are very clever and know exactly how to fake stuff...this isn't something they'd do.

[Jackalope]

I'm convinced.

What was it that convinced you?

What, are you joking? It had a sheet on and you could see through it and everything. How could you not be convinced by that?

[Ziploc Surprise]

Er, I'm pretty sure that video is a parody. All they've done is take some "Ghost Hunters" footage and replaced the "ghost" footage with their own. The people who do the "Ghost Hunters" show aren't retarded; they are very clever and know exactly how to fake stuff...this isn't something they'd do.

I never watch the show. I only see snippets of it as I'm surfing by it. It does look like it was edited but I don't know if the show does this hokey stuff or not or whether it was done afterwards.


@Rev rye. I guess you're right. I really don't know much about the subject. You have to think though, even if it was a burial shroud, don't you think the spirit would have difficulty seeing through the sheet? I know that this is a situation of "ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer" but I wouldn't have asked the stupid question if I wasn't prepared mentally for this. Hee, hee.

[Rev. Rye]

@Rev rye. I guess you're right. I really don't know much about the subject. You have to think though, even if it was a burial shroud, don't you think the spirit would have difficulty seeing through the sheet? I know that this is a situation of "ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer" but I wouldn't have asked the stupid question if I wasn't prepared mentally for this. Hee, hee.

Well, a lot of sheets are translucent; My bedsheets are black, but if I put my eyes against it, I can see just fine. It's a little fuzzy, but at least I can probably see my way around, but only if it was bright. Of course, eye holes might help.

And, because I had failed to do this earlier, here's my personal favourite appearance of bedsheet ghosts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLrnkK2YEcE&ob=av3e

They show up on occasion in the video in choir form.