@chuckletree.bsky.socialJ is for Jenglot
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
The Jenglot originated in Indonesia. It is a small mutated humanoid doll that is said to have once been a human being. They are fed blood (animal or human) in order to provide protection or luck for their owners.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialI is for Ijiraq
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
In Inuit tradition the Ijiraq is a half-man/half-caribou shapeshifting spirit that kidnaps and hides children. In some traditions they are thought to exist between the lands of the dead and living.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialH is for Hungry Ghost
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
There are a lot of variations of the hungry ghost in Asian and Buddhist traditions. They are usually driven by overwhelming physical needs and greed. They are often depicted with fat bellies and tiny throats.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialG is for Gray Man
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
The Gray Man is a ghost who haunts the shoreline in Pawley's Island, SC. He appears to warn locals of approaching severe storms and hurricanes.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialF is for Flying Dutchman
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
The Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship, doomed to sail the seas for all eternity - unable to make port. Sightings of the ghostly Flying Dutchman are a portent of disaster at sea.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialE is for Ectoplasm
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
Originating during the big spiritualism craze at the turn of the last century, ectoplasm is spiritual energy, made physical.
This is also when I started to toy with the idea of ectoplasm being fungal.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialD is for Dullahan
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
The Dullahan is a malicious headless horseman from Irish folklore. He carries a whip made from a human spine, and scans the countryside with his severed head - searching for those about to die.
I hate drawing horses!
@chuckletree.bsky.socialC is for Chindi
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
According to traditional Navajo (Native American) beliefs, when a person dies all of their negativity, disappointment, anger, etc, manifests as a Chindi. Contact with the chindi can cause sickness and death.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialB is for Bloody Mary
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
Chant her name into a mirror in a dim or candle-lit room and Bloody Mary will appear to haunt the summoners.
I was terrified of Bloody Mary when I was a kid. I couldn't even look in a mirror for weeks at a time.
@chuckletree.bsky.socialA is for Acheri
From my Ghost ABCs series (2019).
An Acheri is a Himalayan girl spirit who dwells on mountain tops. Their shadow spreads disease.
I will be posting one letter a day from now until Halloween.
