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Ghosts, demons, spirits, and monsters have been haunting humanity for at least 3,500 years. The so-called “Ghost Tablet” (c. 1500 BCE), from ancient Babylon, depicts a woman leading a ghost to the underworld and amulets from earlier periods strongly suggest a belief in their efficacy in protecting one from evil spirits, ghosts, and other dark entities.
Not all spirits were malevolent. Sometimes, as in China and among the Native peoples of North America – to cite only two – spirits could be helpful if acknowledged respectfully. For the most part, however – even in these cultures – no one thought encountering a supernatural entity was anything to rejoice over. In the region of modern-day India, ghosts were known as Bhoots, appearing to the living in human form but with backward feet, and the direction of the feet was a sign that something had gone wrong in the soul’s transition from this world to the next.
Demons and monsters, the world over, have also been a part of the collective human experience as they were thought to either punish the wicked or prey on the innocent and, one or the other, needed to be recognized, and steps needed to be taken for the protection of oneself and one’s family. Amulets, statuary, and figures of dogs – thought to be especially useful in scaring away supernatural entities of all types – have been found in tombs and ancient ruins worldwide, dating back thousands of years.
The purpose these supernatural beings served varied from culture to culture, but it is clear they were recognized as simply another aspect of daily life. The first tales told in ancient China were ghost stories, and this is also true of other civilizations. The following gallery presents images of some of the best-known and lesser-known entities that have haunted the world through the ages, as well as some of the deities associated with them.
Queen of the Night, Old Babylon
by Trustees of the British Museum
published on 26 April 2012
Queen of the Night, a large plaque made of baked straw-tempered clay, modelled in high relief. From southern Iraq, Old Babylonian period, 1800-1750 BCE.
The figure of the curvaceous naked woman was originally painted red. She wears the horned headdress characteristic of a Mesopotamian deity and holds a rod and ring of justice, symbols of her divinity. Her long multi-coloured wings hang downwards, indicating that she is a goddess of the Underworld. Her legs end in the talons of a bird of prey, similar to those of the two owls that flank her. The background was originally painted black, suggesting that she was associated with the night. She stands on the backs of two lions, and a scale pattern indicates mountains.
The figure could be an aspect of the goddess Ishtar, Mesopotamian goddess of sexual love and war, or Ishtar's sister and rival, the goddess Ereshkigal who ruled over the Underworld, or the demoness Lilitu, known in the Bible as Lilith. The plaque probably stood in a shrine.
The oldest known image of a ghost is the Ghost Tablet from ancient Babylon dated to c. 1500 BCE.
How did an amulet protect one from a ghost or demon?
The amulet was created in the image of a protective figure – a god, goddess, dog, sacred plant – and that image would invoke the power of that protector. In ancient Mesopotamia and China, a dog amulet would serve to protect you if you had no actual dog at your side.
Is Pazuzu an evil demon?
The word “demon” in the ancient world had a different meaning than it does today. Pazuzu was a demon – meaning a supernatural entity neither good nor evil – and his image often appears on protective amulets and charms. Pazuzu was, unfortunately, misrepresented in the film The Exorcist, and is in no way associated with the Christian Satan.
Is Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, really haunted?
Bhangarh Fort has a reputation as the most haunted place in India. Whether it really is, though, is a matter of personal belief. The site is closed from sunset to sunrise by order of the government, however, based on the belief that it is haunted and the living would be endangered visiting at night.
