lotus

previous page: Dune FAQ
  
page up: Books and Education
  
next page: Recommended Fantasy Authors FAQ

Ghost Stories FAQ



Frequently Asked Questions about Ghost Stories

This FAQ about Ghost Stories was compiled and written by obiwan obiwan@best.com with numerous contributions by others.

Welcome to alt.folklore.ghost-stories! Alt.folklore.ghost-stories is for the discussion of, well... ghost stories! If you've been visited by ghosties, ghoulies, long-legged beasties, or things that go bump in the night, a.f.g-s is the perfect place to tell the world about your experiences. In fact, if you've heard any ghost stories at all lately, feel welcome to post them here. Of course, like all newsgroups, a.f.g-s has its share of frequently discussed topics. Thus, the alt.folklore.ghost-stories FAQ. I've tried to make the FAQ as comprehensive as possible, without getting too bogged down in useless rhetoric. It will probably be most useful to those new to the group, but hopefully there's something in it for even long-time readers. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to send them to obiwan@ghosts.org (that's me!) or post them to the group. There's always room for improvement! And speaking of improvement, this FAQ would not have been the same without the advice, suggestions, and contributions of the following people:

Arthur Anderson        aca3@netaxs.com
Brian Bethel           brianbet@camalott.com
Noah Broadwater        lseifer@usa.net
David Chorley          chorley@vms.ocom.okstate.edu
Mike Czaplinski        mike.czaplinski@washingtondc.ncr.com
David Fluker           df0328@aol.com
Joel & Lynn GAzis-SAx  gazissax@best.com
Jay Gitomer            jgitomer@metamosh.clubfed.sgi.com
Thomas Grotenhuis      thmsgrtn@dordt.edu
Jason Hoffman          Jason.Hoffman@nopc.jaxx.com
Matt Hucke             hucke@sumter.cso.uiuc.edu
Paul Johnson           paj@gec-mrc.co.uk
Leesa Kern             lkern@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Lisa Korneluk          korneluk@eagle.navsses.navy.mil
Mark Korven            Mark_Korven@goodmedia.com
Roberto Labanti        labanti@iol.it
Laura Little-Reynolds  u0ab9@wvnvm.wvnet.edu
Susan Lynds            sel@noaacdc.colorado.edu
Joseph W. Metcalf      regis@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu
Prabal Nandy           nandy@u.arizona.edu
Eugene Orlando         Ouija@ix.netcom.com
Alan Peschke           alandp@flash.net
Proserpina             proserp@duckmail.uoregon.edu
Arturo Sanchez         Arturo.Sanchez@ericsson.com
Nikki Taylor           taylorn@kenyon.edu
Dave Wilton            dwilton@ix.netcom.com

A very special thank you goes out to Susan Lynds. She contributed to the section on the Wendigo and sent me oodles of info on will o' the wisps. She was also invaluable as a proofreader and constructive criticizer. In fact, a few of the sentences you'll read come directly from her. Many of the books you see in the Interesting Reference Material section were also sent to me by Susan. To sum it up, we should all bow down in deference to Susan for making this FAQ a better document to read.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT: This FAQ may not be reproduced for profit, or in a published work that is sold for profit, without permission from the author (obiwan@ghosts.org). It may be distributed in NON-profit endeavors as long as the header information, author credit, and copyright are kept intact.

-01 Are all the stories posted to alt.folklore.ghost-stories true? Should they be true?
It is highly doubtful that everything posted to a.f.g-s is true,...
-02 Do I have to be some kind of paranormal nut in order to post here? (alt.folklore.ghost-stories)
No. Although there are lots of people here who believe ...
-03 Which topics are appropriate to post about? (alt.folklore.ghost-stories)
Obviously, ghost stories (preferably true ones) make up the ...
-04 I have this great ghost story! Should I post it? (alt.folklore.ghost-stories)
YES! If you have a good story to tell, please don't hesitate ...
-05 I'm writing a book/article, and I'm reaping the net for stories and ideas. You don't mind if I steal yours, do you? (alt.folklore.ghost-stories)
Most people would like to maintain copyright over their ...
-06 How do I spell _____? (alt.folklore.ghost-stories)
Here are some commonly misspelled words that pop up frequently ...
-07 What is a ouija board?
A ouija board is a game in which messages are ...
-08 A lot of people on this group say the ouija board is evil, and to stay away from it. Is this true, and should I stay away?
Since it's nearly impossible to merge the two views on this topic,...
-09 Where can I buy a ouija board? Failing that, how can I make one?
You can, in the U.S. anyway, find a ouija board in a toy store or ...
-10 Are there any 'rules' I should follow when using the Ouija board?
If you consider the Ouija board as just another toy, then there ...
-11 What does "ouija" mean?
The word ouija is actually a combination of two words, the ...
-12 A Brief History of the Ouija Board
From thmsgrtn@dordt.edu (Thomas Grotenhuis):...
-13 The Amityville Horror (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
The Amityville Horror, although now considered a hoax, is one ...
-14 The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
The Brown Lady is famous mostly as being one of the most ...
-15 The Bell Witch (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
The Bell Witch haunted the Bell home in Tennessee in the ...
-16 Borley Rectory (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
Borley Rectory is often called The most haunted house in England....
-17 Haunted Universities (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
There are many stories of college hauntings. If you wish to read ...
-18 Haunted Theatres (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
Mike Czaplinski (mcc@nsscmail.att.com) writes the following ...
-19 The Tower of London (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
The Tower of London has a long and bloody history, and of course ...
-20 Winchester Mansion (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
The Winchester Mansion, in San Jose, California, was built by ...
-21 The Chase Vault - AKA The Moving coffins of Barbados (Famous Hauntings And Spooky Spots)
Contributed by Matthew Hucke (hucke@mcs.com):...
-22 Urban Folklore And Legends
Urban legends are stories which are passed by word of mouth (and ...
-23 La Llorona (Urban Folklore And Legends)
La Llorona is the legend of a woman who has lost her children, ...
-24 Three Men and a Baby (Urban Folklore And Legends)
If I had to pick just one topic from this FAQ to post, this ...
-25 Mary Worth/Bloody Mary (Urban Folklore And Legends)
Here is a popular legend which many remember from their childhood....
-26 The Vanishing Hitchhiker (Urban Folklore And Legends)
This legend is probably familiar to most readers. It is a dark ...
-27 Haunted Traintracks (Urban Folklore And Legends)
Occasionally a reader will post the following story, ...
-28 The Blair Witch Project (Urban Folklore And Legends)
The Blair Witch Project is a movie (released summer 1999) ...
-29 What is the Wendigo? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
The wendigo is a Canadian entity, half phantom, half beast, ...
-30 What are will o' the wisps? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
Will o' the wisps are a natural phenomenon that never the ...
-31 How did that girl in -Poltergeist- die? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
Contributed by Christine White (christin@meaddata.com): ...
-32 What are some different categories of manifestations? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
Ghostly visitations fall into several distinct categories. ...
-33 Who are Ed and Lorraine Warren? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
Ed and Lorraine Warren are a husband and wife team who ...
-34 What is "Old Hag"? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
From the alt.dreams FAQ, maintained by Olaf Titz (olaf@bigred.ka....
-35 Are cars really rolling uphill in that graveyard near my town? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
There are some places where the land is shaped in such a way ...
-36 What is the best way to photograph a ghost? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
The following information was provided by David ...
-37 Can't you sue if your new house is haunted, and no one told you about it? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
Mark Korven (Mark_Korven@goodmedia.com) gleaned the following ...
-38 What are some theories of what ghosts are/why they exist? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
There are many theories of what ghosts (if they indeed exist) are....
-39 What is a caul? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
A caul is a piece of the fetal membrane that covers the heads ...
-40 What is an incubus? (Folklore / Ghost Stories)
An incubus is a demon which assumes male form and lies on ...
-41 Other USENET groups that a.f.g-s reader may enjoy
alt.binaries.pictures.cemetaries For photographs of ...
-42 Some interesting reference material (Non-alt.folklore.ghost-stories Resources)
*
-43 Good Supernatural Fiction (Non-alt.folklore.ghost-stories Resources)
*
-44 Other Net Resources (Non-alt.folklore.ghost-stories Resources)
*
-45 Paranormal Organizations (brought to you by Brian Bethel!)







TOP
previous page: Dune FAQ
  
page up: Books and Education
  
next page: Recommended Fantasy Authors FAQ