Bhoot

 

 

ORIGIN

They are of Indian origin.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

For thousands of years, possibly longer. People have been spiritual for as long as they have been on this Earth so there is a possibility that the legends could have been around then.

 

APPEARANCE

Most commonly, they are said to appear in only white clothing. In most cases they appear to look the exact same as before they died, with more of a translucency. They cast no shadows. When they speak, they do it with a nasal twang.

 

GENDER

They can be young or old of both gender.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

The name can also be spelled as bhut. The name is a Sanskrit term that basically translates as "past" and "being". It has Indo-European roots, hence similar words such as bha (Irish), be (English), but (Latvian) and budan (Persian). The name is also somewhat of an Idiom in the languages of the Northern subcontinent such as Hindu, Punjabi and Sindhi.

 

REPELLED BY

They are supposed to be afraid of water, steel and iron objects. Keeping these nearby you is enough to scare them off. Burnt turmeric is also said to ward them off. The holy figures and deities have also been invoked to ward them off. Sprinkling Earth on yourself can also prevent you from harm seeing as the can not be in contact with it. In Hindu mythology, a soul cannot be destroyed, and seeing that the Bhoot is still a soul, albeit an evil and angry one, it can never be destroyed. Instead, they perform a ritual called the Atma-shanti, according to the Atharva Veda, which is basically like a promise by the person that they will do everything in their power to help them with their unfinished business. The Bhoot will stop troubling them as it is getting what it wants.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

They can both alter and assume the form of many animals at their own will. The only thing that gives them away however is the fact that there feet face the opposite way.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

They are a supernatural creature. They tend to be the ghost of a deceased person. There are many tales about how they came to be this way but the most popular definition is that they became this way through a violent and sudden death which has caused them to not move on and become restless. In some other cases, they have either got unfinished business or they were not given the proper burial rights when they passed on. In India, the Earth is regarded as sacred and this is why they will go to almost any lengths to avoid any contact with it. This is why they are said to float. There is a kind of Bhoot called a Churail, who is a woman that has died either during pregnancy or childbirth. There is also a select few called Bhutas who are the defiled spirits of heroes, evil beings and Hindu deities. They are often wrongly thought of as being "ghosts" or "demons" and are actually protective, despite being extremely violent and powerful.

 

CAN BE FOUND

It is said that they like to lurk about in the trees. They may also haunt specific houses (also known as "bhoot banglas" or "bhoot bungalows"). These houses usually tend to be ones that they were either killed/died in or one that they have a significant attachment to.

 

TALES

Many tales in the region take on the house that they are usually attached to. One of the most popular ones is someone fails to flee a house when approached by a Bhoot. They then unwillingly accept their companionship (In some tales, they have met them in the forest or they have picked them up in their car after seeing them by the road at night). Through time they become very aware that the person is not alive (the backwards feet being the big giveaway). Another tale is that they love to immerse themselves in milk. They like to contaminate it which then gives them possession over humans.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

As they are in a similar category to the Western Ghost, there are plenty of pictures and video footage of them all over the internet. As to whether these are real or not is another matter for you to decide. Some are very convincing I have to say but it is hard to trust anything over the internet. The most interesting ones are the "real life" recounts. Some are very deep and dare I say, quite frightening (even if they do turn out to be fake).

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Ghosts, Churail