Glossary of Paranormal and ghostly Terms

To help you understand the paranormal we have compiled a list of the most common terms used in the world of the paranormal and ghost hunting.

Banshee - In Irish legend, a banshee wails around a house if someone in the house is about to die. There are particular families who are believed to have Banshees attached to them, and whose cries herald the death of a member of that family.

Bi Location - Is said to be a physical, rather than spiritual, phenomenon where someone can be in two places at the same time and a person who is experiencing it is supposedly able to interact with their surroundings as normal, including being able to experience sensations and to manipulate physical objects exactly as if they had arrived through natural means.

Birds - Many superstitions from around the world at some point believed that birds were either a messenger of the dead or associated birds with omens of death.

Boggart – This term is mainly used in Northern England and describes a particularly nasty type of ghost. Boggarts are said to enjoy the habit of crawling into people’s bedrooms at night, pinching, slapping and biting the unfortunate victim especially on their feet. They tend to be described as being fearsome and frightening to behold with sharp, yellowing teeth.

Bogies - Another unpleasant spirit, not unlike the Irish Banshee but with a fondness of haunting children. In British folklore, bogies are black in appearance with a foul smell and ugly grinning faces. They were once thought to be one of the most powerful forms of ghost, as they had once served the Devil carrying out his evil deeds.