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Wights in Night Satin: Ghosts in Bedsheets

  • 11/10/2022
  • 18:00-19:30
  • Online talk

Image credit: Adam Vogler, 'Hamlet and the Ghost of his Father;' Wikimedia Commons

Dr Paul Cowdell’s online talk, Tuesday 11 October, 18:00 BST, examines why ghosts are commonly shown in sheets, though this is unrepresentative of most experiences or beliefs.

All historical discussions of ghosts feature some comment on what they are wearing. Some of the most frequently mentioned imagery – like ghosts in white sheets, or images of ghosts with candles – is neither representative of most ghost experiences or beliefs, nor even prevalent or typical at the time. Sheeted ghosts have come to be associated with representations for children, or with parodies and pranks, but are still widely accepted as a reference. This talk will consider ghostly apparel as a marker of what can and cannot be seen in post-mortem contact.

Using historical and fieldwork evidence, Paul Cowdell will look at what is encoded in these images, and why and how they are used in belief narratives.

Tickets £5.00 (£3.00 Folklore Society members with Promo Code)

Every ticket sold helps to support the work of The Folklore Society