Poltergeist, << POHL tuhr gyst, >> is an unseen spirit said to cause a variety of strange occurrences. Such occurrences include speaking through disembodied voices and loud knocking or rapping. Poltergeists are also said to cause objects to move suddenly or violently around a room. The word poltergeist is German for noisy ghost. Traditionally, people have considered poltergeists to be angry or malicious spirits. These spirits express their discontent by manipulating objects in the physical world. Poltergeists have been reported around the world. Some reports date to ancient Roman times about A.D. 100.
Poltergeists are often believed to be disembodied spirits of the dead. They are usually said to haunt a specific person. They are said to be unlike ghosts, which usually haunt a specific place. In addition, ghosts are sometimes visible. A poltergeist remains unseen.
Some people consider poltergeist activity not to result from the activity of a spirit. Instead, they believe such activity is an expression of powerful psychic energy. Such energy is said to come from living persons in times of great stress. Still others have proposed natural causes for poltergeist activity. Possible causes include underground movements of earth or water or the sudden and unexpected effects of wind blowing through openings in a house.
See also Ghost; Spiritualism.
