Hello y’ll when I was little, even now I would always love to hear my mum talk about ghost stories and all, I really think it’s pretty interesting and African ghost tales are the best. So I want to tell you guys little about this.
Spirits are more often than not thought of as powers which are almost abstract, like Vapors
Spirits, according to African belief, are ubiquitous in the sense that there is no area of the earth, any object or creature, which has not a spirit of its own or which cannot be inhabited by a spirit. Thus, there are spirits inhabiting some trees, rocks , mountains, hills, forest or bushes, rivers , creeks. Usually the natural objects are accepted as their emblems and the mediums by which they are approached. Such natural objects the spirits are associated with are considered scared by Africans as they believed to be the abode of these spirits for example Newboldia laeuis (Abosikwerre) or ogilisi (igbo) and iroko tree or orji (ikwerre/Igbo)
Again it is believed that the spirits can enter animals or birds or even insects through which they moles people or destroy things.
Like in the case of sacred trees, such animals are considered sacred and are most of the dreaded species or are handled with caution by humans because of the fear of the spirits said to be in them.
Best examples include cat, vulture, owl, sheep, ducks, fireflies etc. we were informed that spirits are generally nameless but can be categorized through which they can be described. Best examples includes, ghost spirits which are spirits of those not properly buried.
Their spirits thus become wanderers, formenting trouble (especially those who die what Africans regard as bad death such as by hanging (suicide) or drowning, or bad disease such as elephantiasis and protruding tummy or women who die during pregnancy.
Usually, those who die such deaths are not given decent burial and in most cases, they are buried in the evil forest. That is why it is believed that there is no ‘Rest In Peace’ for such spirits: hence they wonder as ghosts and former trouble on the living.
