Ghosts – The Kaleidoscopic Path

The banshee is a ghost from Irish and Celtic Folklore. The appearance of a banshee differs depending on the story as well as the family but is commonly a dead woman, the state of decay depends on the individual banshee.

Banshees are spirits that are said to foretell of death, either to the one who hears it or of a family member. Despite there appearance and their role in foretelling death they are not evil figures or the cause of such death. Banshees are often a signal for the family that someone has or will die and gives them time to prepare to morn the person. In some cases the banshee appears long after the person had died and can be seen as a spirit that mourns for those who have passed.

Their are cases of banshees having a pleasant or youthful appearance and taking on the form of a family member who had died young.

Image Source: https://lorrs33.wordpress.com/2015/10/26/irish-folklore-the-banshee/

The Nopperabo, which means Faceless Monk and may also be called Mujina, acts and resembles an average human and can blend into society quite well. It is commonly encountered on empty roads, stores or buildings late at night when no one is around except for its potential victim.

The common routine for a Nopperabo is to appear as a person with their back turned towards the victim, the victim might ask them for directions or some other inquiry which is when the Nopperabo’s true appearance is revealed. They turn around and reveal that they have no face. In some cases they appear to have a face only to remove it in order to maximize their reveal.

Nopperabo have been known to work in groups to increase the horror for the victim. As the victim runs away in horror they come across someone else and tries to explain what happened only for the individual to reply “Oh, you mean like this?” causing the person to repeat their horror and actions from before. This might happen multiple times to one victim and might even continue when they run home to tell their spouse of what happened only for them to reply “Oh, you mean like this?” since Nopperabo are able to impersonate relatives.

Though a Nopperabo might cause great horror and distress to an individual they fall under the prankster category of Youkai and don’t directly cause any harm to their victim.

Image and information Source: http://yokai.com/nopperabou/