Within the storytelling revivals, there are frequent references to the concept of the ghosts of previous tellers standing behind the teller as they tell. The term ghost is not always used, people might also talk of ancestors or just of standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before. But what does the term ghost actually mean?
Established in the spelling we now know by the end of the 16th century, it comes from old english, via the germanic languages – gast and other similar terms. Meanings focus on the soul or spirit as principal of life, and the soul as separated from the body, it is only in more recent times that the meaning has coalesced around the soul of the deceased, and not also the living. Other current meanings, mostly metaphorically collected are such things as a thin trace or outine, or an ephemeral sensation such as ghost of a chance.
I am fascinated by some of the speculation on pre-teutonic roots of the word in the OED, which suggest meanings of rage and anger or of a tearing apart. Both seem to me to be interesting. There is a madness or rage and a tearing in separating the soul from the body. It also loops us back round to the rage to tell stories.
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Gonna lose my welcome to comment after this, but this is a very interesting discussion of ghost identity and performance. The part about roots in rage, anger and tearing apart makes good sense as a common characteristic (except in the “cute” ghosts that appear in modern children’s literature). May I add that the role of soul in ghosts can vary between cultures? The Navajo word for ghost is chiidii (pronounced CHEE-DEE). As a language of very few words, some of them mean much more than their English and Spanish counterparts. While the strict translation of chiidii is ghost, it is also a term loaded with interest in the notion of soul. As a language of no "bad words" (except the ones imported from English), “chiidii” is the worst thing one can call a companion. It means “having no soul” which may not sound too bad of first take until considering that in Navaho, the soul is the source of all value. To illustrate, a new teacher came to the reservation who had been a combat photographer in Viet Nam, lost an eye in the process and kept it covered with a black patch. To match, he also had a very nasty temperament and regarded everything Navaho as somehow unsatisfactory. In a good mood, he liked to brag that the Navaho had named him "The Ghost." What he did not know is that his new name meant a lot more than ghost as mysterious stranger in town. It’s full meaning includes things like "heartless," "having no soul," "dead inside," "contemptible" "disgusting" and so on. You say “chiidii” to your ESL teacher who demands that you to speak English all the time because he can not speak Navaho at all.
ReplyDeleteChiidii appears closely related to common Spanish curse “concha," shortform for "concha tu madre" or "shell of your mother." Another Navaho word for ghost is "anasazi," while adopted into English as the cultural ancestors of many Southwest tribes, the Navajo use the word to mean "bad spirits" and "enemy spirits." For this, the Navaho never go near any of the cliff dwellings or ancient ruins even if they are now National Parks. For these reasons, it certainly makes good sense that feelings of rage, anger, and tearing apart may help interpret the roles of ghosts in stories of all kinds.