We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Entertainment

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Poltergeist?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 33,431
Share

Poltergeist is a German word from the German verb poltern which means to make noise, rumble or knock, and the word geist which translates as spirit or ghost. In essence, when the terms are combined, you get a noisy ghost, rumbling spirit or a variety of other synonyms. Poltergeists in paranormal studies are often differentiated from other types of ghosts or haunting because of the type of activities they may perform and because they are often closely connected to one resident of a home, often an adolescent girl.

According to accounts of the activities of poltergeists, most of which encounter considerable skepticism by those who don’t believe in paranormal lore, poltergeists tend to move things around, may throw things, and may make loud or quiet noises that disturb people’s homes. Early incidences of poltergeist activity are documented as far back as the 17th century, and occasionally may have been the impetus for accusing people of witchcraft or devil worship.

There are several theories as to what a poltergeist really is. Some believe that poltergeists are not ghosts at all, but are instead telekinetic abilities manifested by a living person in turmoil. According to this explanation, this is why the focus of the incident is on a single person and frequently on adolescents. The turmoil of puberty alone could make some people manifest telekinetic incidents, or children or teens who have been abused might use telekinesis as a way of protecting or avenging themselves.

This is the predominant theory with one of the most well-known incidents called the Bell Witch Haunting. According to Southern US lore, a family in Tennessee, during the 19th century, experienced a peculiar set of noises, physical abuse and finally the death of the father, which ended the disturbances. The movie An American Haunting suggests the incidents were generated by the family’s daughter, Betsey Bell, and also suggests the cause was abuse by Betsey’s father.

Other paranormal theorists dismiss the telekinesis theory and suggest that some people who have died, and not passed on to the next phase of existence may just be mischievous or actually malicious in intent. Particularly if they died with unfinished business or in anger, it’s theorized they may be able to have some impact on the physical world, despite no longer being part of it. They might be attracted to the most vulnerable individual in a family, a child or teenager, because they could be easiest to influence.

It’s difficult to determine if the activities of poltergeists are real or imagined, and if real what the cause might be. Even if poltergeist activity was determined as a likely cause, which was true in least one case in England, the Thornton Road Poltergeist, no one can say exactly what a poltergeist is, or what causes it. The Thornton Road Poltergeist involved peculiar cases of rock throwing at a house on multiple occasions and it was investigated not only by paranormal researchers but also police who used surveillance cameras and personal observation to document the circumstances. The police could not determine the cause of the incident, which they began investigating in 1981, and they officially declared the case unsolvable a year later. There are certainly many incidences of supposed activity that have been faked, but a few cases like the events on Thornton Road, chillingly defy explanation.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

Related Articles

Discussion Comments
By anon255460 — On Mar 17, 2012

I work in a book shop that is built on the site of an old prison. Lately my boss is getting me to lock up and open up, but every morning when I open up and go inside, I find four or five children's books thrown around on the floor and it does not matter what way I put them away the previous night. It's starting to freak me out. What can I do?

By anon126022 — On Nov 11, 2010

When I was a boy of 12 I had poltergeist activity around me at night almost as soon as the sun went down and this went on for about seven months.

When a priest came to bless the house, the house quieted down for a week or so but would start up again with bed shaking and my sheets being yanked off my bed and me being poked at or awakening to feel myself being held by something cold and invisible.

The one thing I am convinced of to this day was whatever it was it wanted to scare me badly and there was a personality behind it that wanted to cause me real harm. Even 30 years later it still gives me the creeps remembering these events with such clarity.

I don't know what I did to attract a poltergeist to me but when it finally went away was when I was able to finally start sleeping soundly again and not having to beg to sleep with my parents or my older sister at night to avoid being messed with.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-poltergeist.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.