The Haunted Vessel: Objects

Since I’ve discussed items being used in magic to embody a person, I think the next logical step is to look at items which actually do embody a person: haunted items. There is a wide-spread belief in the paranormal world that spirits remain here because of their attachment to physical things; be it a person, place, or even possession. This could be for any number of reasons…perhaps it was involved in their death, or had a special meaning in life.

There’s actually a show out right now that explores this concept, Haunted Collector. Now as a disclaimer, I really don’t like the show. I find it entertaining, but lacking any real scientific or moral backing. There’s a lot of controversy around it right now, as many believe the participants to be defrauding their “clients.” However, that aside it is entertaining and does discuss the idea of haunted objects.

Rather than the entire house of an individual being haunted, it may just be that there is an object within that a ghost has attached to. Haunted dolls often fall into this category, such as Robert or Anabelle. The Haunted Collector website has a virtual museum of its pieces, discussing the origins and supposed supernatural abilities of each.

If you Google "haunted object" you'll get a metric ton of websites devoted to everything from dolls and paintings to music boxes and even pieces of clothing. Here are a few of my favorites of the most publicized ones.

"The Hands Resist Him"

Some may recognize this painting from its internet fame as "that haunted eBay painting!" I remember coming across this several years ago when it was first making the rounds, and it's still at the top of my list. If nothing else the painting itself is creepy. Serious child? Check. Creepy expressionless doll? Check. Strange, somewhat horrifying background with disembodied hands? Check!

However the painting gained its fame when it was sold on eBay with the details that it was haunted. The sellers claimed to have had odd experiences, as well as feeling ill when in its presence. Also, as was confirmed by the artist himself, several people in connection with it died not long after coming in contact with it. Either way it's a very creepy painting!

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Mirror

This hotel is known not only for its historical guests, but for some apparently spiritual ones as well! A mirror which currently hangs in the hotel was previously installed in the favorite suite of the one and only Marilyn Monroe. She had a great fondness for the Roosevelt, and supposedly she hasn't left yet. Hotel staff and guests alike are said to have seen Marilyn's reflection when looking in "her" mirror. She is also purported to haunt their ball room as well.

Of course no haunted object post would be complete without including both Robert the doll and Anabelle. I've discussed these two in their own entries, so if you don't know much about either, go check them out!

More information on "The Hands Resist Him."

Haunted Roosevelt Hotel mirror: Wiki, article.

The Haunted Vessel: My favorite voodoo doll.

The above title is from Voltaire's song "Don't Go by the River," a piece that sings of New Orleans and its darker side. I've done Haunted Vessel pieces in the past about the purpose of dolls in magic and religion, but I don't think I fully explored it enough.

I won't delve too deeply into magical theory, but the branch of interest for this post is something called "sympathetic magic*." Basically sympathetic magic is the use of an item (or items) as a representation of the person/thing you wish to do magic for. A practical example would be the use of poppets or voodoo dolls. The item is made in the image of the person, sometimes using personal identifiers (hair/nails/etc.). Once you have the doll created, magic is then worked on that, with the understanding that through this method it is also worked on the individual the doll represents.

Obviously this is most famous in some voodoo practices, but this kind of magic has been worked by all different cultures for many, many years. The ancient Romans and Greeks for example had something called curse tablets*, which used a form of sympathetic magic. The individual would create a tablet of varying materials, and inscribe words on it detailing a curse. Sometimes these would be made in the image of a person, but more often they remained in a general tablet shape. The words themselves though would specify a certain person or thing that the individual wished to curse.

Poppets are found in movies and literature as synonymous with witches and/or magic. Ranging from works like The Crucible to more contemporary venues like anime. Ghost Hunt which I have discussed here before, illustrates the use of sympathetic magic in two sets of episodes: After School Hexer and Forbidden Pastime. In both cases sympathetic magic is used in conjunction with "dolls" formed in the shape of a person and named. I won't spoil the endings, but if you're interested you can catch Ghost Hunt on Hulu.

As I mentioned above, voodoo dolls are the epitome of sympathetic magic at least where popular culture is concerned. Voodoo itself is far more multi-faceted than that, but generally most people recognize it for this practice. A voodoo doll is an item made in the image of a certain person, frequently using specific items to connect it to that person. Be it hair or skin or otherwise, these pieces are believed to create a stronger connection/focus with the individual in question. Of course these days you can go out and buy your very own "voodoo doll" in any number of mass-marketed kits, giving everyone the opportunity to do some sympathetic magic should they wish.

*If you're looking for more information on sympathetic magic, Elfie Music (of Paranormal State fame) has a great article here.
**Curse tablet information here. Above tablet picture from this site.

Anniversary

Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of Uriel coming home (aka his first "birthday)! I hope to get out and take some pictures with the birthday boy and Fumi, as I've been quite remiss so far. The decimation of my computer by that virus really knocked me for a loop. I lost everything, doll photos and Haunted Vessel pieces included. :(

However I am starting to get back on my feet and I expect to feature a few HV pieces at once for your reading pleasure. :)

Update: Virus

The Haunted Vessel posts have been delayed a bit by a virus that completely devastated my computer. It deleted everything (programs, files, etc.) in under a minute. :( However the system is almost back up and running, so expect posts again soon!