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The Ghosts Of the Haunted Himeji Castle In Japan

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Explore the supernatural stories of Japan’s Magnificent Haunted Himeji Castle and find out why this iconic castle is said to be haunted by both monsters from the Japanese Folklore and tragic ghosts from the castle’s history.

Himeji Castle (姫路城) in Japan is widely known for its grandeur and beauty and one of the countries most recognizable landmark, and a perfect place to watch the cherry blossoms in the spring. 

Himeji Castle may also be known as one of the nation’s most haunted places. Mysterious fog, strange shadows, and eerie sounds have been reported by many who have visited this iconic fortress and legend has it that ghosts appear often here.

Read more: Ghost Stories from all over Japan both new and old.

The History of Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle in the Hyōgo Prefecture was first built in 1333 by Akamatsu Norimura as a fort on top of the hill, however a more grand version of the castle was created by Toyota Hideyoshi in 1581 and is today Japan’s largest castle. 

Over time, the Himeji Castle has undergone many renovations and changes to become the majestic structure it stands as today with 83 rooms and has stood almost intact even after wars like the bombing of Himeji in WW2 og natural disasters like the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. 

The Himeji Castle is known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō, meaning the White Heron Castle because of the white color and architecture meant to look like a bird taking flight. 

Himeji Castle: (姫路城, Himeji-jō) is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō (“White Egret Castle” or “White Heron Castle”) because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight. It is also remembered as one of the more haunted places in the country.

The roof tiles of the main tower of Himeji Castle is filled with traditional Kawara ceramic tiles that according to local lore hold mystical powers. The tiles are decorated by Onigawaras, ocra shaped tiles witting at the end of the ridges. These creatures are said to repel evil spirits and protect the castle. Question is, have they really repelled all evil spirits inside?

Many theories point to a long history of secrets and tragedies throughout its lifetime, leading some to believe that it is home to the restless spirits of the past that even the magic tiles are unable to repel.

Ghost Stories in Japan

Legends have been surrounding the maze-like construction of Himeji Castle ever since it was built, often told in summer during the Japanese holiday Obon where they celebrate the spirit of the dead. One of the most famous stories about this castle tells of a “White Lady” who appears on a moonlit night, wearing white kimono as if she were a bride. 

Read more about: Ghosts in Japan

This is linked to one of the most famous ghost stories in Japan called Banshū Sarayashiki  (播州皿屋敷), or The Dish Mansion in Harima Province that have a version of it set to Himeji Castle. A famous Kabuki play that was put on the big stages to bring out fear in the hot summer months when ghost stories theatre was all the rage.

Okiku was a servant that was falsely accused of losing one of the ten valuable plates of her lord’s family. The Samurai master she worked for was angry at her for rejecting him and he hid away the plates to trick her into becoming his lover. She refused again, even if he said he would overlook her mistake of losing one of his valuable plates

Banchō Sarayashiki: The print depicts the ghost of Okiku appearing by the well in which her master, Aoyama Tessan, murdered her. From the Thirty-six Ghosts series by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 1890.

Enraged, he threw her down a well where she died. In some version, she threw herself down the well to escape the torment from her master. In either cases, she died in that well. Perhaps quickly, hitting the stone walls, perhaps slowly, drowning in the dark water.

It is said she became an onryō, a vengeful spirit, back for revenge of those who wronged her. The ghost of Okiku tormented her murderer every night, rising from the well and coming up to the mansion again, making him go insane in the end. Okiku was still counting the nine plates, one by one. Only reaching nine everytime, then making a terrible shriek when she again missed the tenth plate.

Read the full story of Banchō Sarayashiki and Okiku: Here

The Haunted Okiku Well

Even though the play is set on several castles, there is but one well that claims to be Okiku’s well that are still haunted and most likely the inspiration of Sadako Yamamura coming out from the well in all white with her dark long hair.

Today there is a well that you can find on the castle of Himeji Castle grounds they say is from the ghost story of Banshū Sarayashiki. And people have reported about spotting poor Okiku as she rises from the well to count her plates. 

The Castle Monster of Himeji Castle

Although there is no hard evidence to prove that this mystical tale is true, the Himeji Castle still evokes a sense of mystery with its hidden passages and dark courtyards. Other supernatural legends often tell of mysterious lights in the night sky, strange noises echoing through the castle’s corridors, or ghostly figures watching over visitors from atop the castle walls.

These stories paint an eerie picture of the enigmatic Haunted Himeji Castle, making it one of Japan’s most intriguing tourist spots for those interested in ghosts and legends.

One of these mysterious creatures thought to dwell inside of the castle walls is a mixture of Japanese folklore and modern ghost stories. This is the tale of what is know known as the Castle Monster, or the Legend of Osakabehime.

The Legend of Osakabehime

The story of Osakabehime (刑部姫) is set at Himeji Castle. Osakabehime is a figure in Japanese folklore as yōkai, a class of supernatural entities and spirits. According to this legend she lives in the castle tower and only shows up once a year to the lord of the castle to tell him about the fate of the castle. 

Osakabehime is said to hate people and hides away in the castle corners and is thought to be an old kitsune. She is also said to be an illegitimate child of Princess Inoe (717-775) the empress consort of Emperor Konin of Japan who was deposed in 772 after she was accused of witchcraft. There are also theories that she is the spirit of the courtesans that Emperor Fushimi loved. 

First, the figure of Osakabehime had no assigned gender and was in the earlier legends like in the Shokokuhyakumonogatari (諸国百物語) from 1677, she was just referred to as The Castle Monster.

Today Osakabehime is mostly considered to be a woman in her 30s, wearing  a ceremonial twelve-layered kimono called The jūnihitoe (十二単) and can read human minds and control animals in many of her appearances in classic literature.

The Monster Osakabehime in the Castle: The jūnihitoe the Osakabehime is said to be wearing is a style of formal court dress first worn in the Heian period by noble women and ladies-in-waiting at the Japanese Imperial Court. Her it is worn by Empress Kōjun (Nagako) at the enthronement ceremony 1928.

A Kabuki play is based on Osakabehime story and is considered as one of the Shin-Kabuki Jūhachiban, a set of eighteen of the best kabuki plays.

Haunted Stories and the Unexplained Phenomena at Himeji Castle

So, perhaps the Himeji Castle have something more than romantic cherry blossom images to give to visitors of this old castle. Some of the most prominent haunted stories connected to Himeji Castle include eerie noises such as groans and murmurs, mysterious figures appearing in photos, and sudden drops in temperature throughout certain parts of the castle. You know, classical haunted castle stuff.

Some visitors even swear that they have seen the spirit of Osakabehime gliding along the castle walls in her unmistakable attire, or they have heard the desperate counting of the servant Okiku as she is trying to find the last dish she is missing. Such unexplained phenomena continue to draw curious travelers every year to look for more than beautiful cherry blossoms falling.

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Osakabehime – Wikipedia

Magic and Ghosts: A Short, Odd History of Himeji Castle – Travelogues from Remote Lands

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The Red Man haunting the Jardin Tuileries in Paris

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In the beautiful Gardens of Tuileries outside of the Louvre in Paris there is sometimes spotted a Red Man. This is thought to be the ghost of Jean l’Ecorcheur, an assassin to Catherine de Medici who ended up being assassinated himself.

The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace directly in front of the Louvre Palace before it was burnt down in 1871 by the Paris Commune, a French revolutionary government that seized power between March to May that year. 

It was built by Queen of France, Catherine de Medici in the 1500s after her husband died to have space for a large garden. Today, the only thing that remains of it is the Tuileries gardens that covers the ground around the Louvre until the Seine and the Place de la Concorde, and if we are to believe the legend, the ghost of the The Red Man. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from France

It is in this stately garden that reports that go over centuries tell about the ghost of a red clothed man appearing throughout history to the visitors. And if we are to believe the legend, the ghost belongs to one of the assassins to the Queen of France.

The Tuileries Palace: Was a royal palace the royal family lived in next to the Louvre Palace. It was burned down by revolutionaries and legend has it that one of those working for the royal court cursed those living inside of the palace as long as it existed. Here the burning of the palace is depicted.

Queen of France Catherine de Medici

One of the people who are supposedly haunting the Louvre was one of the henchmen belonging to Queen Catherine de Medicis who ruled as queen in France from 1547 to 1559 at a time when the country was at constant edge because of brewing civil and religious wars. 

Although her husband, Henry allowed her almost no political power or influence as his queen, she found her own way and is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential women in Europe. 

Catherine De Medici: The Queen of France were a highly controversial queen during her reign, but managed to be a strong political figure in a time of unrest. Portrait by Germain Le Mannier.

She was also known for being interested in the occult, especially because she had problems conceiving in the start, something people attributed to witches among other things people found “unnatural” in a woman. She was also linked to being the creator of the Satanic Black Mass, teaching her son in the Dark Arts as well as being Italian. 

The Butcher Jean the Skinner

Who can this The Red Man be? What we know is true however, was that Catherine had a political agenda and needed people to put that agenda into life. But to act on the Queen’s behest came with great danger. 

The most famed legend of the identity of the The Red Man is about a man named Jean. Jean l’Ecorcheur was a butcher living in the palace and Catherine de Medici’s hired assassin to kill on her demand, both for political as well as various occult reasons according to the legends. Through his work as a butcher as well as assassin, Jean l’Ecorcheur earned his charming nickname, Jean the Skinner or the Flayer. 

Acting as the Queen’s henchmen, he also knew about her and the royal family’s secrets, which were plentiful and the Medici family was known to be a scheming family as well and Catherine de Medici had more enemies than most. Because she feared he would spill these dark secrets, she had him murdered before it happened. There are also rumors that she did it because he tried to quit or make her pay up. Nevertheless, he died a bloody death, but it wasn’t the end of him.    

He was according to legend killed by a man named Neuville in the Tuileries garden where he lived in a hut. Neuville left the corpse in the garden, but when he returned, he was gone. 

The Curse on the Royals of The Tuileries Palace

Catherine de Medici was according to popular belief a spiritual woman with a strong belief in the occult and she went to her astrologist Cosme Ruggieri who had a vision. In the vision the astrologist claimed that Jean would haunt the garden and had cursed all those living there. 

Legend has it that The Red Man rose from the dead and cursed all the French Royals who lived in the palace that were the cause of his death. After this they say many of them died under mysterious circumstances they blamed on Jack the Skinner’s ghost and curse and he was reportedly seen before many deaths almost like a dark omen. 

After this he became known as the Red Man, or the L’Homme Rouge of the Tuileries and if we are to believe the legends, he is still dressed in red and haunts the Tuileries Garden. 

Many claimed to have seen the Red Man before King Henry IV was assassinated on 14th of May in 1610, when Louis XIV died of gangrene in 1715. 

The Red Man was also seen before Louis XVI was executed by the guillotine as a traitor in 1739 during the French Revolution. 

The Lady in waiting for Marie Antoinette supposedly saw The Red Man a few days before the Tuileries Palace was stormed in 1792 in the Salle des Gardes and there is even a written account of it:

“Marie Antoinette’s women were sitting in the Salle des Gardes, when they became suddenly aware of the presence of a small man clothed from crown to heel in scarlet, who looked at them with such unearthly eyes that they were frozen with terror. They rushed to the apartments of the Madame la Dauphine and related their adventure.”

Fleeing the Palace: The Royal Family saw a lot of unrest over the generation, none greater than the many French Revolutions. Louis Philippe and the French royal family fleeing the Palace of Tuileries during the French revolution of 1848

Even Napoleon Bonaparte claimed to have seen what could have been him several times during his reign as the head of the state in France, before the battle of the Pyramids, the Battle of Wagram at his coronation and lastly at the battle of Waterloo. And although he wasn’t really a part of the royal family, he did reside in the palace as the king of some sort. 

However, in many sources they claim that The Red Man was acting more like a warning omen about danger to come than a vengeful spirit after his revenge. 

The Last Sightings of the Red Man

Written accounts went on for ages until the Tuileries Palace burned to the ground in 1971. Twelve men were ordered by Jules Bergeret to pour petroleum, tar and turpentine and light the palace on fire, burning it to the ground. And with tearing the once royal palace, did they perhaps succeed in breaking the curse of Jean the Skinner?

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Red Man: The Tuileries Palace Ghost – Geri Walton

Paranormal Paris: The Legend of the Red Man of Tuileries Palace

Phantom of the Queen’s Assassin

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The Lady in White in Zitadelle Spandau

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An old fortress of protection turned into a prison of a mistress who died and started haunting Zitadelle Spandau where she met her end. And the ghost of the mistress Anna Sydow are said to haunt both the place and the family who caused her death. 

One of the best preserved Renaissance military structures in Europe is the citadel in today’s Berlin, in German called Zitadelle Spandau. It was built in 1559 on top of another fort and designed to protect the Spandau town which is now a part of modern day Berlin. 

Many castles in Germany have stories about a certain Lady in White haunting it, and in Spandau Citadel there is the ghost of Anna Sydow. 

Anna Sydow was the mistress of the Brandenburg Elector Joachim II. Joachim II was a part of the Hohenzollern who has been rumored to be plagued by the ghosts of a Lady in White. Anna Sydow is just one of the many rumored to be at least one of them. 

Read more about the curse of the House of Hohenzollern: Here

Anna Sydow: Portrait of the mistress Anna Sydow who are believed to be the Lady in White that haunts Zitadelle Spandau after she was imprisoned by the son of her lover.

In 1549, the wife of Elector Joachim II suffered an accident which left her walking on crutches. She fell down the floor and impaled herself on a couple of antlers that hung in the room below. Something that the elector thought ruined the marriage and the enjoyment of hunting. He chose then to take a mistress and he chose Anna Sydow. 

During her life as his mistress, Anna Sydow bore him two children and lived in the Grunewald Hunting Lodge for two decades and is also said to haunt the grounds of that place. This was also the place where the wife of Joachim II got impaled and ended up on crutches. 

Imprisoned in Zitadelle Spandau

Johann Georg was the heir and son to Joachim II, and had explicitly promised his father on numerous occasions that he would spare and protect Anna Sydow after he died. But when the elector died in 1571, she was imprisoned in the Zitadelle Spandau until her death in 1575. 

The Zitadelle Spandau was often used to house prisoners of the state for a long time, and Anna Sydow was one of the first. She was arrested under false pretenses though and saw no trial. Although the arrest was unjust, she at least didn’t end up being executed like many others of his fathers old court did. Or according to some of the legends, she was actually murdered.

In any case, Johann Georg felt haunted by her after her death. On January 1st in 1598, Johann Georg saw the specter of a Lady in White that he thought had to be Anna Sydow and died eight days later. 

In 1709, there was a skeleton of a woman found buried inside of the Zitadelle Spandau during renovation, and everyone thought it had to belong to the Lady in White that was plaguing the fortress as well as the Hohenzollern family. They gave her a proper burial in hopes of ending the hauntings, but according to reports, there is still something haunting within the Zitadelle Spandau walls. 

Immured in the Hunting Lodge

There is also this rumor that it wasn’t in the fortress Anna Sydow met her end but in the Grunewald Hunting Lodge. So she is thought to haunt both places as well as members of the Hohenzollern family.

It is a legend that she was immured alive in the small spiral staircase in the western corner wing. Since then she has been haunting the castle around midnight. 

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Edinburgh Castle Ghosts and Legends

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Witches, dragons and ghosts, Edinburgh Castle are said to have it all. The sound of bagpipe and drummers can be heard without anyone playing, and those accused for witchcraft as well as prisoners of wars are said to haunt the old castle.

Although the castle as we know it today wasn’t built until the 12th century, the Castle Rock has been lived on for more than 2000 years. It is built on top of an extinct volcano formed 350 million years ago. The castle itself has been built and rebuilt over the years but you can still find traces of the castle that are over 900 years old. 

It is also the place in Britain that has been attacked most times with a record of 23 attempts to take over the castle. It has a story filled with wars, bloody battles and tortured, and is said by many to be a haunted landmark that watches over the old town. 

Edinburgh Castle: There are so many alleged ghost stories coming from Edinburgh Castle perched on Castle Rock. Among them is the Grey Lady, the missing Piper and little drummer boy. There are also ton of older legends about dragons, black hounds and ties to ancient romans and Arthurian legends. How much of it is really true?

History of Edinburgh Castle

Nine Maidens: Morgan le Fey is said to be one of the Nine Maidens in Arthurian legend. By Anthony Frederick Sandys from 1864.

The castle holds many legends to its name. According to the origin story, the first castle that was built on the hill was named The Castle of the Maidens, built as a shrine to the Nine Maidens, a mysterious and old cult of religion that can be found throughout many countries in Europe. One of these supposed Nine Maidens in Scotland are often attributed to being Morgan le Fay, a mythical figure in Arthurian legend that are said to hold magical abilities.

Even if there are no real substance to her being a real figure, the legends of fantastical magical things keeps being told around the castle grounds. Another legend from older times is the dragon. As far back as 1558 there were several reports about a dragon that was supposedly seen on one of the biggest towers at the time.

Even if there are no more reports about dragon sightings, there are still many urban legends about the castle that lives on to this day. There is also an urban legend that if students pass through the castle gates, they will never pass their exams. Many students are following this rule, and never visit the castle during their stay here, just in case.

Ghosts of the Castle and Haunted Legends

As well as fantastical rumors about dragons and mythical sorceresses, there are legends of ghosts and hauntings. Among the many haunted rumors of the castle, there are reports of the strange sound of drums and music. You can also hear the vague knocking sound you can never be sure to be the wind or something more ominous. 

People report of A sensation of being touched, pushed as well as a feeling of dread and despair can follow you when walking along the stony walls. There are also reported sightings of curious lights and flaky figures in the shadows. It is said a black dog is haunting in connection to the pet cemetery on the castle grounds as well as a man in an apron. But there are some ghostly legends more told than others:

Ghosts from the Witches Burned at the Stake on Castle Ground

One thing the castle was in the lead for was for burning more witches during the 16th century than the rest of the country. Over 300 women were tortured before being burned at the stake at Castle Hill, everything from simple peasants to noble women.

Among them, Dame Euphane MacCalzean, accused of witchcraft in the North Berwick witch trials. She was found guilty and burnt alive on 25 June 1591 on the southern slope of the Castle Hill below Edinburgh Castle.

The North Berwick Witch Trials: Dame Euphane MacCalzean was a notable figure in the North Berwick witch trials of 1590-1591, one of Scotland’s most infamous witch hunts. A well-educated woman of noble birth, she was accused of conspiring with witches to raise storms against King James VI’s ship during his return from Denmark.

Some believe the spirits of these women linger still, their pain echoing across time. if we are to believe the haunted legends, there are perhaps one or two of the accused witches that are haunting the castle.

Red More: Check out Agnes Sampson — The Wise Wife of Keith to read about another haunt from one of the victims who were convicted and killed in the North Berwick Witch Trials.

The Lone Piper Boy Playing Under the Royal Mile

Walking in the historical city of Edinburgh, the sound of bagpipes is heard on every occasion. On a random street corner, from the tourist shops, during a parade or as a part of the historical landmarks. Bagpipes are the thing, perhaps even from the ghosts of the city.

The Piper: The Bagpiper by Johann Christoph Erhard.

The most famous ghost that is said to haunt the castle is the piper that was sent down to explore some tunnels they found ran under the castle towards Holyrood Palace a couple of hundred years ago. A young and small boy that would get through the network of tunnels. 

According to the legend, the regimental piper played his pipe as he ascended down the Royal Mile, stretching through the old town from the castle. Halfway down the mile to Tron Kirk the music suddenly stopped.

A search party was sent down to investigate after the music stopped, but the piper was never found again, and they sealed the tunnel’s shut so no would could get in… or out… According to legends though, he was certainly heard. He is said to walk the royal mile to this day and the unmistakable sound of bagpipes can be heard from underground. 

So perhaps walking down the Royal Mile, the sound of the bagpipes echoing throughout the whole city might as well be from the ghost piper?

The Headless Drummer Boy

Another ghost that has been sighted on several occasions is that of a little drummer boy without a head. He was first seen in the central courtyard of the castle in 1659, a year after Charles I was beheaded. He was walking in circles, drumming his drum playing an Old Scottish war tune. When the castle servants looked closer, they saw that he didn’t have a head. It is said that he drummed all through that night and continued until the morning. 

Although he has not been seen again, he is considered a bad omen if he ever appears again. The same year he showed himself, Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland and laid siege to the castle. Is this enough to give credit to the legend?

Even though no one has seen him since that fateful night, the servants working at the castle have throughout the years claimed to have heard his drumming in the quiet hallways of the castle from time to time. Who knows… Perhaps the next time someone sees the drummer boy, the castle will once again come under attack?

The Grey Lady Haunting the Halls of Edinburgh Castle

A mysterious lady has been reported staying in the older parts of the castle. Sometimes she is just seen wandering around in her 16th century dress and sometimes she is reported to weep. 

Janet Douglas: Lady Glamis was a noblewoman accused of witchcraft, who was executed by burning during the reign of James V of Scotland.

There are several real nobles she is thought to be: The first one is Janet Douglas or Lady Glamis. She was accused of witchcraft and burned to the stake outside the castle on July 17th in 1537 with her son watching it all. It is said that even back then, they knew that the accusations were wrong, but King James V held a grudge towards her brother and took it out on her. 

Janet also haunts Glamis Castle as The Grey Lady of Glamis, wandering through the family chapel and clock tower.

Read Also: Check out Lady Janet Douglas, Ghost of Glamis Castle to read more about Lady Janet Douglas and how she is said to haunt the Glamis Castle as well.

Others think that the Grey Lady haunting Edinburgh Castle could be the French Marie de Guise, mother of Mary Queen of Scots. She died a catholic and the Protestant nobles held her body inside the castle for nine months before returning her to France, wrapped in a cloth inside a lead coffin. She was then secretly taken to France for a proper burial in the Convent of Saint-Pierre in Reim.

The Prisoners in the Dungeon and Towers

There are also the castle dungeons where they housed criminals for centuries that are supposedly haunted. There were many wars that the castle dungeon saw: the Seven Years War, The American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars just to mention a few.  

According to legend, from one of these wars, the ghost of a prisoner is said to haunt the castle to this day. In 2003, construction crew members restoring the Queen Anne Tower claimed ghosts of prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars harassed them and refused to work there. Who knows what they really saw, but there are certainly rumors. The hazy blue orbs mentioned earlier are said to appear more frequent in this tower than in the rest of the castle.

But who was this prisoner? The legend tells of a prisoner who tried to escape in a wheelbarrow filled with dung that were taken out of the castle. The cart was dumped over the high castle walls and the prisoner broke his neck when he hit the rocky ground below. He now haunts the place and tries to push visitors down Castle Rock. What gives him away is the lingering smell of dung in the air. 

The Legends Living on in Edinburgh Castle

That was some of the ghosts that are said to be haunting the castle. Old places like these will have its history, and through all the bloodshed and Even today, myths surround Edinburgh Castle. Students avoid crossing its gates, fearing it may curse their exams still to this day.

But it’s the ghostly activity that chills the hearts of visitors. Phantom touches, flickering lights, and shadowy figures have been reported. The sounds of drums, faint knocking, and whispers stir something restless in the castle—perhaps spirits that will never truly leave. legends surrounding the place since the first people arrived on the rock, the place will hold its stories.

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References

The Most Haunted Places in Edinburgh’s Old Town – Dickins

Edinburgh’s most haunted locations | The Scotsman

The Headless Drummer Boy – Folklore Scotland

Edinburgh Castle Ghosts

Facts, Fiction And Urban Legends About Edinburgh Castle

Ghosts of Edinburgh Castle

The Most Haunted Place in Scotland | Ghosts of Edinburgh Castle | My Macabre Roadtrip 

Spooky sightings at Edinburgh Castle and the ghosts that are claimed to haunt the halls 

Edinburgh Castle Ghosts – Is Edinburgh Castle Haunted? – Wandering Crystal 

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The Finnish Maiden of Olavinlinna Castle

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Buried alive inside the castle walls, the Finnish Maiden immured still haunts this medieval building of Olavinlinna Castle. 

This is the castle built in the northernmost place in the world in the 15th century. In the heart of the Finnish lake region in the south east, it used to be on the frontline of the unstable border of Sweden and Russia. The Olavinlinna castle is built on a small island overlooking the dark waters surrounding it. 

The Castle of Knights and War

Since it was built in 1475, the Olavinlinna castle was in the frontline of the territorial dispute between Sweden and Russia as Finland for many years was fought over. It was placed strategically to protect the important Savo region and saw many sieges, battles and wars over the years. It held up the defenses for a long time, all up until 1714 when the Russians took over the castle at last and held it until 1917. 

A castle designed for war, it was named after St Olaf, the Norwegian king and saint for all knights. And throughout the years, the castle saw enough bloodshed and death for eternity. 

High on a rock, whose castled shade
Darken’d the lake below,
In ancient strength majestic stood
The towers of Arlinkow.

Donica – A Ballad Poem by Robert Southey (were Olavinlinna castle was the inspiration)

The stories of the castle are plentiful with legends of Finnish water spirits Vetehinen living in the black water surrounding the castle. Although not malicious by nature, dangerous as they are said to drown people when bored. There are also tales of the ghost of a black ram that escaped being dinner at a feast roams the castle. But most famously, there is the story of the Finnish Maiden that was immured inside the Olavinlinna castle walls. 

The Finnish Maiden

The Finnish Maiden is not only a local legend from the castle. The image of the Finnish Maiden is also used as a personification of the country itself. Often a barefoot young woman in her mid twenties with braided blonde hair, blue eyes and wearing a white or blue national costume. And in paintings she is either depicted as victorious with her fist raised, or as in the painting Attack, where she is attacked by an Russian eagle. And this image is quite fitting for this local legend. 

The Finnish Maiden: In the painting, the Russian doubleheaded eagle is attacking the maiden symbolizing Finland, tearing a law book. Immediately after the painting was finalized, it became the symbol of protest against russification, spreading throughout Finland in thousands of prints. (Painted around 1899)
Photo: Edvard Isto (1856-1905)

Buried Alive Inside the Walls

The most famous story about the Olavinlinna castle is the tragic story about the Finnish maiden that is said to be buried inside the castle walls. She was, according to legend, the daughter of the Lord of the castle at a time when the threat from Russia was ever present and the castle was at the line of defense from the Russian forces. 

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Amidst all of this, she had fallen in love with a Russian soldier and trusted that he would do her no harm. But she should never have done so, as she was betrayed. When opening the castle gate for him, he brought more soldiers with him to attack the castle from the inside. They managed to beat the Russian soldiers and the treacherous lover was killed in the attack. But the tragedy didn’t end there. The maiden was also punished for her foolishness. 

She was condemned to death for treason and buried alive in a wall in the courtyard. Immurement or live entombment was a form of capital punishment, especially in legends and folklore. When used as a method of execution, the condemned dies from starvation or dehydration and it is often a slow and excruciating process.  

The Rowan Tree

Soon after, a Rowan tree sprung in the yard with white flowers blooming from the branches, a symbol of the maiden’s innocence. The tree also had red berries growing from it, red as her blood. 

There is no longer a tree in the Olavinlinna courtyard,and its existence is no way to prove. Neither is the story. What is true is the story of the maiden is not so deeply engraved in the local folklore and the Olavinlinna castle legend it has become one. 

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https://www.kansallismuseo.fi/en/olavinlinna/tarinoita

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB2OH3gxzRU 

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Azzurrina of Romagna

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On the night of the solstice, the sound of a little girl is echoes through the old castle. A little girl with blue hair.

Castle on a Hill: The ghost of Azzurina of Romagna is supposedly haunting the castle Montebello di Torriana.
Attribution: Carlo Pelagalli

The sun lingered for a long time over the mountain area where the castle of Montebello di Torriana was. The castle stands in what was known as Romagna, a historical part of northern Italy that no longer exists. It was a stormy June day, in 1375 with thunder going on all around the castle grounds. Towering 400 meters above the ocean, the castle looks out over the valleys of Marecchia and Uso when it was still under the Papal rule. The earliest name of this castle was Mons Belli, or War Mountain in English. 

That day was the day of the solstice. The lord of the house’s daughter, Azzurina was playing with a ball, being watched over by her bodyguards Domenico and Ruggero. She was around five years old and running around in the castle with her ball made out of rags. They were distracted for just a moment, and when they turned around, the child was gone. A scream was heard from the castle icehouse and the bodyguards rushed over. Perhaps she had chased the ball and fell? But no trace was left and they were never able to find the child — at least not alive.

The Blue Haired Girl

Centuries later, around 1600 a priest put the legend to paper for the first time as we know of, although the writing itself is lost. The title of the story was Mons Belli ed Deline, hinting that the name was Deline or Adelina, but to most people hearing the legend, her name was Guendalina.  

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Guendalina was a normal girl wanting to play around the castle grounds. But to the people in the castle, she was more of a secret. She was born as albino, which at the time was connected to persons of a diabolical nature. Her mother tried again and again to color her hair darker with pigments from plants. But the black color wouldn’t stay, and the color faded, leaving only a blue tint of it. This is where her nickname, Azzurrina, meaning blue comes from. So instead she was hidden away from the public eye. This is also why her father ordered her two bodyguards to always watch over her every move as he was worried about the superstitions and rumours surrounding his daughter’s affliction. 

The Mystery of the Solstice

Solstice: When the sun is on the sky the longest is the summer solstice. A lot of paranormal rumours surrounds this day, and this is the supposed day the little girl went missing.

What happened to the girl is still debated to this day. Perhaps only a tragic accident? The most gruesome theory is that of her father, Ugolinonuccio, that he himself ordered the death of his daughter because of her being an albino and therefore a problem for him, his reputation and his career. At the time he was supposed to be far away fighting in a war. Even her mere existence is debated as the records of the past are far and few between.

Now, every five year, or to be more exact, on every summer solstice ,strange occurrences have been reported from the castle. Paranormal researchers flock to the place then, to hear “the sound”.

Since the museum opened in the 90s, visitors have heard stories about a child crying or laughing. She is sometimes seen, looking a bit different than the others, running around and disappears in the castle like smoke. 

The Claim of the Supernatural

The sound of a child is what the paranormal researchers find over and over again together with strange images. Shame about the manuscript from the priest that could have given more details, which by the way is more of a claim of existence than a trace of it. However, the first real recording we have of the legend actually dates back to 1989, so quite recent, and very in line with the commercial museum that opened up the next year. 

But as they say on their web site, they welcome all to have a listen for themselves. Have a look and open your ears. Maybe you as well are able to hear the sound of a faint child’s laughter through the old halls of the castle’s basement?

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References

The legend of the ghost of Azzurrina of the castle of Montebello | e-borghi 

Montebello (Poggio Torriana)

Azzurrina – WikipediaLa Leggenda

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The Ghost that Designed Iulia Hasdeu Castle

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Through the power of spiritualism, the bereaved father built a castle designed by the ghost of his dead daughter. And today, the Iulia Hasdeu Castle still stands as a mysterious and haunted place. 

Iulia was the beloved daughter of Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (1838-1907) in Romania. He was a Romanian scholar of both history, philology and a great writer. Iulia was somewhat of a prodigy child as well and read by the age of two. Like her father, she was fluent in many languages and spoke French, English and German fluently by the time she was eight. At only 16, she got her degree in philosophy with plans to continue her studies in Latin and Greek Languages at the prestigious University of Sorbonne. 

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But then on the 29th of September 1888, just a month before her 19th birthday, she tragically died of tuberculosis, a tragic but common way to die in this time. She left behind her many poems, manuscripts and plays to her father who couldn’t move on with his life. That is when he turned to less common ways to keep in contact with his dead daughter.

The Seances to Get in Touch with her Spirit

He was deeply in grief and turned to spiritualism to get in contact with his beloved and missed daughter. There are recordings of over a hundred summaries of these sessions, saying something about his obsession with it.

The Ghost: Portrait of the young prodigy Iulia Hasdeu.

And after he moved to Câmpina which is a bit further north from Bucharest , he spent the time at seances together with the metropolitan bishop, three generals and a processor. All in hope to get a glimpse of his daughter.

He also built an altar for her in their family vault at the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest that looks more like a Greek temple to pay tribute to her. But this altar was not enough for him to keep as a memento and after six months of trying to reach her in the spirit world, he made contact, and she gave him instructions to build a castle that would later be known as Iulia Hasdeu Castle. 

Together with his wife, they went to a mansion in Câmpina they decorated as almost a temple to their dead daughter to sort of keep a part of her with them in this world after it was built. He named it Second of July after his two Iulias as his belated daughter was named after his beloved wife.

Then the plans of the castle started to take form. Hasdeu claimed that he had received messages about the building plans for it through the spiritualism seances he took part in. 

The Building Designs of Iulia Hasdeu Castle from Beyond

Work on the Castle began in 1893 and took a lot of Hasdeus’ time, energy as well as wealth. It is more of a folly house than a full fledged castle. She would advise him to use the numbers three and seven, something she considered to be magical numbers. That is why these numbers repeat themselves throughout the building with three underground rooms, three towers and seven steps to every staircase. 

The building was completed in 1896 and has since seen its fair share of tragedy befall it. It required a lot of reparation, even when Hasdeu was alive. During the first world war as well as the second world war, the earthquake in 1977 where it suffered many damages. But the castle fought back. There even is a legend to this that during the second world war, the Germans tried to loot the place, but failed as they were ‘struck by some mysterious force.’

Spiritualism: During the turn of the century, seances and spiritualism was a big thing. This is a Seance scene in the classic German silent film Dr Mabuse (1922). People would get together with a medium in hope to make contact with a spirit beyond the grave.

Today the Iulia Hasdeu Castle is still a sort of altar in Iulias memory. With her personal belongings as well as transcripts of the seances that her father attended. The castle itself is described to have a spooky vibe over it, perhaps because there are entire rooms designed specifically for spiritualists rituals, with seats made for the attending ghosts. A shrine like this was bound to get more sinister rumors about it, and it was claimed that Hasdeu used it to worship Satan rather than memorializing Iuelia. 

The Ghost of Iulia

The Iulia Hasdeu Castle is not the only place she is reported of haunting. Also back at the cemetery in Bucharest, the ghost has been spotted, dressed in all white while walking through the cemetery in Bucharest holding daisies. 

Back In Câmpina at the castle they have also felt her presence. In the night there is the sound of piano playing with the applause and cheering from an old man. So many rumors that the museum itself had troubles finding someone to take the nightshift at the museum. 

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Discover Iulia Hasdeu Castle | Daytrip

Iulia Hasdeu Castle: The Eerie Romanian Castle Designed by a Ghost

Iulia Hasdeu Castle, where mystery and culture go together

Iulia Hasdeu Castle

Iulia Hasdeu Castle: Spiritism, romance and science all in one – The Romania Journal

http://www.muzeulhasdeu.ro/index.php?meniu=71

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O-shizu, Hitobashira — The Human Sacrifice of Maruoka Castle

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Chosen as Hitobashira, a human sacrifice to ensure the construction of Maruoka Castle, O-shizu were promised a bright future for her children. But when the promise were not honoured, her ghost came back to haunt the castle grounds.

The Maruoka Castle (丸岡城) is sometimes called the Mist Castle (霞ヶ城), because according to legend, there will be a protective mist around the castle whenever an enemy is close to hide it. It stands on the top of a hill protected ramparts as well as a pentagonal-shaped moat and perhaps it is the spirit of the human sacrifice entombed in the castle’s foundation that keeps it hidden in the mist? 

The Maruoka Castle is one of the oldest castles in Japan, sometimes called one of the twelve original castles and is located in the Fukui Prefecture and built at the end of the Sengoku period around 1576 by Shibata Katsutoyo. According to the legend, it was built with a human sacrifice to ensure its endurance.

Hitobashira — Human Sacrifices Entombed in Buildings

The act of a human sacrifice to be a pillar of a building can be seen throughout the world. In Asia, it was especially done to appease the deities and for protection. In Japan, the practice is known as Hitobashira (人柱), meaning human pillar and has been used since the 500 AD at least. 

As well as the spiritual belief it was believed that large constructions like castles, dams and bridges would destroy the feng shui of the land because of the moving of the soil. Because of this, the buildings would then be in danger of all sorts of disasters, both natural as well as man made disasters. The cultural practice of Hitobashira was done then to protect against evil spirits, natural disasters and to make the buildings strong. 

It wasn’t necessarily people that were forced to become the human pillars. Some actually chose this path for various reasons. The word Hitobashira can actually be linked to becoming a God as well. Hito is related to the word, kami, which means God in the Shinto tradition. Bashira can be a term used when being enshrined in an important way. So that the sacrifice would actually be more connected to the gods. 

But then again, there were also more earthly reasons to choose to become a Hitobashira. Poverty for one, as is the case with the Hitobashira that are under the grounds of the Maruoka Castle. 

The Human Pillars of Maruoka Castle

When they were building the Maruoka Castle, they kept running into problems that they couldn’t seem to find a solution to. The stone walls kept collapsing no matter how many times they tried to set it up and they were running out of ideas. Then a vassal suggested that they should have a hitobashira, a human sacrifice. 

The choice fell on O-shizu, a one-eyed woman with two children to feed. O-shizu agreed to be the sacrifice on one condition, that one of her children would be made a samurai. She was a poor woman and this way she could ensure a safer future for her children. 

O-shizu was then buried under the pillars of the Maruoka Castle, one stone on top of the other as she was slowly being crushed to death. It is said she was stoically standing there as the builders slowly killed her, fully knowing her children would be better off. After the sacrifice were done, the walls didn’t budge and the building of the rest of the castle continued without further problems. 

But Shibata Katsutoyo, the one building the castle didn’t follow through on his promise of making her son into a samurai, she came back to haunt Maruoka Castle. Her spirit became resentful and she was the cause of the moat overflowing every spring by the rain.  They called the rain that overflowed the moats the ‘Tears of O-shizu’.

To appease the spirit they erected a tomb to sooth her spirit and we today have a handed down poem about her haunting:

“The rain which falls when the season of cutting algae comes Is the rain reminiscent of the tears of the poor O-shizu’s sorrow”

The Maruoka Castle Today

Today we probably would say that the Maruoka Castle had a problem in its design, not because of the deities. And had it had a more stable way of construction, a hitobashira would probably not have been needed. But again, the castle is still standing to this day, so who is to say, really?

Cherry Blossom Festival: Today the Maruoka Castle is known for being a good place to watch the cherry blossoms every spring more than one of the hitobashira buildings.

Today when the mist is clearing and the castle is visible, there are cherry blossoms blooming in the spring. The castle grounds is a part of Kasumigajo Park and is well known for its 400 cherry blossom trees. There is an annual cherry blossom festival during the first three weeks of April. And in the evenings, there are over 3000 paper lanterns lit up in the dark. 

Perhaps this is appeasing the ghost of O-shizu enough to not overflow the moat with her tears anymore?

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Featured Image: baku13/Wikimedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitobashira

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maruoka_Castle

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The Mistletoe Bough – The Bride in the Chest

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The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough or the Mistletoe Bride is a ghost tale that many big houses claim as their own. Bramshill House is one of them, and the story of the dead bride trapped in the chest haunts the already haunted place. 

Buried Alive: On Christmas Day the tale of the Mistletoe Bride that gets trapped in a chest and dies is told and retold throughout England.

A girl will always remember her wedding day, and making the wedding be held on Christmas day will surely make it easier to remember the wedding anniversary. But more people will remember it, if the bride turns into a ghost. 

This is the case of the bride of Bramshill House in Hampshire, one of Britain’s most crowded paranormal places. And although many big houses tries to claim the ghost of the bride in the oak chest as their own, Bramshill could be one of the choices with no less than 14 ghosts they claim wander there. 

Deadly Hide and Seek

In the early 17th century a girl named Anne Cope was to be married in this house. Anne is the name in some accounts, Genevre Orsini in others. English in some accounts while she was believed to be Italian in others. What remains the same is that it was Christmas Day and everyone was in a festive mood. She and her husband, Sir Hugh Bethell celebrated after having taken their vows, and as the old custom went, she was to be escorted to the marital bed.

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But before the party was over, the bride wanted to play a round of hide and seek, where the target to be found was her. And after a five minute start the search began, but to no avail.

Searching the whole house, the guest came back empty with no sign of the bride. Perhaps it was a trick from the bride? Could she just be exceptionally good at this game? But as time went on, the innocent prank she could have played on the guest turned into a dangerous one. 

Many believed the bride had fled from her marriage. Her husband Hugh on the other side, spent decades searching for his bride that was lost. It was only after fifty years the mystery surrounding her disappearance came into light, and then her haunting had already began.

It is not the only ghost story from England that starts at a wedding during Christmas.

Read the full story of Fatima’s Harp

Hugh, now an old man, was in the attic, still searching. Having been through the mansion so many times, one should have thought there could be no more things to be found. But then, when knocking on some oak panelling, a secret door he didn’t know about suddenly opened. Inside the door was a room with a wooden chest. It was locked. Inside the chest when he finally got it open, the remains of the bride he had hoped to spend his life with, still in her wedding dress, holding her bouquet of wilted flowers, she had been by his side all this time. 

In the lid of the chest the bride had been trapped in, there were signs of nails scraping in her dying efforts to escape, to get out, but she never would. 

The Bride in the Oak Chest

The Chest: Although the original chest was removed in 1812, there is always a chest in the houses claiming the ghost.
Photo: Country Life page 435 by Edward Hudson (1854–1936

So many accounts of the white lady has been reported at Bramshill House. Even Michael the first of Romania asked to move room after the white lady kept passing his room during his stay there. And you can sense her arrival by scent, lily of the valley, which was Anne’s favorite. 

Not so many remember her wedding, her death, all in one. She is remembered as much, although her real name is disputable, the name Mistletoe Bride remains. Poems, movies, books and folklore retells about the young bride in the oak chest. 

The same story was retold by Susan E Wallace in 1887 as ‘The Old Oak Chest’ and by Henry James as ‘The Romance of Certain old Clothes’ in 1868. The old tale also made it onto the silver screen in 1904 when Percy Stow made the short film ‘The Mistletoe Bough.’

And every Christmas, her death is retold again and again, without her ever being found alive. 
“Oh sad was her fate! In sportive jest,
She hid from her Lord, in an old oak chest.
It closed with a spring and her Bridal bloom,
Lay withering there in that living tomb.”

The Mistletoe Bough by Thomas Haynes Bayley
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The Bramshill House Bride, or the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough

https://books.google.no/books?id=dogvornHYEAC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=ginevra+chest&source=web&ots=TG2RwFaz3b&sig=SYANGBWZkYlcjQbqizM6iAESkRo&redir_esc=y#PPA33,M1

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A Royal Haunting at Christmas

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Every Christmas, the royal ghost of Anne Boleyn is said to visit her childhood home as a spirit.

One of the more famous ghosts that know how to travel, is the ghost of the infamous Anne Boleyn. Most known for the wedge between the State of England and the Catholic Church in the time of the Tudors. The peoples perception of her at the time was awful, and it would be understandable if she felt some sort of resentment or sorrow for how her life ended, even in the afterlife.  

A Well Travelled Ghost

Anne Boleyn: The ghost of the former queen has been spotted many places in the UK after her death.

As ghost sightings go, perhaps the Tower of London is a more well known place for ghost sightings of her, as this was the place she was held imprisoned and executed. But it is far from the only place paranormal sightings of the former Queen have been spotted in the UK. She has also been spotted in Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and Rochford Hall to just name a few. But in the spirit of Christmas, we are going to have a look at where the royal ghost spends her Christmases in the afterlife. 

Every Christmas she is said to make an appearance at Hever Castle, at least it is now expected. Christmas was supposedly her favourite time and Hever Castle was her childhood home with good memories. And contrary to how her ghost is seen at other locations, headless and darkly dressed for instance, it is said she is seen as more happy and content when spotted here.

Christmas at Hever Castle

The castle was built in 1270 in the rural part of Kent, and although relatively small compared to many other castles we can see in England, it came to play a big part in England’s’ history as it was the seat of the Boleyn family. This is also the place where Anne and Henry first met, when he was still married to Queen Catherine of Aragon, and had an affair with her younger sister, Mary. 

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She is often reported to be seen under a big oak tree that stands on the castle ground. This is the place Anne and Henry spent a lot of time courting. Although the ending for the couple was one of the most dramatic break ups in British history, the courting seems to have been genuine. Henry is said to have written her at least seventeen letters, begging her to be his, and the length he went to marry her, spoke to how much he wanted her in his life. 

The Tragic Ending

Hever Castle: This is the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and were she is seen every Christmas. It is now open to public.
Photo: Hever Castle, Kent/ijclark

Although they did get together in the end, their match was a very unpopular one. In order to divorce the queen, he had to part with the Catholic Church, and Anne was in the public eye a witch, a heretic and a seducer that was a danger to the empire and papal law. They never had a son, but their child Elizabeth the first turned out to be one of England’s longest reigning queens. 

But after several miscarriages, never ending gossiping and pressure from all sides, their love turned sour and in the end, Henry found another one and decided to get rid of Anne, in a most dramatic way. On the charges of treasury and adultery and incest with her brother, she was sent to the Tower of London and sentenced to death. On May 19th in 1536, she was executed by beheading at the Tower. 

Popular Sightings

With a such an accessible place with such a famous ghost, the reports about sightings has been plentiful. Like in 2015, when a tourist at the castle captured something on camera he was certain had to be the former queen by the fireplace.

The Ghost: Liam Archer captured this photo in 2015, convinced it was the ghost of the queen.
Photo: Liam Archer/Daily Mail

‘I believe there is something important historically inside the fireplace she wants me to recover.’, Mr Archer that took the picture told the papers at the time.

Who is to say for what reason Anne has to haunt her childhood home, let alone England as a whole? In any case, her imprints on the course of the history, religion and the royal line, was irrevocably shaken by her life and work.

It has also been said she has been seen walking across the beautiful bridge on the premise that crosses River Eden, perhaps on her way home to the place of her happy and innocent childhood.

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Anne Boleyn’s ghost captured on camera at Hever Castle

Ghost of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle