Ghostly Types: The Woman in White
A ‘Woman in White’ ghost is a common ghost or spirit. Legend has it, a young woman was spurned by a lover or lost a child. She dies – usually a suicide – and returns as a ghost. Sometimes, she’s vengeful. Sometimes, she continues her sad existence. Let’s learn more about these ghostly ladies and their origins.
Woman-in-White Ghostly Origin
The ‘Woman in White’ legend originates in Mexico as La Llorona, the crying woman. If the legend is true, it’s the story a beautiful woman who loved the wrong man. Dona Luisa de Loveros fell madly in love with a handsome, married man, Don Nuno de Montesclaros. They had 2 children together, but he wouldn’t marry her. This drove her to madness and she killed her children. Authorities found her wandering by a bridge and sobbing uncontrollably. They hanged her for her crimes. She now haunts lonely stretches of road or abandoned bridges. If she finds a child left alone, she steals him away to the ghostly realm or drowns him.
In most instances, these spirits act like residual hauntings. They don’t interact with witnesses. In the 1 in 100 cases, the woman in white ghost is vengeful and attacks people travelling alone. We believe she acts like this due to loneliness: She wants someone to comfort her and forgive her for what she’s done.
Other Types Of Woman-in-White Ghosts
In other parts of the world, there are similar legends and spirits. In Russia, the spirit is called Baba Yaga. She lives deep in a forest, but doesn’t go looking for the living. She waits for them to find her. Then, she guts them and eats them. If you are looking for a lost child in the woods, she may help you find the missing child without out eating you. I didn’t find any information about what exactly she wants from you, but she’ll want something.
How To Clear A Woman-in-White Ghost
How do you banish a woman in white? Hard to say. The spirit may finally move on because her binding energy depletes, or she gets vengeance on the person who spurned her. I didn’t find anything in my research to indicate banishing tactics work.
Our advice, if you see a young woman, sobbing, and walking along dark roads or bridges at night, keep driving and don’t look back.
Jacob Rice began investigating and writing about monsters in 2007. He has published 3 books on ghost hunting, ghost stories and paranormal protection. His podcast, Ghostly Activities, dives into these topics even more. You can also watch his ghost hunts on the Ghostly Activities YouTube channel. He lives in Olympia, Washington.