Four Famous Ghosts from Around the World

Every culture has its own mythology regarding the undead, many of which take the form of a ghost. Here are six of the most famous spirits from around the world.

La Llorona, Latin America

There are many legends of a “white lady” throughout the world, the most famous of which might be La Llorona. After drowning her children for revenge against her unfaithful husband, La Llorona is denied entrance into Heaven and doomed to roam the earth in search of them.

Anne Boleyn, United Kingdom

The famously decapitated Queen of England and wife to Henry VIII is said to roam a number of places like Hever Castle, Marwell Hall and Salle Church, though her most famous haunt is the Tower of London, where she was imprisoned before carrying out her sentence for execution.

Kuchisake-onna, Japan

Translating to “slit-mouthed woman,” kuchisake-onna is a modern urban legend popularized in the 1970s. The ghost is a woman wearing a mask or scarf, approaching potential victims and asking if she’s beautiful. If you say yes, she takes her mask off to reveal a mutilated face, asking the same question again. This time if you say no, she kills you.

Abraham Lincoln, United States of America

Lincoln might be the most famous ghost in America, thanks to both his presidency and the sheer number of people who claim to have seen him or felt his presence, including Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman.