Greek and Roman Ghost Stories

by Lacy Collison-Morley, David Ireland (Adapted by)

An exploration of classical beliefs about the dead and the afterlife in ancient Rome and Greece. Tales from necromancy to ghostly hauntings are given with their historical context. The collection was put together during a number of years of casual browsing among the classics, and will perhaps interest others who indulge in similar amusements.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Horror, Classics, Ghost Stories, Ebooks

73 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2022

About the author

1875-

Reviews

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair, but I don't think the Romans were as good at ghost stories as they were their religion (later to become mythology) and political intrigue.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something highly amusing about reading old books. This is free for the Kindle, and it should be noted that there does seem to be some formatting problems.

The book is highly enjoyable, detailing both anicent ghost stories as well as ancient beliefs and rites concerning ghosts. I have to say, I don't buy the Hector ghost story, but I do buy the Achilles.

Of additional interst is how the author viewed classical epics such as the works of Homer. I never really thought of the The Iliad as a love poem.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, although really short. This wasn't just straight up ghost stories, like I expected, but also offered historical context as well. The one draw back for me was that there were a lot of greek words in this, and my greek words I mean words written in greek letters with no romanization at all. So, I don't know if I'd agree with that greek saying that the author used to illustrate a statement, because not only was it in a language I don't speak, it was in an alphabet I could't understand either. And the annoying part of that is, usually I'd just google the word/phrase and see what it is, but again, I don't know the greek alphabet. And that was a bit more work than I was willing to go through.

[Samuel Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fantastic, there’s a reason I live turn off the century ghost tales so much. A perfect kid of skepticism and tale telling, creepy but invigorating, with little time wasted and much talked about.

My copy has no bibliography but has vague-ish footnotes, which is unfortunate as I’ve only been able to decipher a few original sources these stories come from.

I rather liked Achilles’ White Isle and the story of the wife of Alexander’s generals returning to be with her lover (which has a hint of the Japanese Peony ghost story)

[Ion · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deloc ce ma asteptam, dar totusi oarecum instructiva. Cartea este o colectie de cateva mituri si multe credinte pe care anticii le credeau cu tarie si dupa care uneori isi ordonau viata.

Cu ocazia acestei lecturi, am aflat si ca Isus nu a fost nici pe departe singurul mort care a inviat (cu toate ca el a facut-o mai repede decat altii, dupa doar 3 zile - cifra considerata pana atunci, dar mai ales dupa, ca fiind magica sau sacra, facandu-si aparitia constant in religie, mitologie si filosofie).

[donnabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perennial ghost stories from antiquity - clanking chains and all.

[Todd Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched, I enjoyed the read.

[E. Liako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly delightful! Might actually buy a physical copy just to annotate the most interesting parts!

[Alexander Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but difficult to tell for accuracy.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book with some interesting ghost stories.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ghost stories

These stories give a glimpse into what Greeks and Romans thought about ghostly spirits. These stories help us understand their concept of what happens after death. The stories are delightful and make the reader wish the book was longer.

Give the book a try. You won't be disappointed!

[laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful exploration of classical beliefs about the dead and the afterlife. The author provided numerous examples and kept the writing interesting. The reader also had a nice voice and reading style.

[Chris Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short!

[Jolie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quaint, quick, quality tales. None of which are exactly surprising, but all give a nice little look into the Greek and Roman paranormal culture.