Tales Of The Most Helpful Ghosts From Around The World

There is no doubt about it, ghosts are scary. And most people who think of a friendly ghost instantly conjure up Casper, the helpful little specter who first appeared in a 1939 children's book and eventually evolved into a popular cartoon. Casper may be a product of his creator's imagination, but there really are some spirits out there who mean well. Writer Jennifer Bailey says that lots of ghosts tend to "interact with human beings," which can be "for good or for bad." And on the good side, there are lots of folk tales out there about spirits who warn of danger and perform other good deeds.

While many ghosts appear as a friend, family member or even an historical person from the past, the identity of many remain unknown to those who see them. They may materialize right before you or be invisible, or they might speak or emit a scent to let you know they are there. And surprisingly, some of them actually show up to comfort you or even tell you something you need to know. So while seeing a ghost can be frightening, its appearance might be because it wants to help you or keep you from harm. Stories abound worldwide about such friendly and helpful spirits, what they do and why they do it. Here are some of them.

Built in 1888, this historic hotel in Banff National Park has made CBC's list of Canada's most haunted haunts. With a secret room discovered in 1926 and even one bricked-off room that was allegedly the scene of a murder, the Fairmont is a ghost hunter's dream. Indeed, although the hotel staff continues to offer "legendary hospitality," at least two staff members have departed from this world.

Said to be the ghost of 1960's bellman Sam Macauley, a helpful spirit is on hand at the Fairmont to assist guests by carrying their bags, helping them into their rooms and even turning on the lights for them. Avenue Calgary recounts the story of two women who couldn't get their room key to work. Sam, wearing his period bellman uniform, appeared and opened the door for them. 

Then there's the bride who is not helpful, but she's certainly interesting. Allegedly she somehow tripped on the stairs, may have caught her dress on fire, and died on the staircase. She still makes the occasional appearance. Crackmacs says there's also a headless bagpipe player. Such antics might drive one to drink, but no worries: there's also a ghost bartender who assists tipsy guests.

St. Martin de Porres, according to Britannica, is the patron saint of "social justice, racial harmony, and mixed-race people." No wonder so many churches around the world are named for him, including several in England. In the remote village of Westmeston in Sussex, the Church of St. Martin was built during the early 12^th century. Additions were made in the 14^th century and beyond, making for a most historic building. And as one might guess, St. Martin's has a ghost or two.

Sci-Fi News cites "a strange, eerie phantom" which floats across the churchyard before crossing the road and disappearing into a nearby house. But Metro says the phantom is quite friendly, and has been seen by dozens. Who is the ghost? Nobody really knows, but Paranormal Database describes it as a nun who is said to only appear in the afternoon as she drifts across the grounds and vanishes. Who she is, is anyone's guess, but St. Martin's does feature a lovely cemetery as well.

My Jewish Learning explains that in Jewish folklore, there is a bad spirit and a good one. The bad one, called the Dybbuk, can possess a person and instill evil phenomena upon its victim. The good one is the Ibbur. That's a spirit that appears or even possesses a person but brings positive messages and good things. Put more succinctly, the Ibbur "incubates inside" a person to help them achieve what they want. The Ibbur is selective; only those who are truly special and in need are subject to a positive possession of the spirit. So who are these benevolent spirits?

According to Storytelling Matters, Ibburs are the souls, or ghosts, of good people from the past, perhaps a rabbi or a sage. Or, they could be the spirit of someone "who wants to continue doing good work" in the afterlife. Their ultimate purpose is to keep their "host" on the right path to achieve their dreams or overcome a particular problem. In fact, the host may not even know the Ibbur is inside of them. Writer Rosebud Ben-Oni says that her mother explained the Ibbur is "not a particular spirit," but instead a "state of being" meant to protect you and offer guidance. And who doesn't want that?

In the years since Stobhill Hospital was built in 1904 in Glasgow, Scotland, the facility has served many medical purposes. Stobhill was one of five hospitals offering full services by 1948. The place indeed had a long history by 1975 when "ward sister" Mary McLellan spotted an elderly gentleman wearing a hospital gown, says The Guardian.  When McLellan looked again the man was gone, and she assumed he'd returned to his bed. But another ward sister saw him too, and recognized him. He had died two days previous.

Other ghosts haunted Stobhill Hospital as well. Stories still circulate about a student nurse who believed she saw a fellow nurse walk into a ward. The student followed her to ask her a question. When she entered the ward, however, nobody was there but an unconscious patient who needed immediate medical assistance. Who was the helpful ghost? Nobody knows, but the story remained even after the old hospital closed in 2009. 

 Then in 2016 some teens broke into the abandoned building and were shocked to find the remains of a baby and a brain in a jar scattered around with other items. The new hospital administration explained the items were specimens kept "for clinical and research purposes," but someone didn't buy that story. In 2018 the BBC reported a deliberately set fire burned the former out-patient and radiology buildings to the ground.

The United States has thousands of ghost stories. One of the most unusual ones took place in Colorado with the ghost of a haunted runaway train. A 1955 copy of the Salida Mountain Mail verifies that this story first appeared in print in 1896, about a Denver & Rio Grande train that was headed over Marshall Pass shortly after the tracks were laid circa 1880. Engineer Nelson Edwards and engine fireman Charles Whitehead had just passed through a snowshed when they heard another train whistle from behind. Edwards got a look at the train and saw it was coming upon them at great speed.

After several harrowing moments, during which Edwards and Whitehead sped up as fast as they could and "crashed through" some ghostly specters on a trestle, the runaway train silently drove right off a cliff. The next morning the shaken men found a cryptic message on the train's front window: "Yeers ago a frate train was recked as yu saw – now that yu saw it, we will never make another run. The enjine was not ounder control and four sexshun men wore killed. If you ever ran on this road again yu will be wrecked [sic]." The trouble was, there never was any such accident. But although the Marshall Pass route was discontinued in 1955, the eerie story of the phantom train and its warning remains today.

According to Icy Sedgwick, legends about tommyknockers (alternately known as Knackers and Knockers) originated among Cornish miners in England but also Wales. These short, mysterious little men live in the mines of the world where they can make life for miners easy – or difficult. Legends of America explains that tommyknockers appear greenish in color and usually wear "a traditional miner's outfit." Tommyknockers are an enigma, and not just because of their looks. They enjoy a good joke and are known to steal both tools and food. But they are friendly enough to warn miners of coming danger.

Appalachian History says that tommyknockers are the ghosts of miners who have died in accidents, and that they will knock on the walls to warn of a cave-in. Miners are known to thank the sprites by tossing the last bite of their traditional pasties to the little guys. When some miners began working while listening to the radio in 1929, writer Graham McNamee worried that the sound would drive tommyknockers away. Notable too is that doubters of the tommyknocker's existence risk "misery, injury and death." That theory was shared by Stephen King in his 1987 tome, "The Tommyknockers," which even the author later said was "an awful book" after it was made into a movie.