Ghostly Goings On...

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks.

A bit of an unusual topic to post, this one. But something that has come up in conversation with my family recently that I simply had to share with all of you.

To put it bluntly, my family seems to believe that an item in my collection has brought 'something' into the house. I am not referring to asbestos, moths or bad smells, but rather what appears to be a member of the restless dead. I don't know which item is responsible - although if I had to guess, the relic helmet with the shrapnel hole through it would be it - but it seems various family members have been experiencing odd phenomena that has only cropped up recently.

The one I hear mentioned frequently is footsteps. Every now and then, I'll be asked if I was the one making noise in the wee hours of the morning. I have never heard this myself, but allegedly they hear someone going down the stairs and coming back up late at night, when everyone is fast asleep in bed. This also extends to the floor in the living room, which crackles when you walk on it.

According to my brother - and I take this with a pinch of salt - someone put a hand on his shoulder while he was lying in bed a few nights ago. You could easily attribute this to a dream, but he swears it was as real as if I had done it.

Now, I don't believe in such things myself. I don't even keep an open mind about it. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that I wouldn't experience anything. If a ghost was connected to the things I collect, it makes sense that it would understand what I was doing as a collector. I treat the things I own with great reverence and respect, and so I would be looked on favourably by the deceased ex-owner. My family members share no interest in the hobby, and have referred to the stuff I collect as old junk on multiple occasions. If I were dead and still hanging around, I imagine I'd take offence to that.

Interpret this as you will. Bumps and creaks in the night could be contributed to a myriad of things. It is fun to think about, though. I just hope I don't wake up in the middle of the night with a German soldat standing at the foot of my bed.

Thoughts, everyone?

Regards, B.B.

[Jb4046]

I mean a placebo like effect might play a roll?

I remember when i was younger i used to watch ghost hunters , some show when i watch now believe it as made up, but they always said in each episode “theres high energy or activitiy” around an item. Stories in newspaper and media also sometimes have things based off an effect from a “forbidden” object.

When i bought my iraqi m80 helmet. My sister said “That better not bring a dead iraqi soldier into the house” . Nothing has happened. I would say now a placebo like effect would be increased if it happened to one family member, now your other family members brains will overreact to things and even just make up things since the brain will now try to hear and feel “ghosts”. Frankly i don’t believe in ghosts aswell

[BrodieBartfast]

I mean a placebo like effect might play a roll?

I remember when i was younger i used to watch ghost hunters , some show when i watch now believe it as made up, but they always said in each episode “theres high energy or activitiy” around an item. Stories in newspaper and media also sometimes have things based off an effect from a “forbidden” object.

When i bought my iraqi m80 helmet. My sister said “That better not bring a dead iraqi soldier into the house” . Nothing has happened. I would say now a placebo like effect would be increased if it happened to one family member, now your other family members brains will overreact to things and even just make up things since the brain will now try to hear and feel “ghosts”. Frankly i don’t believe in ghosts aswell

That's essentially my stance. I don't believe in ghosts as apparitions, but I do believe that the inner workings of the human mind are a very complex and indecipherable thing. These items we collect were used in wars, and have been in close proximity to death and destruction on a large scale. In the case of weapons, they will have been used to kill. In the case of uniforms or helmets, the wearer may have been killed. These things saw untold horror, and I think most people pick up on that when in close proximity to them, whether they realise it or not.

Until I hear or see something for myself, I'll remain skeptical. I am about to sell a couple of relic helmets, including the one with a shrapnel hole through it. We'll see if the bumps in the night stop once they've left the house.

B.B.

[HPL2008]

We actually have a previous thread about such matters:

Unusual question: is there paranormal activity in Kurland?

[BrodieBartfast]

We actually have a previous thread about such matters:

Unusual question: is there paranormal activity in Kurland?

I thought I remembered such a thread. Thank you for the link.

B.B.

[Rossi]

I remember only once seeing my grandfather pick up an NSDAP armband in the 1990s and he immediately dropped it. I asked him what is wrong with it? He said its bad. I said it does not look bad. Few blood stands and a tear but for $25.00 it is a steal. He said no it is not & trust me we should not buy it. In the car he said when I picked it up and smelled it and felt of it I knew it was not worth buying. I asked "was it a fake"...Nope, He said I had a feeling come over me that told me not to buy it. I had the hair on my neck stand up like someone was right behind me. It is the only time in all my life I had ever seen him nervous or wary of a historical piece. We walked away. There are times where pieces over the years have almost made me uneasy. I have never had any ghost or spirit encounters.

Rossi

[BrodieBartfast]

I remember only once seeing my grandfather pick up an NSDAP armband in the 1990s and he immediately dropped it. I asked him what is wrong with it? He said its bad. I said it does not look bad. Few blood stands and a tear but for $25.00 it is a steal. He said no it is not & trust me we should not buy it. In the car he said when I picked it up and smelled it and felt of it I knew it was not worth buying. I asked "was it a fake"...Nope, He said I had a feeling come over me that told me not to buy it. I had the hair on my neck stand up like someone was right behind me. It is the only time in all my life I had ever seen him nervous or wary of a historical piece. We walked away. There are times where pieces over the years have almost made me uneasy. I have never had any ghost or spirit encounters.

Rossi

Sometimes gut feelings just have to be trusted. Even if the cause wasn't paranormal, the bloodstains alone would be enough to make anyone uncomfortable. It conveys some very obvious trauma in the item's past.

As someone who currently owns a 'KIA helmet', dug up in Russia, I will admit that out of all of the pieces I own, it is the one that makes me the most uneasy. Not because of the spooks that might be hanging around it, but because it was likely on the head of a young man - a young man much like myself, who lived, loved and had a family - who died cold, alone and afraid far away from home while wearing it. Irrespective of any ghostly activity, that alone is a very haunting thing.

B.B.