[HPforGrownups] Is Peeves a Ghost? was Re: Wizard to ghost?

[IggyMcSnurd]

No: HPFGUIDX 86198


>Hickengruendler:
>
>Peeves is a poltergeist, not a ghost. A poltergeist never lived. I am 
>sure there are people here, who can explain better what exactly a 
>poltergeist is and why it "exists" (in fantasy world, of course). But 
>a poltergeist was never a living person, it's more sort of a 
>creature. That's why Peeves can touch all these things, while the 
>ghosts just glide through it.

Iggy here:

Poltergeists are spirits of mischief, sometimes evil and sometimes
simply overly annoying.  They were never alive, but are often seen as
being a manifestation of a predominant "psychic emanation" of the local
environment, manifesting to cause troubles and problems in a variety of
ways.

In the movie "Poltergeist", for example, it was a manifestation of the
wrath of the spirits of the dead upon who's graves the house was built.
The Poltergeists themselves were not spirits of the dead, rather they
were an embodiment of the anger those spirits felt at the desecration of
their final resting place.

In the HP books, on the other hand, Peeves was probably inadvertently
created, and sustained, by all the students who attend, and live at,
Hogwarts.  All students have a sense of mischief, and pranks that they
wish they could play on their teachers and fellow classmates.  With so
many people in such an area, and for as long as Hogwarts has been
around, especially considering that the people residing on the grounds
are wizards and witches...

All of this has either drawn Peeves to the grounds, or even caused him
to be created.  (After all, we have never heard of Peeves ever leaving
the grounds.)


In more mundane aspects of life in our own world, poltergeists are
supposed to be either the aforementioned manifestations of a pervading
mischievous emotions, or even unconscious use of innate or latent
psychic abilities (such as low level telekinesis) in people who seem to
be plagued by them.  (Some others, of course, have been proven to be
hoaxes.)


I hope this helps...

Iggy McSnurd