Some of the more famous ghosts from around the world:

Duppy:  a West Indian ghost who will appear if coins and a glass of rum are thrown on its grave. Duppies are pure evil. If they breathe on someone that person will become very sick, and anyone touched by a duppy will have a fit. If they don't get back to the grave by dawn they can no longer do anyone any harm.

Mumiai (pronounced moo-mee-eye): like a poltergeist, a ghost who throws things around and attacks people. They especially like to make trouble for people who are lazy or criminal.

Bugaboo: an Indian ghost or spirit, which is said to be friendly, guarding its village against evil spirits.

Wendigo:  From Canada, is sometimes described as a ghost, half-animal, half-human who lives in forests and eats people, especially children. Wendigos are said to have made a deal with evil spirits who also lurk in the forest and help them to kill their victims.

Umi Bozu:   a huge sea ghost who haunts Japanese sailors. It is bald and has enormous, terrifying eyes.

Shojo:  also a Japanese sea ghost is harmless. Shojo have bright red hair and love drinking and parties. In fact they can be lured from their usual pastime of dancing on waves by offering them sake (strong rice wine.)

Hantu Langsuir:  a small ghost with only a head and tail who is always on the lookout for blood.

Toyol:  believed to be a dead baby that has been revived through some demonic ritual. This small creature, which serves the person who has revived it, is said to be green in colour with red eyes and feeds on small amounts of blood.  The Toyol is also believed to be somewhat mischievous and will suck on the big toes of a sleeping person. If commanded to steal, it will only take half of the victim’s treasure.

Hantu Pisang (Mah Meri):  a beautiful ghost that is supposedly formed when the heart of the banana bud is pierced with a nail attached to a thread.

Among the many other well-known Asian ghosts are hantu penanggalan (similar to the hantu langsuir except that it has trailing intestines), which greets the visitor from its hanging position by the tree, hantu pisang , (also called Mah Meri), pontianak and hantu raya. One of the few male ghosts is the hantu galah (said to be a gigantic ghost with extremely long and thin limbs).