Poltergeist facts for kids

Artist conception of poltergeist activity claimed by Therese Selles, a 15-year-old domestic servant of the Todescini family at Cheragas, Algeria. From the French magazine La Vie Mysterieuse in 1911.

Poltergeist (from German poltern, meaning to rumble or make noise, and Geist, meaning "ghost", "spirit", or "embodiment") is a spirit or ghost that is able to move and influence objects. Poltergeists are said to be invisible.

Poltergeists are said to bother only one person at a time. This person is called their "focus". Poltergeists will bother only their focus. They are said to only last a few weeks, then will move on to another target. Often poltergeists are reported around children and adolescents. Some scientists think that poltergeists only exist in a person's head as a result of psychokinesis. They think that the "poltergeist effect" is a result of mental trauma.

Media

There is a 1982 movie called Poltergeist.

In Harry Potter there is a poltergeist named Peeves. However, Peeves is not a classic poltergeist. He can be seen and does not focus on bothering just one person.

Images for kids

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  Epworth Rectory, supposed site of paranormal hauntings in the mid-1710s

See also

In Spanish: Poltergeist para niños