Conference hydra::dejavu

    What is the difference between phantoms and ghosts?  The dictionary
    (Webster's New World) sort of makes them equivocal, but does specify
    that a ghost is supposed to be the manifestation of a dead person.
    If the "phantom hitchhiker" is not a ghost, what is it supposed
    to be (other than a hallucination)?
    
    Marcia

    re .1:  
    
    Nobody's quite sure.  Maybe they are ghosts, maybe something else
    (e.g., a confused nature spirit?  Visitor from "another plane"?).
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

    The Phantom Hitcher stories I know of all seem to have been ghost
    stories, in that the hitcher was supposed to have died along the
    stretch of road where (s)he waits for a lift.  This would put at
    least those manifestations in line with the theories that people
    who depart violently or "before their time" tend to hang around
    the house or whatever place they expired.  Any books/articles on
    the phantoms that you know of?  I've never seen any, but they have
    always interested me.
    
    Regarding confused (?) nature spirits, I could well imagine phantom
    animals might be such.  Although, one of the best ghost stories
    I heard of (regrettably in my childhood, so the written account
    has long disappeared) was about a dog that was very fond of its
    master and continued to accompany him.  It was seen by friends in
    its old places it used to frequent when it was alive.  Many of these
    friends had not known of its existence when it _was_ alive, so with
    these people at least it was probably not a case of people with
    memories of the dog having spontaneous eidetic recall.
    
    Marcia

    The basic variations on the Phantom Hitchhiker can be found in
    the book _Urban_Legends_ by, um, some academic or other.  It
    is even able to trace the story back to the nineteenth century,
    with the hitcher mounted pillion on the traveler's horse!
    
    The book ends with a plea for the reader to send him any version
    of the legends which the reader has encountered, including the
    teller's phrasing, pacing, location, and audience demographics.
    
    I'll try to get the author's name and address, since I should
    send him the Mrs. Field's Cookie Recipe story, which is an
    updating of the Red Velvet Cake Recipe story included in the
    book.
    
    							Ann B.

    Re .3:
    
    Phantom Hitchhiker stories and reports appear periodically in _Fate_.
     The last I recall (without checking back issues) was about a year
    ago.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    

>     The basic variations on the Phantom Hitchhiker can be found in
>     the book _Urban_Legends_ by, um, some academic or other.  It
>     is even able to trace the story back to the nineteenth century,
>     with the hitcher mounted pillion on the traveler's horse!
>    
>							Ann B.


I believe the academic's name is Jan Brunvand. The books are called:
The_Vanishing_Hitchhiker: (something about legends and myth) and
The_Choking_Doberman: (something more about legends explained).

The Marlboro Library doesn't have them (I tried) but they will get
them via Inter-library Loan (or so they claim).

DDA

RE: .1

These aren't technical terms, so the meaning varies quite a bit with
who is doing the talking/writing but, roughly speaking ...

A PHANTOM is an apparently visually perceived, disincarnate entity.

A GHOST is the disincarnate remains of a deceased person (occasionally
a deceased animal) which still operates relative to the "physical
plane" (i.e., (s)he's *here* not somewhere else).  Most ghosts are
phantoms, but their are exceptions.

Both these terms have the implication of apparent intelligence, though
perhaps rudimentary.

In parapsychology, the technical term apparition is generally used.

An APPARITION is a visual impression of a person (or again occasionally an
animal) alive or dead, known or unknown, who is not physically present.

Anyway, this makes the "phantom hitchhiker", at least as I've heard
the tale, both a phantom and a ghost (and an apparition, too, of course).

		Topher                                                   

    I made it to the library last night.  The book is indeed
    "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their
    Meaning" by Jan Harold Brundvand.
    
    FWIW:  His address is:
    	Professor Jan Harold Brundvand
    	Department of English
    	University of Utah
    	Salt Lake City, Utah  84112
    
    Sorry about getting the title wrong.
    							Ann B.

>     I made it to the library last night.  The book is indeed
>     "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their
>     Meaning" by Jan Harold Brundvand.
>     
>     FWIW:  His address is:
>     	Professor Jan Harold Brundvand
>     	Department of English
>     	University of Utah
>     	Salt Lake City, Utah  84112
>    							Ann B.

Er, ah, you got his name wrong again. It is Jan Harold Brunvand.
The other book is The_Choking_Doberman: (some stuff about lengends).
The_Vanishing_Hitchhiker is pretty interesting. I had heard a couple
of the "legends" as true stories. Alas, another illusion shattered! :-).

DDA

    Yes, it's Brunvand; I'd scribbled it down wrong.  He has another
    book coming out later this month:  The Mexican Pet.
    							Ann B.

    I have an aunt who lives in East Anglia in England. There is a local
    stretch of road that runs almost dead straight: however that is
    the modern road -- the medieval road veers off at one point, though
    it can't be traced on the ground today.
    
    There are regular (3/4 a year) accidents at this point where the
    modern road deviates from the ancient tracks, always at night, often
    in mist. The typical scenario is that a single car veers of the
    road and hits a tree.
    
    Survivors say they were sure they were on the road at the time of the
    accident, though they often notice it getting much narrower just before
    the accident. 
    
    /. Ian .\

    Hi folks!  This is my first response to this conference...which
    by the way I love...
    
    While growing up in North Carolina, I read several volumes of a
    series of books called "Ghosts of the Carolina's" or something very
    similar.  These books were facinating and made quite a few references
    to hitchiker's and "ghosts" who posed warnings to people in danger.
    
    Ann

    Although it's been years since the previous note was posted there may
    be new readers, like myself, still interested and still here at DEC.
    
    My story is well told in the East Bay it's of the Niles Canyon Ghost.
    
    I grew up in San Leandro California with relatives in Fremont, Oakland 
    and San Jose. Through the East Bay Area foothills there is a river
    canyon/gorge called Niles Canyon.  The tale says that a woman in a 
    wedding dress appears on this road and hitches a ride, usually from
    sympathetic single men.  After climbing in the car and riding for a few
    miles, even holding conversation, she vanishes.
    
    This happened to a friend of my cousin's in the '60's.
    
    B

    RE: Hitchhiker
    
    I think you'll find that's an urban legend. Ever city in the US has the
    exact same story. Here in Dallas it's the Lady of White Rock Lake. 
    
    Check out "The Vanishing Hitchhiker" in your local bookstore. (Sorry,
    the author escapes me). He has also done 3 or 4 other books since then,
    all collections of urban legends.
    
    - Russ

Just as -.1 indicates, ghost hitchhikers stories appear just about
everywhere.

In New Mexico, between Gallup and Shiprock lies HIWAY #666 -- many
stories of vanishing riders are told.  (cresendo of eerie holloween
music...).