In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the
soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form
or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts
vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy
shapes, to realistic, lifelike visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the
spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a
séance.
