The Woman in White

There are certain myths and folk tales that seem to be universal, and that’s because the wellsprings of these stories are universal across cultures and time. The White Lady is a ghost that can be found throughout the world in some form or another. From the castles of Estonia to the riverbanks of Mexico, a woman dressed in white can be found lingering far beyond her lifetime.

Her dress is a reflection of her tragedy – sometimes her burial shroud, more often her wedding dress. She’s motivated by anger, jealousy, hopelessness, remorse, and anguish. She has become the personification of it. She seeks those that wronged her, or to offer warnings to others who have experienced pain. Sometimes, she offers wisdom and guidance to those who show her kindness.

Whatever iteration the White Lady takes, whatever culture she’s found in, her story is always rooted in sorrow that is, oftentimes, uniquely feminine. The White Lady has died in childbirth, has been widowed by war, has been forced to marry. She has killed her children, killed her lover, killed her lover’s mistress. She has been both victim of happenstance and the target of deliberate violence.

The stories contained here are by no means a complete catalog of White Lady stories, because these stories, unfortunately, continue to be written to this day. But through these folk tales, like all mythologies, we find a reflection of our cultures and societies – a reflection that we must face, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us. We have a duty to face these dark places, and to learn and help where we can.