White Ladies (Weisse Frauen, Weiße Damen) appear in folk and pagan traditions of Germany and other parts of Europe. White ladies manifest as warnings, guides, helpful spirits or wailing women. They may be revenants, ghosts or the Goddess Frau Holle herself.
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White Ladies or Women in White may gather in groups but most often walk alone. Like the creatures of faerie, tree spirits, nixies, elves and imps, they're originally nature spirits. They can also manifest as Undead revenants or vengeful victims.
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Other white-clad entities include forest elves who come into the meadow to dance, and may leave fairy rings of mushrooms. They can draw a passerby into their circle, and the person enters a dream state perhaps never to return.
White Ladies are spirits of nature magic, Elfin origin, or spirits of Queens, peasants, nobles, lovers, brides, grieving mothers or wives. They're warriors of light or ancient goddesses like Frau Holle and Perchta. White Ladies manifest for various reasons.
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Often a White Lady appears at night outdoors. She carries a lantern and may call or wail. She might appeal for help. This is common to Undead spirits and later "Woman in White" ghosts. As a White Elf the Weisse Frau may bring blessings of fortune or advice.
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If she's seen walking through a field or orchard she's a sign of good luck and fruitfulness of the earth. Although they're often protector entities, Women in White don't have wings like angels or Lamma spirits.
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White Ladies who number among the Wiedergänger as revenants or justice seekers are once-mortal women. As a warrior figure the White Woman can manifest as an vengeful spirit to destroy those who harmed her.
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Women who do evil in life can rise as Undead spirits to do good deeds for redemption and freedom from torment. Other revenants include headless horsemen, fire men and some Aufhöcker, who jump on a person's back and get heavier.
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Some White Ladies appearing as Wiedergänger are women who died a terrible death by murder, in childbirth, a fatal accident or suicide. These women manifest as spirits in pain. They might bleed or have hollow eyes, or join the Wild Hunt with others of the Undead.
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Despite a sometimes fearsome appearance, and apart from vengeance, White Ladies are not known to harm humans or other animals. An Undead White Lady can be helped, for example if a murderer is brought to justice, or a task or message left undone is completed.
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Castles such as Düsseldorf are reputed to be haunted by Women in White. The same is said of Gothic cliffs in Quebec City, Canada, where a white-clad woman hurled herself to death for unrequited love.
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White Ladies usually manifest outdoors, in a forest, near water, on a hill or natural feature. They're also seen in courtyards and at crossroads. A White Lady may appear at the door of one who is about to die. Conversely she may watch over sleeping children.
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She warns of mortal danger. If she says a person's name, that person will die within a year and a day. She can precede plagues or epidemics, or foretell death of any who see her. She wanders to different locations or may seem to appear in two places at once.
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The White Lady is often equated with ancient Germanic goddess Frau Holle, who also embodies a warrior aspect and is among the leaders of the Wild Hunt. Frau Holle is associated with infant mortality as she cares for the souls of children who die in infancy.
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A White Lady might appear in a photo or other media of a person who will soon die. In such predictions and warnings Frau Holle and the White Ladies are not seen as evil. They don't cause the death, just foretell it. Not surprisingly, people are afraid to see them nonetheless.
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At sea, a Woman in White appearing to sailors is a prophecy of danger, such as an oncoming storm, attack or sickness. She may seem to be standing a distance out to sea. If a White Lady appears to one about to embark on a journey, it can be a sign of danger.
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Ilsa, an enchanted shepherdess of the Heimchen, has attributes of a White Lady revenant. She tends sheep in hopes of redemption for unknown evil deeds. White Ladies play key roles in the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction series novel Poltergeist.
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White Ladies often try to communicate with mortals, to give a warning or guidance. They help protect children lost in the woods. From origins as nature spirits connected to Elfin magic, today they're more often depicted as ghosts, and every castle has one.
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