The International Ghost Story of the Woman in White

The Woman in White is a familiar figure in ghost stories worldwide. The following story is roughly based on the true tale of Annie L. Jackson, who died beneath that bridge in 1920. She was killed in a car accident, and the driver fled, hoping to escape prosecution. After his arrest, people in North Carolina began seeing a woman in white hitch-hiking underneath the bridge where she died.

Driving down a winding country road late at night, you battle fatigue as the clock ticks well past midnight. The foggy night and the rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers create an eerie atmosphere. Suddenly, through the rainy mist, you barely see the figure of a pale woman in a white dress, standing beneath a curved bridge and waving her long, thin arm to get your attention. She's soaked, and it seems her car must have broken down. You pull over to offer the mysterious hitchhiker a ride.
As you drive, you try to make small talk. "So, uh, have you ever seen that show The Office?" you ask. The woman answers in solemn whispers, "No," and seems hauntingly sad. This launches you into impersonating your favorite bits from the show for the rest of the drive. "Then Michael says, 'Parkour!'…"
You continue, "So, do you watch The Office, or are you more of a Big Bang Theory person?" She whispers back, "Big Bang Theory," still sounding sorrowful.
When you arrive at her home, you leave the car to open her door – but when you reach the passenger side, she's gone. Assuming she had rushed into her house, you knock on the door to ensure she got inside safely. Knock. Knock. Instead of the ethereal woman, a very old woman answers the door. Confused, you ask if Lydia is inside.
"Lydia's been dead for years," says the old woman, her eyes filling with tears. "She was my daughter. And it seems like she's still trying to get home."

Who is the 'Woman in White' ghost?

This spirit is usually described as a female ghost dressed in all white and associated with local legends of tragedy. Her story is fluid, changing to fit the circumstances of each local history. Common themes in these legends include the loss or betrayal of a husband or lover, or the restless spirit of a woman who has lost her children. She may also be a young woman who died before her time or a woman who was murdered and seeks vengeance. Whatever her reason, the result is the same—she walks the Earth long after her death, searching for her children, her murderer, or anything else she needs before she can move on to the afterlife. There are definite similarities to the banshee or La Llorona. The Woman in White seems to combine a wide range of qualities from ancient goddesses, spirits, or demons worldwide.

Sightings From Around The World

Germany

The earliest Western recorded story of a Woman in White was in Germany. In 1625, the Woman in White was first reported to have been seen in the City Palace in Berlin, linking her to several historical figures, such as the guilt-ridden Countess Kunigunda of Orlamünde. According to legend, Kunigunda fell in love with Albrecht the Fair of Nuremberg. He proclaimed that he would marry her if "four eyes did not stand in the way," referring to his parents disapproving of the match. Kunigunda mistook his message and thought the eyes referred to her two children, a son and a daughter. She stabbed their eyes out with a needle, killing both children. Albrecht, horrified by her actions, refused to marry her. Devastated, she made a pilgrimage to Rome to seek forgiveness but died on her way there, leaving her spirit guilt-ridden and restless.

Japan

In Japan, white is the color of death, and women are usually buried in white kimonos, appearing as they did when they died. This cultural belief adds a unique layer to the Woman in White legends in Japan, where these spirits are often seen in their burial attire.

The Slavic Region

In Slavic mythology, a young woman dressed in white roamed field boundaries, assailing people working in the middle of hot summer days, causing heat strokes and sometimes madness. She often took the form of whirling dust clouds and carried a scythe to stop people in the field to ask them difficult questions or engage them in conversation. If anyone failed to answer her question or tried to change the subject, she would cut off their head or strike them with illness. This woman was only seen during the hottest part of the day and was a personification of sunstroke. Legends about her were told to scare children away from valuable crops.

England

The White Lady (also known as the "Running Lady") of Beeford, East Yorkshire, resides on the "Beeford Straight," a stretch of road between Beeford and Brandesburton. Motorists have reported her apparition running across the Beeford Straight toward the junction of North Frodingham. Anecdotal tales also report a motorcyclist picking up a female hitchhiker on the same stretch of road. A few miles later, the motorcyclist, upon turning around, noticed the passenger had vanished. In one instance, a car crashed into a tree, killing six people. It is rumored to be the White Lady's curse.

Philippines

In the Philippines, the Kaperosa (or White Lady) is a female ghost wearing a long white dress with long black hair. She is believed to be a woman who committed suicide because of hatred or betrayal by her husband or fiancé or was murdered. Others say they are souls who cannot rest because they have unfinished business on Earth. There is a famous ghost of a long-haired woman in a white dress in Quezon City, Philippines. According to legends, she died in a car accident while driving along Balete Drive. Her stories usually involve a taxi driver driving late at night and a beautiful woman asking him for a ride. Along the way, the taxi driver tried to strike up a conversation. However, the woman seemed disinclined to chat. At one point, the driver looked behind and saw the woman's face was full of blood and bruises, causing him to abandon his taxi in horror.