1.
vengeful spirit, wrathful ghost
The spirit of a deceased person who harbors deep resentment and returns to the world of the living to cause harm, disaster, or misfortune. A fundamental concept in Japanese folk religion and a recurring motif in Japanese literature and horror.
怨霊に取り憑かれた。
I was possessed by a vengeful spirit.
天変地異は怨霊の祟りだと恐れられた。
Natural disasters were feared to be the curse of vengeful spirits.
菅原道真は日本で最も有名な怨霊のひとりで、後に天神として祀られた。
Sugawara no Michizane is one of Japan's most famous vengeful spirits, and was later enshrined as the deity Tenjin.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Belief in 怨霊 has been a powerful force in Japanese history and culture. When powerful or unjustly treated people died with grudges, their spirits were believed to cause plagues, natural disasters, and political upheaval. To appease them, they were often enshrined as deities (御霊信仰, goryo shinko). Famous historical 怨霊 include 菅原道真, 平将門, and 崇徳天皇.
Do not confuse with the homophone 音量 (volume, loudness), which uses different kanji.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 怨霊の祟り: curse of a vengeful spirit
- 怨霊を鎮める: to pacify a vengeful spirit
- 怨霊に取り憑かれる: to be possessed by a vengeful spirit