One of the early malevolent ghost stories might be from ancient Japanese folklore. There are tales of vengeful spirits known as onryō. These ghosts were often created by the wrongdoings against a person in their lifetime. They would return to exact revenge, causing harm to those who had wronged them or even to innocent bystanders. For example, the story of Okiku, a maid who was wronged and became an onryō, haunting those around her.
Another theme could be the blurring of the lines between the living and the dead. In many first malevolent ghost stories, the ghosts can interact with the living world in a way that is both scary and mysterious. They might appear suddenly, or cause strange things to happen around the living. For example, objects moving on their own or strange noises being heard. This shows that the boundary between the two realms is not as clear as we might think, and it adds to the fear factor.
Well, one of the early malevolent ghost stories might be related to the idea of a banshee in Irish folklore. The banshee is a female spirit whose wailing is said to be a sign of impending death in a family. It's a very spooky concept. People believe that if you hear her cry, someone in your family will die soon, and she was often seen as a malevolent presence, bringing fear and dread.
Fear is a common element. Since it's a malevolent ghost story, the purpose is to scare. So there are often spooky settings like old, abandoned houses or dark forests. Another element is the unknown. The ghost's origin or its motives are usually left a bit of a mystery. For example, in many stories, the ghost just appears without a clear explanation.
One famous malevolent ghost story is 'The Bell Witch'. It's about a witch's spirit that haunted a family in Tennessee. The spirit would cause all sorts of chaos like making strange noises, physically harming family members, and even causing objects to move on their own.
Not all of them. There could be friendly ghosts in the stories. For instance, a ghost that protects a place or a family. It might be the spirit of a former owner who still cares about the property and its inhabitants. However, there are also likely to be malevolent ones that create fear and chaos.
It depends on the individual stories. Some ghosts might be friendly, like a benevolent spirit that is just lingering around to protect a place or its former loved ones. However, there are probably also malevolent ones that are out to scare or even harm people who cross their paths.