Question regarding the definition of a wraith

[me b zola]

My hubbie, who is a sci-fi guy, says that a wraith is a soul-eating, evil entity. Is this the general consensus among sci-fiers? Are there other definitions or interpretations?

MY only exposure to the word 'wraith' is from the game Halo :shrug:


TIA

[Ravenseye]

1. When in doubt

check the wikipedia!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wraith_%28entity%29

"A wraith is an apparition of a person who is still alive, seen as an omen that the person is about to die. It is a Scottish word, first attested in English in 1513."

"Its modern connotations have been strongly affected by the ringwraiths in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings."

[SlackJawedYokel]

2. Raven got it

Historically it comes from folk myth... wraiths, ghouls, vampires, etc.

In sci-fi/gaming it's also been used to mean one of those "creatures of the night", stealthy, badass kinda things.
In Starcraft "Wraiths" were cloaked(invisible) fighter aircraft... and cloaked spies/spotters were "Ghosts".

Cletus

[Ravenseye]

3. Yup, and they're in D&D too

That probably is where he's getting his defintion from. In Dungeons and Dragons they're undead ghostlike things that when they hit you drain life off you I think. Something like that.

[me b zola]

4. Yeah, hubbie is *big* on D&D

Maybe that is why the "soul-eating" reference comes from.

Thanks for your help:)

[Streetdoc270]

5. The SG-Atlantis

Wraith eat by draining life from their pery also.