Impurities (ケガレ, Kegare?) are entities similar to ghosts or spirits of people who have died.[2] They collect in places where humans live, although they typically do not show themselves to most humans.[1]
Description[]
Impurities are an accumulation of the souls of the dead and the strong emotions of the living, which have mixed together within The Other Side and were then reborn back into our world. It is noted that the souls of the dead are still preserved enough to recognize them within the impurity.[2]
For example, a soul may return as an impurity if a loved one has a strong desire for them to return.[3] This process is also referred to as the cycle of Samsara, the cycle of reincarnation, or the cycle of death and rebirth.[4] Therefore, That World is not considered "evil" and This World is not considered "good". Although some impurities can be frightening or cause damage to human beings,[1][5] this is not always the case and not all impurities are dangerous.[2]
Effects on Humans[]
Impurities are drawn to human souls in a similar way that humans who feel cold are drawn to the warmth of a fire.[6] Because they are lonely beings, they attempt to stick to or enter humans that look at them,[7] and will tend to gather around to people who are kind.[1] By entering a human, impurities can influence them into violent or abnormal behavior that they would not normally partake in.[5] This appears to be due to the hallucinations that the impurities induce.[1]
Additionally, encounters with strong impurities can result in some form of impairment on the human. These impairments are purely spiritual; even if examined by doctors, they will find no physiological cause for the condition.[8][6]
Being injured by an impurity or interacting with one for an extended period of time can lead to a person becoming "mixed," which means they touch the boundary between the world of the living and The Other Side.[9][10]
Sensing Impurities[]
The average human is completely unable to sense impurities. However, some are able to perceive and interact with them, although this ability exists on a spectrum. Some people can hear and speak to impurities, but cannot see them; some can see but not hear them.[4] Some individuals also describe having a general feeling or intuition that an impurity or bad energy is present, or that a person has been entered by an impurity.[5][11][3]
By looking at impurities, a person becomes more likely to be found by them.[8][7] Fearing impurities also makes a person more of a target to them. Since fear makes a person more vulnerable to impurities, it may be possible to "train" oneself to tolerate them better – in theory, repeated exposure to impurities will reduce fear and vulnerability as the person becomes more accustomed to their presence.[12][10]
Trivia[]
- Impurity is written in-series using katakana, ケガレ kegare.[1][13] In Shinto, kegare (穢れ・汚れ?) describes a state of defilement or pollution. It can result from deliberate acts such as criminal violence, or it can result passively when one encounters death, childbirth, or illness. Kegare can cause negative outcomes for both the defiled person and the community they belong to.[14]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Chapter 11 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Chapter 20 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 5 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 15 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 19 (Vol. 4)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 29 (Vol. 6)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 3 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 22 (Vol. 5)
- ↑ Chapter 6 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chapter 12 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Chapter 2 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 4 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 13 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Wikipedia: Kegare