Lamphodite

A photograph taken in 2019 allegedly showing two 'lamphodites' in Ursula, Wealden.

In Wealdenite folklore, a lamphodite (also known as Wealden shadow people, shadow people, or purley phantoms) are patches of shadow whom many believe depict a living, humanoid figure. Many associate lamphodites with ghosts, and the supernatural, believing that they are darker souls of those who have passed on.

History and folklore

Origins

The legend of lamphodites originate from the Cumberland Rainforest in New Cumberland, Wealden, after a wave of reported 'sightings' throughout the 1960s and 1970s. People were asked to draw and depict their sightings of 'shadow people' in the 1990s, and lamphodites embedded themselves into Wealdenite folklore after being popularized by local radio shows. A 2011 alleged sighting of 'lamphodites' made its way onto national news network CNBC, and the legend still continues to be popular to this day.

Worldwide

Legends of lamphodites started to spread beyond Wealden and became popularized in the modern world towards the end of the 1990s.

Reported sightings

Still from the Myriad Tape that depicts a shadow person moving swiftly towards the cameraman.

Confirmed 'sightings' of lamphodites date back to 1967, but one sighting that gained popularity in particular was the Myriad Tape, which was an old 1940s film tape discovered in the long-abandoned Bearcape General Hospital, which was deserted in 1867, and has since been demolished. The footage is grainy and no discernible features can be distinguished, however once seemingly making his way outside, a 'shadow person' can be see protruding towards the cameraman at a pace, with the film shakily ending immediately afterwards.

Other examples of sightings include:

• In 1992, a 52 year old woman died from a heart attack after reportedly being 'approached by a lamphodite' while sitting in her garden with her family.
• In 2001, paper scratchings depicting rough drawings of shadow people and calls for help were discovered in the Cumberland Rainforest after a man in his 30s went missing while hiking in the area.
• In 2015, 2 children reported seeing five shadow people in their rooms simultaneously.
• In 2016, a lamphodite was spotted hastily crossing behind CNBC news anchor Jerry Ilpkaov at night outside the Oracle in Absolution.
• In 2023, Cathryn Gargano recalled the time she encountered a lamphodite while on a nighttime walk with her mother in Arundel.

Criticisms

There have been multiple attempts by people to fabricate reported sightings of lamphodite, mainly for internet popularity or an attempt to spread internet-focused folklore online.