Zombies, Zombies Everywhere Notes PDF

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margaret hoyt, zombie lecture 2...

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Zombies Around the Globe ● Why does every culture have a form of zombie? ● Why is it an ancient belief? ● Is there an infectious agent associated with becoming a zombie?

The Qing Dynasty-- China ● Qing dynasty, also called Manch dynasty, last of the imperial dynasties of china, spanning the years 1644 to 1911-12 ● Under the Qing the territory of the empire grew to triple its size from the preceding Ming dynasty (1368-1644) ● The population grew from some 150 million to 450 million, many of the non-CHinese minorities within the empire were sinicized, and an integrated national economy was established.

Jiangshi (僵尸, “stiff corpse”) ● In China, the undead are known as the Jiangshi. ● These creatures may have informed our idea of the stiff-limbed, grunting things with greenish-white skin that slowly come after you. ● Jiangshi are repulsive creatures who suffer from rigor mortis and decomposition. ● They have to hide in caves during the day and come out after dark to steal your qi (气 life force). ● Often depicted in the robes of Qing officials, ● May have originated from the anti-Qing feelings rampant during the early days of jiangshi

Becoming Jiangshi ● They can be divided into two groups: ○ An old corpse that hasn’t decomposed ○ Freshly dead body returning to life ● One version a jiang shi is created when a person suffers a violent death ○ Such deaths cause the soul to be unable to leave the body, thus resulting in a reanimated corpse. ○ When the corpse is struck by lightning ● Another belief is that a corpse may become a jiang shi if it is not given a proper burial. ○ For instance, if a burial was postponed after death, a dead body may become restless, and return to haunt the living. ○ That it fails to decompose even after burial.

The hopping zombie

● An unusual feature of Jiangshi is their mode of movement. They don’t walk or even stumble along, but hop from place to place ● One theory of the origin of this bizarre feature is the ancient Taoist practice of returning bodies home if people died when working away from the family village. ● When they died, the family would hire a Taoist priest to return the body the place of the ancestors, so that it wouldn’t be lonely

Corpse Walker or Corpse Driver ● They transported the bodies in bulk, travelling by night in order to keep the sight of so many corpses from the general population. ● It is the mode of transport that may have given rise to the ‘hopping’ nature of Jiang Shi. ● Bodies were stacked, upright and close together, then held together by lengths of bamboo along each side of the stack. ● The firmly tied line of corpses was then carried on the shoulders of two porters, one at the front and one at the back ● As the macabre procession moved through the countryside, the flexible bamboo caused the corpses to bounce up and down, as if they were hopping in unison. ● A priest would head up the front of the procession and ring a bell or beat a gong in order to warn people of the coming dead.

The Draugr ● The draugr or draug (Old Norse: draugr) Also known as Aptgangr ● Literally translates to "again-walker" or “ghost” • An undead creature hell bent on revenge from Norse mythology ● The Draugr originated from Icelandic myth but as centuries went by reports and tales of the Draugr appeared all over the Scandinavian land as well as Britain and France.

Becoming a Draugr ● Draugr are most often created by the failure to properly bury a corpse by heeding all prescribed rituals. ● As well, the dead might return in such a fashion if they were an especially mean-spirited or greedy individual. ● But, much like our post-modern zombie, a draugr can be created when a person becomes infected by one. ● A draugr is already dead, but can die a second death if it successfully avenges itself, is destroyed, or it decomposes too much.

Draugr ● Evidence suggests that there is a link between the nature of the living, and the results after death.

● Those people who live at the edge of society, seem to be especially prone to returning after the death of their bodies. ● There isn’t always a direct correlation between a person’s disposition and the reasons for their return. The most common reason was vengeance! ● Draugar have superhuman strength and can change their size, growing big enough to crush a person with their mass. ● They also attack victims, by devouring their flesh, drinking their blood, or simply driving them insane ○ Very similar to our version of a zombie because of these reasons

Seasonal variation ● Occurrences happen most frequently during the night in the winter months. ● This gives support to the notion that this time of year is when the veil between the living and dead is thinnest. ● Sunlight and other artificial light seemed to drain the strength of the draugar and they were often found attempting to lure their victims away from their homes, and into the darkness. ● The draugar tended to stay close to their mound. They seemed bound by location to some extent, particularly those that manifested in physical form.

Draugr similarity to our zombie ● Grey colored skin, lifeless eyes and varying states of decomposition are all standards for their physical appearance ● They also had superhuman powers, which not only had to do with great physical strength and unnatural weight, but also with the fertility of their location. ● A draugar could disappear into the ground and weather was occasionally controlled by them as well. ● Dispelling a draugr was almost always carried out by beheading and/or immolation. ● Destroy the physical body in order to be rid of them.

The Power ● A draugr can also move through solid matter ● This allows him access most anywhere (including to and from a grave) ● Draugar can bring with them diseases to plague the living and can bring about darkness even during the day

Nachzehrer (German; "afterwards (nach) devourer (zehrer)") ● The nachzehrer, also known as a shroud eater, is a type of German vampire which features prominently in the folklore of Germany’s northern region ● According to legend, it needed to devour both its burial shroud and body in order to survive.

● Apart from northern Germany, tales of the nachzehrer / creatures similar to it are said to exist in the folklore of Silesia and Bavaria, as well as amongst the Kashubians of northern Poland

Becoming a Nachzehrer ● According to folklore, the most common way that people become nachzehrers is when they commit suicide. ● It is also believed that, occasionally, this creature is created when a person dies accidentally. ● Yet another version of the tale associates the nachzehrer with sickness and disease. ● Once a dead person becomes a nachzehrer, it is believed that it would begin eating its own burial shroud. ● Once this item is completely consumed, it would then eat its own flesh. ● According to one version of the story, it is during this time that members of the deceased person’s family would begin to weaken physically, as the nachzehrer is feeding on their life force. ● Alternatively, it is believed that the nachzehrer would only commence feasting on its family once it has finished eating itself

Causing death ● Believed that the Nachtzehrer would leave it’s grave, shapeshifting into the form of a pig, and pay a visit to their family members to feast on their blood. ● In addition, the Nachtzehrer was able to ascend to a church belfry to ring the bells, bringing death to anyone who hears them. ● Another lesser known ability of the Nachtzehrer is the power it had to bring death by causing it’s shadow to fall upon someone. ● The cause of becoming a Nachtzehrer was attributed to unusual death circumstances such as suicide or accidental causes. ● The Nachtzehrer was associated with outbreaks of epidemic illnesses as well. ● When a number of people would die from the same illness, survivors would blame the first one who died as the cause of all the others’ death. (index case)

Stopping a Nachzehrer ● Most common is decapitation ● Placing a chunk of earth under the chin of the deceased, placing a coin or stone in their mouths, ● Tying a handkerchief tightly about the neck, ● Placing nets or stockings inside the grave (vampires in northern Germany were said to be compulsive untiers of knots),

● Some extremists would go as far as to decapitate the head of the deceased, drive a spike in it’s mouth to fasten the head to the ground, or fixed the tongue so it couldn’t move.

Vetala of Hindu mythology ● The vetala are a class of demons in Hindu mythology that have the power to enter the bodies of human or animal corpses and reanimate them. ● They can enter living victims as well, and manipulate them ● This myth is also connected with burial rites or, in some cases, the circumstances of a person’s death. ● If a body is buried improperly or does not receive the proper rites, the body is in danger of becoming possessed by a vetala.

Vetala Demon ● ● ● ●

The vetala demon is a separate entity that takes the body of a human. The soul of the person whose corpse the vetala is possessing is completely gone. The vetala demon simply puts on the body of the person like a shell. Harming or damaging the corpse that the vetala inhabits does nothing to destroy the vetala. ● It simply departs from the corpse, and finds a new one to inhabit. ● These are not friendly creatures; they’re one of the most vicious vampires of Indian lore. ● They delight in destruction; killing children, causing miscarriages, and driving people insane.

Disney and Vetala ● There is a series on Disney Channel India called Vicky and Vetaal which is based on the Vetala ● It features a young boy named Vicky and his friend the vampire Vetaal, who drinks milk and not blood. ● The two have many adventures, and the Vetaal certainly isn’t portrayed as a malicious demon creature.

Pontianak are Indonesian and Maylay undead ● ● ● ●

The pontianak is a vampiric ghost in Malay and Indonesian mythology. It is also known as a matianak or kuntilanak, sometimes shortened to kunti. The pontianak are said to be the spirits of women who died while pregnant. This is often confused with a related creature, the lang suir, which is the ghost of a woman who died while giving birth.

Pontianak is near ● Some believe the Pontianak seeks out its prey by sniffing clothes hung out to dry. Some

● ● ● ●

of the more superstitious Malays never leave any of their clothing outside overnight. In folklore, it usually makes its presence known through baby cries. If the cry is loud, then the danger is not immediate – the Pontianak is still far away. However, if the cry becomes faint, it means the Pontianak is very close. Likewise, a howling dog indicates a Pontianak is far, while a whimpering one warns of the bloodthirsty creature’s immediate proximity.

Stopping the Pontianak ● There is only one way to stop this violent creature. ● If an iron nail is driven into its neck, it turns back into the woman it used to be. ● However, if the nail is ever removed, the Pontianak reverts to its monstrous nature, free to continue preying on humans. ● Some legends also state that if one were to tie a red thread from the banana tree the Pontianak resides in to the foot of one’s bed, the Pontianak would then become bound to that person’s will.

Revenants ● Another legend is the one written by cleric William of Newburgh in 12th century England who warned of revenants, "corpses that come out of their graves” or “re-animated corpses” ● Widespread belief in revenants in mediaeval northern and western Europe ● "It would not be easy to believe that the corpses of the dead should sally (I know not by what agency) from their graves, and should wander about to the terror or destruction of the living, and again return to the tomb, which of its own accord spontaneously opened to receive them, did not frequent examples, occurring in our own times, suffice to establish this fact, to the truth of which there is abundant testimony." ● Textual accounts of revenants in England are from the 11th century ● Clerics were able to capitalize on this belief within Christian Theology considering it was Satan who re-animated these corpses ● Re-animation occurred in individuals who had a lingering life force ● Typically among those who committed malign, evil deeds, and projected a strong ill-will in life ● Those that experienced sudden death

Stopping a Revenant ● They would roam the night until they dig up the body and mutilate/dismember and then burn the pieces ● Especially the head and the heart ● Revenants were mostly adult men ● Cannibalism may have been utilized to combat the threat of revenants ● Which coincides with possible famine events in history

Deserted Mediaeval Village in England

● Found a burial ground in which burials were inadvertently disturbed and reburied ● Found breakage, burn, and knife marks on human remains from between the 11-13th centuries CE ● In the mediaeval period harvests were sometimes poor and could be the source of famines ● Between 1066-1300 CE there were at least 12 famines recorded ● However in an 1874 cannibalism event in Colorado, flesh was cut from the bone leaving the bones intact

Other archaeological evidence ● In the 1980s, archaeologists found graves in a necropolis in Sicily, which was colonized by Greeks around 800 BC. ● Some of the tombs contained bodies pinned down with rocks and other heavy objects. ● Experts speculate that those particular sites may have belonged to people whom the Greeks thought were capable of rising from their graves. ● To prevent a revenant from getting out, the ancient Greeks would either incinerate, dismember, or restrain the individual in its grave. ● In Syria, Archaeologists found skulls from a site that they dated at 10,000 years old. Someone bashed the skulls in and completely removed them from the rest of their bodies. ● Kamarina’s Passo Marinaro necropolis contains an adult whose head and feet are completely covered by large fragments of an amphora (a ceramic storage vessel), presumably intended to pin the individual to the grave and prevent it from seeing or rising. ● The second tomb, contains a child approximately 8 to 13 years old, with five large stones placed on top. Like the amphora fragments, it appears that these stones were used to trap the body in its grave.

Summary ● ● ● ●

Zombies are as old as humans Found all over the globe Have common threads of re-animation All have methods to stop the zombie

Discussion Post Question: What two historical references that we discussed in this lecture, best reflect your idea of a zombie? What are the difference between this and your idea of a zombie? Think back to last week’s discussion. Answer: The draugr I think is the most similar to my idea of a modern zombie. The dragr attacks their victims by eating their flesh, which is what my idea of a zombie would do because that is

most similar to the zombies in The Walking Dead. Something that is slightly different between my idea of a zombie and the Draugr is the fact that the Draugr, is that the occurrences happened most frequently in the night and the winter months. In my idea of a zombie they are out all of the time all year long. Another thing that was very similar to my idea of a zombie was the cause of death for the Nachtzehrer. In my idea of a zombie it has to be killed by doing something to the head whether that was stabbing, crushing or decapitation. The most common cause of death for the Nachtzeher is decapitation. Something that is different from the Nachzeher to my zombie is that the most common way to become a Nachzeher is by committing suicide. In my idea of a zombie the most common way to become a zombie is to be bitten by another zombie....