I think zombies are some of my favourite creatures. They're pretty cool right?
Although it would be terrible, a zombie apocalypse would be very interesting.
The definition of a zombie is a fictional undead being created through the reanimation of a corpse. The most popular way a person can be turned into a zombie is through a bite, even if they are alive.
Although Haiti is mainly where zombies originated, Ancient Greeks may have been the first to be afraid of the dead rising.
Archaeologists found ancient graves which contained skeletons pinned down by rocks, seemingly to prevent them from escaping in the event of reanimation.
The zombie (or Zombi in Haitian French) comes from old Haitian folklore where a zombie is a dead body reanimated using magic or voodoo.
Haiti is very popular for It's voodoo so I could go more into depth with that another time.
The belief is that a Zombi remains under the control of the Bokor (Sorcerer or witch) that resurrected it as a slave, that only lives to serve It's owner. Although there have been cases of 'zombies' escaping.
This drawing isn't very detailed ,although I think the intense darkness is what is so haunting to me.
It also includes a non-physical type of zombie called the 'zombie astral', which is part of the human soul. Some Bokors capture this to enhance their spiritual power. They can also sell it sealed in a bottle to bring good luck, healing and success.
These traditions were brought to Haiti by enslaved Africans. It was believed that the deity Baron Samedi (A loa of the dead) would gather them from the grave and take them to a heavenly after life, unless they has offended him which is what would cause them to become a slave after death, as a zombie.
In some communities it is believed a person can be zombified by a small child while in others it is also believed that a witch can zombify a person by killing and possessing the victims body.
The Real Life Zombie That Shocked The World
On May 2, 1962, a Haitian man named Clairvius Narcisse was pronounced dead by two doctors after weeks of a mystery fever. Narcisse's family buried him in a small cemetery near the town of l'Estere.
The End.
Just kidding.
Eighteen years later, in 1980 a man that locals said 'looked dead in the eyes' approached a woman named Angelina (Narcisse's sister) claiming that he was her brother. He explained that he has been resurrected by a witch doctor who enslaved him on a sugar plantation.
Locals who believed in voodoo accepted the story, no questions asked. But western scientists were obviously quite sceptical of the story.
This story prompted Harvard ethnobotanist, Wade Davis to travel to Haiti.
As a result of his investigations he claimed a person can be turned into a zombie by two special powers that have to be introduced into the blood stream.
The first 'coup de poudre', includes tetrodotoxin, the powerful and often fatal neurotoxin found in the flesh of the pufferfish.
The second consists of deliriant drugs such as datura which can cause, hallucinations, psychosis and sometimes death.
These two powders together could induce a death like state in which the person would be completely submissive to the Bokor.
The ingredient most questioned and unethical is part of a recently buried child’s brain which many scientists say has no actual benefit.
Modern Zombie Archetype's evolution
When zombies first appeared in literature, they were described as spirits and ghosts instead of the modern cannibalistic, brain dead monster.
The film really known as the first zombie film is the 1932 release of White Zombie by Victor Halperin.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, while not necessarily a zombie novel, did help to shape the modern day idea of a zombie. This caused the creation of a zombie to become more scientifically based instead of being a mystical occurrence
Modern day zombies usually aren't caused now by something spiritual, instead being created by some kind of virus.
The tales of them being so violent and vengeful helped inform the vampire found in European folklore.
In modern fiction zombies have become incredibly popular.
They have inspired some amazing games like Resident Evil (My favourite games. If you love video games and horror but haven't played a resident evil game before, you should) and movies like Return Of The Living Dead (An awesome movie)
If you're really afraid of a zombie apocalypse happening then you shouldn't be. Scientists have looked into it and concluded that it just simply wouldn't work
But, if you're still scared, there are many zombie survival kits online.
