The Zombie Papers, Part 2
Click here for Part 1
Vampires have appeared in folklore and
myth since the Sumerian times, but it was not until Lord Byron penned his Fragment
of a Novel in 1816 that the vampire became part of the literary
tradition. Byron’s gentlemanly fiend,
feasting on virgins has he made his way across Europe, commented on social
manners and sexual repression of the day—in addition to its reflect on Byron’s
own wanton behaviors. While the undead have
long been present in myth and folktale, it is not until the last century that
we’ve seen this monster become a center-piece in works of literature. Starting
with Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend written in 1954s, we now have a canon
in progress. Zombies, as we conceive of
then in contemporary pop culture, are at the beginning of a new monster canon. In Our Vampires, Ourselves, Nina
Auerbach wrote that “every age embraces the vampire it needs” (145). This certainly seems true when one reflects on
the variations of vampires we’ve seen since 1816: from eccentric counts to glimmering high school
students. We might suggest, instead, that
every age embraces the monster it needs. Contemporary zombies, in their endless
pursuit of oral consumption, are a fitting symbol of modern social ills.
Despite
the fact that zombie is the monster du jour, this does not mean that the undead
are altogether absent from folklore or earlier works of literature. In fact, the oldest recorded reference to the
living dead occurs in the ancient Sumerian poem, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” In
the epic poem, the Goddess Ishtar threatens to:
break in the
doors of hell and smash the bolts; there will be confusion of people, those
above with those from the lower depths. I shall bring up the dead to eat food
like the living; and the hosts of dead will outnumber the living (12).
The undead’s rightful place is in the “lower depths,”
and their presence in the world of the living would be an incursion on the
order of the Sumerian world-view. They
would not consume the living, but would eat food and outnumber them. Their presence amongst the living is a threat
to cosmology. The dead’s presence
amongst the living raises questions often considered in zombie literature: if
the undead are rising, what does that mean for my immortal soul? What has happened to the after-life? The dead mixing with the living breaks taboo allowing
a cross-over of worlds. Questions about mortality and immortality, a
significant theme in “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” are called into question. Such
questions are still relevant in the discussion of zombie literature today.
Early
Slavic and Russian folktale also contains references to the undead. One of the most common undead characters is Koschie
the deathless, an undead—often skeletal—prankster who tempts unwitting maidens
and Russian bogatyrs. In many folktales,
Koschie is bound by chains and locked in a closet. When discovered, he begs to be released. Usually
an innocent maiden will set him free only to be abducted. Defeating Koschie the
deathless usually involves hacking him to pieces, burning his body, and
scattering his ashes. Encounters with
the undead usually spell trouble for the living. In The Dead Mother, an undead mother
returns from the grave to nurse the baby she left behind. When the undead mother is discovered,
however, the child dies. Another tale, The
Fiend, features a young woman charmed by a handsome stranger only to find
him feasting on a corpse. Slavic and
Russian traditions have very strict rules regarding burial ritual. The appearance of the undead is often the
result of failure to follow ritual.
Cannibalistic
and zombie-like creatures appear in the folk beliefs of many cultures. Native American folktales include the figure
of the windigo (weendigo). The windigo has
a variety of descriptions: from a wolf-like creature that devours humans,
preferably immoral ones, to something akin to the contemporary Slender Man. One of the main qualities of a windigo is
cannibalism. This concept is so
prevalent that it has been termed as windigo psychosis, a culture-bound
psychopathology attributed North American Native American tribes from which the
windigo legend emerges. (citation) While
windigos are often described as flesh eaters, Ojibwa author Basil Johnston
explains the motivation of a windigo in different terms:
The Weendigo
has no other objective in life but to satisfy this lust and hunger, expending
all its energy on this purpose. As long as its lust and hunger are satisfied,
nothing else matters--not compassion, sorrow, reason, or judgment. Although the
Weendigo is an exaggeration, it exemplifies human nature's tendency to indulge
its self-interests, which, once indulged, demand even greater indulgence and
ultimately result in the extreme--the erosion of principles and values (224).
What is being described by Johnston is not exactly
cannibalism nor is this a fanged creature stalking campers in the woods. In this case, qualities of the windigo are
depicted much like the zombies of today—beings who were once human now
consuming endlessly without satisfaction.
But when do these zombie like legends begin to make the jump from the
monsters of folklore to the monster of literature? We'll explore this more in the next edition of The Zombie Papers!
Immortality has been just dream for all of us. But the content shared here proved that elixir of immortality does exist. Great work. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAt this page we collected plenty of various tips and articles on topics similar to this one
ReplyDeletehmmmm
ReplyDeleteThrough either group or private instruction, we teach Hebrew, holidays, Jewish values, Israel and Bible. We also train children (and adults!) for bar/t mitzvah, and we are available for officiation at the venue of your choice. Buy Online In Pakistan
ReplyDeletefor the upcoming season get ready and check Heaters prices in Pakistan
ReplyDeleteBest laptop prices in Pakistan
ReplyDeleteInformative Website
ReplyDeleteHi, Very nice, Usually wish to say you is as awesome
ReplyDeleteApple iphone 8 price in pakistan
Apple iwatch price in pakistan
microsoft surface pro 4 price in Pakistan
microsoft surface book price in Pakistan
microsoft surface 2017 price in Pakistan
https://speedypaper.com/paraphrasing-rewriting - this is not just a link. It can rescue every student who seeks help with his or her writing assignment. Save and share it!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you share this info cause it’s helpful for my how to write a satirical essay
ReplyDeleteScamfighter knows everything about the speedypaper essay writing service. All reviews are written by real customers. No paid feedback. Come round to find out the truth.
ReplyDeleteI came to 123helpme service searching for information on kibin.com and coursehero.com. From the first sight, they seem to be very similar service except for one crucial thing. They don't have any contacts. Some people like them for their grading tool which is similar to Grammarly online checker, the others for the huge essay sample database. They claim to have more than 400,000 samples for all kind of essays, term papers, course works, etc. If I were a student, I would definitely use them at least once. However, the major part of the essay examples are not free, and you have to but a prescription for them. Moreover, those papers are for paraphrasing only, and it is not easy to cancel the prescription if you signed up for it. See the full review to decide if https://scamfighter.net/review/123helpme.com
ReplyDeleteis a scam or a decent service.
I just book marked your blog on Digg and StumbleUpon.I enjoy reading your commentaries. Send Gifts To pakistan
ReplyDeleteFastest way to watch new movies online and free on 123Movies.in.net We have more than 65000 Movies Simply to enjoy any movies you want. Watch Online Free Movies
ReplyDeleteIn DIGITALMARKETING: We offer link Building, Pay Per Click, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Service in Delhi & across India You can reach us: Digital Marketing Services in Delhi, Digital Marketing Company in Delhi, Digital Marketing Company in India, Digital Marketing Services in India, Smart Digital Work, Visit at
ReplyDeleteDigital Marketing Company in India
I definitely comply with some points that you just have mentioned on this post. I appreciate that you just have shared some reliable recommendations on this review.
ReplyDeletehealth care tips
hello, this is Tina from Tanzania. I really like your post and every time I am following your posts. please continue this it's a great job.
ReplyDeleteContent Marketing Services Delhi
Find PPC, Google Adwords & Pay Per Click (PPC) Services Provider Company in Delhi & across India at cheap price & affordable services Only on SMARTDIGITALWORK.COM.
ReplyDeleteSend your query hurry up and you can reach us on Google: PPC Services Company India, PPC Services Company in Delhi, PPC Services in Delhi, Pay Per Click Services India
PPC Services Company India
Find PPC, Google Adwords & Pay Per Click (PPC) Services Provider Company in Delhi & across India at cheap price & affordable services Only on SMARTDIGITALWORK.COM.
ReplyDeleteSend your query hurry up and you can reach us on Google: PPC Services Company India, PPC Services Company in Delhi, PPC Services in Delhi, Pay Per Click Services India
PPC Services Company in Delhi
SmartDigitalWork.Com - Grow your online business goals with best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services Company in Delhi & Across India at affordable price. You can
ReplyDeletereach us - Seo Services in Delhi, Seo Services Provider in Delhi, Seo Service Provider in India, Seo Services Company in Delhi, Affordable Seo Services India
Seo Services Company In Delhi
SmartDigitalWork.Com - Grow your online business goals with best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services Company in Delhi & Across India at affordable price. You can
ReplyDeletereach us - Seo Services in Delhi, Seo Services Provider in Delhi, Seo Service Provider in India, Seo Services Company in Delhi, Affordable Seo Services India
Seo Service Provider In India
A well-written resume can be the key to connecting positively with a potential employer and can make the difference in getting selected for a job interview - or not. But writing a resume isn't always easy. If you feel like you're struggling to pull your resume into a cohesive format, have a low response rate to your applications, or think your resume quality could be improved, you might consider hiring a resume writing service. Visit our professional resume writers website.
ReplyDeleteI figured I would toss a few watchwords that might depict what I want to do. In the event that you perceive yourself in some of them, I figure it may be worth requiring the investment to continue perusing my profile. On the off chance that you don't continue understanding, I swear I won't be angry with you. I will never know in any case
ReplyDeleteHealth Is God
Fantastic article to go through, I would appreciate the writer's mind and the skills he has presented this great article to get its look in better style. It really brushed up my mind and I am now feeling very much relaxed after getting complete summary regarding every singl aspect of the article, once again I would like to thank you for such great creativity. Fmovies
ReplyDeleteTop Wellness Guru is a health-related website, with continuous use of this you will find important tips to make your health even better, we have created this site with the help of some other helpers, all those helpful and especially faithful. We are able to share the solution of the health problems with the help of them, which is faced by you on daily basis; this site is completely honestly created.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great job, I like your posts and wish you all the best. and I hope you continue this job well.
ReplyDeleteNutraT line
Hello, I am thomus jons thank you for this informative post. That is a great job. Wish you more success.Thank you so much and for you all the best. Takes Down
ReplyDelete123movies
Nice blog! Thanks for sharing the valuable information about PPC services. This blog gave a complete solution for ppc management. Keep sharing.
ReplyDeletePay Per click SERVICES
Forget the telly, we’ll just go to the crib/and watch a movie in the Jacuzzi, smoke L’s while you do me page.
ReplyDeleteI know that many students like to spend their free time watching TV shows. But for students, it is important not to forget to complete the tasks in college. Therefore, I would like to recommend CustomEssayMeister site. There you will find a lot of useful information and examples of the most varied essays: expository essay, argumentative essay, admission essay
ReplyDelete