Well survivors I have fallen quite behind in my duties but I have a lot of information gathered. I just need to find time to sort through it and then you will have a stream of zombie guidance unlike ever before.
At this moment I am waiting for a flight to Romania. Romania, home of Dracula, not a zombie but I believe a small tribute to him and a look at what a vampire is and some myths of undead might be in order.
It is easy to confuse old stories of vampires with old stories of zombies. After all the word zombie comes from Haitian voodoo and West African mythology. Just as the word Vampire comes from the Russian word Umpyr. In Romania the undead were known as Strigoi, and how much of the Strigoi are real zombies and how much are the basis for many of our modern vampire myths? Romania has had undead myths ever since it had people to tell the stories. They even have two specific dates for the observance of the undead, St. George's Day (April 23) and the Eve of St. Andrew's Day (November 29.) On these two days, especially Nov 29, it is advised not to go out at night or be near any crossroads. November 29th is reputedly a special day for the Strigoi at which they must all return to their living homes before travelling to crossroads at which they will do battle with other vampires.
The Romanian Strigoi are interesting creatures in that they are not all equal. Here are a view things from accounts of Strigoi:
When dorment (in coffin/during the day) blood pooled in the mouth or eyes.
Killed by a silver steak through the chest.
Killed by having heart burnt.
Killed by decapitation.
Dead looking, decaying purple toned flesh.
Bloated with the consumion of blood and flesh.
Feed on living family members.
Torment living family members.
Come to full strength 40 days after death.
Must be killed by family.
Put garlic in the mouth.
Place iron coins on the eyes and tongue.
The Gypsies also believe there are many forms of undead. The Romanian Strigoi could not harm the Gypsies according to their believes but they did fear the Mules. Demons who took the bodies of the living and returned to demand a wife. If the chosen woman was not given the mule would reek havoc on the village. The only ones able to kill mules are the Dhampir, mortal children of mule who had enhanced strength and speed because of their mixed blood and could see the mules true forms even when the mule was invisible to others. These mules sound a bit more like the vampires of legend. But where does that leave the Strigoi? This "other" form of undead that the Gypsies did not fear. Perhaps the average Romanian simply couldn't tell the difference between a Strigoi (zombie?) and a mule (vampire?) and over time and with retelling and extraction the myths blended together completely. This would explain why the Strigoi in the Romanian vampire tales don't always follow the same rules.
These myths still prevail in many areas which with all of our "modern" science and technology one has to wonder how much we are hidden from the truth here in North America. After all there are many accounts of many mystical and supernatural things all over the world and it is not hard for most people to believe in spirits, demons or the undead. Yet we in North America can't even decide for ourselves if we think there is a God or not. In 2004 the family of Toma Petre cut out his vampiric heart and made tea from it's ashes to heal his niece. Or in 1988 a 13 year old girl was found to be a vampire and killed by her family. These are only two examples of reported cases, that the media got a hold of and was aloud to make public. We know from zombie research how much the media is censored and in the case of other supernatural myths I have no doubt it is similar.
If it is so easy for the Strigoi and Mule to be confused as one monster and then converted into the generic "vampire" how hard would it have been for the official vampire plague of the 18th century to have actually been a zombie outbreak? An event the Catholic church publicly declared and supported but now will not let anyone view records of. Many modern scientists have theories about a strange form of rabies or a mental disease brought on my poor living conditions and food. But are those not possible causes of zombies as zombie researchers have proven? The biggest proof to zombies may actually be based in the confusion of undeniable vampire reports which science tries to explain away when the simplest answer is sitting right in front of us.
Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.
Showing posts with label myths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label myths. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Where do they come from?
Where do zombies come from? Well in our culture it can be traced back two ways: one of which is through the word zombie itself and the other is through myths and lore.
Neurotoxins
This is where the word zombi comes from. It has been proven over and over again voodoo magic is simply feats accomplished through science or at least an understanding of how to do things if maybe not how they actually work. The simplest of these is walking on fire, or rather on hot coals. The priest gives a speech or prayer while standing very close to the fire and coals. This gives him time to build up a layer of perspiration around his skin and as long as nothing flammable touch the coals he is perfectly safe.
Using neurotoxins to create zombis is a technique used in Haiti and documented by a number of doctors and scientists, the most public of which is Dr. Wade Davis and his books, Passage of Darkness and The Serpent and the Rainbow (which was turned into a movie.)
Certain poisons slow down bodily functions to the point that the person is considered dead. The poison from fugu (Japanese blowfish) can do this is only one such poison and is the one used by voodoo priests. However movies and books constantly have our heroes being injected with poison of this nature from some source or another (some of which are credible, some not so much.)
The victims can then be brought back to the living under the effects of a drug like datura stramonium. The drug damages the victim’s brain and leaves it in a trance-like state with no memory, but still able to perform simple tasks. Add this into the mental damage of believing you are the living dead and in often cases having to claw out of a grave, which due to lack of oxygen causes even further brain damage. It is really no wonder these poor people wander around, moaning with their arms outstretched.
This has been used by voodoo priests for years to create armies of slave labor or even heartless soldiers.
See the case of Clairvius Narcisse.
The myths range back from all over the world. In Rome the hints at the undead are everywhere, from the statement that just as many shades live under the coliseum licking the sand for blood from the fallen as there are audience members watching the slaughter, to the strict believes on burial rights and ritual sacrifice of young men and women to the shades and family ancestors, some records of which make the undead spirits seem to be less spirit and more flesh and bone.
Cave drawings in North America have depicted men being killed and buried, only for the story to continue as those men break out of the mounds and attack their old friends. The final drawings are of the men’s heads being crushed by rocks.
In Southeast Asia there is an island called the Island of the Damned (not kidding) this island is where many tribes take their elderly and ill too. They leave the dying on the shore of the island and sail away as the elders come out from the trees and fall upon those left behind. The boat waits out at sea until the elders return to the trees and if there is no body on the beach the people return to their tribe. If there is a body the people wait, they wait until the body rises and joins the elders in the trees.
In Ireland the stories of the fae are wide and strange but among them can be found myths of men made to crave the flesh of others, woman killed and raised to serve the fae in death, even stories of fae who look like humans savagely feasting on anyone they come across. The myths about these particular fae say they may have even been human at one point but no longer have souls.
The people of England has always been obsessed with stories of monsters who infect. Vampires who drink the blood of beautiful people and turn their favorites into vampires. Werewolves who feast on the flesh of any who cross their paths and infect those unlucky enough to survive. English lore is rife with monsters which look human but infect and consume humans.
Egyptians believed in the undead and the spirits living on so much that they had multiple gods devoted to it and countless rituals and spells concerning death and burial. The Pharaohs had their brains removed after death and their entire families were buried alive with them, this is the most commonly known practice however it was not the most brutal or the most sacred. In the stories of the gods Osiris is killed, ripped apart and part of him eaten, only to rise again as the undead god of the underworld while his son Horus takes his place as god of the sun. There was a cult who actually focused on this aspect of dying and coming back to life following in the living/dead gods footsteps.
The great myths are those of the Greeks and these myths are filled with spirits, shades and undead souls. Odysseus feeds the spirits a trench of blood to hold them at bay while he talks to the soul of another hero. It is quite regular for the souls of the dead to be referenced as thirsting after living flesh and blood. It was also generally accepted that these souls were not in fact ghosts but actual physical beings. Some heroes even turn into flesh eating monsters, such as Lamia who in out of grief and madness consumes children and over time her face changed though her body did not age. Hecate was the goddess of necromancy and if she were not given tribute she would, instead of protecting from evil spirits, draw the spirits to the offenders home where they would be killed and their flesh eaten.
The Salvic have a mythology which is shrouded in misinterpretations and missing information but some of what can be gathered include gaje or holy places which are fenced in cemeteries in wooded areas. The areas are fenced in and put in the woods not to keep people out but to keep any restless dead or malicious spirits in.
The Finnish are an interesting culture who seem to have many myths stolen from other cultures and their gods are all relatives or variants of the Norse gods and their monsters are called fairies, and are obviously replicas of the Irish fae. The one thing it seems is completely Finnish is the creature they call a demon, a creature which looks like a decaying human but acts worse and more violent than a goblin.
A tribe in South America trains one man from every generation with the sole purpose of slaying the breathless ones. He must hunt these cannibals who do not breath and can only be killed throw vicious decapitation.
In Canada we have the myth of the Windigo, a creature who was once human but now must eat other humans and forever moans like the wind. The Windigo is shapeless and indescribable in its horror, this could mean it is without physical form and like the wind or it could mean it can take many shapes and is too gruesome to properly recount.
These are just a few cultures of the hundreds that exist and they all have their own myths based on these creatures that were once human but now mindlessly kill and consume. So where did the zombie culture come from? Why is it so popular? Could it be that it came from our pasts? Myths are based on legends, legends are based on stories and stories are based on truth. It’s hard to say how much truth gets passed along in this generations long game of telephone but it is clear humanity has always been obsessed with the undead. Go back through and replace any italicized words with the word “zombie” and see how well it fits.
Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.
Neurotoxins
This is where the word zombi comes from. It has been proven over and over again voodoo magic is simply feats accomplished through science or at least an understanding of how to do things if maybe not how they actually work. The simplest of these is walking on fire, or rather on hot coals. The priest gives a speech or prayer while standing very close to the fire and coals. This gives him time to build up a layer of perspiration around his skin and as long as nothing flammable touch the coals he is perfectly safe.
Using neurotoxins to create zombis is a technique used in Haiti and documented by a number of doctors and scientists, the most public of which is Dr. Wade Davis and his books, Passage of Darkness and The Serpent and the Rainbow (which was turned into a movie.)
Certain poisons slow down bodily functions to the point that the person is considered dead. The poison from fugu (Japanese blowfish) can do this is only one such poison and is the one used by voodoo priests. However movies and books constantly have our heroes being injected with poison of this nature from some source or another (some of which are credible, some not so much.)
The victims can then be brought back to the living under the effects of a drug like datura stramonium. The drug damages the victim’s brain and leaves it in a trance-like state with no memory, but still able to perform simple tasks. Add this into the mental damage of believing you are the living dead and in often cases having to claw out of a grave, which due to lack of oxygen causes even further brain damage. It is really no wonder these poor people wander around, moaning with their arms outstretched.
This has been used by voodoo priests for years to create armies of slave labor or even heartless soldiers.
See the case of Clairvius Narcisse.
The myths range back from all over the world. In Rome the hints at the undead are everywhere, from the statement that just as many shades live under the coliseum licking the sand for blood from the fallen as there are audience members watching the slaughter, to the strict believes on burial rights and ritual sacrifice of young men and women to the shades and family ancestors, some records of which make the undead spirits seem to be less spirit and more flesh and bone.
Cave drawings in North America have depicted men being killed and buried, only for the story to continue as those men break out of the mounds and attack their old friends. The final drawings are of the men’s heads being crushed by rocks.
In Southeast Asia there is an island called the Island of the Damned (not kidding) this island is where many tribes take their elderly and ill too. They leave the dying on the shore of the island and sail away as the elders come out from the trees and fall upon those left behind. The boat waits out at sea until the elders return to the trees and if there is no body on the beach the people return to their tribe. If there is a body the people wait, they wait until the body rises and joins the elders in the trees.
In Ireland the stories of the fae are wide and strange but among them can be found myths of men made to crave the flesh of others, woman killed and raised to serve the fae in death, even stories of fae who look like humans savagely feasting on anyone they come across. The myths about these particular fae say they may have even been human at one point but no longer have souls.
The people of England has always been obsessed with stories of monsters who infect. Vampires who drink the blood of beautiful people and turn their favorites into vampires. Werewolves who feast on the flesh of any who cross their paths and infect those unlucky enough to survive. English lore is rife with monsters which look human but infect and consume humans.
Egyptians believed in the undead and the spirits living on so much that they had multiple gods devoted to it and countless rituals and spells concerning death and burial. The Pharaohs had their brains removed after death and their entire families were buried alive with them, this is the most commonly known practice however it was not the most brutal or the most sacred. In the stories of the gods Osiris is killed, ripped apart and part of him eaten, only to rise again as the undead god of the underworld while his son Horus takes his place as god of the sun. There was a cult who actually focused on this aspect of dying and coming back to life following in the living/dead gods footsteps.
The great myths are those of the Greeks and these myths are filled with spirits, shades and undead souls. Odysseus feeds the spirits a trench of blood to hold them at bay while he talks to the soul of another hero. It is quite regular for the souls of the dead to be referenced as thirsting after living flesh and blood. It was also generally accepted that these souls were not in fact ghosts but actual physical beings. Some heroes even turn into flesh eating monsters, such as Lamia who in out of grief and madness consumes children and over time her face changed though her body did not age. Hecate was the goddess of necromancy and if she were not given tribute she would, instead of protecting from evil spirits, draw the spirits to the offenders home where they would be killed and their flesh eaten.
The Salvic have a mythology which is shrouded in misinterpretations and missing information but some of what can be gathered include gaje or holy places which are fenced in cemeteries in wooded areas. The areas are fenced in and put in the woods not to keep people out but to keep any restless dead or malicious spirits in.
The Finnish are an interesting culture who seem to have many myths stolen from other cultures and their gods are all relatives or variants of the Norse gods and their monsters are called fairies, and are obviously replicas of the Irish fae. The one thing it seems is completely Finnish is the creature they call a demon, a creature which looks like a decaying human but acts worse and more violent than a goblin.
A tribe in South America trains one man from every generation with the sole purpose of slaying the breathless ones. He must hunt these cannibals who do not breath and can only be killed throw vicious decapitation.
In Canada we have the myth of the Windigo, a creature who was once human but now must eat other humans and forever moans like the wind. The Windigo is shapeless and indescribable in its horror, this could mean it is without physical form and like the wind or it could mean it can take many shapes and is too gruesome to properly recount.
These are just a few cultures of the hundreds that exist and they all have their own myths based on these creatures that were once human but now mindlessly kill and consume. So where did the zombie culture come from? Why is it so popular? Could it be that it came from our pasts? Myths are based on legends, legends are based on stories and stories are based on truth. It’s hard to say how much truth gets passed along in this generations long game of telephone but it is clear humanity has always been obsessed with the undead. Go back through and replace any italicized words with the word “zombie” and see how well it fits.
Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Just the begining
Hello fellow survivors and those who wish to survive:
This is a letter to state the intent of what is to follow. There is a battle coming, not a battle between good and evil or between nations but simply a battle for survival. One like we have never faced before. The undead have always been a part of our world. Dating as far back as cave drawings we find records of the undead used for both entertainment and enlightenment.
It is only a matter of time until these small isolated events become a larger full scale outbreak. There are eight-billion people on this planet and very few of them are prepared to deal with the simple truth that the undead do exist.
We find them in every culture and in every situation and era. As long as humans are around to die, the undead will rise from the fallen.
This site will focus on a number of ares:
The road ahead of us is long and hard. Humanity has no natural predators and we have grown weak in our current pampered state. Much can be learned from Scouts Canada's motto, "Be Prepared."
In conclusion I will do my best to bring you as much information as I can with as much experience and as little bias as I can produce. The rest is up to you.
Good luck, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.
This is a letter to state the intent of what is to follow. There is a battle coming, not a battle between good and evil or between nations but simply a battle for survival. One like we have never faced before. The undead have always been a part of our world. Dating as far back as cave drawings we find records of the undead used for both entertainment and enlightenment.
It is only a matter of time until these small isolated events become a larger full scale outbreak. There are eight-billion people on this planet and very few of them are prepared to deal with the simple truth that the undead do exist.
We find them in every culture and in every situation and era. As long as humans are around to die, the undead will rise from the fallen.
This site will focus on a number of ares:
- Tactics for survival. This includes everything from surviving the infection itself to more importantly surviving in a world destroyed by the infection.
- History and science of the undead.
- Combat with the infected. Ranged and close-quarters.
- Types of undead and infected. Differences, strength and weaknesses.
- Recognizing and containing outbreaks.
- Truth versus myth. Detailed looks into zombies in different forms of culture compared to legends and scientific facts.
The road ahead of us is long and hard. Humanity has no natural predators and we have grown weak in our current pampered state. Much can be learned from Scouts Canada's motto, "Be Prepared."
In conclusion I will do my best to bring you as much information as I can with as much experience and as little bias as I can produce. The rest is up to you.
Good luck, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.
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