Wojciech Gerson - Zjawa Barbary Radziwiłłówny

The undead are beings in

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

, or

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to

corporeal Corporeal may refer to: *Matter (corporeal, or actual, physical substance or matter), generally considered to be a substance (often a particle) that has rest mass and (usually) also volume *Body, of or relating to the body *Corporeal (Altar Linen) ...

forms of formerly-alive humans, such as

mummies A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furth ...

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

s, and

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

s, who have been reanimated by supernatural means, technology, or disease. In some cases (for example in Dungeons & Dragons) the term also includes

incorporeal Incorporeality is "the state or quality of being incorporeal or bodiless; immateriality; incorporealism." Incorporeal (Greek: ἀσώματος) means "Not composed of matter; having no material existence." Incorporeality is a quality of souls, s ...

forms of the dead, such as

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

s. The undead are featured in the belief systems of most cultures, and appear in many works of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

and

horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...

. The term is also occasionally used for real-life attempts to resurrect the dead with science and technology, from early experiments like

Robert E. Cornish Robert E. Cornish (December 21, 1903 – March 6, 1963) was an American biologist and writer, best known for his resuscitation experiments. Biography Cornish was a child prodigy graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with honors ...

's to future sciences such as "chemical brain preservation" and "

cryonics Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...

History

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...

considered using the title, ''The Un-Dead'', for his novel ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'' (1897), and use of the term in the novel is mostly responsible for the modern sense of the word. The word does appear in English before Stoker but with the more literal sense of "alive" or "not dead", for which citations can be found in the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

''. In one passage of ''Dracula'', ''

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...

'' is given as an "Eastern European" synonym for "un-dead". Stoker's use of the term "undead" refers only to

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

; the extension to other types of supernatural beings arose later. Most commonly, it is now taken to refer to supernatural beings who had at one point been alive and continue to display some aspects of life after death, but the usage is highly variable. Reanimation or the creation of zombies through non-supernatural means has become a trope since at least the 19th century. ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

'' (1818) used unspecified technological means, the influential '' I Am Legend'' (1954) blamed a germ, ''

The Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon in his directorial debut, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a warehou ...

'' (1985) depicted a toxic gas, and '' Resident Evil'' (2002) featured a bioweapon. The undead have become popular adversaries in fantasy and horror settings, featuring prominently in many

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

s and strategy games.

Literature

up'' The Dead Lovers'', ca. 1470 (Strasbourg, Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame">Strasbourg.html" ;"title="The Dead Lovers'', ca. 1470 (Strasbourg">The Dead Lovers'', ca. 1470 (Strasbourg, Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame) In

's novel ''

'', Van Helsing describes the Un-Dead as the following: Other notable 19th-century stories about the avenging undead included

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book ''The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by t ...

's '' The Death of Halpin Frayser'', and various Gothic Romanticism tales by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

. Though their works could not be properly considered zombie fiction, the supernatural tales of Bierce and Poe would prove influential on later writers such as H. P. Lovecraft, by Lovecraft's own admission. In Russia, the undead was the theme of

Alexander Belyaev Alexander Romanovich Belyaev (russian: Алекса́ндр Рома́нович Беля́ев, ; – 6 January 1942) was a Soviet Russian writer of science fiction. His works from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded figure in Russia ...

's novel ''

Professor Dowell's Head ''Professor Dowell's Head'' is a 1925 science fiction and horror story (and later novel) by Russian author Alexander Belyaev. Plot Professor Dowell and his assistant surgeon Dr. Kern are working on medical problems including life support in s ...

'' (1925), in which a mad scientist performs experimental head transplants on bodies stolen from the morgue, and reanimates the corpses. Utagawa Yoshiiku Specter

List of undead forms

Living corpses

* Anchimayen *

Ahkiyyini The Ahkiyyini is a skeleton spirit in Inuit folklore. He is the ghost of Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western Uni ...

Draugr The draugr or draug ( non, draugr, plural ; modern is, draugur, fo, dreygur and Danish language, Danish, Swedish language, Swedish, and no, draug) is an undead creature from the Scandinavian saga literature and folktale. Commentators extend t ...

Drekavac Drekavac, (literally "the screamer" or "the screecher"Levi, Pavle (2007). ''Disintegration in frames: aesthetics and ideology in the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav cinema''. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Presspage 181 .), also called drekalo, ...

Deildegast In Norwegian folklore, a deildegast is a type of ghost connected with the sanctity of boundary stones, and what happened to those who dared to move them. The deildegast-tradition was most prevalent in the southern parts of Norway and is also conne ...

Dhampir In Balkans folklore, dhampirs (sometimes spelled ''dhampyres'', ''dhamphirs'', or ''dhampyrs'') are creatures that are the result of a union between a vampire and a mortal human. This union was usually between male vampires and female mortal huma ...

Fext A Fext is a mythical undead creature in Slavic mythology. Its origins are found in the terrors of the Thirty Years' War (17th century) in central Europe. It is said that the Fext is invincible to bullets, except bullets made of glass. Some of the gr ...

* Ghoul *

Gashadokuro Utagawa Kuniyoshi's , also known as ''Takiyasha_the_Witch_and_the_Skeleton_Spectre">Utagawa_Kuniyoshi's_,_also_known_as_''Takiyasha_the_Witch_and_the_Skeleton_Spectre'' _are_ Takiyasha_the_Witch_and_the_Skeleton_Spectre">Utagawa_Kuniyoshi's_,_als ...

* Gjenganger * Hone-onna * Jiangshi *

Kukudh The Kukudh ( Albanian definite form: Kukudhi) is an undead creature in Albanian mythology. Etymology Undetermined. Most probably a derivative of Albanian kuku ("mourn, lament."), as its synonym kukuvriq suggests. Alternatively from Greek κο ...

* Lich *

Langsuyar The langsuyar (), also lang suir or langsuir, is a female revenant in Malay and other mythologies in the Malay archipelago. The word is derived from the Malay word for eagle (''helang''). Description A langsuyar is a type of vampire which is ...

* Mummy * Nachzehrer * Qutrub * Revenant *

Ro-langs A ro-langs (Tibetan: རོ་ལང) is a zombie-like creature from Tibetan folklore. Ro is the word for corpse and Langs is the perfect tense of "to rise up", so Ro-Langs literally means "a risen corpse". A ro-langs is usually created by a gdon ...

Orek An Orek ( Turkish: ''Örek'', Azerbaijanese: ''Örək'', Tatar: ''Өрәк'' or ''Öräk'', Bashkort: ''Өрәк'') in Turkic folklore is an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The idea of Örek is present ...

Skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

Rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melus ...

Strzyga Strzyga (, plural: strzygi, masculine: strzygoń) is usually a female demon in Slavic mythology, which stems from the mythological Strix of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. The demon is similar to a vampire, and is predominantly found in Polish an ...

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

* Vrykolakas * Vetala *

Wight A wight (Old English: ''wiht'') is a mythical sentient being, often undead. In its original use the word ''wight'' described a living human being, but has come to be used in fictional works in the fantasy genre to describe certain immortal bein ...

Wiedergänger The name ''Wiedergänger'' refers to different zombie or ghost phenomena from different cultural areas. The word means "one who walks again" in German. The core of the wiedergänger myth is the concept of the deceased, who—often in the form of ...

Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

Zombie animal A zombie animal is an animal that becomes a zombie as depicted in the zombie fiction genre. Numerous types of animals have been portrayed as zombies - a zombie dog appeared in '' The Last Man on Earth'' in 1964, and an infected dog is the source o ...

Incorporeal spirits

* Ayakashi * Banshee *

Baykok The baykok (or pau'guk, paguk, baguck; ''bakaak'' in the Ojibwe language and ''pakàk'' in the Algonquin language) is a malevolent spirit from the mythology of the Ojibway nation. In traditional culture The Baykok is a character from the Anishin ...

* Bal-Bal * Bhoot * Dullahan *

Dunnie A Dunnie is a small Brownie-like being in the folklore of the Anglo-Scottish borders, specifically Northumberland, the most famous being that of the ''Hazlerigg Dunnie'' of Hazlerigg in the parish of Chatton, Northumberland.''Notes on the folk-l ...

Funayūrei are spirits (yūrei) that have become vengeful ghosts (onryō) at sea. They have been passed down in the folklore of various areas of Japan. They frequently appear in ghost stories and miscellaneous writings from the Edo Period as well as in ...

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

, phantom, or spectre * Goryō *

Hupia In Taíno culture, the hupia (also ''opia'', ''opi'a'', ''op'a'', ''operi'to'') is the spirit of a person who has died. In Taíno spiritual beliefs, hupias (ghost spirits of those who had died) were contrasted with goeiza, spirits of the living. ...

* Hitodama *

Headless Horseman The Headless Horseman is a mythical figure who has appeared in folklore around the world since the Middle Ages. The figure is traditionally depicted as a rider upon horseback who is missing his head. Description Depending on the legend, the Hor ...

* Inugami *

Ikiryō , also known as , , or , is a disembodied spirit or ghost in Japanese popular belief and fiction that leaves the body of a living person and subsequently haunts other people or places, sometimes across great distances. The term(s) are used in ...

* The Grim Reaper *

Jikininki appear in Lafcadio Hearn's ''Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things'' (1904) as cadaver, corpse-eating spirits. In Buddhism in Japan, Japanese Buddhism, ''jikininki'' ("human-eating ghosts"; pronounced ''shokujinki'' in modern Japanese lan ...

Korean Virgin Ghost The Korean Virgin Ghost (Hangul: 처녀귀신, Cheonyeogwisin) is the spirit of an unmarried woman in Korean folklore and urban legend. They are also known as Malmyeong, Sonmalmyeong, and Songaksi. Origin In early traditional Korea, women wer ...

Kuntilanak The Kuntilanak (Indonesian name), also called Pontianak (Malay name), is a mythological creature in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is similar to Langsuir in other Southeast Asia regions. The Pontianak usually takes the form of a pregnant ...

* Kuchisake-onna *

Lemures The lemures were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead in Roman religion, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae (from Latin ''larva'', "mask") as disturbing or frightening. ''Lemures'' is the more common litera ...

Lietuvēns Lietuvēns or lietonis (in Latgale also can be called “lītūņš”, similar to Slavic “mara” (Russian: ''Мара'') or Lithuanian “lauma”) is a mythological creature in Latvian folklore. According to Latvian folk epics and omens, '' ...

* Mavka * Moroi * Mononoke *

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...

Myling In Scandinavian folklore, the mylingar were the phantasmal incarnations of the souls of children that had been forced to roam the earth until they could persuade someone (or otherwise cause enough of a ruckus to make their wishes known) to bury t ...

Noppera-bō The , or faceless ghost, is a Japanese yōkai that looks like a human but has no face. They are sometimes mistakenly referred to as a ''mujina'', an old Japanese word for a badger or raccoon dog. Although the ''mujina'' can assume the form of the ...

* Onryō *

Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...

Pocong (from jv, ꦥꦺꦴꦕꦺꦴꦁ, pocong, wrapped-in-shroud) is a Javanese ghost that is said to be the soul of a dead person trapped in their shroud. (Indonesia) Known in Indonesian as ''kain kafan'', the shroud is the prescribed length of cl ...

* Preta *

Sluagh The Sluagh (, ; sga, slúag; English: 'host, army, crowd'), or Sluagh na marbh ('host of the dead'), were the hosts of the unforgiven dead in Irish and Scottish folklore., s.v. ''Sluagh''. In the words of British folklorist Lewis Spence, "In the ...

* Shade * Shiryō * Shikigami *

Sayona {{One source, date=August 2014 La Sayona is a legend from Venezuela, represented by the vengeful spirit of a woman that shows up only to men that have love affairs out of their marriages. The name "Sayona" refers to the cloth the ghost wears which i ...

* Strigoi *

Shadow person A shadow person (also known as a shadow figure or black mass) is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, and interpreted as the presence of a spirit or other entity by believers in the paranormal or supernatural. His ...

Umibōzu is a paranormal phenomenon or ''yōkai'' from Japanese folklore. Other names include or . Little is known of the origin of ''umibōzu'' but it is a sea-spirit and as such has multiple sightings throughout Japan. Normally, ''umibōzu'' appear ...

Ubume are Japanese yōkai of pregnant women. They can also be written as '. Throughout folk stories and literature the identity and appearance of ubume varies. However, she is most commonly depicted as the spirit of a woman who has died during childbir ...

* Vengeful ghost *

Yūrei are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western model of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include , meaning ruined or depart ...

* Yuki-onna *

Wraith Wraith is one of several traditional terms for a ghost or spirit. Wraith, Wraiths, or The Wraith may also refer to: Fiction Characters * Wraith (G.I. Joe), a Cobra mercenary in ''G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' * Wraith (Image Comics), a comic book s ...

History

Literature

List of undead forms

Living corpses

Incorporeal spirits

Mixed

See also

References

External links