Zombies: A Field Guide to the Walking Dead

Name: Zombies: A Field Guide to the Walking Dead
Price: 15.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Curran Bob; , Daniels Ian
ISBN: 9781601630223

✍️ Curran Bob; , Daniels Ian

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Unearth the ancient, global fears that birthed humanity's enduring fascination with the walking dead.

Dive into a compelling global journey exploring the origins and evolution of beliefs surrounding the physically reanimated dead. From the chilling draugr of Norse sagas to the iconic zombies of Haitian lore, this book meticulously traces how the concept of a corporeal return from the grave has permeated human cultures. It delves into ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, and Celtic myths, charting the idea's progression through religious thought, 18th-century European resurrections, and even modern interpretations like Japan's 'living mummies.' A unique, systematic exploration of a deeply rooted cultural phenomenon.

Key themes

{'title': 'Mythic Origins Worldwide', 'body': 'This book meticulously uncovers the diverse cultural wellsprings of beliefs in the physically returned dead. From ancient Sumerian and Babylonian narratives to Egyptian after-death traditions and Celtic folklore, it demonstrates how varied societies have grappled with and codified the unsettling idea of reanimation across millennia and continents.'} {'title': 'Evolution of Reanimation Beliefs', 'body': "Trace the fascinating historical trajectory of the 'walking dead' concept. The text explores its progression from early religious ideologies, through accounts of 'resurrections' and cataleptic states in 18th-century Europe, and even into Arthurian romances, illustrating how this potent idea transformed and persisted across different historical periods."} {'title': 'Psychological & Modern Interpretations', 'body': "Beyond historical accounts, the book probes the deeper psychological underpinnings of why humanity holds such a pervasive fear and fascination with the living dead. It connects ancient fears to contemporary manifestations, examining how the concept endures in modern thought and examples like the intriguing 'living mummies' of Japan."}

In stock

🏛 New Page Books 📅 2008 📖 224 pages 📔 Paperback 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9781601630223

Fun fact

This is not your average pop-culture zombie book; it's a meticulously researched expedition into humanity's enduring fascination with the corporeal dead. Curran excels at connecting disparate global myths into a coherent narrative, offering profound insights into the psychological roots of these beliefs. Those seeking a deep, scholarly dive into historical folklore will be enthralled. Readers expecting a guide to surviving a modern zombie apocalypse, however, will be disappointed. It stands as a seminal work for understanding the true, ancient origins of the 'walking dead' in human consciousness.

📝 Description: Zombies: A Field Guide to the Walking Dead

In the myths, legends, and folklore of many peoples, the returning, physical dead play a significant role, whether they are the zombies of Haiti or the draugr of Scandinavia. But what are the origins of an actual bodily return from the grave? Does it come from something deep within our psyche, or is there some truth to it? In Zombies, Bob Curran explores how some of these beliefs may have arisen and the truths that lay behind them, examining myths from all around the world and from ancient times including Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Celtic. Curran traces the evolution of belief in the walking cadaver from its early inception in religious ideology to the "Resurrections" and cataleptics of 18th century Europe, from prehistoric tale to Arthurian romance. Zombies even examines the notion of the "living dead" in the world today--entities such as the "living mummies" of Japan. Zombies is a unique book, the only one to systematically trace the development of a cultural idea of physical resurrection and explore the myths that have grown around it, including the miracles of Old Testament prophets. It will interest those enticed by the return of the corporeal dead and also those curious as to how such an idea sits within the historical context.

⭐ Reader reviews

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.4/5

★★★★★

If you're captivated by folklore, comparative mythology, or the darker corners of human psychology, this book is for you. Readers intrigued by the historical and cultural underpinnings of supernatural beliefs, rather than modern horror fiction, will find its academic yet accessible approach deeply…

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❓ Frequently asked questions

No, this book takes a much broader, academic approach, tracing the historical and mythological origins of the 'walking dead' concept across global cultures from ancient times to the present, predating modern film interpretations.

It's a scholarly analysis that examines myths, legends, and historical accounts to understand the cultural and psychological truths behind beliefs in physical resurrection, rather than simply recounting spooky tales.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Mythic Origins Worldwide

This book meticulously uncovers the diverse cultural wellsprings of beliefs in the physically returned dead. From ancient Sumerian and Babylonian narratives to Egyptian after-death traditions and Celtic folklore, it demonstrates how varied societies have grappled with and codified the unsettling idea of reanimation across millennia and continents.

Evolution of Reanimation Beliefs

Trace the fascinating historical trajectory of the 'walking dead' concept. The text explores its progression from early religious ideologies, through accounts of 'resurrections' and cataleptic states in 18th-century Europe, and even into Arthurian romances, illustrating how this potent idea transformed and persisted across different historical periods.

Psychological & Modern Interpretations

Beyond historical accounts, the book probes the deeper psychological underpinnings of why humanity holds such a pervasive fear and fascination with the living dead. It connects ancient fears to contemporary manifestations, examining how the concept endures in modern thought and examples like the intriguing 'living mummies' of Japan.

💬 Quotes from the book

«From the earliest Sumerian clay tablets to the sagas of the Norse draugr, humanity has grappled with the unsettling notion of the grave's temporary victory over flesh.»

«The line between spiritual return and physical reanimation remains a blurred threshold, deeply rooted in our collective unconscious and societal anxieties surrounding mortality.»

📜 Historical context

The concept of the walking dead is deeply embedded in humanity's oldest traditions, reflecting universal anxieties about mortality, the afterlife, and the sanctity of the body. This work places modern 'zombie' narratives within a vast continuum of global beliefs, from ancient death cults and ancestor veneration to medieval plague fears, revealing a rich, unbroken lineage of cultural grappling with physical reanimation.

📚 Glossary

Draugr
Catalepsy
Corporeal

📔 Questions to reflect on

{'prompt': "Reflect on how your own cultural background or personal experiences might influence your perception of the 'walking dead' concept. Are there local legends or stories that resonate with these ancient fears?"}
{'prompt': 'Consider the distinction between a ghost (spiritual return) and a zombie/draugr (physical return). What societal anxieties or beliefs might lead to the creation of one concept over the other?'}
{'prompt': 'The book touches on cataleptic states being mistaken for death. How might scientific understanding (or lack thereof) impact the development and persistence of supernatural beliefs?'}