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 narra ...

legend A legend is a 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 values, and possess ...

, or fiction 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 Line ...

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 furt ...

vampire 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 deat ...

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 w ...

s, who have been reanimated by supernatural means, technology, or disease. In some cases (for example in

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

) the term also includes incorporeal forms of the dead, such as ghosts. 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 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 literature and d ...

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 ...

. 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'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 considered using the title, ''The Un-Dead'', for his novel '' Dracula'' (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 co ...

''. 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; 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 ...

'' (1818) used unspecified technological means, the influential '' I Am Legend'' (1954) blamed a germ, '' The Return of the Living Dead'' (1985) depicted a toxic gas, and ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known in Japan as is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

'' (2002) featured a bioweapon. The undead have become popular adversaries in fantasy and horror settings, featuring prominently in many role-playing games, role-playing video games, MMORPGs and

strategy games A strategy game or strategic game is a game (e.g. a board game) in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decisio ...

Literature

up'' The_Dead_Lovers'',_ca._1470_(Strasbourg,_Musée_de_l'Œuvre_Notre-Dame.html" ;"title="Strasbourg.html" ;"title="The Dead Lovers'', ca. 1470 (Strasbourg">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 Bram Stoker's novel '' Dracula'',

Van Helsing A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

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 ...

's ''

The Death of Halpin Frayser "The Death of Halpin Frayser" is a Gothic ghost story by Ambrose Bierce. It was first published in the San Francisco periodical ''The Wave'' on December 19, 1891 before appearing in the 1893 collection '' Can Such Things Be?'' Plot summary Halp ...

'', and various

Gothic Romanticism Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

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 wid ...

. 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's novel '' Professor Dowell's Head'' (1925), in which a mad scientist performs experimental head transplants on bodies stolen from the

morgue A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

, and reanimates the corpses. Utagawa Yoshiiku Specter

List of undead forms

Living corpses

Anchimayen The Anchimayen (in the Mapudungun language, also spelled "Anchimallén" or "Anchimalguén" in Spanish) is a mythical creature in Mapuche mythology. Anchimayens are described as little creatures that take the form of small children, and can transfor ...

* Ahkiyyini * Draugr *

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 *

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 *

Ghoul A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a cert ...

* Gashadokuro *

Gjenganger A Gjenganger ( no, Gjenganger, ' or '; da, Genganger or '; sv, Gengångare) in Scandinavian folklore was a term for a revenant, the spirit or ghost of a deceased from the grave. Etymology ' has two parts; the prefix is related to "again" or "a ...

Hone-onna is a yōkai depicted in the ''Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki'' (1779) by Toriyama Sekien. As its name implies, it depicts this yōkai as a woman in the form of bones. In Sekien's explanatory text in the ''Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki'' states that there i ...

Jiangshi A jiāngshī, also known as a Chinese hopping vampire, is a type of reanimated corpse in Chinese legends and folklore. The characters for "jiāngshī" are read goeng-si in Cantonese, cương thi in Vietnamese, kyonshī in Japanese, and gangsi ...

* Kukudh *

Lich In fantasy fiction, a lich (; from the Old English , meaning "corpse") is a type of undead creature. Various works of fantasy fiction, such as Clark Ashton Smith's " The Empire of the Necromancers" (1932), had used ''lich'' as a general term f ...

* Langsuyar *

Mummy 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 fu ...

Nachzehrer In German folklore, a nachzehrer is a sort of vampire. The word ''nachzehrer'' translates to "after (''nach'') living off (''zehren'')" likely alluding to their living after death or living off humans after death in addition to the choice of "nach ...

Qutrub A qutrub () in Arabian folklore is a type of jinn or demon, likened to an "Arabian 'werewolf'",Mythology in the Middle Ages: Heroic Tales of Monsters, Magic, and Might By Christopher R. Fee similar to a ghoul because it was said to haunt graveyards ...

Revenant In folklore, a revenant is an animated corpse that is believed to have been revived from death to haunt the living. The word ''revenant'' is derived from the Old French word, ''revenant'', the "returning" (see also the related French verb ''reve ...

* Ro-langs * Orek * Skeleton * Rusalka * Strzyga *

Vampire 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 deat ...

Vrykolakas Vrykolakas (Greek βρυκόλακας, pronounced ), also called vorvolakas or vourdoulakas, is a harmful, undead creature in Greek folklore. It shares similarities with numerous other legendary creatures, but is generally equated with the vampi ...

Vetala A vetala ( sa, वेताल ') or Betal is a Bhairava form of Shiva in Hindu mythology, usually defined as a knowledgeable (fortune telling) paranormal entity said to be dwelling at charnel grounds. The vetala is comparable to the vampires o ...

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 *

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 w ...

* Zombie animal

Incorporeal spirits

* Ayakashi *

Banshee A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name i ...

* Baykok *

Bal-Bal In Philippine mythology, a Bal-Bal is an undead monster that steals corpses whether it is in a funeral or grave and feeds on them. It has a strong sense of smell for dead human bodies. It also has claws and teeth sharp enough to rip the clothing ...

* Bhoot *

Dullahan The Dullahan (Irish: Dubhlachan ; dúlachán, ), also called Gan Ceann (meaning "without a head" in Irish), is a type of mythological creature in Irish folklore. He is depicted as a headless rider, on a black horse, who carries his own head ...

* Dunnie *

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 i ...

* Ghost, phantom, or spectre *

Goryō are vengeful Japanese ghosts from the aristocratic classes, especially those who have been martyred. Description The name consists of two kanji, 御 (go) meaning honorable and 霊 (ryō) meaning soul or spirit. Arising mainly in the Heian ...

* Hupia *

Hitodama In Japanese folklore, Hitodama (Japanese ; meaning "human soul") are balls of fire that mainly float in the middle of the night.広辞苑第五版 p.2255 「人魂」 They are said to be "souls of the dead that have separated from their bodies," ...

* Headless Horseman *

Inugami , like kitsunetsuki, is a spiritual possession by the spirit of a dog, widely known about in western Japan. They have seemed firmly rooted until recent years in the eastern Ōita Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, and a part of Kōchi Prefectu ...

* Ikiryō * The

Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

* Jikininki *

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 *

Kuchisake-onna is a malevolent figure in Japanese urban legends and folklore. Described as the malicious spirit, or ''onryō'', of a woman, she partially covers her face with a mask or other item and carries a pair of scissors. She is most often described as ...

* Lemures * Lietuvēns *

Mavka ''Mavka'' ( uk, Мавка) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. She is a long-haired figure, sometimes naked, who may be dangerous to young men. Terminology There is variation in the names and spelling, including u ...

Moroi A moroi (sometimes moroii in modern fiction; pl. ''moroi'') is a type of vampire or ghost in Romanian folklore. A female moroi is called a moroaică (pl. ''moroaice''). In some versions, a moroi is a phantom of a dead person which leaves the grav ...

Mononoke ''Mononoke'' (物の怪) are vengeful spirits (onryō), dead spirits ( shiryō), live spirits ( ikiryō), or spirits in Japanese classical literature and folk religion that were said to do things like possess individuals and make them suffer, cau ...

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). Mog ...

* Myling *

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 th ...

Onryō In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to "redress" the wron ...

* Poltergeist * Pocong *

Preta Preta ( sa, प्रेत, bo, ཡི་དྭགས་ ''yi dags''), also known as hungry ghost, is the Sanskrit name for a type of supernatural being described in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion as undergoing sufferin ...

* Sluagh * Shade *

Shiryō are the souls of the dead in Japanese folklore. This contrasts with , which are souls of the living. Summary Classical literature and folklore material has left many mentions of , and they have various behaviors. According to the , they were con ...

Shikigami (also read as ) is the term for a being from Japanese folklore. According to the Shinto scholar Inoue Nobutaka, it is thought to be some sort of , represented by a small ghost. The belief of ''shikigami'' originates from ''Onmyōdō''. Accord ...

* Sayona *

Strigoi Strigoi in Romanian mythology are troubled spirits that are said to have risen from the grave. They are attributed with the abilities to transform into an animal, become invisible, and to gain vitality from the blood of their victims. Bram Sto ...

* Shadow person * Umibōzu * Ubume *

Vengeful ghost In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...

* Yūrei *

Yuki-onna is a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore that is often depicted in Japanese literature, films, or animation. She may also go by such names as ''yuki-musume'', cited by ("snow daughter"), ''yuki-onago'' ("snow girl"), ''yukijorō'' (雪女郎, ...

* Wraith

Mixed

Dying-and-rising deity A dying-and-rising, death-rebirth, or resurrection deity is a religious motif in which a god or goddess dies and is resurrected.Leeming, "Dying god" (2004)Miles 2009, 193 Examples of gods who die and later return to life are most often cited f ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Paranormal terminology Demons