Early modern examples of the walking dead in fiction?

[Orrex]

For purposes of this discussion, let's leave out Lazarus and Jesus, because they don't represent the tone I'm looking for...

Let's also omit Dracula and similar vampires as well as Frankenstein's monster, though they're certainly cool.


Instead, I'm talking about a corpse brought back into some measure of animation. A current archetype is the Romero-style zombie or the plague-spawned creatures in 28 Days Later. I've been trying to think of a few early examples of this kind of "artificially" resurrected corpse, raised by outside influence. H.P. Lovecraft wrote of at least several of these from the 20s and 30s. W. W. Jacobs famously included one in the much-lampooned The Monkey's Paw in 1902.

Can you offer other favorite examples?

[TlalocW]

1. Years before Romero's Living Dead

There was a Smurfs comic book story in France (where the Smurfs were created) about a Smurf who got infected by a bug bite and was turned black, aggressive, and incoherent and would spread his infliction by biting other Smurfs. In the animated version, the infected Smurfs turned purple.

Any racism aside, some say that's where Romero got the idea for his zombies.

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2008/01/the_10_most_disturbing_smurfs.php?page=2

TlalocW

[Orrex]

3. I never heard of that--awesome!

I'm not really strong on Smurf-lore, though I've heard some criticisms about problematic racial references.

And now that I've clicked on the link, I'm pretty sure that I remember the "GNAP" from the purple Smurfts in the cartoons. Weird!

[YOY]

7. What year did that come out?

Romero might have gotten his idea from it but I though his film was in 1968.

Although the Smurfs have been around since the late 50s in Europe that comic looks like it is newer. Perhaps the comic truly came before but I am not throughly convinced.

I remember the cartoon though...scared the shit out of me as a kid. I thought they kept saying "NO!" or something like that in the English one.

[TlalocW]

12. The original story in the comics was 1963

Five years. Romero totally ripped off the Smurfs! ;)

TlalocW

[YOY]

13. Did Tom Savini totally rip off Brando in Dawn of the Dead?

:evilgrin:

[YOY]

2. Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner's "pale lady" for example (Coleridge)

Shakespere had ghosts but you're looking for corporeal I think...

Poe comes to mind...although some of his walking dead is truly in the head.

Japanese lore has some nasty spirits like the hunger spirit...not familiar enough with literature though.

[Orrex]

5. I figured that there might be some in Japanese folklore, but...

What little I know of the subject was gleaned from TSR's AD&D Oriental Adventures 25 years ago, so it's a little hazy!

The Pale Lady is an unexpected but very good example!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Is Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow too early?

[Orrex]

6. No, I think that's a fine suggestion

For no reason at all other than to set an arbitrary starting point, I guess I'd say that anything post-Columbus would qualify.

[FSogol]

8. Doesn't most mythology contain someone coming back from the dead?

I remember in Norse mythology, a ship, made from fingernail of dead soldiers, filled with undead warriors.

Another source may be the pulp writers of the 1920s. Robert E. Howard used the undead in stories.

[Orrex]

10. I'm not really familiar with Howard, but he'd certainly qualify

I avoided earlier myth-stories as being too pre-modern, but you're right in that the walking dead abound!

[YOY]

11. Give him a try. The man wrote Conan among other things.

His Conan stories kick ass.

Best thing to come out of Texas in the past 100 years....well maybe Leatherface too...

[Forkboy]

14. I was thinking Howard. He's known for Conan, but a lot of his other stuff is great horror.

I'm stumped otherwise.

[TechBear_Seattle]

9. Edgar Allen Poe

Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death and The Premature Burial are some of Poe's works that touch on the idea of the living dead.

[raccoon]

15. The Bible. Remember dem dry bones?

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (New International Version)


The Valley of Dry Bones

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

[Sequoia]

16. Check out those ancient Egyptian gods

Osiris rose from the dead I think. Hey, so did Jesus.

[Orrex]

17. I mentioned Jesus in the OP

And I was looking for more modern examples in any case.


You make a good point about Osiris, though--mythology abounds with tale of this or that deity manifesting on Earth as a mortal and thereafter rising from the dead and/or performing other miraculous works.

One would almost be tempted to speculate that Jesus is just a variation on a theme in this regard...

[Sequoia]

18. And then there's Lazurus....Mary and Martha's brother.

Who walked out of the cave with his mummy wrappings. Or so those Sunday School drawings would have you believe. Those were sure funny to look at in retrospect.

[Orrex]

19. Well, I mentioned Lazarus in the OP, too

:spank:

Shame on you for not hanging on my every word.

[Sequoia]

20. Dang it, what's my problem!!??