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The Legend Of The Zombie: Overview
The legend of the zombie has been around for centuries. It was most common to believe in Africa, and the belief spread when the slave trade began. Because of this, the belief in zombies became widespread in Haiti and some other surrounding areas. The Haitian Vodoo religion accepts zombies and describes them a little differently than the Western movie zombie. This article will give a brief overview of both of these types of zombies and how you could survive a zombie apocalypse if one were to happen.
The Legend Of Zombies In Different Cultures
The zombie legend is said to have begun somewhere in Africa centuries ago. This belief in zombies was brought to other countries once the slave trade began. Many slaves were brought to Haiti to work on sugar and tobacco plantations. Many of these slaves kept their Vodoo religion when they left. They believed that zombies could be real but that they were man-made creatures. A zombie was less of a dead person to them and more of a mindless one.
Haitian Culture
To the Haitian people, a zombie was a person who was unloved or lonely and who came into the power of a bokor, a Vodou sorcerer. This sorcerer would often bury the person alive and then put a spell on them so that when they woke up, they wouldn’t remember anything, and they were completely under the bokor’s control. A zombie was a mindless slave for the bokor, and they could only be set free if the bokor died or broke the spell.
The zombie belief probably stuck so close to the Haitian people because they were enslaved. The zombie was a perfect representation of their situation; as far as their masters cared, they might as well have been mindless zombies. Even in Haitian legend, these zombies tended to eat other people and needed to be beheaded to be killed. Many bodies that archeologists have found were buried without their heads or with a damaged skull. Could it be this way because of the belief in zombies?
Western Culture
The Western view of zombies is a little different and much more modern. In recent years the zombie has become more popular, becoming the main theme in books, movies television, and even video games. The hit television show The Walking Dead focuses on what could happen if there was a zombie outbreak. There are even some comedies like Zombieland, which have a funny look at what running from zombies would be like.
Many modern zombie theories seem to point out that zombies are likely a man-made problem. There’s no magic involved, instead, a virus or bacteria would cause a person to die and then be born again as a zombie. These legends don’t seem to say that people already dead can become zombies, only those who died of the belief.
Like the vampire or werewolf, if a zombie bites you(without killing you), you will become a zombie as well. As far as popular media shows, the only way to kill a zombie is to chop off its head or shoot it in the head. This can be tricky, dirty, and disgusting.
How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse
To survive a zombie apocalypse, you need to be faster than the zombies, well-hidden, and good with a weapon. Many people who believe in zombies today do their best to stock up on nonperishable foods and other goods. They may add reinforcements to their homes so that zombies cannot enter them.
In stories and media, it is a popular belief that zombies will be in large numbers in urban areas because many people live there. Therefore, hiding in the countryside or other rural areas would give a person the best chance of surviving.
Also, it is said in many books that zombies cannot fare in cold temperatures; they will freeze completely. So, hiding in cold climates could also work. Zombies cannot reproduce sexually, so if they starve before they can infect someone else, they will die.
If a zombie apocalypse did begin, it would be likely to end in less than twenty years. However, if it does start, then it’s best to be prepared.