MONSTERS, CRYPTIDS AND SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
ZOMBIE
Zombi, Zonbi
A Zombie is an undead creature or revenant, which is created through the reanimation of a human corpse. This is achieved through various methods, which in turn also has a drastic effect on the creature's behaviour. In Haitian folklore, a zombie is an animated corpse raised by magical means, such as witchcraft and is controlled by the necromacer or Bokor to do their bidding, with no will of their own. The concept is often associated with the religion of voodoo, but actually has no part in that faith's formal practices. In other cases the reanimation can be achieved though external stimuli, such as radiation, pathogens, parasites or scientific accidents. In these instances the creature has no recollection of its former existence and is driven only by a base instict to feed, with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. This behaviour is perceived as having similar traits to a virus, as the infected (or undead) will actively seek out and target the living with the sole intention of spreading by creating more zombies. This particular strain of zombie is extremely hazardous, as a mere scratch or bite from one of these creatures will cause an infection that ravages the body and kills its host in a relatively short time. On death, they will rise to join the ranks of undead and continue the cycle.
Physiology:
The appearance of these creatures will vary widley depending on how death occured and how old the cadaver was before reanimation. They will often appear as somebody whom recently died at the hands of other zombies, displaying a blood soaked body, ravaged by biting and tearing. As higher brain functions have become effected their movements will appear ungainly and shambling, speech will be reduced to a series of mournful moans and wails and intelligence as a whole would be on a very base, instinctual level.
Etylmology:
The English word "zombie" was first recorded in 1819, in a history of Brazil by the poet Robert Southey. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the word's origin as West African and compares it to the Kongo words nzambi (god) and zumbi (fetish) Ultimately from a Bantu language.
History:
The Ancient Greeks may have been the first civilisation terrorised by a fear of the undead. Archaeologists have unearthed many ancient graves which contained skeletons pinned down by rocks and other heavy objects, assumedly to prevent the dead bodies from reanimating.
Territory:
Worldwide
Origination:
These creatures can be created via witchraft or due to the results of radiation, pathogens, parasites or scientific accidents. Being bitten or scratched by a zombie will result in degredation of the human body, leading to death and resurrection/reanimation of the corpse aslo creating a zombie.
Nature:
Mindless and instinctual. Zombies have no higher purpose nor ultimate goal, as it would seem all higher brain functions are effectively corrupted or destroyed on death. Their sole purpose is to feed and spread the zombie virus, regardless of any danger or harm that may occur to their bodies in the process. They are effectively diseased shells, powered by brain barely able to animate them.
Modus Operandi:
Zombies lack any sense of self-preservation, ignoring any injuries sustained to their bodies, even those of a devastating nature. As long as the brain is in tact they will stop at nothing to feed, often grouping together in large herds and moving as one unstoppable wave. Those whom are not completely devoured, will also reanimate, swelling their ranks even further.
Vulnerability:
As undead creatures Zombies are unaffected by any trauma to their physical bodies. Even injuries of a devastating nature, such as evisceration or dismemberment has very little effect on them, other than possibly slowing their movement. It is generally accepted that the drive experienced by them resides in the brain. Therefore, removing the head or otherwise destroying the connection between brain and body will stop them. As they have no intelligence nor survival instincts, they can be easily lured into traps and navigated around to achieve this. In instances where zombification is caused by magic, a zombie may potentially be stopped by the death of its master, otherwise supposedly, scattering salt over the graves of the deceased lifts the spell cast over the bodies.