Things learned in podcasts

[melaniesuzanne]

The fun folks at Night of the Living Podcast say that mummies are not zombies. This is because mummies are golems and are animated by magic.

Of course, the potions used to turn people into zombies* could, technically, be considered magic. I mean, reanimating the dead sounds rather magical to me. So, does that mean that zombies could be golems as well? And mummies are zombies? Or are zombies simply fresher, unwrapped mummies?

I need a horror geek salon. Srsly.

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*Traditional, voodoo-style zombies. Not these johnny-come-lately, brain-seeking zombies.

Comments

[danabren.livejournal.com]

I have learned that you need less free time.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

You're not wrong.

[melebeth]

I'm pointing someone at this post who will geek out with you in extremis.

[boneshard.livejournal.com]

They're wrong on so many levels.

Mummies are animated by the pure, malevolent force of the tormented soul (KA!) of the mummified-alive subject.

Golems are inanimate clay statues brought to life by a Rabbi using a strip of paper with a charm written on it.

Zombies are voodoo-made cheap labor. Flesh-eating corpses were called "ghouls" in Night of the Living Dead, and "Romero Zombies" became the popular designation, but not the film's.

Brain eating O'Bannon zombies are created by 245-Trioxin. Romero "Ghouls" (or Zombies) were made by radiation from a returning Venus probe/satellite.

The whole abuse of the word "Golem"... arghhh! This stems from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons- where most of the world gets its mythology these past 30 years. It makes me want to smack some people with a statue of Judah Loew ben Bezalel.

[hannnahkl.livejournal.com]

And then there's Gollum, who throws another level of confusion into the whole thing. I actually had this conversation in elementary school: "Is Gollum a golem?" "No." "But his name is Gollum." "Yeah, but he's totally not a golem. Except that he's Gollum."

[ironrose.livejournal.com]

I believe that mummies and zombies have a few differences:

* mummies are usually preserved corpses who may come to life years or centuries later, woken by a curse (or magic, or whatever)

* zombies are usually fresh corpses and not preserved at all, and come to life soon after death (due to the rotting issue)

* The _cause_ of revivication isn't as important as the state of the corpse. Simply put, mummies are preserved or pickled soon after death. That's why they are all wrapped up and stuff. Zombies are rotting corpses. You could pickle the zombie after it reanimated but that's kind of like closing the barn door after the cow's escaped.

Or something.

* After all, like you point out, you could totally raise zombies with magic or with technology. And I am sure it is just a matter of time before someone figures how to animate mummies with science - all this time we have been relying on magic but I'm sure there are people doing research on this. So that is not a reliable method of distinguishing the two.

* Think of it this way: a mummy is like fish jerky, but a zombie is like that icelandic dish that you make by burying fish for 3 days and letting it rot in the ground.

* Also, mummies tend to not _have_ any organs, (reducing the whole rotting phenomenon). Their brains and hearts and stuff tend to be in a jar.

* Which makes one wonder if zombies would love to find mummy brains and would consider that an especially tasty delicacy, like pickled brains or brain jerky or something.

PS, here via melebeth, as promised. ;-)