Kala Ambrose explores the Walking Dead with Dr Bob Curran

Explore Your Spirit with Kala

In the myths, legends, and folklore of many peoples, the returning, physical dead play a significant role, whether they are the zombies of Haiti or the draugr of Scandinavia. But what are the origins of an actual bodily return from the grave? Does it come from something deep within our psyche, or is there some truth to it? On this episode of Explore Your Spirit with Kala, Kala speaks with Bob Curran as they explore his book: Zombies: A Field Guide to the Walking Dead and how some of these beliefs may have arisen and the truths that lay behind them. Examine the myths from all around the world and from ancient times including Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Celtic. Curran traces the evolution of belief in the walking cadaver from its early inception in religious ideology to the “Resurrections” and cataleptics of 18th century Europe, from prehistoric tale to Arthurian romance. Zombies even examines the notion of the “living dead” in the world today–entities such as the “living mummies” of Japan. Zombies is a unique book, systematically tracing the development of a cultural idea of physical resurrection and explore the myths that have grown around it, including the miracles of Old Testament prophets. It will interest those enticed by the return of the corporeal dead and also those curious as to how such an idea sits within the historical context. Dr. Bob Curran lives and works in the North of Ireland, a place that is haunted by myth, legend and folktales. Over the years, he has studied the dark and sinister, both in his own land and in places beyond. A psychologist and a historian, he has written and lectured extensively on the arcane and the mysterious. He is the author of Vampires and Celtic Lore & Legend