Today, one can barely turn on the television without begin bombarded by visions of a buxom teenager being pursued by an undead stalker. Many present fears and beliefs directly stem from the customs of preparing the dead.
Vampire Forensic
Recently, the National Geographic Explorer channel aired an interesting tale called,”Vampire Forensics.” It chronicled Italian Anthropologist Dr. Matteo Borrini’s recovery of a skull of a long deceased woman. The skull was discovered with a rock wedged between the upper and lower jaw bones. Dr. Borrini explained this unusual exercise was to prevent the dead woman from chewing the flesh on the living. The deceased’s unusual advanced age lead her neighbor’s to believe she could become an attacking vampire. Fearing their safety, the woman’s townspeople place the stone within her mouth to prevent any morbid aggression.
Revenants and Zombies
Dr. Matteo Borrini further revealed an ancient Latin manuscript written in the late 1600’s titled, “De Masticatione Mortuoru.” This Latin title roughly translates to mean “On the Chewing Dead.” Within the codex’s pages are recorded death preparations to prevent the undead called revenants (zombies) from attacking and feeding on the flesh of the living. The placement of a stone between the corpse’s jaws was one such precaution. The author Philip Rohr also advises a coin lodged in the deceased’s mouth or fresh earth tightly packed around his face could limit the gruesome assaults.
Wake Rituals
Many graveyard rituals remain observed today. For example, the practice of holding a wake for the dearly departed began centuries ago. For several days, the dead would be on display within the family’s home. Visitors would view the person to see if he or she would “wake” from the very deep sleep condition.
The Staking Theory
Many late souls would be staked to the ground of their graves. The burier’s intent was to stop the undead from returning from the pits of their graves. This staking procedure is unequivocally correlated with the process of killing a contemporary vampire.
The Mechanics of a Graveyard
The placements of many burial grounds are not by chance rather they are situated by design. In the past, people constructed graveyard outside of their towns at crossroads. The idea was if a blood seeking zombie departed his tomb he would be unable to locate the town due to his becoming confused by not knowing which route or direction to travel. In addition, many hallowed ground sites are fenced. Not to keep the living out, but rather, to hold the dead within. Likewise, the familiar placement of a headstone was originally to help secure the dead within the coffin not to mark the top of the grave’s plot.
Kenneth Dillinger - For over a decade I have worked in the Mental Health field in a variety of capacities. Currently, I work with adult MH consumers, ...
