Etymology of Vampire and Zombie
My article "The Un-History of the Undead" has been published by Verbatim. This is a language quarterly, but it suits the article, as it traces the history of the two words through early myth and then up through film.
Imagine that a vampire knocked on your door—a real, true to life (or death) vampire. You open the door and find a ruddy-faced overweight man with long fingernails, his mouth and left eye open, and dressed in a linen shroud. Not what you expected? Did you expect to find a well-groomed man, tall with pale skin, fangs, and a cape slung around his shoulders?
Read the whole article. |