For centuries, vampires, zombie And ghosts they exert a certain charm incollective imagination: in European legends, for example, the vampire embodies the fear of the unknown and of otherness, while in other cultures, such as the Haitian one, the zombie represents the terror of losing oneself. These monstrous beings originate from beliefs And ancient symbolsoften intertwined with natural phenomena or little known diseases. Monsters, through their representations and depending on the culture of reference, provide a powerful lens with which we explore deep fearsthe relationship with death and physical decay. Furthermore, sometimes their meaning has to do with the politicsthe moral and the organization of society.
The birth of the vampire legend and the disease behind the myth
The legend of vampirewith his pale figure and aversion to sunlight, finds deep roots inEastern Europein countries such as Ukraine, Hungary and Romania. However, behind the myth of the vampire there are also hidden medical explanations. One of the most fascinating theories about this figure attributes its origin to the rare disease of erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). EPP is a genetic disease characterized by a marked photosensitivitywhich can cause serious skin lesions if sufferers are exposed to sunlight. The pallor and the need to avoid the sun, symptoms of this disease, may have contributed to the construction of the vampire as a pale and nocturnal figure.
How the legend of the zombies was born
The figure of zombie has its deep roots in religion and in the Haitian culturelinked to Voodoo. Explains Michel-Rolph Trouillot that, in the voodoo tradition, a zombie is not simply a living deadbut a person deprived of his own will through magical practices, often under one’s control sorcerer or “bokor“. The term “zombie” comes from the African term “nzambi“meaning “spirit” or “soul” in several Bantu languages. This process of “Zombification” reflects a powerful metaphor of slavery and the loss of individual autonomy and is a way in which Haitian communities reprocess the trauma of slavery and colonial domination.
According to Romero (1968), in contemporary European and American culture, the zombie has become the symbol of social decadencefrom the fear of the apocalypse and of loss of humanity when faced with global catastrophes, such as pandemics or environmental crises. Thus, the figure of the zombie embodies not only the terror of the return of the dead, but also theanxiety about the future and the survival of civilization.
The role of monsters in culture and society
Monsters, such as vampires, zombies or ghosts, often represent cultures’ attempts to give a face to common fears, linked to unknown natural events or difficult social changes. For example, the vampire is often associated with fear of contagion and diseasewhile it zombie symbolizes the loss of humanity and identity. We have always believed that, therefore, once the origin of some diseases or natural events has been explained, these figures have completed their task. From the point of view of humanistic studiesHowever, these “monstrous” figures should not be considered simple fantasies or nonsense.
Monsters serve a crucial function in tracking the boundaries between what is “human” and what is not. The philosopher Noël Carroll, in his essay The Philosophy of Horror (1990), suggests that monsters are creatures that lead us to questionhuman identity: “What does it mean to be human? What are the limits of our morality and our civilization?”
Graeber and Wengrow, however, for example, help us understand that these myths are not just expressions of fear or superstition, but a useful device for the social and political organization of communities. The narratives about spirits, in fact, do not only reflect the power and coercion exercised “from top to bottom” (those in power establish what is forbidden and create a myth/monster to keep the community away from those behaviors, attitudes , characteristics), but they are also the expression of an action that is both conscious, creative and non-hierarchical.
Graeber and Wengrow explain to us how many communities of the past could, with “horizontal” management methods (without the need to live structured in hierarchies) create these stories to give collective responses to the management of internal conflicts or crises. Beliefs about monsters or restless spirits were therefore a way to negotiate moral behavior together, collectively deciding what was right or wrong, effectively creating a social self-regulation system. This “horizontal morality” was flexible and adaptable and did not resort to authoritarian or oppressive structures. The myth was not imposed, but co-created by the community to maintain a certain ethic or social order.
