Posted by: ZRS Staff in DEFINITION March 4, 201213 Comments
Though mummies and zombies are often lumped into the same broad category, when you take a closer look, it becomes clear that they have almost nothing in common.
Mummies have their own name, illustrating the point that if a monster is actually identified as something else in particular, it’s relatively safe to assume that it’s not a zombie.
Mummies are also not zombies because they are not relentlessly aggressive and they do not come to be through a biological infection.
A mummy is a corpse whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, low humidity, or some combination thereof. In ancient mummy lore, they often protect specific places or sacred items, and this is also their driving desire in Hollywood depictions.
Unlike the modern zombie, mummies are not revived through some scientific process, but rather, through the fulfillment of a curse or eternal mission.
Once order is restored to the mummy’s world–meaning once you give it back its favorite ruby brooch or leave its sacred space–it will lie down again and wait for the next time someone disturbs its rest.
Mummies may be creepy and cool, but they are not related to zombies in the least.
