Lupus Alatus

Suspicion, Adultery, Death, and a Zombie: The Ghost of Anant Part 1

You can find the Latin text of this story, a Latin to English vocabulary list, and an English translation ⁠here on Lupus Alatus's website⁠ [https://open.substack.com/pub/lupusalatus/p/suspicion-adultery-death-and-a-zombie?r=1z3jt7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web]. In the chronicle of William of Newburgh, Historia De Rebus Anglicis, there are a few chapters that aren’t quite like the rest. Most of his Historia covers events in the history of England from the Norman Conquest to his own lifetime in the 12th century. But there are a few chapters about things he calls prodigiosa: strange, unnatural things. And, what are these strange things? Well, in short, zombies (or revenants, if you prefer). These are stories of people who return from the dead, body and all. These aren’t just spiritual hauntings. Bodies rise out of their graves who do real physical harm to people: they attack people in their beds and contaminate the air with their presence, almost eliminating entire towns. Often, the walking dead are dealt with violently by the locals who are seeking to save themselves...