Contemporary paranormal fiction is all the rage, but why should historicals get left out? After all, humans have been scaring themselves with stories of vampires, werewolves, faeries, and yes, even zombies, since the beginning of recorded history, and people in bygone time periods were much more likely to believe such creatures actually existed. In this column I highlight some monstrous history and hope to provide creative inspiration in the process!Zombies in Medieval Ireland?
A team of archaeologists led by Chris Read from the Institute of Technology in Sligo, Ireland and Thomas Finan from St. Louis University, were excavating a medieval burial site when they unearthed a set of very interesting skeletons. Two men were found buried side by side and had large stones shoved into their mouths. The archaeologists believe the stones may have been placed there as barriers to prevent revenants or the "walking dead" from coming back from the grave, as the mouth was commonly viewed as the main portal by which a soul left its body upon death. Archaeologists speculate that these two men may have been considered dangerous or may have been murdered, and the community may have feared that these people could have come back to life to harass their loved ones or others against whom they held grudges. Read the full Discovery News article HERE.Oh, the story possibilities!