Mummy

Mummies

A mummy is any corpse that has been preserved, usually by some chemical means. Usually, people think that a mummy must be wrapped in rags, but that isn’t always the case. There are several ways that a mummy can be preserved.

The most famous mummies are from the Incan and Egyptian cultures. In ancient Egypt, the people believed that the spirit – or the ka – was essential to the afterlife. If a person’s body decomposed, the ka could be lost.

Many of the Egyptian mummies were left in the sun so that they dried quickly instead of decomposing. This was only one of the early methods of mummification. Some cultures in China packed the body in a wooden coffin along with herbs that helped with preservation.

But there were some natural methods by which bodies became mummified. Very dry conditions without moisture often allowed for mummification, even if that wasn’t the intent. This is true even in the days before embalming and other chemical acts of preservation.

In the case of intense cold, the body typically froze but is also well preserved. While this isn’t exactly the same, there are some documented instances of frozen bodies remaining preserved after they thawed, probably because of the length of time they were frozen.

Why Mummification Was Important

To understand, you first have to understand the reason for intentionally mummifying a corpse.

The purpose in most cultures, including Egypt, was to preserve the body for the afterlife. The people of the day believed that the dead would come back to life at some point in the future. With that in mind, the living did everything possible to prepare the person for that life.

One point was to preserve the body so that the spirit would have a place to reside.

There were usually goods placed in the tomb with the mummified corpse – everything the person would need for the afterlife. In the case of royalty, servants were even included in the tomb. Those who had served their master well were put into the tomb to serve him or her in the afterlife!

Why Mummies Are Frightening

But what is frightening about a mummy? Imagine, if you can, what the scene will look like on the day these mummies are resurrected to face the afterlife. Despite the best efforts, the bodies will be dried and at least partly decomposed – a scary sight indeed!

The Mummy in Hollywood

The fact that mummies are intended to arise from the dead is probably the reason they’ve found such a following in Hollywood. There have been countless movies based on mummies, ranging from the frightful to the silly.

Mummies, much like zombies, seem to have no compunction about right and wrong. Whether they’re protecting themselves and their tombs, or seeking justice for past wrongs, they seem to have no limits.

But they aren’t at the beck and call of a master. Instead, mummies act on their own.

But for everything that Hollywood has done in a frightful way, there’s some comic relief and the mummy is no exception. Even the most scary mummy can be reduced to a pile of rags and dust, if the movies are to be believed.

If you see a mummy on your porch this Halloween season, take time to offer him or her an extra treat. And remember that not all mummies are meant to be frightening.

The Mystery of the Mummy