Ireland's OWN: Myths & Magic Voodoo: Zombies —by Míchealín Daugherty Voodoo is not just an isolated cult, but a system of beliefs embracing the relationship between man, nature and unseen forces -- it is a remedy for ills and a way of survival. There are many aspects of Catholicism mixed in with Voodoo because by doing so, it gave African slaves the opportunity to practice their own religious beliefs whilst seemingly embracing the Catholicism of their white captors. The late Haitian dictator, Francois Duvalier ('Papa Doc') wrote a serious study of Voodoo. Its practice, however, is not limited to Haiti.  See: Hoodoo and Voodoo (A Brief Analysis of). Trance-inducing Voodoo is associated with trance-inducing dances and states of ecstasy, brought about by chanting and possession by Voodoo leities, known as Loa. One interesting Loa, described in Gordon's Spells, Hexes and Curses (see source list), is Ghedes. Ghedes is the Lord of Black Magic. He is the man in the long black coat who waits at the Crossroads to guide souls to Guin�e, the Land of the Dead. He provides protection from vampires (loup-garou) and bakas (sorcerers who take on animal forms). Conversely, he is also the God of Love and the consort or Erzulie, the Goddess of Love. In 1947, film-maker, Maya Deren, joined a Voodoo trance-inducing dance while doing research on the subject for Life magazine. According to Deren, during the dance, she became possessed by Erzulie. The feelings described by Deren were a numbness in the legs, a feeling of terror flooding her body, an inward feeling that she was begging for mercy and a shrill chorus chanting "Erzulie," after which Deren fainted. Zombies Zombies, or the walking dead, are also associated with Voodoo. In the 1980s, Harvard anthropologist and ethnobotanist (author of The Serpent and the Rainbow), Wade Davis, met with several renowned Voodouns in Haiti, South America, the U.S. and Canada, in an effort to obtain the secrets of creating a zombie. Davis also studied several zombies to find what ingredients they had ingested and/ or what ingredients or poison may have been inadvertently applied to their physical bodies. He noted that zombies were indeed poisoned, and experienced cyanosis (bluing of the face due to oxygen starvation) and paresthesia (tingling sensations) before being buried alive; and then revived in a state of incoherence and catalepsy. Note: This is why zombies appear to be dead, during catalepsy the body becomes rigid and consciousness and feeling may be temporarily lost...long enough for the person to be presumed dead and then buried! Davis paid several Hou'gans, or Voodoo Priests, for Zombie powder to analyze at his Harvard laboratory. Many of the potions he was sold were bogus. Eventually, Davis obtained the real potion from the infamous Hou'gan, Pierre Marcel, a follower of Francois Duvalier. According to Davis, he observed Pierre take a child's skull from a cemetery and put it in a jar with two newly killed lizards and a large toad. Davis recognised the toad as the Bufo marinus, whose glands secrete a hallucinogenic poison. Pierre also added two fish to the ingredients; and one of them was the highly toxic blowfish or puffer fish, which is the source of the chemical, tetradotoxin. Later in his laboratory, Davis discovered that all of the ingredients were inert except the combined toxins of the Bufo marinus and the puffer fish. An historical study of bufotenine, the toxin from Bufo marinus, revealed to Davis that the toxin causes muscle spasms and delirium by blocking oxygen from the bloodstream. Many believe the Berserkers, warriors of Norse legends, used bufotenine. Davis also found that fugu poison from the blowfish or puffer fish causes its victims to appear dead for up to 72 hours. Research revealed that fugu-eaters in Japan take small amounts of fugu to experience out-of-body experiences. According to Pierre, the zombie potion must be inhaled by the victim. If it is ingested, true death occurs. For Vodou lessons or for more information on Vodou, visit Bon Mambo Racine Sans Bout's website: The Vodou Page. Sources: Wade, D. The Serpent and the Rainbow. Warner Books: New York, 1987. Gordon, S. The Book of Spells, Hexes and Curses: True Tales from Around the World. Citadel Press: Toronto, ON, Canada, 1997. Mutraux, A. Voodoo in Haiti. Andre Deutsch: London, 1959. Personal knowledge. Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN May be reprinted with permission. Page last updated 26 Jul  2008 Website Design and Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Daugherty Copyright © 2008 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.