Do You Know Your Zombies? By Dina Rae
Voodoo
and zombies were my biggest inspiration for writing Bad Juju.
A great deal of research went into the story. Most of the plot is
filled with authentic elements of Voodoo and zombies. For instance, the most common and believable zombie
fact claims that one can turn into a zombie because of mental collapse,
disease, infection, and/or radiation. Zombies stagger around dazed and
confused, causing others to panic. Then there is the man-made monster kind or
the kind Hollywood and horror authors like me tend to capitalize on.
Zombie
interest continues to fascinate the world. Jeffrey Dahmer drilled holes then
poured acid down his victim’s heads in hopes of creating his own zombie. His
madness didn’t work.
Can
man make his own zombie? Are these monsters real?
According
to Wade Davis, author of The Serpent of the Rainbow, zombies are
real. They are a product of the Voodoo religion. He was originally hired by a
pharmaceutical company to find out about the drugs Voduists used in their death
rituals. He believed that datura also known as zombie’s cucumber was a plant
that could medically make one who ingested it appear to be dead for a certain
length of time.
Sounds
like the stuff Juliet used to fake her death. Could Shakespeare known about the
magical zombie-making plant?
Datura
or sometimes Cimora, a close relative of Datura’s, eventually wears off but
leaves the victim in a state of confusion, highly susceptible to the art of
persuasion. Presto! A zombie slave is at the captor’s disposal. Mr. Davis
didn’t just find his datura flower, but witnessed zombie phenomena as he
immersed himself within the Haitian culture.
Bad Juju is a unique blend of horror, romance, and
fantasy. Besides The Serpent and the Rainbow, I read volumes of
other Voodoo material and watched hours of TV specials. Some of the terms I
learned can be found below:
Bokor:
A wizard who practices black magic, a zombie maker.
Loa:
deity/spirit
Ghede
Family: A family of loas known as the spirits of the dead. Three barons rule
the family. Baron Samedi is the loa of resurrection. Baron Kriminel is the most
feared loa associated with cannibalism and souls. He’s honored on The Day of
the Dead. Baron LaCroix is the loa of the dead and sexuality.
Poppet:
Voodoo doll
Ti-bon-ange:
“little good angel” The part of the soul that represents a person’s
individuality.
Gros-bon-ange:
“great good angel” Part of the soul that is collected into a reservoir of the
Cosmos or spirit world.
Baka:
Voodoo spirits in animal form.
Loup
Garou: werewolf
Djab:
a devil
Dessounin:
Death ritual that separates the gros-bon-ange from the body.
Bizango
Society: Secret society of Vodouists. They have Freemason-like qualities such
as aprons, secret handshakes, oaths, hierarchy, and symbols. Legend states they
change into animals at will. They are known for stealing black cats and boiling
them to death for Voodoo services. They drink each other’s blood from a human
skull chalice.
Bad
Juju is available on Amazon for 1.99
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