Undeath

As the macabre and gruesome imagery accompanying thoughts of death illuminate, the figure of death is often something that people want to avoid or circumvent. While this may produce religious and spiritual responses, it is also evident that representations of “undeath” or the “undead” or bypassing death. These representations or traditions are important to understanding cultural approaches to dying and mourning. Black magic, witchcraft, and spiritualism often tell tales of bringing loved ones back from the dead or of them speaking beyond the grave.