So, our guests today are the navyi, jiangshi, and zombies! 🧟‍♀️

The concept of the zombie is closely linked to the Voodoo religion in Haiti. In Haitian folklore, a zombie is a person stripped of their soul and raised from the grave by a sorcerer (bokor) to serve a master. It is believed that the word "zombie" may have originated from a combination of the Haitian terms nzambi ("divine") and zumbi ("inanimate").

"Навьи" are a concept from Slavic mythology, referring to the restless souls of the deceased who have failed to find peace and have returned to the world of the living. The term "навь" traces back to an ancient Slavic root, "nаvь", meaning "the deceased" or "a dead person." This root also gave rise to terms like "Навий Мир" (the afterlife/otherworld) and "Naviy den" (a day for commemorating the dead). What makes them unique? Navyi are not controlled by sorcerers; they act of their own free will rather than at the command of a magic-user. They retain their memories. They remember who they were in life and remain self-aware. They possess intelligence. Unlike the mindless, reflex-driven zombies of pop culture, navyi are capable of deliberate, reasoned actions. They are not necessarily malevolent. At times, they might even assist the living—for instance, by revealing the location of buried treasure or asking someone to complete an unfinished task. They do not act as a collective. Unlike some Western depictions where zombies often form hordes, navyi are typically solitary figures.

And finally, the jiangshi. They are often referred to as "Chinese hopping vampires" or "zombies." But why? Due to rigor mortis, a jiangshi’s joints lose their mobility. Consequently, it moves by hopping, with its arms extended out in front. It is traditionally believed that a jiangshi does not hunt for blood, but rather to absorb "qi"—a person’s vital energy. It attacks at night, homing in on the warmth of its victim’s breath. The Chinese character "jiang" (僵) literally means "hard" or "rigid".