Undeath

About

The undead are beings featured in mythology, legend, and fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. Common examples include corpses reanimated by supernatural forces, either through the deceased's own life force or that of a supernatural entity such as a demon or evil spirit. The undead can be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, including mummies, vampires, skeletons, and zombies. These beings appear in the belief systems of most cultures worldwide and are prominent in many works of fantasy and horror fiction. The term is also occasionally applied to real-life scientific and technological attempts to resurrect the dead, ranging from early experiments to future sciences such as chemical brain preservation and cryonics. While the undead typically refer to corporeal entities, some contexts, such as in Dungeons & Dragons, extend the term to include incorporeal forms of the dead like ghosts.