Egyptian Mummies: From Sacred Vessels to Scary Undead | Monstrum

Summary

The video explores the transformation of the Egyptian mummy from a sacred figure into a popular culture monster. It delves into how the commodification of mummies in early Europe led to their role in medicine, public spectacle, and eventually horror fiction. The video highlights the rise of 'Egyptomania' in the 19th century, with mummy unwrappings becoming entertainment. Literature, cinema, and real-world events like the discovery of King Tut's tomb contributed to the mummy's enduring presence as a cursed, silent, and terrifying figure in Western horror media.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Mummies are broadly defined as well-preserved cadavers found on almost every continent, but the Egyptian mummy is the most iconic.
• 🧟‍♂️ The Egyptian mummy became the poster child for mummification due to its connection with ancient rituals and later, its portrayal in popular culture as a horror figure.
• 🏺 Mummification in ancient Egypt was a sacred practice linked to the gods Isis and Osiris, meant to prepare the body and soul for the afterlife.
• 💊 The early modern trade of mummified remains for pharmaceuticals contributed to the commodification of Egyptian mummies, mistaking them for medicinal bitumen.
• 📜 European fascination with Egypt grew after Napoleon's invasion, leading to Egyptomania and a surge in mummy autopsies as both academic and public spectacles.
• 📚 Fictional portrayals of mummies, starting with Jane Loudon's 1827 novel, began turning them into monsters, reflecting cultural anxieties and imperialistic views.
• 🎥 The 1932 film 'The Mummy' popularized the image of the bandaged, undead Egyptian mummy, cementing its place in horror cinema.
• 🧲 The rise of mummy curses, notably after the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb, fed into the mystical and ominous perception of Egyptian mummies.
• 🔬 Advancements in science and archaeology in the 20th century led to new ways of studying mummies, influencing how they were portrayed in media.
• 😱 The mummy's image evolved into a horror icon in the 1940s, depicted as a decaying, revenge-driven monster, a trend that continues in modern media.

Q & A

What is the significance of mummification in ancient Egypt?

Mummification in ancient Egypt was a sacred, transformative process linked to the gods Isis and Osiris. It was believed to make one's body and soul fit for the afterlife.

How did mummies become associated with monsters in popular culture?

Mummies became associated with monsters due to early trade in mummified remains for medicinal purposes, European fascination with Egyptian artifacts, and fictional tales that dramatized mummies as reanimated undead beings.

What role did early modern trade in mummies play in their horror transformation?

The early trade in mummified remains, driven by the mistaken belief that they had medicinal properties, contributed to the commodification of human corpses, which in turn led to their portrayal as horror figures in popular culture.

How did Napoleon's invasion of Egypt influence the Western perception of mummies?

Napoleon's invasion of Egypt from 1798-1801 brought back Egyptian artifacts and sparked a field of study, Egyptology, which fueled Western intrigue and fascination with mummies, contributing to their portrayal in fiction.

Who wrote the first science fiction novel about mummies, and what was it called?

The first science fiction novel about mummies was 'The Mummy! Or A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century' written by Jane Loudon in 1827.

What is 'Egyptomania' and how did it impact mummy depictions?

'Egyptomania' refers to the intense European fascination with ancient Egyptian culture in the 19th century. It led to the commercialization of Egyptian artifacts and influenced the popular representation of mummies as exotic, mysterious figures.

What role did public mummy autopsies play in mummy horror stories?

Public mummy autopsies, which were both academic pursuits and entertainment, contributed to the dehumanization of mummies, turning them into spectacles and objects, which helped cement their role as horror figures in Western fiction.

How did the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb fuel the mummy curse myth?

The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 and the subsequent deaths of people involved, like Lord Carnarvon, led to rumors of a curse, fueling the popular notion of a mummy's curse, which became a significant part of mummy horror fiction.

How did Boris Karloff's portrayal in the 1932 film 'The Mummy' shape the mummy's image in popular culture?

Boris Karloff's portrayal of the mummy in the 1932 film 'The Mummy,' particularly his bandaged appearance, solidified the image of the mummy as a frightening, undead figure in pop culture, even though he spent little time onscreen wrapped in bandages.

What was the influence of 1940s mummy films on the monster's portrayal?

1940s mummy films transformed the mummy into a true horror monster, emphasizing decay, emotionless rage, and revenge, which solidified its role as a feared figure in horror cinema.

Outlines

00:00

🧟‍♂️ Origins of the Mummy Monster

The Egyptian mummy became synonymous with the concept of a mummy monster, evolving from an ancient funerary rite to a shambling, linen-wrapped undead being in popular culture. This transformation was influenced by historical and etymological confusion, notably when early modern Europe mistook mummified remains for having medicinal properties, leading to a thriving trade in mummies. Public dissections and unwrapping ceremonies of these mummies helped build the image of the mummy as a horrifying figure.

05:01

🎭 The Mummy as a Cultural Fetish

The commodification of Egyptian mummies for entertainment and science became a spectacle in 19th-century Britain, where public autopsies and unwrapping parties were popular. This fascination was reflected in early mummy fiction, where the mummy was portrayed as both monstrous and instructive. Stories like Jane Loudon's 'The Mummy!' and Gautier's 'The Mummy's Foot' explored the reanimation of mummies, which also mirrored the fetishization and exoticization of Egypt's cultural heritage during imperialism.

10:02

🎥 Cinema and the Curse of the Mummy

The popularity of the mummy in cinema took hold in the early 20th century, starting with films like 'Robbing Cleopatra's Tomb' and continuing with Universal Pictures' iconic 1932 film 'The Mummy.' These films built on the myth of the mummy's curse, popularized by the real-life discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. Mummies in these narratives were depicted as both tragic and terrifying, representing a cautionary tale about the dangers of disturbing the dead.

Keywords

💡Mummification

Mummification refers to the ancient Egyptian process of preserving bodies to prepare them for the afterlife. It was a sacred practice linked to the gods Isis and Osiris and believed to transform a person's body and soul for eternal existence. The video discusses how this ritual turned into the image of a 'mummy monster' in modern popular culture.

💡Egyptomania

Egyptomania refers to the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egyptian culture, which emerged after Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the discovery of artifacts like the Rosetta Stone. This widespread obsession in Europe, particularly in Britain, influenced the commodification of Egyptian culture, including mummies, and contributed to their portrayal as objects of horror.

💡Mummy Curse

The mummy curse, especially popularized by the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb, refers to the idea that disturbing an Egyptian tomb brings supernatural misfortune or death. While many deaths were attributed to King Tut’s curse, the video explains that real tomb warnings were meant to deter thieves, not unleash vengeful spirits.

💡Unwrapping Parties

Unwrapping parties were a 19th-century form of entertainment in which wealthy Europeans would watch mummies being unwrapped in a performative and scientific setting. These spectacles turned mummies into curiosities rather than respected dead, contributing to their dehumanization and transformation into monstrous figures in fiction.

💡Napoleon's Invasion

Napoleon's invasion of Egypt from 1798 to 1801 led to the widespread pillaging of Egyptian artifacts, sparking interest in Egyptology and the beginnings of Egyptomania. The influx of Egyptian relics, including mummies, into Europe influenced the rise of the mummy as a figure of both academic study and popular horror.

💡King Tutankhamun

King Tutankhamun was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh whose tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. The discovery sparked global Egyptomania, and rumors of a curse following the deaths of those involved in the excavation cemented the mummy's association with supernatural terror.

💡Mummy's Curse Fiction

Fiction involving mummy curses, like Louisa May Alcott's 'Lost in a Pyramid,' helped popularize the idea of mummies being cursed. These stories typically involve characters suffering for disturbing ancient Egyptian tombs, a narrative which reflected colonial anxieties and was later popularized in films.

💡Egyptology

Egyptology is the scientific study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, and culture, which grew in prominence in the 19th century. The video highlights how academic fascination with mummies transitioned into sensationalized horror portrayals of the Egyptian dead in literature and film.

💡Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff was an actor famous for his role as the mummy Imhotep in the 1932 film 'The Mummy.' His portrayal of the bandage-wrapped, undead creature became iconic, even though the character only briefly appears in this form in the film. Karloff’s performance set the standard for how mummies are depicted in popular culture.

💡Colonialism and Mummies

The relationship between colonialism and mummies is evident in the commodification and fetishization of Egyptian remains by Europeans. The removal of mummies from their tombs, often by colonial powers, dehumanized them, turning them into objects of curiosity and fear. This colonial exploitation is reflected in how mummies became horror figures in Western culture.

Highlights

Mummies are broadly defined as well-preserved cadavers found globally, but the Egyptian mummy has become the iconic image of mummification.

Mummification in ancient Egypt was linked to the gods Isis and Osiris and was a sacred, transformative process preparing the body for the afterlife.

The early commodification of Egyptian remains, due to mistaken beliefs in their medical properties, helped turn mummies into commercial objects.

In early modern Europe, the word 'mummy' came from the Persian 'mumiya,' which referred to bitumen, leading to the misconception that human remains had healing properties.

In the 19th century, Egyptomania, fueled by Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, led to a fascination with ancient Egyptian culture and artifacts, including mummies.

Public mummy unwrapping events became popular in Britain, blending scientific study with entertainment.

Fiction began portraying mummies as monsters in the early 19th century, with Jane Loudon’s 1827 novel 'The Mummy!' being an early example of a reanimated mummy.

The fascination with Egyptian mummies led to mummy autopsies and unwrapping events, with items from the body often kept as souvenirs.

Edgar Allan Poe and Louisa May Alcott helped shape the mummy curse narrative in their fiction, reinforcing the image of the mummy as a vengeful figure.

The discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 and the rumored curse surrounding it significantly contributed to the popularity of the mummy curse in popular culture.

Universal Pictures' 1932 film 'The Mummy,' starring Boris Karloff, solidified the image of the bandaged, undead mummy in horror cinema.

Post-1940s mummy horror films depicted mummies as slow, emotionless, and decayed figures, emphasizing their monstrous nature.

The shambling walk associated with mummies in later films was influenced by actor Tom Tyler’s arthritis during the filming of 'The Mummy’s Hand' in 1940.

Scientific advancements in the 1950s, like x-rays, added new layers to the mummy mythos, with films exploring the revival of mummies through radiation.

The mummy has evolved into a staple figure in horror, fantasy, and pop culture, often portrayed as a symbol of revenge against those who disturb its rest.

Transcripts

A mummy is defined broadly as any well-preserved cadaver,

and has a history that extends

to almost every continent on the globe.

But when we're talking monsters,

it's hard not to picture anything

that's not your gauzy, wrapped, upright human.

Why did the Egyptian mummy

become the poster child for mummification?

And how did an ancient common funerary rite

turn into the shambling, silent, linen-wrapped,

undead corpse monster of popular culture?

[adventurous music]

I'm Dr. Emily Zarka, and this is "Monstrum."

Mummification was a sacred,

transformative practice in ancient Egypt.

Directly linked to the gods Isis and Osiris,

the ritual process made one's body and soul

fit for existence in the afterlife.

Part of the mummy's journey into the stuff of horrors

began with the early commodification

of Egyptian human remains,

and a little etymological confusion.

In early modern Asia and Greece,

bitumen was a common medical remedy.

The Persian word for Bitumen,

became the Latin mumiya,

and later mummie in medieval Europe.

And with the word mummy came the mistaken belief

that mummified human corpses

had the same medical properties as bitumen,

thus creating a corpse trade where human mummies

were harvested for use in pharmaceuticals.

By the 16th century,

the controversial trade became increasingly popular

as people used dead human remains as medicine.

One English merchant's account

of his handling of an Egyptian mummy

illustrates the kind of treatment

the remains were subject to

in this bizarre trade industry.

John Sanderson writes that he

"broke off all parts of the bodies

to see how the flesh was turned to drugge,"

bringing home more than 600 pounds of remains

for trade in London apothecaries.

Some of these specimens were wholly intact

and pharmacies would unwrap the bodies for scientific study.

In 1763, John Hadley unrolled a mummy in his home

at the behest of the British Royal Society.

His documentation helped lead to the first systematic study

of Egyptian mummy necropsies

by German physician Johann Friedrich Blumenbach

in the late 1700s.

For centuries, ancient Egypt was a subject

of intrigued to Europeans,

and Napoleon's 1798 to 1801 invasion of Egypt

brought back an influx of pillaged artifacts

and firsthand accounts,

fueling intrigue and sparking a field of study, Egyptology.

This marked the first grips

of Egyptomania in the 19th century,

a term used to summarize the robust popular interest

in ancient Egyptian culture.

Ancient Egypt continued as a fashionable pursuit

in the first decade of the 19th century,

mostly in Britain.

The British government built its own Egyptian Hall,

which housed artifacts transferred to Britain

as part of Napoleon's surrender.

The public even started to collect

cheap replicas of Egyptian furniture,

china patterns inspired by Egyptian designs,

and other commercial items.

The 1820s brought significant contributions

to the mummy monster as well.

Former circus strongman Giovanni Belzoni's

recreation of an Egyptian tomb

in Piccadilly's Egyptian Hall In 1821 drew crowds,

as did his inventive marketing techniques,

which included public mummy autopsies.

He was occasionally assisted

by the surgeon and antiquarian Thomas Pettigrew,

who would become a famous Egyptologist

and celebrity mummy autopsist

the following decade after his 1834 publication,

"History of Egyptian Mummies,"

considered the foundational text in modern mummy studies.

In 1822, John-Francois Champollion

translated hieroglyphics for the first time

using the Rosetta Stone.

Desire to better understand

all aspects of ancient Egyptian culture,

including its dead, grew.

Attempts to identify the name and social status of mummies

became increasingly important.

In 1825, Augustus Bozzi Granville

performed the first modern medical autopsy of a mummy.

The mummy continued to turn up in hospitals,

artist studios, dissection theaters, universities,

and on the drawing room tables of the upper class.

Unrolling or unwrapping mummies was both an academic pursuit

and a form of titillating entertainment.

Members of the public who could not attend

such a spectacle in person

had their appetites whet with detailed reports

of the experience in newspapers.

When you consider how the removal of the corpse

from its intended resting place

turns it more object than person,

the treatment of the mummified corpse as entertainment

is significant in understanding the mummy.

They are made uneasy representations of culture,

history, and personhood,

something fiction responds to by making them monsters.

Jane Loudon is the first author

to write these tensions into a fictional text.

Her 1827 science fiction novel, "The Mummy!

Or A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century,"

is the story of a reanimated Egyptian mummy.

In the long, bizarre tale,

the Mummy Cheops serves as a terrifying

yet instructive undead character.

The book was incredibly commercially popular

and reprinted multiple times.

The influence of imperialism

contributed to the commodification

and fetishization of the mummy in Britain.

Colonial territories in other distant countries

provided museums and private collections

with a steady stream of exotic items, including bodies.

By mid-century, the unwrapping of a mummy

had become both formulaic and highly performative.

The body would be laid surrounded

by other Egyptian artifacts and funerary images.

A lecture about the practice of mummification

and Egyptian history would serve

as a prelude to the real show,

the removal of the textiles and other items on the body.

Some of these items, an amulet,

a fragment of bandage, a piece of bone,

might be passed around for the audience

to touch, smell, even taste.

In some cases, particularly at private unrolling parties,

the guests may keep the objects as souvenirs.

We see this trend dramatized in mummy fiction of the time.

In French author Theophile Gautier's story,

"The Mummy's Foot,"

a man buys a mummified foot

and later a woman hopping on one foot arrives at his door.

She's an ancient Egyptian princess

searching for her lost appendage,

apparently unable to rest until her full body is restored.

Edgar Allen Poe's 1845 short story,

"Some Words with a Mummy,"

sets the reanimated Egyptian corpse

in an all too familiar place,

the white man's unwrapping party.

The mummy at the center of the story

is brought back to life with an electrical charge

to the outright terror of the guests.

Louisa May Alcott is responsible

for what many consider to be the first

mummy's curse narrative,

"Lost in a Pyramid; or, The Mummy's Curse."

Penned in 1868, a mummified Egyptian sorceress

curses anyone who dares to disturb her grave,

which, of course, two British men do.

Famous mummy fiction at the turn of the century,

like Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Ring of Thoth"

and "Lot No. 249,"

or Bram Stoker's "The Jewel of Seven Stars"

helped bolster the already mysterious

and mystical popular perception of the Egyptian dead.

The rise of the film industry

continues to reinforce the mummy as foreign antagonist.

In the 1899 silent film "Robbing Cleopatra's Tomb,"

the mummy makes its first appearance on screen.

A man chops a female mummy into pieces

in order to resurrect her.

In 1911's "The Mummy,"

a female mummy comes to life

after exposure to an electrical current.

The Egyptian princess

is infatuated with the male protagonist

and aggressively pursues him,

reinforcing the whole Egyptian mummy

as fetish commodity thing.

The 1920s popularized the idea of the mummy's curse.

Although 19th century writers had already used this trope,

now the idea was supported by rumors of a real curse.

The rumor of King Tutankhamun's curse is notorious,

in part because some people associated with the excavation

did die in mysterious ways.

When archeologist Howard Carter

and his patron the 5th Earl of Carnarvon

unburied the immense tomb of King Tut in November 1922,

it was an immediate global sensation,

sparking a new period of Egyptomania

that would grow into a fever pitch in 1923

when Lord Carnarvon fell ill from an infected mosquito bite,

after rumors circulated that he had stolen

a hoard of valuable items from the dig.

Even before the lord's eventual death

from complications of the infection,

stories circulated that he was suffering a dire punishment

for opening and robbing the Egyptian king.

While not the first rumored mummy's curse,

King Tut's was the curse

with the most bodies attributed to it,

at least 12 if you include some unfortunate pets.

Real warnings do adorn the walls of Egyptian tombs.

Meant to deter thieves

and keep the resting place of the dead sacred,

these hieroglyphics never translate

to vengeful undead corpses.

In fact, in ancient funerary tradition,

the bones of the deceased would be broken

to prevent them from rising and walking among the living.

Life after death was one thing for the Egyptians,

disturbing the living in this realm, however,

was not encouraged.

Besides the fact that rumors of mummy curses

make for profitable tabloid fodder

and easy inspiration for gothic tales,

it's important to note that during this period,

Egypt was actively seeking independence

from British colonial rule.

Painting the physical and bodily remains

of the ancient Egyptians in a negative way

attempted to discredit and demonize

the living Egyptian population.

While the film can be read in several ways,

it's hard to deny the cultural impact

of Universal Pictures' 1932 "The Mummy."

Inspired in part by the preceding decades' events

as well as 19th century gothic and horror tales,

the film tells the story of an undead Egyptian priest

desperate to secure the woman he believes

to be the reincarnation of his one-time lover.

"The Mummy" is an interesting commentary

on the curse controversy

around the opening of King Tut's tomb,

one that places science as a dangerous pastime,

at least when it comes to disturbing corpses.

Included with the remains of Imhotep,

the mummy at the center of the film,

is a box emblazoned with a curse.

Archeologist Whemple ignores

occult scientist Professor Muller's call for caution,

declaring, "In the interest of science,

even if I believe in the curse,

I'd go on with my work for the museum."

Although it's the archeologist's assistant

who inadvertently brings the mummy back to life,

the commentary on the selfish pursuit

of scientific advancement and the folly of youth

cannot be missed.

And in the end it is magic,

or rather, the movie's warped interpretation

of ancient Egyptian spiritual practices

that defeats the mummy.

But what really made the movie iconic,

Boris Karloff's bandaged form.

Even though the titular mummy in the movie

only spends a few minutes on screen

wrapped in linen bandages,

appearing in the rest of the film

as a modern Egyptian historian,

the compelling image animated the mummy's public form

in a way unseen since those early 19th century necropsies.

Yet it wasn't until the 1940s

that the mummy became a true horror monster.

Where the Egyptian undead had before

been more moralistic, romantic, or profound,

even if they were placed

in tension with Western protagonists,

this decade of horror films made them something to fear.

Their decay was made more profound,

often with wrappings still in place,

and they ambled about seemingly void of all emotions

other than anger and revenge.

We see this trend take hold

in Universal's second foray into mummy horror,

"The Mummy's Hand."

Unable to secure Karloff

for an official sequel to their 1932 film,

Universal gets creative with the story...and the costuming.

With an aim to capitalize on audience recognition,

they put the new actor in a rubber mask,

made the mummy mute,

and kept him wrapped in bandages for most of the movie.

The odd shambling walk that the Egyptian mummy

would become known for?

The replacement actor Tom Tyler had arthritis.

They gave the mummy a new backstory

to partially explain these physical changes,

getting rid of the articulate mummy

and replacing him with a silent thief,

cursed to be an uncontrollable monster.

The movie's sequel, "The Mummy's Tomb" in 1942,

reinforced the silent shambling version of the mummy,

and Universal will double down on the image in the 1950s,

but for the first time, throw in some humor as well

with "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy."

Just like the advent of Egyptology

and the medical autopsy provided inspiration

for tales some hundred years before,

scientific advancements in the 1950s

also found their way into mummy myths.

The greater prevalence of x-rays in archeology

and the use of chemical testing

meant that the Egyptian mummy could be examined

in a way previously unheard of.

Gone are the spells or galvanic batteries

that bring the mummy to life.

Science's ability to solve the mysteries

of life and death become paramount,

not that such scientific advances

weren't again met with trepidation.

"Curse of the Faceless Man"

claims radiation from x-ray exposure

is what revives the mummy.

Another trend that arises,

conflating the mummy with other undead monsters,

In the "Pharaoh's Curse,"

the disturbance of the remains of an Egyptian priest

leads to a character being possessed

by the soul of the mummy.

The character, aided by a shapeshifting cat woman,

begins rapidly aging and starts sucking people's blood

before becoming the mummy himself.

Since then, the mummy has been a familiar horror figure

in the pages of fiction, children's cartoons,

movies across genres, and on the front of cereal boxes.

They've been made frequent characters in comic books,

ravenous zombie-esque flesh eaters,

and Brendan Fraser's sinewy nemesis.

The Egyptian mummies that stalk the pages

and screens of horror, science fiction, and fantasy

are in a way justified for their behavior.

Rarely does a mummy animate without outside provocation,

and many of those bodies are exposed to modernity

by the mistakes or greed of the living.

They threaten to literally consume or kill

those who see them as objects

ready for commercial consumption

or scientific investigation.

Part of what makes the Egyptian mummy horrifying

or monstrous outside of its intended context

is a lack of understanding

associated with a death practice

few people are familiar with,

and mistreatment of those bodies by outsiders.

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Dramaticized.

(speaker) Dramatized.

Dramatized, okay!

Oh, is it Thoth?

I did it right! [groaning]

Carna, Carnarvon.