Die Untoten

by Johan Egerkrans, Maike Dörries (Übersetzer)

Nimm dich vor dunklen Friedhofsecken in Acht … ... denn die Untoten haben es auf uns Lebende abgesehen. Ganz gleich ob rumänischer Vampir, chinesischer Wiedergänger oder australischer Dämon – sie alle dürstet es nach unserem Blut und unserer Seele. Seit Anbeginn der Zeit erheben sie sich aus ihren Gräbern, um uns heimzusuchen. Und viele von ihnen können ihre Gestalt verändern, sich unsichtbar machen oder sich in Rauch und Nebel verwandeln. Also aufgepasst: In jeder Katze, jeder Pflanze und selbst dem Morgentau könnte ein Untoter stecken …

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Mythology, Art, Vampires, Supernatural, Death

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2018

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my actual copy with the cover. Also, you can buy these books and many cool things from Grimfrost.com! I have ordered many different things with great quality and they have awesome shipping from across the pond 😉



Here are a few pics from the book. There are a lot and a story of each.
































Table Of Contents

Introduction

EUROPE

Strigoi
Varcolac
Dhampir
Lamia
Nachzehrer
Strix
Draug
Craqueuhhe
Succubus
Glaistig
Banshee
Drekavac
Rusalka
Liderc
Homunculus
Dibbuk
Golem

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Ghoul
Asanbosam
Adze
Umkovu
Impundula

THE AMERICAS

Windigo
Rolling Head
Adlet
Tupilak
Soucayant
Zombie
Chupacabra
Cihuateteo
Peuchen

ASIA AND OCEANIA

Vetala
Churel
Jiangshi
Mananggal
Jenglot
Yuki-onna
Gaki
Nuppeppo
Namorodo

AFTERWARD
SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY

Happy Reading!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Uralte Morla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geniale Illustrationen, super spannende Texte! Ich liebe es!

[Jessie (Zombie_likes_cake) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word review: Beautiful!

Just kidding I guess. But it is beautiful, these illustrations are simply to die for and with that very appropriate for this coffee table book. "The Undead" takes you around world and each page with its own stunning drawing will tell you about a different myth concerning undead creatures. The interesting aspect was how often you encounter overlap and similarities in century old stories about the dead sucking our blood. Of course what it reflects is the unifying fear of death, even continents apart it freaks us out in similar ways so we create stories to bind them and summon up vampires from our mind because at least those we could theoretically fight, death will come for us all.

The European ones covered a lot of familiar ground but also held surprises for me like the beautiful river nymph Rusalka or the hilarious Hungarian chicken vampire Liderc. And is the comic character Blade based on the legend of the Dhampir? My favorite section was maybe the native North American stories, the Rolling Head aka Chichipischekwan is truly disturbing, and both the roots behind the Windigo and the Adlet are sad and fascinating for that make depressingly beautiful tales. I also deeply enjoyed the myths on the West African Adze and the Japanese Gaki. I was excited to rediscover the Filipino Manananggal which I remembered from Isabel Yap's collection "Never Have I Ever".

But seriously, every page here is such wonderful time spent in amazingly drawn visualizations of the world's fears and with that the world's attempt to make a dark sense of the threat of death. I know it can be tricky to get your hands on a copy of this (this one came from grimfrost) but for the right person this is a beautiful gift, it was for my husband. Also, simply perfect to read during October!!

[Janika Puolitaival · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yksi tähti lisää upeasta, synkästä, karmivasta kuvituksesta. Egerkrans on kaivanut ympäri maailmaa esiin kaikki mahdolliset verisuonia kaihoavat hirviöt. Tuttujen vampyyrien ja zombien lisäksi paljon paljon muuta.

[Mikael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of folklore from across the world. Wonderfully illustrated in the usual style of Johan Egerkrans (even if some of the European undead illustrations tend somewhat towards fantasy, like the Strigoi or the Dhampir, but that’s not necessarily negative. On the contrary I could well picture myself in the cloak of a Dhampir).
Personally I do however prefer the previous books Nordic gods, and Nordic vaesen, mainly because of their more narrower focus and keeping of a single theme.

[Josefin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Precis som i Egerkrans bok "Nordiska Väsen" innehåller också denna helt fantastiska illustrationer! Texten är lite mer utförlig och alla väsen är kort och bra sammanfattade. Han lyckas med att skapa en bra blandning mellan allvar och mysrys.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review in Norwegian)

En rask lese-opplevelse med masse informasjon om diverse vandøde fra rundt om i verden. Mens jeg hadde hørt om noen av dem, var det flere av dem som var helt nye for meg, noe som var en positiv opplevelse. I tillegg er det en stor liste med bøker om temaet bakerst i boka, så man lett kan gjøre mer research om det er ønskelig. Det var nemlig noen av beskrivelsene jeg stilte spørsmål ved, for det matched ikke hva jeg har lest tidligere.


Og kunsten er veldig fin, full av stemning og følelse.

[Mountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy, this brought me back to when I was obsessed with cryptids, myth, and folk-tales when I was 12. This book goes all over the world to talk about the most well known and popular creatures ever feared by locals. Most I’d never even heard of! The profiles were very intriguing to read and the art really tied it together, providing sharp visuals that left me in awe.

I am in love with this artstyle! When I got this book for Christmas, it was what immediately hooked me. I’m grateful I got a small print to go with it—now I can look at a sick ass werewolf every day.

This book really gave me all I wanted to know, and opened the gate for more questions. It invites you to go and look into these demons and monsters, and damn, I’m in. The only thing I wish was different was that it could be a bit more extended, with more in-depth stories (though it would be difficult without paraphrasing, in a sense) with a lot more lesser-known folk-tales. However, that would be a much bigger project—though one I’d very much be into seeing.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to Egerkrans and his work via the Vaesen RPG book, which is far beyond being just an RPG rulebook. The art and content were detailed and wonderful, and it took the subject matter of the vaesen themselves seriously, incorporating folk remedies and superstitions into the book to be used as storytelling tools.

I'm happy to say that The Undead follows the same formula and is a well-researched collection of art and information spanning the globe. It brings together similar traditional stories, draws comparisons between the practices and beliefs of disparate cultures, and provides details about fighting the undead as gathered from superstitions the world over.

It's a fascinating view into our fear of death and into the monsters we've imagined for ourselves for centuries... maybe millennia. As soon as I finished this, I dived into Egerkrans' The Norse Gods, and even though I've already read the Vaesen RPG book, I ordered a signed copy of the original Vaesen book via his store and can't wait to read that, too. I'm really looking forward to the English translation of his Dragons book.

[Elvira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tycker tyvärr den här funkade sämst av Egerkrans böcker hittills, mycket pga ämnet är så enormt att det liksom blev "lacking". Men fortfarande så intressant och kul och snyggt!

[Ingibjörg Ósk Ólafsdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Las hana á íslensku í þýðingu Ingunnar Snædal.

[Mikael Cerbing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vad kan jag säga? Jag älskar Egerkrans sina illustrerade böcker.

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous artwork, and the text also very well written, if a little brief.

[Nick Seeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about how much I love this book? A large-format guide to dozens of varieties of mythological undead creatures from cultures around the world, captured in stylish, modern full-color illustrations. The explanatory texts are brief, but well-written and researched (as evidenced by the selected bibliography at the end). It's the kind of book I would spend hours perusing as a kid -- though the English edition (from Grimfrost) stands out for its high quality presentation: flawless design, rich paper and cloth binding. A perfect combination of art, word and object for grim adults or extremely frightening children.

[Eva Boktokig Boström · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://boktokig.blogspot.com/2018/10/...

[Kirjapallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ihanan kauhea kirja! <3 Melkein kyllä suosittelisin 12+ ikäisille...

[Ylva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artbook about the living dead and their ilk from folklore around the globe

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

For nogle år siden fandt jeg en bog ved titlen ”Alle tiders dinosaurer” af en svensk forfatter og kunstner ved navn Johan Egerkrans, fyldt med farverige og humoristiske illustrationer af dinosaurer som meget mere fuglelignende og mindre reptilagtige end jeg nogensinde havde set dem afbildet før. Omslaget afbildede fx tyrannosaurer, som lignende kæmpestore gribbe uden vinger, mens den arktiske rovdinosaur Cryolophosaurus blev skildret med en lignende fjerdragt som en moderne sneugle. Egerkrans' udgave af Deinonychus lignede til gengæld en kæmpestor Roadrunner-jordgøg og hans illustrationer af langhalsede planteædende dinosaurer lagde vægt på deres ligheder med gæs og svaner. Her i 2025 så jeg, at Egerkrans også havde lavet en bog om vampyrer, varulve, genfærd og andre udøde væsner fra forskellige kulturers folklore, så jeg lånte den straks da jeg fandt den på mit lokale bibliotek. Min personlige favorit blandt de gengangere, Egerkrans skriver om i ”De Udøde”, er de kropsløse rullende hoveder som dukker op i flere indianske kulturers folketro. (s. 84) Disse plejer at komme fra utro kvinder, der bliver myrdet af deres ægtemænd, og derefter ruller rundt på jorden for at overraske og sluge levende mennesker. Bortset fra hos irokeserne, hvor disse hoveder kaldes kunenhrayenhnenh og flyver med flagermuslignende vinger, hvor deres ører burde være!

Det første plus er selvfølgelig, at det er virkelig interessant at se Egerkrans anvende sin humoristiske og farverige stil indenfor denne meget anderledes sammenhæng. Her kan man virkelig se hans inspiration fra Hellboys skaber Mike Mignola. Der er også nogle morsomme hentydninger til Egerkrans' dinosaur-illustrationer. Et godt eksempel er illustrationen på s.79, der afbilder en Impundulu – en dæmon fra de sydafrikanske zuluers folklore, hvis navn betyder ”tordenfugl” og tit viser sig i en mystisk rovfugls skikkelse. Egerkrans' tegning af den sydafrikanske tordenfugl trækker helt klart på de tobenede rovdinosaurer, der mest mindede om moderne fugle. Så har vi hans fortolkning af Chupacabraen på s. 94, hvor han har afbildet dens krop som meget lig en tobenet dinosaurus... vel at mærke forældede rekonstruktioner af sådanne. Fra før videnskaben fandt ud af, de fleste af dem havde lige så mange fjer som moderne fugle. Egerkrans inkluderer selvfølgelig en illustration af en vampyr modelleret på det berømte maleri af Vlad Tepes, på s. 13.

Andre opfindsomme idéer i Egerkrans' illustrationer af de udøde kan ses i, hvordan han afbilder den græske Lamia (s. 40-41), den skotske Glaistig (s. 52-53) og den irske Banshee (s. 54-55) som en mellemting mellem arketypiske fantasy-elverfolk og de grå rumvæsner, der i øjeblikket belejrer UFO-abductees. Jeg forestiller mig, at Egerkrans er blevet inspireret af de ufologer, der udpeger lighederne mellem moderne beretninger om kontakt med rumvæsner og ældre folklore omkring elverfolk, feer og den slags. (fx Jacques Vallée, John A. Keel og Whitley Strieber)

Egerkrans fortjener også at blive lovprist for at udpege forskellene mellem de oprindelige folkesagn om forskellige typer gengangere og moderne popkulturelle fremstillinger. Blandt andet nævner han, at det blotte syn af et krucifiks ikke oprindeligt skræmmer vampyrer væk i folkesagnene, og vampyrer i folkesagnene heller ikke nødvendigvis dør i sollys. Det var noget, filminstruktøren F. W. Murnau fandt på til ”Nosferatu” i 1922. Selv i Bram Stokers roman ”Dracula” kan vampyrer sagtens gå rundt i daglys, men de kan bare ikke bruge deres overnaturlige evner fx at skifte skikkelse til dyr. Opslaget om zombier på s. 92-93 udpeger også, hvor langt zombierne i George Romeros film ”Night of the Living Dead” og dens utallige efterligninger ligger fra dem i haitiansk folketro.

Der er desværre en svipser: Egerkrans afbilder Windigoen, et vampyrlignende væsen i Algonquin-indianernes folketro, med hjortelignende gevir på s. 83, uden at nævne at dette træk kun nævnes i historier om møder med Windigoer fra europæiske nybyggere og deres efterkommere, ikke i indfødte folkeslags beretninger. (det faktum, at vidner fra forskellige kulturer beskriver de angiveligt samme væsner så forskelligt, finder jeg uhyre interessant)

Heldigvis inkluderer Egerkrans en lang læseliste til sidst i ”De Udøde” med alle sine kilder, som læseren kan følge op på.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johan Egerkrans loves folklore. He also loves painting monsters of folklore. He has a line of art books giving lovely illustrations to said creatures as well as informative write-ups for them. This particular tome covers a smattering of world creatures that fall under the umbrella of undead or revanants. The book is specific to make this about bodily undead horrors like vampires and not spectral figures like phantoms.

The most stunning thing about this book is its breadth and the reflection of the extensive research that went into it. There is a lengthy bibliography appended at the end for anyone who wants to explore the subjects in greater depth which is helpful as this is really just a primer on each creature. This isn't a problem per se as the scope of the book and it's nature as an art doesn't allow for much more than one page per creature with a one page illustration.

Egerkrans's art is wonderful. He has a quality that I'm going to coin the term "DiTerlizzian" to describe. He has the same ability to combine moods and distort features to vacillate between cute and grotesque at will. As this book is about the undead, we are leaning heavily into the grotesque and he's a master at it. His best images take creatures that were once human and distorts what remnants still hang on in to vaguely recognizable horrific countenances. It's great stuff and this book would make an excellent resource for an RPG GM as most of these creatures have ended up in roleplaying games of one sort or another. He has a flair for character studies as well as action scenes as can be seen in the cover image of a bloody-mouthed wolf swallowing a blood-red moon. There's a palpable tension to the image.

The book is a delightful dip into a macabre element of the human collective unconsciousness. The revulsion inspired by a decaying corpse has given rise to legends of undeath in nearly every culture on Earth. It's a primal fear packed deep down in the reptile brain - a corpse is bad but worse would be a corpse that moved.

[Susanne Krajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 ist das Buch, zusammen mit anderen des Autors, bei mir eingezogen. Zum Einen, weil das Thema für mich interessant ist und zum Anderen, weil ich Ausschnitte zum Inhalt gesehen hatte. Vielleicht war ich direkt verliebt in die Illustrationen.

25€ für 128 Seiten sind definitiv auch viel Geld, aber ich bin der Meinung, dass es sich lohnt.

Wir erkunden praktisch die Untoten weltweit. In Bild und Text.

Von Europa geht es über Afrika, den nahen Osten, Amerika und Asien bis Ozeanien. Wobei jede Region natürlich ihre eigenen Untoten mitbringt. Dabei geht es nicht um fiktive Wesen, sondern es werden Wesen aus Mythen und Volksglauben vorgestellt.

Es wird direkt zu Beginn erklärt wie man zum Untoten wird, wie man welche erkennt und wie man sich vor ihnen schützen kann.

Danach geht es nach Europa und es beginnt mit den Strigoi, den Vârcolac und geht so weiter über Ghule, Chupacapra und Jenglot.

Es gab für mich somit einige bekannte Wesen, aber auch viele neue. Interessant war für mich natürlich zu erfahren was die Wesen ausmacht, wie sie zu dem Wesen was sie sind und wie sie aussehen. Kurze Texte beschrieben Ersteres und die wirklich tollen Illustrationen das Aussehen.


Fazit

Informativ nimmt einen der Autor hier mit durch die verschiedenen Wesensarten und über mehrere Kontinente. Für mich gab es Wissenswertes über bekannte, aber auch unbekannte Arten. Durch die Illustrationen wird das Ganze wunderbar untermalt. Absolut sein Geld wert. 5 Sterne

[Ville-Markus Nevalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Finnish translation.

Egerkrans' is a fantastic illustrator and for that alone I want to have this book permanently on my bookshelf. The artwork is evocative in all the best ways sparking more ideas in your head than the brief descriptions can provide. To me, it seems like the concept art of some fantastic game that does not exist yet and as someone who enjoys those kinds of things, it's the perfect coffee table book that draws inspiration from a number of different cultures of the undead.

But even after all that praise, I can't really rate it higher as the rest of it falls somewhat flat. The background information is often far too brief and repetitive from one creature to another and, at least in the Finnish translation, a bit messy. The different species and defnitions seem to get mixed and overall, the reading experience itself is not as rewarding as one would hope. While the author can't really do much about the fact that most of the creatures really just are similar to one another even when the cultures and continents change, I still think there could have been more that would have breathed life into these monstrosities. Now, I feel as if the artwork alone carries the book while the writing is simply there to fill the pages.

But the artwork is sublime and I hope to, well, not read but flip through more of Egerkrans' works.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Cover hat mich als Fantasyfan sofort angesprochen. Es ist aus Leinen und hat somit eine sehr wertige Optik.
Kommen wir zum Inhalt:
Pro:
- schöne Illustrationen teils auch richtig schaurige
- gute Aufteilung nach Regionen
- sehr interessant und informativ

Jetzt kommen wir auch schon zu dem Negativen viel von den Dingen die mir gefallen haben, haben mich zugleich auch etwas enttäuscht.

Contra:
- zu wenig Informationen zu den jeweiligen Untoten (man kratzt nur ganz leicht an der Oberfläche)
- die Illustrationen haben für mein persönliches empfinden nicht immer 100% zu dem jeweiligen Untoten gepasst (jammern auf hohem Niveau)
- mir persönlich war der Schreibstil teilweise etwas zu steif und trocken

Zum Schluss kann ich nur sagen die Bewertung dieses Buches ist sehr schwer für mich. Ich bin sehr zwiegespalten, was wie ich denke daran liegt, dass ich gerne mehr Inhalt gehabt hätte. Und vielleicht auch erwartet haben für den Preis.
Für meinen Geschmack hätte es mehr Text sein dürfen und vielleicht dafür weniger Bilder, denn ich denke die farbigen Bilder sind der Grund für den Preis.

[Catwithbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Untoten haben mir sehr gefallen.

Es war interessant zu lesen in welchen Teil der Welt die Untoten dargestellt werden. Welche Sagen es alles gibt und wo es teils Überschneidungen gibt.
Vampire, Untoten, die verschiedenen Bezeichnungen. Wie sie entstehen. Was sie ausmacht. Ob man sie besiegen kann.
Alles wird hier sehr einfach und gut beschrieben und mit dabei gab es ein paar tolle Zeichnungen. Die waren schein teils was gruslig, aber passend zu dem was Beschrieben wurde.
Witziger weise kannte ich ein paar Bezeichnungen aus der Serie Supernatural, obwohl da sie ein wenig anders dargestellt wurden. Ich fand den Wendigo im Buch nämlich schon sehr gänsehauttechnisch dargestellt.

Auf Grund der Tatsache das nicht alles ausschweifend beschrieben wurde sondern sich auf das wesentlich konzentriert war ist es wirklich nice zu lesen.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fascinating deep-dive into the lore of the undead, and while each being could have had a much lengthier explanation, it serves well as an introduction rather than a definitive work. Add some beautiful illustrations and the fact that Egerkrans actually brings up the problem with the modern vampire and witch hunters and you got yourself a solid read.

My only problem is that there's too little to sink your teeth into and that it's hotly debated whether Elisabeth Bathory bathed in blood or not, so that's something I wouldn't state so clearly as a fact as he did.

It was still a fun book though. Recommended as an entry point for monsternerds.

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich bin eigentlich schon länger auf der Suche nach einem toll illustriertem, gut übersichtlichem Buch, das verschiedene dunkle Fabelwesen erklärt und darstellt. Erst vor kurzem ist mir aufgefallen, dass ich die ganze Zeit so ein Buch in meinem Regal stehen hatte und ich nur zu fasziniert von den Zeichnungen war, um das zu bemerken. Egerkrans liefert (neben seinen fantastischen Illustrationen natürlich) eine gut gegliederte Übersicht über Dämonen, Monster und andere düstere Gestalten unterschiedlichster Kulturkreise. Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Werken in dieser Richtung driftet dieses hier nicht ins Esoterische ab, sondern bleibt sachlich und korrekt, jedoch ohne zu langweilen.

[Annika Vesteri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aivan mahtava hirviökirja upealla kuvituksella! Egerkrans esittelee ytimekkäästi hirviöitä eri maailmankolkista: Euroopasta, Afrikasta ja Lähi-Idästä, Amerikasta, Aasiasta ja Oseaniasta. Kuvitus on todella synkkää, kuten asiaan kuuluu ja jokainen hirviö on saanut oman aukeamansa kirjassa eli hirviöiden esittelyt on pidetty mukavan napakkoina. Suosittelisin noin 6-luokkalaisista ylöspäin.

"Silloin näin hallavan hevosen, ja sen selässä istuvan miehen nimi oli Kuolema, ja Kuoleman valtakunta seurasi häntä." Ilmestyskirja 6:8

[Ponderous Porg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning.

Like it's predecessor, Vaesen, The Undead is a fascinating and beautiful tour through mythology and folklore, this time from around the world and focusing more on the mortally challenged. The art style of the many illustrations is wonderfully dark yet strikingly beautiful, befitting the subject matter, and the range of creatures and locations covered makes it a diverse and interesting read.

Highly recommended, for those with a love of the macabre and a fascination with the Undead, this is nothing short of perfect.

[Paige Belfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another beautifully illustrated compendium from Johan Egerkrans, filled with stunning and disturbing artwork and intriguing snippets of myths and legends. I just wish that it was longer, with more examples from non-European legends. Whilst I'm sure it is what he knows the most about, he is a great researcher and I'm sure some more creatures could have been featured with just as much care and attention.

[Lydia Hedelin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

I feel like you need to be in a specific head space to read this back to back and sadly I was not. I feel like it was boring and that the topic was of a lot of monsters we already now besically everything off.

Will I finish this book? Im pretty sure I will re find this book in my collection one day and absolutely love it due to my big interest in fantasy and mythology but It was just not the right time for this book

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genau wie Nordische Wesen ein kurzweiliges Buch mit wundervollen Bildern. Einerseits wünschte ich mir, die Beschreibungen gingen noch etwas mehr ins Detail, andererseits hatte das Buch ingesamt die passende Länge für meinen Freitagnachmittag.