Joseon Zombie Outbreak

Zombie outbreaks are, unfortunately, not a rarity in history. A myriad of strains have appeared over the years ranging from the famous undead sorts created by the Nazis' Trioxin and the Umbrella Corporation's T-virus to the demonically-driven Deadites, Crossed and Meideros' syndrome infectees to the quick-paced mutant undead that resulted from the Rage virus and the Green Flu. There were even a few instances of sentient, non-malevolent undead emerging-the 'dead generation' and the 'domesticated' inhabitants of Zombietown being the most famous. Zombie outbreaks have had a range of impacts. In some cases, such as the London outbreak of 2003, the 2006 Willamette outbreak, the 2019 Pleasant Valley outbreak and the 1968 Midwestern outbreak were contained relatively quickly with low casualties. Other outbreaks had ebbs and flows in containment-for instance the 1983 Louisville outbreak worsened after the city was destroyed with a nuclear weapon, inadvertently contaminating the countryside. Still others produced nationwide or near-nationwide apocalypses-the South Hun Chiu outbreak of 2016 and the Japan outbreak of 2023 being the most notable pre-Great War instances of this. Post-Great War, of course, zombie outbreaks got far, far worse, culminating in the bulk of what had been the southern US ending up contaminated by a heavily modified strain of Trioxin.

However, almost all zombie viruses (as opposed to the ones resulting from demonic possession or alien parasites) can trace their origins to a natural virus known as Solanum. Those infected with Solanum must be bitten by a Solanum-infected zombie and not have damage taken to the head prior to the conclusion of a 24-hour incubation period. Slight natural mutations over the years were documented (such as the 'dreadfuls' that plagued Britain in the early 19th century), but overall pre-World War II accounts of zombie outbreaks fit the standard mold of Solanum. Solanum outbreaks are known to have plagued the Romans and 8th century Byzantium along with other ancient civilizations. Paleontologists have found evidence indicating Solanum may have originated as a mutated strain of a virus carried by woolly mammoths that passed over to humans in the Stone Age, though this has not been confirmed. Still, overall, pre-Second World War zombie outbreaks are clearly identifiable as either Solanum strain outbreaks or the result of demonic/occult influences.

The Joseon outbreak of the 16th century stands apart from these other examples, however, as accounts of the outbreak indicate the undead were certainly not demonic, but differed greatly from the standard Solanum infectees. Accounts are sparse owing to the efforts of the Joseon Dynasty to hide the outbreak from history, but was has been gathered is the outbreak originated due to the use of a certain herb in efforts to revive the dead. These methods were not unheard of (the legendary Utnapishtim plant was often-sought by numerous societies in the Middle East for instance and the alchemists' Philosopher's stone can be considered in line with this tradition), but in this case, use of this herb evidently resulted in those who were given it developing a cannibalistic hunger. However, while this was similar to most Solanum infectees, in other respects the undead who plagued Joseon differed greatly. Most notably, they were wary of heat and during the warmer months of the year would hide during the day, only attacking the living at night (though during the winter this would change). This has led to some theorizing the Joseon outbreak was not a zombie outbreak at all, but rather a 'low-bloodline' vampire'outbreak like the kind that devastated Barrow or Jerusalem's Lot. However, the depiction of the undead in the Joseon outbreak differs greatly from low-bloodline vampire outbreaks as the undead ate the flesh of the living (while not unheard of for vampires to do so, it is rather rare). Another theorized possibility is the Joseon outbreak was a result of one vampire strain mixing with Solanum and then becoming more widespread. If so, it would predate the 2011 'vambie' outbreak by more than 4 centuries.

## **References**

Call of Duty: Nazi Zombies, Night of the Living Dead, Resident Evil, Evil Dead, Crossed, [REC], 28 Days Later, Left 4 Dead, Generation Dead, Disney's Zombies, Shaun of the Dead, Dead Rising, Little Monsters, Return of the Living Dead, Train to Busan, Designated Survivor, High School of the Dead, The Walking Dead, The Zombie Survival Guide, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Zombies of Byzantium, The Reluctant Prometheus, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Flamel myth, Kingdom 2019, Anno Dracula, 30 Days of Night, 'Salem's Lot, Deadliest Warrior

Entry made by Anarcho Occultist