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Illustration of Umkhovu
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Umkhovu

Aussi appelé: imikhovu, esemkofu, esimkovu
Folklore et mythesMort-vivantSorcellerie1500 à 1899

The umkhovu is the Zulu form of the witch's zombie: a body taken from the grave, revived by magic and kept as a familiar. Its tongue is removed so that it cannot speak. Colonial-era writers recorded the belief in the 1870s, half a century before The Magic Island popularised the Haitian zombi. It belongs to the same family as the zombie beliefs reported from South Africa in the late 20th century.1

L'affronter
Première mention
1875
Described in D. Leslie's Among the Zulus (1875)
Origine
Zulu
Afrique du Sud
Ce qui le provoque
Sorcellerie
A witch or wizard digs up a corpse and brings it back to life as a familiar.
Comment on en devient un
A dead person exhumed and revived by a witch.
Intelligence
Sans cervelle

Quand est-il apparu pour la première fois ?

Monde antique
Moyen Âge
1500 à 1899
1900 à 1967
1968 à 1999
2000 à 2009
2010 à aujourd'hui
1875

Described in D. Leslie's Among the Zulus (1875)

notes de terrain

Ce que disent les sources

1

The Zulu word means an exhumed corpse revived as a witch's servant1

2

The witch cuts out its tongue, so that it can only make a wailing sound1

3

English writers of the 19th century rendered the plural as 'Esemkofu'1

4

H. Rider Haggard used them in his Zulu novel Nada (1895), haunting a 'Ghost Mountain'1

5

The Dictionary of South African English records the term from 1875 to 19251

Sources

  1. Esemkofu - Dictionary of South African English

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Du folklore des mêmes contrées

Même époque : 1500 à 1899