The Fourth Night of Halloween: The Mummy Legend Unwrapped
Welcome to the Ten Nights of Halloween! Each day I'll introduce you to one of the characters in my picture book, Halloween Good Night.
I Wonder What's Wrapped up in the Mummy Myth?
Today is the fourth of the Ten Nights of Halloween! We started with one little Globster lurking in the swamp, and moved on to two naughty Imps giggling in the woods, then three young werewolves howling in the meadow. And now we have four lovey mummies ready for a snuggle!
Snuggly mummies? Maybe not snuggly, but mummies are nothing new. They've been around for more than two thousand years. But while the mummy (ceremonially preserved body) isn't new, the Legend of the Mummy is.
According to Oliver Pfeiffer of BBC, the wakeful, walking, murdering mummy legend came to life in the 1920s after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, which initiated a media frenzy following not only the many discoveries, but also the super spooky experiences of a mummy's curse (which didn't involve actual mummies, interestingly). Other researchers disagree, pointing to stories of mummies and curses dating back at least one hundred years prior to Tut's excavation. Even Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, has a little-known piece titled Lost in a Pyramid or The Mummy's Curse, published in 1869.
The most compelling part of the mummy legend is why would mummies be scary at all? From films in the 1950s, the mummy is little more than a slow-moving, mute, awkward table-linen-swathed-human with no real power. Less menacing than, say, a zombie (it can't even bite!). But myths abound, some giving mummies super-human strength, or complete impermeability to attack. Others claim mummies sap a human's life force through supernatural means. What do you think? Would you be afraid of a mummy?
This Video Explains How Mummies Were Made:
How they come to life to haunt the living is another matter altogether.
Our favorite mummy crafts!
There are no shortage of mummy crafts online, since who doesn't love their mummy? These two are sure to delight, and sure to not take hours upon hours upon hours. I bought flickering tea lights for my mummy luminaries. Check out my Instagram for a video!
You'll have the cutest little mummy on the block with this super-simple posable mummy doll!
A craft to please kids and parents alike: great decorative value in these mummy luminaries. Plus, I can say from experience, they're super easy.
Welcome to the Ten Nights of Halloween! Each day I'll introduce you to one of the characters in my picture book, Halloween Good Night.