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Every culture has monsters that eat us, and every culture recoils in horror when we eat ourselves. From Grendel to Sawney Bean and from the Ghuls of ancient Persia to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, our fear of being consumed is both universal and terrifying.
Kevin Wetmore explores monsters that eat the dead: ghouls, cannibals, wendigos and other beings that feast on human flesh. Moving from myth through history to contemporary popular culture, considering ancient Greek myths of feeding humans to the gods, sky burial in Tibet and Zoroastrianism and actual cases of cannibalism in modern societies, this book examines those that consume corpses and what they tell us about ourselves and our fears.
Contents
'Kevin
Wetmore has written a fascinating history of the ultimate recycling -
cannibalism. The taboo history of the eating of one's own genus is a
car-wreck you can neither turn away from nor erase from your mind. The
book is two-fold, investigating not only the innate fear of being eaten
but the nightmare of becoming a cannibal ourselves. It is a banquet of
repulsion that needs to be devoured, a dissertation of disquietude.',
Del Howison, award-winning editor, and owner of Dark Delicacies
'Kevin J. Wetmore Jr's Eaters of the Dead
is all-consuming . . . you'll discover things you never knew you needed
to know and some you may never forget . . . and if you get hungry
while you're reading this? See a therapist right away! A very readable,
beautifully researched and written reference work that I'll keep at the
forefront of my library for many years to come.', John Palisano, Bram
Stoker Award-winning author of Ghost Heart
'Kevin Wetmore cuts to the bone with Eaters of the Dead,
and serves up a wonderfully creepy insight into a shocking variety of
cannibals, human and otherwise. Creepy, brilliant, and delicious!',
Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of 'Relentless' and
'Ink'
'Spanning myth, history, and contemporary culture, a terrifying
and illuminating excavation of the meaning of cannibalism . . . In this
book, Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. explores the full range of monsters that
eat the dead: ghouls, cannibals, wendigos, and other beings that feast
on human flesh. Moving from myth through history to contemporary
popular culture, Wetmore considers everything from ancient Greek myths
of feeding humans to the gods, through sky burial in Tibet and
Zoroastrianism, to actual cases of cannibalism in modern societies. By
examining these seemingly inhuman acts, Eaters of the Dead
reveals that those who consume corpses can teach us a great deal about
human nature - and our deepest human fears.', New Books Network
'I
loved discovering all the myths, beliefs and rituals from other
cultures, and this book is a trove of fun facts, no doubt about it.
Wetmore's pleasant conversational style is anything but dry and dusty.',
Ginger Nuts of Horror
'Kevin Wetmore's Eaters of the Dead
shares Luckhurst's global perspective as well as his fascination with
Lovecraft, but it focuses on a single, unnerving element. Any book on
corpse-eating is likely to be replete with nauseating details, and Eaters of the Dead does not disappoint.', TLS
'Human
consumption of human flesh has fascinated people in all places and in
every age, including the present. This book explores this persistent
obsession by surveying the history and imaginative treatment of
cannibalistic beings such as ogres, ghouls, the wendigo, and the aswang.
Discussions of creatures that typically exist outside of or on the
fringes of human society provide a foundation for considering human
cannibals and notorious historical and contemporary incidents of
cannibalism, including survival cannibalism and the atrocities serial
killers commit. Each chapter summarizes the evolution of cannibals in
art, literature, and film, amplifying the idea that cannibalism
continues to have a visceral appeal for audiences. This study provides a
thorough analysis of cannibalism fables and facts, but the early
chapters on fantastic cannibalistic beings are particularly absorbing as
are the introductory discussions of the age-old fear of being eaten and
Tibetan and Zoroastrian corpse disposal practices. Generously
illustrated, this book is clearly written and suitable for
nonspecialists and scholarly audiences alike. It features excellent
notes, and the production is tasteful, despite the unsavory topic.
Highly recommended.', Choice
September13/09/20219781789144444Eaters of the DeadMyths and Realities of Cannibal Monsters
Kevin J. Wetmore JrHardback43 illustrations208 x 156276history HB,JFHF
Trade20.0008/09/2021An exploration of cannibal monsters and ghouls that feast on human flesh.Every
culture has monsters that eat us, and every culture repels in horror
when we eat ourselves. From Grendel to Sawney Bean, and from the Ghuls
of ancient Persia to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, our fear of being consumed is both universal and terrifying.
Kevin
Wetmore explores monsters that eat the dead: ghouls, cannibals,
wendigos, and other beings that feast on human flesh. Moving from myth
through history to contemporary popular culture, considering ancient
Greek myths of feeding humans to the gods, through sky burial in Tibet
and Zoroastrianism, and actual cases of cannibalism in modern societies,
this book examines those that consume corpses and what they tell us
about ourselves and our fears.
Kevin
J. Wetmore Jr is Professor of Theatre Arts at Loyola Marymount
University. He is author and Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of many
books, including Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema (2012) and Uncovering Stranger Things (2018). He lives in Los Angeles.'Kevin Wetmore's Eaters of the Dead
shares Luckhurst's global perspective as well as his fascination with
Lovecraft, but it focuses on a single, unnerving element. Any book on
corpse-eating is likely to be replete with nauseating details, and Eaters of the Dead does not disappoint.', TLS
'I
loved discovering all the myths, beliefs and rituals from other
cultures, and this book is a trove of fun facts, no doubt about it.
Wetmore's pleasant conversational style is anything but dry and dusty.',
Ginger Nuts of Horror
'Spanning myth, history, and contemporary
culture, a terrifying and illuminating excavation of the meaning of
cannibalism . . . In this book, Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. explores the full
range of monsters that eat the dead: ghouls, cannibals, wendigos, and
other beings that feast on human flesh. Moving from myth through
history to contemporary popular culture, Wetmore considers everything
from ancient Greek myths of feeding humans to the gods, through sky
burial in Tibet and Zoroastrianism, to actual cases of cannibalism in
modern societies. By examining these seemingly inhuman acts, Eaters of the Dead
reveals that those who consume corpses can teach us a great deal about
human nature - and our deepest human fears.', New Books Network
'Human
consumption of human flesh has fascinated people in all places and in
every age, including the present. This book explores this persistent
obsession by surveying the history and imaginative treatment of
cannibalistic beings such as ogres, ghouls, the wendigo, and the aswang.
Discussions of creatures that typically exist outside of or on the
fringes of human society provide a foundation for considering human
cannibals and notorious historical and contemporary incidents of
cannibalism, including survival cannibalism and the atrocities serial
killers commit. Each chapter summarizes the evolution of cannibals in
art, literature, and film, amplifying the idea that cannibalism
continues to have a visceral appeal for audiences. This study provides a
thorough analysis of cannibalism fables and facts, but the early
chapters on fantastic cannibalistic beings are particularly absorbing as
are the introductory discussions of the age-old fear of being eaten and
Tibetan and Zoroastrian corpse disposal practices. Generously
illustrated, this book is clearly written and suitable for
nonspecialists and scholarly audiences alike. It features excellent
notes, and the production is tasteful, despite the unsavory topic.
Highly recommended.', Choice
'Kevin Wetmore has written a fascinating
history of the ultimate recycling - cannibalism. The taboo history of
the eating of one's own genus is a car-wreck you can neither turn away
from nor erase from your mind. The book is two-fold, investigating not
only the innate fear of being eaten but the nightmare of becoming a
cannibal ourselves. It is a banquet of repulsion that needs to be
devoured, a dissertation of disquietude.', Del Howison, award-winning
editor, and owner of Dark Delicacies
'Kevin J. Wetmore Jr's Eaters of the Dead
is all-consuming . . . you'll discover things you never knew you needed
to know and some you may never forget . . . and if you get hungry
while you're reading this? See a therapist right away! A very readable,
beautifully researched and written reference work that I'll keep at the
forefront of my library for many years to come.', John Palisano, Bram
Stoker Award-winning author of 'Ghost Heart' and President of the Horror
Writers Association
'Kevin Wetmore cuts to the bone with Eaters of the Dead,
and serves up a wonderfully creepy insight into a shocking variety of
cannibals, human and otherwise. Creepy, brilliant, and delicious!',
Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of 'Relentless' and
'Ink'
