It's Alive!

Hello everyone, and welcome to LukeLore. A quick deep dive into a folklore topic, where I share some of the stories from around the world that have piqued my interest.

We've had a bit of a hiatus with the show which has been a heady cocktail of health issues, burnout, and business elsewhere with what little energy I had to spare. But this show means a lot to me, and I fully intend to hit the ground running to then just keep going.

As a bit of a nod to coming back from the break, we're going with an 'It's Alive!' theme. We'll touch base with Mary Shelley and the science of the time which fascinated her, then get a little spooky with an assortment of revenants. Let's crack on without further ado!

SECTION BREAK - The Life Force of the Modern Prometheus

We've touched upon Frankenstein before in LukeLore in the episode Dracula vs Frankenstein, with more of a focus on some external influences (plus a cool story of a dragon). The classic story is back in the spotlight recently thanks to some controversy surrounding the new Guillermo Del Toro movie adaptation, with the help of some stunning lack of media literacy. Yes, the monster is sympathetic, also yes Victor Frankenstein is the real monster of the story. Please do read the book if you want the original context, watch the new movie if you want to enjoy a new take on the material, or else anything in between. The tale is a classic for a reason.

Looking back to Mary Shelley herself, and the times she grew up in, offer us some more fascinating details to yet unearth.

From the circumstances of her birth, Shelley was placed on a path to confront big questions about mortality that would infer the work she would become best known for. Contemplations of mortality, what it means to be a parent, and the significance behind the creation of life. Born to an academic household, her father the radical philosopher William Godwin and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft an early pioneer of feminism. She had to learn about her mother second hand unfortunately, Wollstonecraft died shortly after having Mary, having suffered a post-natal infection.

Having to connect to her mother through stories of the life she led, something else sowed the seeds of reanimation in the young yet to be author's mind.

Wollstonecraft in life had a famous story of being resuscitated from drowning after having dove into the river Thames in 1795, rescuers using a rather worrying looking “apparatus”. Pictures of this thing bring to mind some sort of torture kit more. Developed in the latter half of the 18th Century by the Worcestershire branch of the Royal Humane Society, it was a leather ball a rubber tube and metal probe were connected to – the operator shoved the probe and accompanying tube into the airway before the leather ball was squeezed to fire air into the lungs, forcing the water out as well as shooting a breath in. There was then a collection of three stoppered glass bottles included in the kit, one for brandy and two for some assortment of stimulants, presumably for the patient but instead maybe to steel the nerves of the operator.

I myself would recommend sticking to CPR, medical science having come a long way, but as vaguely terrifying as the kit seems it certainly did the trick for Mary the elder who would go on to have her daughter. I don't think there's any great mystery as to why a driving motivation for the fictional Victor Frankenstein is having lost his mother, this harsh reality is very likely to have been on the mind of Mary Shelley when she started writing about making life from death at only the age of 18.

Shelley had plenty of other opportunities for inspiration from scientific progress. A friend of her father was one Humphrey Davy, a noteworthy chemist who did a lot of experimental work involving electricity. His “Chemical Lectures” were famous at the time, filling up lecture theatres with interested onlookers. A lot of the writings of Davy would inform the scientific elements of Frankenstein, Shelley having been an attendee as well as being in a position to get copies of the work directly from Davy himself.

All of this in a roundabout way leads us to... The Frog-Pistol.

I'm not sure if Davy had a Frog-Pistol of his own, but he did work with electricity, and this was the kind of academic discourse - some would say “madness” - that would influence Mary Shelley with her unique position in a pre-internet world to absorb all this information.

There was some huge debate between contemporary philosophers as to what, exactly, powered life as it is known. Two Williams led two factions of thought. A William Lawrence believed in a life-principle that was just a function of the present parts, about as possible to separate from a living body as the egg is from a fully baked cake. William Abernathy instead believed in a literal 'spark', that external energy was added to a living being. Some bizzare practical experiments of the time would have stoked the flames of controversy.

In January 1781, a surgeon called Luigi Galvani dissected a frog near a static electricity machine. Through sheer happenstance, via a metal scalpel, he managed to shock a severed frog leg which in turn caused the leg to jolt. Now, the dismembered frog was very clearly no longer alive at this point, but the leg managed to move anyway. While Galvani didn't make the Frog-Pistol itself, he would go on to spend years wiring up frog corpses to get them to move, something which includes rather interesting lightning rod experiments. Galvani would name the idea of 'Animal Electricity', the force that powers living creatures.

A different scientist would make the Frog-Pistol. Emil Heinrich du Bois-Raymond would take the initial experiments of Galvani and work upon a book called 'Investigations of Animal Electricity'. To assist in these investigations, a very specific pistolet was needed. A strange device of wood and glass with some copper elements, all designed so any time you needed the corpse of a frog to twitch? You could just zap it with the patented Frog-Pistol! I don't know if Frog-Pistols are a common thing in modern science or not, it hopefully become a curiosity of the past like the 'Apparatus for resuscitating the drowned' did.

The Frog-Pistol was relatively tame compared to what the nephew of Luigi Galvani got up to, though, so buckle up for a gruesome turn. Giovanni Aldini took his uncle's experiments to a whole new level. He would tour Europe to the horrified delight of curious onlookers, taking Galvani's experiments and applying them to the corpses of executed criminals. The chosen cadavers were a necessity rather than posthumous additional punishment, they were the only human remains of the time legal for experimentation. Aldini would insert metal rods at strategic points, then run electricity through the dead criminal. Accounts from a demonstration at Newgate Prison tell of quivering jaws, a clenching fist, a twitching leg, and one eye opening.

Reanimation via electricity seemed very possible for a while, there.

Despite the varying amounts of horror successive experiments would result in, Galvani would be the one the field would come to be named after. His surname would become a verb for all things galvanic and galvanised within the fields of modern sciences and engineering. Plus, it wasn't all terrifying attempts at crimes against nature! A lot of good came from electrifying already dead prisoners and zapping poor frogs.

All of which comes back around to Mary Shelley, who included studies of Galvanism as a mention within her book to help ground the fantastical events. She didn't actually make the lightning scene which became so iconic, and moreover seems based on the actual experiments of Galvani, or at the very least the ghastly shows his nephew would put on. The exact details of the reanimation are not shown in the book, it was the iconic Universal Studios adaptation which would visualise the events with a storm and strangely enough a mechanism close to the actual experiments which helped inspire the story.

All that explained? I now want to see the new Del Toro Frankenstein pretty badly.

SECTION BREAK – The Returning Dead

Frankenstein was the classic which became the basis of modern literary horror and a pioneer in science based fiction, but it's not the first time humankind has been worried about a corpse discovering some new get up and go.

The monster of the novel was a reimagining of the older concept of a revenant. Something once dead, now back up and about the place. This would typically be a terrifying event, think more flesh eating ghoul than biblical miracle.

A spirit can also be termed a revenant, the word coming from French quite simply meaning 'to come back', but it's a fear much more applied to physical bodies. Belief in circumstances where the dead can return, or at the very least anxiety surrounding the possibility, is and always has been a common belief. We see this in the paranormal investigations today, with the focus very much being upon ghost hunting, but going back further leads to the physical threat being found all too real. Revenant Graves are a common archaeological find, extending back to at least the Bronze Age. It's the term given to any grave where action has been taken to make sure the dead stay where they belong. Sometimes it's a speculative designation, decapitation and dismemberment can very easily be the cause of death, but it can also be a posthumous ritual. Sometimes something more definitive gets the label applied, like slabs of rock not being a part of the burial itself but being laid onto the corpse in some way to pin it down. Any anti-vampire steps such as being interred face down, being staked to the coffin, or decapitation traps set up just in case the body should sit up would all come under the designation of a 'Revenant Grave'.

Historical writings from the 12h century even give examples of revenants causing chaos in communities, the incidents getting officially catalogued and needing to be addressed by the authorities. William of Newburgh's book 'Historia' contains multiple accounts of British revenants.

One man from York, known for what is simply recorded as 'evil conduct' – which while understated implies a level of dedication to being a right git of a person – fled his home and started a new life with a new wife. Eventually coming to suspect her of infidelity, he was proven right when he hid in the rafters of their home to spy upon his wife and her young lover. This proved to be a phyrric victory, as he fell through the bedroom ceiling hurting himself so badly he managed only a few short days of agony before dying.

Whether because he was a day to day evil enjoyer, or because his untimely death was so embarrassing, despite having a Christian burial no one believed he deserved this man would go on to make his return from the grave. Emerging at night to the baying of dogs following behind warning of his passing, townspeople soon learned to lock themselves in after sundown because this was one violent asshole of a corpse who would beat anyone it crossed paths with black and blue before shambling off in search of a fresh victim. This led to more than one death before the town turned into an angry mob in response. Armed with any digging implements they could grab, the crowd were surprised to find the corpse of the damned man only under a scarce few inches of gravesoil as opposed to being the six feet under it was first left. The corpse was also a bloated disgusting mess, oozing every vile substance you care to mention like a corpulent tick. They dragged it out and built a bonfire to cremate the remains, only it wouldn't seem to burn. One individual suggested they had heard the heart would need removing before a revenant would burn, so the side of the corpse was smashed open with a shovel and the rancid heart got pulled out and torn to pieces. Whether this was some true old lore, or the corpse dried out during this gruesome spectacle, this particular evil dead returned no more.

Another story from 'Historia', and Newburgh promised he could recall these tales to no end, had a less threatening yet still disturbing example. A recently deceased husband began to return to his widow's bedchamber, and for three nights in a row she would wake up under the crushing weight of the corpse atop her. After the third night, perhaps from living memories fading, the corpse would turn up to do the same to nearby family and neighbours. It didn't seem like an active attack, but it was hardly a fun surprise and the crushing dead weight was a risk to the still living, not to mention how unhygienic the whole affair was. The former husband even began to be spotted going for a walk in the day time, although he seemed able to find his crypt again when he was done as checking upon his resting place would find the corpse back were it belonged when it wasn't actively being a menace about the place. The Bishop of Lincoln intervened to stop the problem, writing a letter of absolution that was rested upon the corpse after which resealing the crypt worked for a final time. Much to the relief of the worried village.

This wasn't just England being weird at that time, everywhere got to join in. In Wales historian Walter Map recorded that a man known as 'wicked' in life was supposed to have reanimated after death, wandering the streets at night calling out the names of the residents of Hereford who would then go on to die from sickness three days after they got called out by the revenant. The village wrote to Bishop Gilbert Foliot for help who wrote back that they should dig the suspected body up, cut off its head with a spade, sprinkle it with holy water, then bury it again. I presume that worked, it seems to be the end of the story.

We see here three completely different answers to dealing with an evil returning from beyond the grave. Burned after removing a cursed heart that was bestowing wicked asbestos powers, given absolution so they may rest, and decapitation followed by a blessed re-interment. How worried should we be about what was going on 900 years ago? Were these people not quite dead yet, modern medicine and embalming techniques taking care of the problem now? Newburgh was quoted as saying that attempting to record every incident would be an “undertaking beyond measure laborious and troublesome”, and speculated the rise in revenant activity was a “warning to posterity”, so was it just a random zombie apocalypse everyone took in their stride until it kind of stopped on its own?

Probably nothing to worry about... Eh?

SECTION BREAK – Returning From Around The World

It wasn't just the British Isles seeing the dead return from their graves, although I remain worried about how common it was here for a while. Beginning in Portugal, and then carried across to Brazil as well as anywhere else the Portuguese settled, is the story of the Corpo-Seco. Also known as a Unhudo, this is a restless corpse doomed to roam the Earth after death as they were rejected by both God and the devil. Sounding a little like the story of Stingy Jack from Ireland, that one leading to the use of Jack-o-Lantern's to keep the wandering spirit away, only this being a physical version. That being said there is also a spirit equivalent, which is still somewhat anchored to the body, as a Corpo-Seco resulting in something similar to a ghost is known as a Bradador.

Having committed a truly unforgiveable sin in life the individual becomes rejected by heaven, hell, and the very Earth itself being forced to wander without respite; a Corpo-Seco is pretty easy to spot. The name roughly translates to “dry body”, which is pretty on the nose. Their form has withered away to only shrivelled leathery skin over bone, their hair and fingernails continuing to grow in an ever expanding mess. I have also seen some mention of a Corpo-Seco being what happens to a child who refuses to listen to their parents, which seems a bit harsh but is arguably instructive in a fairytale bogeyman kind of way as a deterrent to bad behaviour. Further stories may split the difference on the two extremes, warning that - “He who hits his mother will keep his hand dry”, the curseworthy sin being should you hurt the one who gave birth to you. Supposedly Judgement Day will allow the wandering corpse to finally rest, but until then not even rot will take them. The unnatural dried out form is stuck like that.

In some tales they seem similar to a vampire, a Corpo-Seco will be attached to a specific tree as opposed to wandering freely. If a living person is foolish enough to come close to this tree anchoring the cursed revenant to this world, it will jump down upon them and suck their blood to sustain itself. Without fresh blood, this variant will eventually perish, or at least wither to the point of becoming unable to attack anyone any more, trapped immobile to await the end of the world finally freeing them from their torment.

There isn't too much available in English for me to dig up here, but this tale seems to be a pervasive enough aspect of Portuguese folklore that these damned and doomed undead make their way into plenty of pop culture. As a part of their never ending roaming the Corpo-Seco shamble their way into quite a lot of books, movies, games, and some pretty awesome art. The series 'Invisible City' on Netflix is steeped in Brazilian folklore and is supposed to feature a Corpo-Seco, so I may now have a new watch lined up.

SECTION BREAK – Stourbridge's Famous Ghost

I've been focusing more on physical returns for this episode, but this one has some interesting elements to it so I'm bending the remit for a neat spook. This one does certainly return, even to this day should you prove bold enough to go investigate, so close enough for the topic!

Head to the West Midlands of England and the town of Stourbridge, and you can find a Gibbet Woods with a Gibbet Lane attached. A gibbet is a metal cage suspended from a wooden post or other pole where a corpse is displayed until it rots away, metal hooks embedded into the meat of the carcass forcing it to stand as a warning to the living who witness it until nothing but bone remains. The area doesn't seem to be named generically for the macabre device, but seems to refer to one specific example in the town's history.

On December the 18th, 1812, one Benjamin Robins was walking home along Fir Tree Lane to Dunsley Hall after visiting Stourbridge Market when a stranger joined him. Strolling along together for a while, the stranger shot Robins in the back with a pistol and robbed him of his goods before leaving him for dead. Mortally wounded, but in no way mercifully quickly, Robins crawled the rest of the way home bleeding and would linger on over Christmas before finally succumbing to his gunshot wound on December the 28th.

The full details of the crime are on record thanks to the Police History Society, in volume 27 of their Journal. A journeyman carpenter called William Howe was tracked down, thanks to the silver pocket watch he had pawned off having been a part of the stolen possessions. While imprisoned as a part of the initial investigation, a letter he tried to send was seized and had details of the hidden murder weapon. It took the jury only seven minutes to rule Howe guilty once he want to trial, and he was not only sentenced to death by public hanging the judge ruled that in addition to the execution the corpse would go on to be displayed in a gibbet at the place of the shooting. This was a rare punishment by this time, a sign of the disgust at the conduct of the killer.

Howe was known for his rich taste in clothing and a pretentious manner in life, but this was all stripped away come the fatal end. Here, now, are the records of his final words...

"Friends, (here he paused, perceiving the Spectators advancing—as soon as they appeared quiet he proceeded), Friends, take warning by my fate—a wicked heart has brought me to this untimely end—Pray for me, do pray for me all of you pray for me. Keep your hands from picking and stealing, and take warning by my fate. Do pray for me—God be with you all, now and for evermore."

Fir Tree Lane would become Gibbet Lane. A dark, imposing road even in modern times with trees growing over the top of it to form a near skyless tunnel along the way to Gibbet Woods. It's here we move beyond the historical record of death, and into ongoing strange events. Many a modern day ghosthunter has shared their experiences of the strange place, and claim to back up the tales passed down over time.

People began to avoid the area, even after the gibbet was eventually taken down. Anyone bold or foolish enough to visit the lane and woods reported an unnatural stillness, a smothering heaviness to the air. Metal can be heard rattling, echoes across the centuries of the long gone corpse cage, and anyone travelling the road at night risks being followed by a shadowy figure. The shade of the murderer repeating its mistake, stalking along in the darkness, the moments before the gunshot haunting the location of crime and punishment both to this day still.

I refer you back to the last words of the gibbet bound killer. Take warning by William Howe's fate and go in peace without a wicked heart. There's many a poor revenant fate you may save yourself from.

SECTION BREAK

Well, It's Alive, and so once more is LukeLore! I've had a strange 2025, not that anyone hasn't. My health went even weirder than usual, although I seem to be much better now. Not to overburden you with details, but I'm a newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic and I was an undiagnosed one for some months which led to my energy frequently crashing. Film work has been going great in the background though, and I have some exciting news to share very soon on that front. I also have a few guest spots on other podcasts to watch out for, all part and parcel of my own personal revenant moment. These will be shared about online as they come out.

LukeLore is a Ghost Story Guys production.

If you do want to contact me there’s the show’s dedicated email lukeloregsg@gmail.com, and the general show email ghoststoryguys@gmail.com. Both myself and the main show are really easy to find on Facebook and other socials if you want to make day to day contact, especially the very active Instagram account a lot of the community gets involved with.

If you want to support the show directly check out our Patreon at Patreon.com/ghoststoryguys. We do have LukeLore merchandise available at the Ghost Story Guys online store, feel very free to show off any you get online! We have an ongoing push to promote LukeLore more, and the dedicated Facebook group for the show is a pretty active success if you want to come join us over there.

As ever though, the absolute best thing anyone can do to support the show is to give it a listen.

Share this around if you think you may know someone who may be interested, leave a review if you get the chance to help signal boost me, and most of all I simply hope you enjoy what I’m doing here.

Goodbye for now.