The story of the resurrection of Clairvius Narcissus from a zombie made a lot of noise at the time.
Who is Clairvius Narcissus?
On April 30, 1962, a man named Clairvius Narcissus went to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti. He was tormented by fever and coughing up blood. In addition, the man claimed that he felt insects crawling on his skin.
Narcissus's condition worsened, so he was placed in a separate room. But the treatment did not help - two days later the man died. The death was confirmed by two doctors and an official certificate.
The family buried Narcissus at the local cemetery in L'Estera. For most people, this would mean the end. But not for Clairvius.
Resurrection
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Soon after the funeral, his grave was disturbed. At night, Bokor, a Haitian voodoo sorcerer, dug up the man and took him with him. He tied and beat Narcissus, after which he forced him to drink the potion. So the man fell into slavery.
Together with other people in a similar state, Narcissus worked on a sugarcane plantation. To keep the zombie in good shape, Bokor regularly forced him to drink the potion. The man stayed on the plantation for about two years until Bokor died. And although at that time Narcissus looked more like a weak-willed shell, he managed to seize the opportunity and escape.
After 18 years, he returned to his native village in search of his sister.
Angela was trading at the local market when he came up and identified himself. As proof, he pronounced her childhood nickname, which only the two of them knew. The woman was shocked. Together with her family, she began to "interrogate" Narcissus. In the end, everyone came to the conclusion that the man was indeed who he claimed to be.
Narcissus with his family after returning.
Zombie story
Narcissus's story made a lot of noise in the press. According to him, he felt and remembered everything that happened to him over the years. He remembered how he came to the hospital, how he was declared dead, and even his own funeral.
There are also memories of how he was dug up by a bokor and forced to work on the plantation. The man worked from dusk to dawn and his working day was interrupted only for a couple of minutes of lunch.
But such terrible conditions did not suit everyone. One of the men attacked Bokor one day and killed him. The workers were released.
Narcissus explained his long absence by a feud with his brother. Shortly before the fatal illness, the men had a strong fight. Narcissus said that it was his brother who poisoned him and in general he was the culprit of this whole situation. Clairvius only decided to return home after he found out that his brother had died.
What really happened to Narcissus?
Like all Haitians, Clairvius knew the zombie legends. He also knew that relatives and friends turn away from people who recognize themselves as zombies. This fact is considered a deep shame. It is unlikely that he would have begun to insist on his story, if it were not true.
At the same time, research shows that zombie culture can have very real reasons. When mixed, some drugs cause a deep coma that can be easily confused with death. Some of the substances, such as tetrodotoxin and botulinum toxin, can be obtained from fish or toads.
Botulinum toxin has an anesthetic effect, and tetrodotoxin causes severe muscle paralysis. If you mix them, you can get a cocktail that will deprive any person of movement and will.
There is also an alternative opinion on this matter. Perhaps Haitians believe so strongly in the existence of zombies that they can tell themselves that their souls were stolen.