Episode 156: Dark Fae: Mummies

The folklore of mummies in a nutshell, translated to Afrikaans, and how I reimagined it for my writing.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2025 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about mummies in folklore here.

Get the transcript here.

Learn more about the author and her writing here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With over a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my Dark Court Sisters book series. Available in ebook, paperback and audiobook. Three sisters. Three destinies. Three ways to destroy the world. Go to ronelthemythmaker.com/darkcourtsistersseries for more.

You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion. Go to buymeacoffee.com/ronel to support me.

We’re continuing our exploration of Dark Fae.

Today’s Faery: Mummies

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

The act of mummification is about maintaining the body, preventing deterioration. It can be a natural process, where the body is left in a dry place where the body’s natural fluids dry up and no insect or predator activity is present (for example: a body is left in a container full of salt – I know, total murder vibes there), or it can be through embalming and other processes like the ones used by the ancient Egyptians. The latter is what people usually picture when they hear “mummy”. And which is where the mummy monster has its origins: Egypt. These mummies are desiccated, yet covered with linen wrappings (or funerary bandages if you will), that hasn’t fallen victim to the passage of time.

In some tales, the mummy is brought back to an undead life by electricity. In other tales, incantations bring the creature to life. The mummy, usually, has a goal and will destroy anything in its way. In some tales, the mummy is out for revenge because their tomb was disturbed. In other tales, the mummy is looking for its lost love. Depending on whether it is mummy monster or mummy lover lore, the goal will align with the type of tale told.

As mummies are linked to the afterlife, usually in the sense that the body was preserved to be used again, the revenge theme is a popular one. A mummy’s internal organs are in the Canopic jars and its body in the sarcophagus, so if they aren’t together anymore because the jars were sold separately after the grave robbing was done, the mummy cannot go into the afterlife complete. And who wants to live forever without a liver?

The idea of the mummy’s curse or the curse of the pharaohs, where ill befalls those who disturb the graves in the pyramids, is one that isn’t just perpetuated through movies and more, but it was something that actually befell those in the 19^th and early 20^th century who robbed the graves of ancient Egyptians and called it archaeology and did it in the name of science. From mysterious illnesses to houses burning down, those who disturbed the tombs of the pharaohs didn’t get away unscathed.

The moral? Don’t go digging around in places that have warnings written on the walls that you shouldn’t be doing it – especially when you’re desecrating graves.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an Origin of the Fae: Mummies

Mummies, the undead ones who feature in the nightmares of mortals, were cursed to live forever in this in-between state. Some were cursed to protect, others to never find rest. Those who have to protect, usually can look mortal when needed to blend in. As it is their job to protect (a pyramid, a tomb, a bloodline), they have supernatural powers to aid them (speed, strength, awesome bandage tricks to tie up enemies or use it as a whip, they can cause sandstorms and whatever natural phenomena from their homeland, and they have magic at their disposal). Those who have been cursed, are usually buried deep beneath a tomb of someone important or just so far beneath the actual pyramid that no-one would ever find them by accident. If awoken, these mummies are usually released from whatever curse had been keeping them in place, and they go on a rampage in revenge for whatever slights were brought on them in life. There is no way to stop a mummy physically. As they aren’t true corpses – they’re desiccated beyond biltong even – ghouls won’t eat them when there are tastier recently-dead and vampires to consume. Magic is your only protection, and then only if your magic is stronger than that of the mummy you wish to wield it against.

As a little bonus, let’s look at this faery translated to Afrikaans: mummie

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.

You can now own the backlist seasons as audiobooks. All proceeds go to hosting the podcast. Exclusively available from Ronel’s store.