The Living Dead and the Transmission of Otherworldly Knowledge in Medieval Texts and Images, session at the 2025 International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, July 7–10, 2025Throughout the Middle Ages, narratives circulated in which the dead returned to convey special knowledge to the living, appearing in the form of ghosts, visions, and walking corpses. As intermediaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead, these figures revealed hidden truths, issued dire warnings, and imparted wisdom about the future and the afterlife. This session focuses on representations of the living dead in art and literature throughout the medieval period, with a particular focus on the role of the dead as keepers and transmitters of hidden knowledge.

We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers on topics relating to the living dead in medieval art and literature, which may include: 

• Accounts of ghostly apparitions in waking life, dreams, and visions 
• Descriptions of the afterlife given by the dead as well as visionary encounters with the dead in heaven, hell, and purgatory 
• Encounters with walking corpses or other corporeal undead 
• Visual representations of interactions between the living and the undead 
• Necromancy and magical contact with the spirits of the dead 
• Warnings and prophecies pronounced by the dead 
• The living dead as conveyors of moral lessons in exempla and didactic literature 
• Confessions and revelations of hidden sins in encounters with the living dead 
• Discussions of commemorative practices between the living and dead 
• The nature of interactions with ghosts and other revenants, including noise and non-verbal communication

Session organizers
Sam Truman
James Galvin