Skeletons (folklore)

Skeletons are a popular form of physically manifested undead found throughout fiction, notably in works of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Much like the Grim Reaper, they are commonly associated with death and decay. Unlike many adaptions of the stock zombie archetype, skeletons usually lack any flesh and are usually made up of only animated bones and/or trace muscles and ligaments.

Animated skeletons, along with the Grim Reaper, have been used as personifications of death since the Middle Ages, a personification perhaps influenced by the valley of the dry bones in the Biblical Book of Ezekiel. Skeletons are commonly depicted as beings of evil or death during celebrations and holidays such as Halloween and the Day of the Dead.