History Main / UndeadAuthor

** The narrator of the [[VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones third game]] in the series is Kaileena, [[spoiler:except she is dead, killed by the Vizier early in the game. However, since she exists out of time, she's not completely dead]].

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'': Teased, but ultimately subverted. Lena tells the gang that the pirate Morgan Moonscar died on the titular island two hundred years ago. Later, the gang find pieces of his pirate ship, implying that his ship didn't make it off the island when he died (which is surrounded by [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile man-eating alligators]]) and raising the question of how people know for sure that he died there. [[spoiler:It eventually turns out that Moonscar and his entire crew did in fact die on the island, and that Lena knows this because [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld she's one of the people who killed them]].]]

* It appears in an episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' when James, not wanting to reveal his true childhood, tells the cast a flashback story about how, as a child, he ran away from home with his Growlithe, Growlie, only to freeze to death in the snow while his pet howled mournfully at the moon. While most of the characters are moved to tears, Misty, playing the OnlySaneMan, responds that he obviously didn't die since he's telling the story, at which point James quickly falls back on EasyAmnesia ("I'm all mixed up!") as his answer.

* In a comedic Stephen Leacock short story, the last words are "I fell ill. I died. I buried myself. Would that others who write sea stories would do as much."

* This is a problem with some [[{{Creepypasta}} creepypastas.]] For example, take [[WebOriginal/JeffTheKiller Jeff the Killer]] - [[WildMassGuessing who uploaded the story?]] The fact the story exists on the Internet at all is taken by some that Jeff's brother is not particularly dead.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'': Teased, but ultimately subverted. Lena tells the gang that the pirate Morgan Moonscar died on the titular island two hundred years ago. Later, the gang find pieces of his pirate ship, implying that his ship didn't make it off the island when he died (which is surrounded by man eating alligators) and raising the question of how people know for sure that he died there. [[spoiler:It eventually turns out that Moonscar and his entire crew did in fact die on the island, and that Lena knows this because [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld she's one of the people who killed them]].]]

* ''Film/SchindlersList'' has an example similar to the one above, with one character arguing the Nazis can't really be killing everyone. The context, though, makes this tragic irony rather than comedic irony.

** It is stated that the Dread Pirate Roberts "never [leaves] captives alive." One wonders why anyone would ever surrender to him. In the book it's made clear this only applies if they fight, if they just hand over the valuables they can go. This was [[PragmaticVillainy the whole point of building the reputation in the first place]]; a technique used sometimes by Real Life pirates, notably Blackbeard.

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' #47, part of the story is told as diary entries from Jake's ancestor Isaiah Fitzhenry, who fought (and died) in the American Civil War. His last entry includes him ''narrating his own death'', as if he was writing in the diary while bleeding out on a battlefield.

* The singer of Music/TheLonelyIsland's "Like A Boss" is asked to describe an average day. Apparently an average day consists of chopping his balls off, crashing into the Sun and dying.

* Myth/ClassicalMythology: {{Medusa}}'s face or stare would kill anyone who looked at her, and her stare. Despite this she is often physically described in great detail in the legends. Possibly justified, since looking at her reflection in a mirror wasn't lethal and someone could have seen only their reflection.

* This is a problem with some [[CreepyPasta creepypastas.]] For example, take [[WebOriginal/JeffTheKiller Jeff the Killer]] - [[WildMassGuessing who uploaded the story?]] The fact the story exists on the Internet at all is taken by some that Jeff's brother is not particularly dead.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' has Jimmy pointing out the FridgeLogic of an {{urban legend|s}} about a theme park, questioning how Nick could know one of the kids' final words if none ov them were ever heard from again.

** Mandrakes supposedly let out a death cry when they are unrooted. Some variants state it's not quite the sound -- the mandrake is bloodthirsty, and you can [[BalancingDeathsBooks balance death's books]] by tying a dog nearby.

* Gets a LampshadeHanging in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' when [[MrExposition Yue]] talked about the Deep Library after they fell into it during the Library Island Arc.

* In ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', the lampshade is hung upside-down when Ophelia claims that she doesn't have a nickname like the rest of the Claymores because she doesn't leave any survivors when she fights.
* Lampshaded in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' during the Fourth Shinobi War arc. The resurrected Pain / Nagato uses his ultimate GravityMaster move, which turns the surrounding area into a floating planetoid and crushes anyone in the vicinity.

'''[[spoiler:Itachi]]:''' Hey, Naruto...If it's a sure death, how come you're still alive?\\
'''Naruto:''' O_O
* PlayedWith in ''Manga/TouhouSuzunaanForbiddenScrollery''. There's a rumor about a story called "The Bull's Head" that's so scary that anyone who hears it will die. This is happening in conjunction with stories becoming true. [[FantasyKitchenSink More so than usual]], anyway. [[spoiler:The rumor was started by a youkai to make people scared (which strengthens the youkai) without actually hurting anyone due to the logical impossibility of anyone actually knowing and telling the story.]]
** There's also the Child of Miare, who can remember her past lives and is compiling the Gensokyo chronicle. Which means it's possible for her to be killed by a youkai and then write about the encounter after she reincarnates.

[[folder:Comics]]
* Parodied in [[http://comic.nodwick.com/?comic=2001-04-25 this]] ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' strip.
* In ''ComicBook/TheCartoonHistoryOfTheUniverse'' chapter on ancient India, there appears the Hindu parable of an atheist who spent his entire life inwardly repeating "There is no God" as a mantra. When he died, his soul was instantly unified with God, because, paradoxically, by denying God, he'd managed to keep the deity constantly in mind. The historian-narrator then asks, "Say, how'd anyone know what happened after the guy died?"

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

-->[Pinkie Pie said,] “Don’t you know that the Eight Sea is patrolled by the Dread Pirate Pipsqueak? He never leaves anypony alive!” \\
Tealove had not in fact heard this. She was a bit skeptical. “Really? If he never leaves anypony alive, how do you know?” \\
“Because he told me! Duh!”

[[folder:Folklore]]
* Two mythological monsters, {{Medusa}} and the [[CockatriceAndBasilisk Basilisk]], possessed magical auras that would kill anyone who looked at them (and, in some versions, anyone they looked at). Despite this they were often physically described in great detail in the legends. In the Medusa's case it could be argued that this was because looking at her reflection in a mirror wasn't lethal and someone could have seen only their reflection. But there is really no excuse for the Basilisk, who not only had a lethal reflection, but also breathed poison gas as a backup weapon (Creator/JKRowling tweaked the Basilisk for the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series so that indirect looks at it were nonlethal, but induced [[TakenForGranite petrification]]).
** It also helps in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' that they have [[OurGhostsAreDifferent a literal undead author]] in the case of Moaning Myrtle, who died encountering the Basilisk, but can still share details because she stuck around as a ghost.
** Actually, there is a lot of variation in the basilisk's appearance, ranging from a tiny eight-legged winged lizard with a chicken's head to a giant serpent with a feathered plume.
* Scottish folklore says that anyone who hears the flowers of the Bluebell ringing will [[BrownNote die immediately]]. Well, then who lived to tell about it?
** A similar story is told about unrooting mandrakes. Some variants state it's not quite the sound -- the mandrake is bloodthirsty, and you can [[BalancingDeathsBooks balance death's books]] by tying a dog nearby.
* This is an often-cited FridgeLogic issue with the old wives' tale that if you die in your dream, you'll [[YourMindMakesItReal die from the shock of it]] in your sleep and never wake up. If the people who die in their dreams never wake up, how does anybody know what they were dreaming about when they died? There is even a MoonLogicPuzzle [[http://web.archive.org/web/20121108072605/http://www.chessbase.com/puzzle/christmas2004/chr04-6a.htm based on this.]] (Although the very fact that it is on this page reveals the solution, so I apologize to those of you who didn't get it immediately.)
* Website/{{Snopes}}.com has [[http://www.snopes.com/glurge/blueribbon.asp expressed bewilderment]] at people who send them that "My name is so-and-so, I am but three/Tonight my daddy murdered me" poem and ask if it's "real" or not.
[[/folder]]

* Creator/EdgarAllanPoe was usually good about avoiding the UndeadAuthor. He even did it with ''Literature/ThePitAndThePendulum'', though he had to resort to a DeusExMachina.
** He arguably did it ''literally'' with ''A Predicament'', a StylisticSuck-laden SelfParody where the narrator [[{{Malaproper}} mangles a fair number of literary references]], [[LosingYourHead gets herself decapitated]] and survives to lament her situation.
* Some [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] traditions hold that Moses wrote the entire Torah or Pentateuch... which means he narrated ''his own death'' in Deuteronomy 34. (Usually waved off by claiming that either this part was written by Joshua, or Moses in a God made trance.)

* In ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman'', UsefulNotes/RichardFeynman mentions how he was outraged at an account taught in Sunday School that told of a girl's dying thoughts. How did they know what she thought?

--> Master Fei: ''"It's been ten years since anyone spoke of my fights because no one has walked away from them in that time."''

* Two mythological monsters, Medusa and the Basilisk, possessed magical auras that would kill anyone who looked at them (and, in some versions, anyone they looked at). Despite this they were often physically described in great detail in the legends. In the Medusa's case it could be argued that this was because looking at her reflection in a mirror wasn't lethal and someone could have seen only their reflection. But there is really no excuse for the Basilisk, who not only had a lethal reflection, but also breathed poison gas as a backup weapon (JK Rowling tweaked the Basilisk for the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series so that indirect looks at it were nonlethal, but induced petrification).
** It also helps in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' that they have a literal undead author in the case of Moaning Myrtle, who died encountering the Basilisk, but can still share details because she stuck around as a ghost.

* Scottish folklore says that anyone who hears the flowers of the Bluebell ringing will die immediately. Well, then who lived to tell about it?

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' has Jimmy pointing out the FridgeLogic of an urban legend about a theme park, questioning how Nick could know the kids' final words if they were never heard from again.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Batgirl becomes a version of this in "Over the Edge"; after being doused with the Scarecrow's toxin in a fight, she falls into a deep slumber, and in her dreams, believes her own death occurs in the battle, and is forced to watch as her greatest fear plays out before her eyes, a war between Batman and her father as a result of it, all because she had kept her heroic identity secret from him until that point.

* The ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' special ''WesternAnimation/ScaredShrekless'' features the cast trying to outdo each other at ghost stories. The Gingerbread Man's story ends with him surrounded by [[spoiler:a legion of zombie {{Yandere}} cookies (yeah).]] "And then they ATE ME!" Shrek and co. pose the obvious question and he cracks.

* ''[[Creator/Antony444 A Different Weasel Makes A Difference]]'': The ScrapbookStory describes Euron Greyjoy and his [[spoiler:newly hatched dragon’s]] erratic behavior on the eve of the Battle of Highgarden even though Euron's army is slaughtered to the last man during the battle. WordOfGod clarifies that several of Euron's soldiers desert before the battle, and the story comes from them.

->'''Jack Sparrow''': It's the ''Pearl''.\\
'''Prisoner''': The ''Black Pearl!'' I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors.\\
'''Jack Sparrow''': No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?

* Black Mage pointed it out early in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' - if the Armor of Invincibility is said to be hidden in The Cave Of No Return, how can it be the Cave Of No Return? Somebody must've gotten out of there to spread the word that the Armor of Invincibility is there...
* In ''Webcomic/GastroPhobia'', Phobia tells Gastro a story of an adventure that ends with her death, including a "Some say that on certain nights you can still hear my voice..." stinger.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' special "Scared Shrekless" features the cast trying to outdo each other at ghost stories. The Gingerbread Man's story ends with him surrounded by [[spoiler:a legion of zombie {{Yandere}} cookies (yeah).]] "And then they ATE ME!" Shrek and co. pose the obvious question and he cracks.

** Averted to Homer's surprise in "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" when reading a wilderness survival story.

** In "King of the Hill", Grandpa recollects falling off the Murderhorn - "You'll die out there - just like I did. I fell 8,000 feet onto a pile of jagged rocks. 'Course folks were tougher in those days. I was jitterbuggin' that very night!"
** In "The President Wore Pearls", Groundskeeper Willie tells a story about a miner's strike he was involved in which ended with a cave-in, and concludes his narrative "Nobody made it out alive - ''not even Willie.''"
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' has Jimmy pointing out the FridgeLogic of an urban legend about a theme park, questioning how Nick could know the kids' final words if they were never heard from again.
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'' cartoon where they discuss a story of a co-worker killing an entire field hockey team and not leaving any survivors. Someone points out that it's a very detailed account for an incident that's not supposed to have any witnesses. It turns out that killer herself posted the story on her website.
* Batgirl becomes a version of this in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Over the Edge"; after being doused with the Scarecrow's toxin in a fight, she falls into a deep slumber, and in her dreams, believes her own death occurs in the battle, and is forced to watch as [[YourWorstNightmare her greatest fear plays out before her eyes]], a war between Batman and her father as a result of it, all because she had kept her heroic identity secret from him until that point.

* It appears in an episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' when James, not wanting to reveal his [[MeddlingParents true childhood]], tells the cast a flashback story about how, as a child, he ran away from home with his Growlithe, Growlie, only to freeze to death in the snow while his pet howled mournfully at the moon. While most of the characters are moved to tears, Misty, playing the OnlySaneMan, responds that he obviously didn't die since he's telling the story, at which point James quickly falls back on EasyAmnesia ("I'm all mixed up!") as his answer.

'''[[spoiler: Itachi]]:''' Hey, Naruto...If it's a sure death, how come you're still alive?\\

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' special "Scared Shrekless" features the cast trying to outdo each other at ghost stories. The Gingerbread Man's story ends with him surrounded by [[spoiler: a legion of zombie {{Yandere}} cookies (yeah).]] "And then they ATE ME!" Shrek and co. pose the obvious question and he cracks.

* Lampshaded in ''Film/{{DEBS}}'', where the four DEBS members are preparing to spy on Lucy Diamond. Apparently nobody has ever fought her and lived to talk about it. [[spoiler: It turns out the various law enforcement agents sent to capture her died of various natural causes, including frostbite and ebola, as they tracked her to various secret hideouts around the world without taking adequate precautions against the natural dangers of the environments.]]

* This is an often-cited FridgeLogic issue with the old wives' tale that if you die in your dream, you'll [[YourMindMakesItReal die from the shock of it]] in your sleep and never wake up. If the people who die in their dreams never wake up, how does anybody know what they were dreaming about when they died? There is even a MoonLogicPuzzle [[http://web.archive.org/web/20121108072605/http://www.chessbase.com/puzzle/christmas2004/chr04-6a.htm based on this]]. (Although the very fact that it is on this page reveals the solution, so I apologize to those of you who didn't get it immediately.)

** ''Literature/TheLastHero'': [[spoiler: Cohen and his Silver Horde realize they have been set up]] when the [[NoNameGiven bard]] they dragged along asks who wrote the scrolls guiding them up the mountain of the gods if nobody has survived the journey.
* Similarly inverted in ''[[Literature/{{Spellsinger}} The Paths of the Perambulator]]'', when Jon-Tom narrowly avoids being killed by [[spoiler: an explosive pinecone]]. When he protests that there are no such things on his (our) world, Mudge half convinces him that there ''could'' be, if anyone who encounters one dies and is written off as the victim of a mundane hiking accident.

* ''[[Creator/Antony444 A Different Weasel Makes A Difference]]'': The ScrapbookStory describes Euron Greyjoy's erratic behavior on the eve of the Battle of Highgarden even though Euron's army is slaughtered to the last man during the battle. WordOfGod clarifies that several of Euron's soldiers desert before the battle, and the story comes from them.

* Averted in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. It's explicitly said that those who hear the sacred words of the Knights Who Say Ni" ''seldom'' live to tell the tale, implying that enough survive for the word to get out.

This of course raises the question of where the legend came from, if nobody has ever lived to talk about it? Perhaps the author was undead. (Or the monster. Or both.) Or perhaps the author wasn't one of the monster's targets, but observed what happened to its targets -- for example, using the example in the page quote, the author may have observed the ''Black Pearl'' from a safe distance, seen it pulling into a harbour, then found everyone there dead after the ship left. It may also be possible to piece events together after the fact based on circumstances, much like how an investigator can link multiple victims to the same SerialKiller based on a CallingCard or a running {{theme|SerialKiller}}, but figuring out the monster's ''habits'' still leaves its ''identity'' up in the air. ApocalypticLog and AlmostDeadGuy are more potential explanations. Sometimes, none of these are true and the story is pure [=BS=].

This of course raises the question of where the legend came from, if nobody has ever lived to talk about it? Perhaps the author was undead. (Or the monster. Or both.) Or perhaps the author wasn't one of the monster's targets, but observed what happened to its targets -- for example, using the example in the page quote, the author may have observed the ''Black Pearl'' from a safe distance, seen it pulling into a harbour, then found everyone there dead after the ship left. It may also be possible to piece events together after the fact based on circumstances, much like how an investigator can link multiple victims to the same SerialKiller based on a CallingCard or a running {{theme|SerialKiller}}, but figuring out the monster's ''habits'' still leaves its ''identity'' up in the air. ApocalypticLog and AlmostDeadGuy are more potential explanations.

* From ''{{Webcomic/Nodwick}}'', Arthrax warns his of Count Repugsive's haunted castle, describing its EvilArchitecture and stating that no one has ever returned. When asked how he can know what the castle looks like, Arthrax presents Count Repugsive's [[CardCarryingVillain press releases.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'': Teased, but ultimately subverted. Lena tells the gang that the pirate Morgan Moonscar died on the titular island two hundred years ago. Later, the gang find pieces of his pirate ship, implying that his ship didn't make it off the island when he died (which is surrounded by man eating alligators) and raising the question of how people know for sure that he died there. [[spoiler:It eventually turns out that Moonscar and his entire crew did in fact die on the island, and that Lena knows this because [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld she's one of the people who killed them]]]].

** Parodied; Groundskeeper Willie tells a story about a miner's strike he was involved in which ended with a cave-in, and concludes his narrative "Nobody made it out alive - ''not even Willie.''"
** And again where Grandpa recollects falling off the Murderhorn - "You'll die out there - just like I did. I fell 8,000 feet onto a pile of jagged rocks. 'Course folks were tougher in those days. I was jitterbuggin' that very night!"
** Averted to Homer's surprise when reading a wilderness survival story.
-->'''Homer''': [reading] Then I heard the sound that all Arctic explorers dread... the pitiless bark of the sea lion! [gasp] He'll be killed!\\