History Main / WalkingOssuary

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': [[https://scryfall.com/card/j21/14/boneyard-aberration Boneyard Aberration]] is a quadrupedal skeletal construct with three necks formed by spines tipped with human skulls. When killed, its remains reassemble into three weaker, randomly-structured skeletons.

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'': The Ossiarch Bonereapers are an entire faction of this, being a legion of undead constructs composed of many bones and souls each. They replenish and restore their numbers through the Tithe of Bone, a ritual wherein they collect the bones of the fallen from either subject states or from battlefields. In particular, several of their larger constructs such as the Mortek Crawlers and Gothizzar Harvesters are comprised of multiple bones that have been fused together. The faction is basically a giant [[JustForFun/Pun Death and Taxes pun.]]

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'': The Ossiarch Bonereapers are an entire faction of this, being a legion of undead constructs composed of many bones and souls each. They replenish and restore their numbers through the Tithe of Bone, a ritual wherein they collect the bones of the fallen from either subject states or from battlefields. In particular, several of their larger constructs such as the Mortek Crawlers and Gothizzar Harvesters are comprised of multiple bones that have been fused together. The faction is basically a giant [[Pun Death and Taxes pun.]]

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'': The Ossiarch Bonereapers are an entire faction of this, being a legion of undead constructs composed of many bones and souls each. They replenish and restore their numbers through the Tithe of Bone, a ritual wherein they collect the bones of the fallen from either subject states or from battlefields. In particular, several of their larger constructs such as the Mortek Crawlers and Gothizzar Harvesters are comprised of multiple bones that have been fused together. The faction is basically a giant [[IncrediblyLamePun Death and Taxes pun.]]

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'': The Ossiarch Bonereapers are an entire faction of this, being a legion of undead constructs composed of many bones and souls each. They replenish and restore their numbers through the Tithe of Bone, a ritual wherein they collect the bones of the fallen from either subject states or from battlefields. In particular, several of their larger constructs such as the Mortek Crawlers and Gothizzar Harvesters are comprised of multiple bones that have been fused together.

A particular appeal of making this kind of amalgam with skeletons rather than fleshier bodies is that skeletons are composed of multiple visually distinct parts that can be easily imagined as being swapped around, replaced, and reassembled in various shapes, whereas muscles and skin would need to be stitched together. In addition, since bones mostly look like one another regardless of where they're from, a creature cobbled out of mismatched bones will often still look more visually cohesive than one stitched from parts that still have their meat and skin . In real life, of course, it's a little more complicated than that -- bones fit with one another in very specific ways, and aren't like Legos than can be swapped around at random -- but the motif persists.

* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': Implied in volume 1, when Oliver, Pete, Chela, and Nanao get caught in a battle between two upperclassmen, the chimera breeder Ophelia Salvadori and the skeletal golem-maker Cyrus Rivermoore. As their creations duke it out, Ophelia remarks to Cyrus that the spinal column on his bone creature is new and mentions him pillaging monster corpses deeper in the labyrinth, implying that it's a composite skeleton. Later on, Cyrus' new project involves stealing one bone at a time from other students' living bodies, apparently planning to create a composite human skeleton.

** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'': The Shivering Isles expansion has Shambles, undead constructs made from an assotment of bones that are lashed together with bits of wire and cloth.

For this trope's fleshier counterpart, see FleshGolem. Subtrope of BodyOfBodies and DemBones. Supertrope to {{Gashadokuro}}, a mythical being composed of multiple people's combined skeletons, although the latter is not usually visibly an example. Overlap is common with NonHumanUndead and RaisingTheSteaks, as these amalgams often incorporate parts from several distinct species. In cases where these entities go from being merely chimeric to being something that fundamentally should not exist, see UndeadAbomination. If a character is only dressed like a walking ossuary, see SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset

* ''Toys/{{Transformers}}'': Using certain sets under [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/F.O.S.S.I.L._Technology the F.O.S.S.I.L. Technology line]], which resemble the skeletons of prehistoric creatures, a [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Fossilizer_Combiner Fossilizer Combiner]] can be made that resembles a humanoid made out of the bones of multiple distinct beings.

For this trope's fleshier counterpart, see FleshGolem. Subtrope of BodyOfBodies and DemBones. Supertrope to {{Gashadokuro}}, a mythical being composed of multiple people's combined skeletons, although the latter is not usually visibly an example. Overlap is common with NonHumanUndead and RaisingTheSteaks, as these amalgams often incorporate parts from several distinct species. In cases where these entities go from being merely chimeric to being something that on a fundamental level should not exist, see UndeadAbomination. If a character is only dressed like a walking ossuary, see SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset