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Back to Subjects - Supernatural

Vampire Lore

Vampire Lore “Among all the creatures and monsters in literature and folklore, the vampire seems to be the most mysterious.” The vampire has many definitions describing it. Webster’s defines it as: “A corpse that becomes reanimated and leaves its grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping persons.” A Vampire is just that, a walking corpse. The traits of the Vampire varies between myths, books and movies, but the basic Hollywood Vampire Traits are: Have the ability to transform into a variety of animals. They avoid garlic, sunlight, crosses and holy water. May need to sleep on their native soil. The word ‘Vampire’ is thought to have come from No one is absolutly sure, though. Where The Myths About Vampires First Appeared And Why The myth of the Vampire has popped up in many different cultures over the centuries and it has changed and developed over the years. There have been stories as far back as 600 BC about vampires in Ancient Greece, but most of the tales began in the late eighteenth century. "In China Tsze-Chan reported in the 'Tsachwen' the existence of vampires in 600 BC. This idea was also common in ancient Babylon and Assyria. Most vampire tales originated in Eastern Europe and Balkan countries, such as Albania, Greece, Hungary, and Romania. No one is sure where the myths really first started, but doctors and scientists have discussed actual medical conditions that may have lead to the reason that it carried on. The old reasons that people were thought to be a Vampire are, in suspected corpses, if the body has: No odor, lack of rigor mortis, and an excessive amount of bloating. Internal organs of the ‘vampire’ are similar in appearance to that of a healthy, living person. The blood is not coagulated (co ag u lated) as it should be, but is liquidy, and flowing. A very large amount of blood found in the chest cavity and/or by the mouth. There are scientific studies that show that some illnesses and diseases such as the plague and haematophilia may have been the start of the vampire craze. The pneumonic plague causes the victim to expel blood from the mouth, and the combination of visible blood with unexpected and quite sudden deaths may have contributed to the relief that vampirism was responsible for this disease. Other medical conditions include Xeroderma Pigmentossum and Porphyria. These diseases are very severe. The skin develops no melanin so that there is no protection from UV light and its aggressive rays. "he person suffering from these diseases easily get burned in the sun up to 3rd degree or produce skin cancer after spending only minutes in the day/sunlight. You could imagine a person suffering from one of those diseases going out side, and actually begin to be burned alive, by the sun. There are also diseases that may have been linked to vampire attack victims. Anemia is a good example of this. Anemia is a blood disease in which the red-cell count is unusually low. A major symptom of anemia is a pale complexion, fatigue, and digestive disorders. This may have brought people in the 18th century to think that a person with anemia was a vampire seeing as he had with a pale complexion and he had trouble eating food. The Old Ways To Kill Or Disarm A Vampire Scatter seeds around the Vampires coffin, or around your house. Place iron around your bed, or house. Place a mirror by the door to your home. Decorate your home with items with illumination or smell. We do know that they used Garlic, because it was thought to be a sort of spiritual talisman; allegedly the vampire cannot stand its smell. Crosses and holy symbols would be used because the Vampire has forever been linked with the devil. Dracula – Yes, we all know about this famous count. But, did you know old Dracula was actually based on a Wallachian Prince, it was Bram Stoker, who wrote the first novel, ‘Dracula’ in 1897 who created the Transylvanian Count part. Actually called Dracula in his lifetime, but he is more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, and the number dead at his hand is conservatively placed around 40,000. Vlad became quite known for his brutal punishment techniques; he often ordered people to be skinned, boiled, decapitated, blinded, strangled, hanged, burned, roasted, hacked, nailed, buried alive, stabbed, etc. He also liked to cut off noses, ears and limbs. But his favorite method was impalement on stakes And example of his savageness is the story of the building of his castle overlooking the Arges river. Dracula blamed the local nobles for the deaths of his father and brother, who had died earlier in his life. One Easter he invites all the nobles and their families to dine with him at the palace. After dinner, he impales the older guests and the rest, dressed in their Easter finery are forced to build his castle. Once completed, those who were still alive are impaled as well. Countess Elisabeth Barthony – Lived in the 16th century in Hungary, a terrible ogress, was known as The Blood Countess. She was well known for her habit of bathing in the blood of animals and young females that were slain for her in masses. She had the idea that this blood would keep her young and beautiful. She was incredibly vain and was soon caught and walled up in a prison. She died there a few years later. Bibliography: Bibliography Barber, Paul · Vampires, burial and death: Folklore and reality · Yale University · July 1990 McKaig, Angie · Vampire Facts - Vampires: A Medical Explanation · http://www.pathwaytodarkness.com/facts/medical_explanation.htm · (24 Feb. 1999) Pedigo, David · Mythological Vampires · http://www.vampyrs.com/ · (15 Feb. 1999) Rice, Anne · The Vampire Lestat · Ballantine Books, Inc · June 1986 Sasha · A Theory on Real Vampirism · http://members.tripod.com/~nephtys/gateway.htm · (26 Jan. 1999) Summers, Montague · The Vampire · Dorset Press · 1991 "Vampire" · World Book Encyclopedia · 1996 World Book, Inc.

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