Courtesy of WikiMedia and the Internet Archive, this is one of the earliest known vampire movies. (IMDB)
An online vampire research portal, with resources and information, terminology, folklore and historical writings, and otherkin related materials. All topics covered here deal with vampires and similar cryptids.
400-Year-Old ‘Vampire Child’ Was Buried with Their Foot Padlocked so They Wouldn’t Rise from the Grave
This child was buried 400 years ago in what is now Poland, face-down and with an iron padlock on their foot.
Grave containing 450 'VAMPIRES' is discovered during roadworks in Poland
The grim discovery in the village of Luzino in the northeast of the country found that some of the 450 skeletons had been beheaded and their skulls placed between their legs and a coin placed in their mouths.
The practice which was common in the region during the 19th century was believed to remove the ‘vampire curse’.
Remains of Polish vampire found
Remains of a female 'VAMPIRE' pinned to the ground with a sickle across her throat to prevent her returning from the dead are found in Poland
- The remains were found during archaeological work at a 17th century cemetery in the village of Pien, Poland
- Professor Dariusz Poliński said sickle was placed over the neck to 'protect against the return of the dead'
- In addition to the sickle, the skeleton was found with a padlocked toe as another precautionary measure
- Researchers also found a silk cap on its head, indicating she had held a high social status
- Poliński said other measures used at the time would have involved cutting off the head and legs
Alnwick Castle vampire
Some 800 years before the publication of Dracula, and long before the term "vampire" was popularized, an English historian, William of Newburgh, recorded a tale recounted to him by a devout and reputable priest. He told of a most dishonest sinner who escaped the law by retreating to Alnwick Castle.
The Legend Of Jure Grando, The First Person Described As A Vampire
Jure Grando was a peasant who lived in the small village of Kringa, just outside of Tinjan, Croatia. He died in 1656, leaving behind a widow and a wake of terror that haunted Kringa for the next 16 years.
Every night for those 16 years, the good people of Kringa would hear knocks throughout the city in the middle of the night. The knocks were warnings, a promise that someone who lived in a house that had its door knocked had little time left on this world.
Video submission: In Search of the Highgate Vampire
David Farrant, one of the world's leading psychic investigators, takes you on a strange and terrifying journey into the realms of the undead. This program deals with the true life events surrounding the sightings of the ghostly apparition known as the Highgate Vampire.
Shot in 1997, this film represents the first foray of the BPOS into independent film making. Directed and produced by BPOS stalwart Dave Milner in association with his then film company Darkhouse Productions, it rapidly became an underground cult classic through its distribution at 'outsider' outlets such as Forbidden Planet.
The Bohemian Blow Vampire - A Blood-Sucking Ghost
Superstitious Bohemians Rid Themselves of a Vampire.
The people of Bohemia (the most superstitious of all Europe), were formerly great believers in muroniea vampires and other uncanny apparitions. The most terrible vampire, and perhaps, the most popular one in the annals of that country. Made its appearance in the year 1706. In that year Hans Blow, a herdsman, died and was buried.
Why we are living in 'Gothic times'?
There is a surge in goth-lit that channels our fears and anxieties. Hephzibah Anderson explores how the genre's past and new stories delve deep into disorder and darkness.
"We live in Gothic times," declared Angela Carter back in 1974. It's a theme Carlos Ruiz Zafón took up several decades later: "Ours is a time with a dark heart, ripe for the noir, the gothic and the baroque", he wrote in 2010. Both authors had good reason. The Gothic has always been about far more than heroines in Victorian nightgowns, trapped in labyrinthine ancestral homes, and along with the supernatural, its imaginings probe power dynamics and boundaries, delving deep into disorder and duality.
Monsters of Gothic Fiction
During the 1700s, as the world became better known through exploration and scientific experimentation, mythical monsters disappeared from studies of nature and medicine. But they became increasingly popular in the Gothic fiction that arose in the late 1700s and persisted as an important genre through the 1800s. Monsters of this literature personified the fears of society: fear of what happens when science is allowed to go too far; fear of the encroachment of contagious disease; and fear of the demons within ourselves.
Legend of the "Hunderprest" Vampire of Melrose Abbey
Melrose, Scotland
In the heart of the Scottish Borders, Melrose is the perfect holiday destination for, walking, cycling and rugby. Melrose also boasts some of the best salmon and trout fishing in Scotland. Visitors to Melrose are drawn by a range of attractions. Best known is the ruins of the Melrose Abbey, which lies on the north east side of the centre of the town and, off course the ‘Hunderprest’ vampire that roams the ruins at the dark of night.
Submission: The Creepy Truth About Chupacabras
The Americas have many legendary creatures in their folklore like Bigfoot and the Mothman, but arguably its most terrifying legend is the Chupacabra. The name for the creature literally means “goat sucker,” and is derived from reported vampirism of livestock like goats.
Its first sightings were reported in Puerto Rico in 1995, and it's often described as either dog-like or lizard-like in appearance. The chupacabra is also said to be the size of a small bear with a row of spines that goes from its neck to its tail. It’s definitely not a creature you want to encounter in the middle of the night. If that’s not enough, we’ve made a video that looks into more creepy truths about the Chupacabra.
The Vjesci: A Canadian Vampire
The Vjesci, also known as the Vjeszczi or Vjescey, is a Vampire from Polish folklore. Much like the European Vampire, The Vjesci retained their mortal characteristics and blended well within society. Legends indicate that humans were destined to become Vjesci at birth if born with teeth or a more common condition, ‘cradle cap”. If the child was born with a cap, the mother could protect the child by drying the cradle cap, grinding it into a fine dust and retaining it until the child’s 7th birthday; when she would feed it to him to ward off curse.
A Vampire Legend from the Cherokee Nation
The Jumlin is widely referred to within the Cherokee Nation as the father of vampires. His Legend is as follows:
The Nephilim Theory: Creators of the First Vampire?
To begin with, there is no “theory” of the Nephilim, it is a fact that they did exist, as stated in the Old Testament. The “Theory” is that the Nephilim were the creators of the first Vampire. As a matter of opinion, I must admit that I agree. Let’s start from the beginning!
The Judas Origination Theory
Was Lilith the mother of the vampire race?
Lilith was said to have been the first mate to Adam, created by God from the dust of the earth, just as Adam. Because of this, she saw herself as his equal, Adam failed to see things the same way. After years of struggling between each other Lilith put and end to their marriage by refusing to submit to him and fleeing the Garden of Eden.
The Carter Brothers: A New Orleans Vampire Legend
The Carter brothers, John and Wayne, seemed normal in every aspect. It was the 1930’s in New Orleans and the brothers made their living on the Mississippi river. One day before returning home from work it is said that a young girl had escaped from their apartment in the French Quarters and ran to the authorities.
The Rougarou - Cajun Werewolf Lore
Don't go too deep into the dark woods or wetlands in Cajun country at night. You might find yourself face-to-face with a tall, terrifying, blood-thirsty creature called the rougarou. He stalks through the sugar cane fields looking for prey, tearing his victims apart, drinking their blood, and then turning them into unworldly beasts as well. Even if you don't believe that he's real, you may want to take precautions to stay out of his way.
The Cain Vampire origination theory
Both the modern day Bible and the Quran identify Cain as the first son born of Adam and Eve, his brother Abel being the second. Cain was said that have been a cultivator of the land while Abel was a shepherd. One evening Cain selected the finest of his harvest to present to God the Father as an offering. Abel also presented an offering, comprised of the finest calf of his flock and other choice cuts of meat from fatted calves among his herd. God found favor in Abel’s offering and showered praise down upon him, while no praise was given to Cain.
The Living Dead: Chinese Hopping Vampires
The Hopping Vampires (jiang shi) are a type of undead creature found in Chinese folklore. Although its Chinese name is often translated as ‘Chinese hopping vampire / zombie / ghost), its literal meaning is ‘stiff corpse’. These creatures may be identified by their attire – the uniform of a Qing Dynasty official. Additionally, the jiang shi is recognizable by its posture and movement. The arms of these creatures are permanently outstretched, apparently due to rigor mortis, and they hop, rather than walk. As a result of the stiffness in their bodies, there are many ways to turn a corpse into a jiang shi, and as many ways to defeat them. These undead creatures appear in quite a number of Chinese films.
Vampire Stories from Siret
Vampires story from Siret (I)
A woman from Siret tells the following:
Vampires are just like other folk, only that God has ordained that they should wander over the country and kill people. There was one that wandered through ten villages, killing their inhabitants. He had a little house in the plain, which was always empty except when he himself was there. One day he thought of going on a journey, and baked bread in preparation. He made ten loaves and put them on the table.
Vampire Stories from Botosani
Vampire Story from Botosani (I)
A girl and a young man were once in love, but the youth died and became a vampire. The girl knew nothing of this. She happened to be alone in her parents' house, and she put out all the lights and went to bed as usual. Now vampires can enter into empty houses or into unclean houses, but the girl's house was clean and holy, so he could not come in.
Vampires in history
Vampire myths go back thousands of years and they are found in almost every culture around the world. Their variety is almost endless; from red eyed monsters with green or pink hair in China to the Greek Lamia which has the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a winged serpent; from vampire foxes in Japan to a head with trailing entrails known as the Penanggalang in Malaysia.
Chinese Hopping Vampires: The Qing Dynasty roots behind the Jiangshi legend
Now a cult obsession thanks to Hong Kong horror movies of the 1980s and 1990s, the legend of the hopping vampire was first detailed in a series of supernatural reflections compiled between 1789 and 1798 by Ji Xiaolan (also known as Ji Yun) and collected posthumously in an 1800 volume entitled Yuewei Caotang Biji (閱微草堂筆記) – it’s English-language translation being the rather beautiful Random Notes at the Cottage of Close Scrutiny.
The Vampire in Romania
(by Agnes Murgoci - selections)
In Russia, Roumania, and the Balkan states there is an idea - sometimes vague, sometimes fairly definite - that the soul does not finally leave the body and enter into Paradise until forty days after death. It is supposed that it may even linger for years, and when this is the case decomposition is delayed. In Roumania, bodies are disinterred at an interval of three years after death in the case of a child, of four or five years in the case of young folk, and of seven years in the case of elderly people. If decomposition is not then complete, it is supposed that the corpse is a vampire; if it is complete, and the bones are white and clean, it is a sign that the soul has entered into eternal rest. The bones are washed in water and wine and put in clean linen, a religious service is held, and they are reinterred.
The Girl and the Vampire
Once in a village there were a girl and a youth who were deeply in love, their parents did not know, and when the relations of the youth approached the parents of the girl with a proposal of marriage they were repulsed because the youth was poor. So the young man hanged himself on a tree, and became a vampire. As such he was able to come and visit the girl. But, although the girl had loved the man, she did not much like to have to do with an evil spirit. What could she do to escape from danger and sin? She went to a wise woman, and this wise woman advised her what to do.
Abhartach the Dwarf King
Vampires and Garlic
We have a tradition of going over to some friends neighborhood that contains a lot more kids than our neighborhood and pull said wagon. It is always a blast to see the costumes that the kids come up with – witches, werewolves, angry birds, and the assorted super hero. Zombies also appear to be the “hot” character this year. Every now and then you would see the classic vampire get up and that got me thinking about the whole vampires and garlic thing. I mean why no garlic love from the Nosferatu?
Once upon a time in Serbia: The Tale of Sava Savanovic
An Accurate Reporting on the Serbian Government Issuing a Vampire Warning
Vampire myths originated with a real blood disorder
Video submission: The Strange Origin Of Vampires
Fact or Fiction: Are Vampires Real?
Raise the stakes with this all encompassing guide on all things vampires.
Author: Leah Hall, for Country Living
It's not your imagination: Vampires are everywhere. They're in vampire movies (hello, Interview with the Vampire) and all over television (we see you, The Vampire Diaries). They're the subject of countless books. (Twilight may have spawned a million vampiric copy cats, but if you want to get good and scared, try a classic: Stephen King's Salem's Lot.)
Jewett City Vampires
Connecticut: In the first half of the 19th century, Henry and Lucy Ray of Jewett City had a comfortably-sized family of five children who all grew up and survived the many natural perils and hardships of childhood that were present in colonial America.
The Icelandic Translation of ‘Dracula’ Is Actually a Different Book
The Icelandic version of Dracula is called Powers of Darkness, and it’s actually a different—some say better—version of the classic Bram Stoker tale.
Makt Myrkranna (the book’s name in Icelandic) was "translated" from the English only a few years after Dracula was published on May 26, 1897, skyrocketing to almost-instant fame. Next Friday is still celebrated as World Dracula Day by fans of the book, which has been continuously in print since its first publication, according to Dutch author and historian Hans Corneel de Roos for Lithub. But the Icelandic text became, in the hands of translator Valdimar Ásmundsson, a different version of the story.
The Wild Evolution of Vampires, From Bram Stoker to Dracula Untold
The vampire in particular has had quite a colorful tenure. Vampiric creatures and spirits date at least as far back as Mesopotamia and Ancient Greece, but the vampire as we know it emerged in the early 1700s, when natives and foreigners alike began recording the folklore and superstitions of the Balkans, that cluster of eastern European countries that would become home to the most famous vampire of all time: Count Dracula.
Pantry Preventatives
Vampires and Biochemistry
Scientific Reasons to Believe in Vampires, Werewolves & Zombies
The Words on Nelly's Tombstone
The villagers of Exeter, Rhode Island, knew that farmer George Brown had a problem. First, in 1883 his wife, Mary, succumbed to a mysterious illness. Six months later, his 20-year-old daughter, Mary Olive, also fell ill and died. Within the next several years, his 19-year-old daughter, Mercy, was also dead, and George's teenage son, Edwin, a healthy lad who worked as a store clerk, became suddenly frail and sick. The village doctor informed George that "consumption" was taking his family. But the country folk of Exeter had another explanation.
Was she a victim ... or a vampire?
The secret lies buried in Historical Cemetery No. 22, behind Exeter's Chestnut Hill Baptist Church on Route 102, on a hill framed by rustling dark woods that harbor their own uneasy mystery. The death certificate says that Mercy Brown went to her grave at age 19 on Jan. 17, 1892, a victim of tuberculosis. The legend says she was a vampire.
New England vampires? Folklore battled a genuine specter
Every Halloween, Rhode Islanders tell the story of Mercy Brown: How she was stricken by a mysterious illness more than 100 years ago and followed her mother and sister to the grave. How her brother Edwin fell ill, too, and their father was persuaded that Mercy was a vampire who was rising from the dead to feed on Edwin's flesh. How old George T. Brown and some neighbors in Exeter dug up her body one wintry March day and found that it had shifted in the coffin. How her heart was burned on a rock after it was found to contain fresh blood. However Edwin was fed the ashes as a cure but died less than two months later, on May 2, 1892.
Real Vampires
Vampires - Succubi
Myth vs. Reality
Vampires in Myth and History
However, the vampires we are familiar with today, although mutated by fiction and film, are largely based on Eastern European myths. The vampire myths of Europe originated in the far East, and were transported from places like China, Tibet and India with the trade caravans along the silk route to the Mediterranean. Here they spread out along the Black Sea coast to Greece, the Balkans and of course the Carpathian mountains, including Hungary and Transylvania.
Phlebotomy: The Ancient Art of Bloodletting
The art of bloodletting was flourishing well before Hippocrates in the fifth century B.C. By the middle ages, both surgeons and barbers were specializing in this bloody practice. Barbers advertised with a red (for blood) and white (for tourniquet) striped pole. The pole itself represented the stick squeezed by the patient to dilate the veins.
Count Dracula and the Folkloric Vampire: Thirteen Comparisons
Western European words such as vampire (English and French) and vampiros (Spanish) derive from vampir which occurs in the Serbo-Croatian and Bulgarian languages. The term entered the mainstream press of Western Europe during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century along with sensational reports of “vampire plagues” from Eastern Europe. The original vampir of Slavic folklore was indeed a revenant who left his grave in corporeal form (at least in appearance -- there are cases where the revenant was considered to be the spirit of the dead person), brought death to the living, and returned to his grave periodically. There were other Slavic names for such revenants such as vorkudlak (Serbo-Croatian), obour (Bulgarian), upir (Russian, Ukranian, and Polish). But the name vampire became so fixated in western Europe that it has come to be applied to all the corporeal revenants bringing death to the living which occur in the folk beliefs of Eastern Europe.
Do Werewolves Really Exist?
We all know about the werewolf myths, stories about people who turn into evil wolf-like monsters under the light of the full moon to eat the flesh of humans, and who only can be defeated by silver. Okay, now you can forget everything that Hollywood has taught you.
Why Vampires can Exist
On the terms "Sanguine" and "Sanguinary"
Author: Rev. Osiris Spindell
Vampires
Youth Vampire Culture: From the Darkness Toward the Light
The idea of what is a vampire has changed across time. As legend has it, vampires are creatures of the night, damned for eternity to feed on the blood of the living for survival, feared and hated by the world. If this is the legend of vampire, how did their image change over the years? To understand the evolution of vampires, you must first look at its very beginnings.
Staking Claims: The Vampires of Folklore and Fiction
The Lexicon of the Werewolf
- Order I: What is the word lycan mean?
Order II: What is otherkin?
Order III: What does a lycan entail?
Order IV: What are Totem Spirits
Order V: What are the four types of shifting
Order VI: The Awakening of Lycans
Order VII: Manifestation of Lycans
Order VIII: How do Zoans communicate with the host
Order IX: Furries Vs Weres
Order X: A little bit of Demonology
Foreword:
I shall refer to the subjects with in this text as "Lycanthropes, Lycans, Werewolves" But I also mean to say Otherkin at the same time, this saves on length of this text. Thank you for understanding this.
Therianthropy
The Bloody Gospel
Christ of the Vampires is a Bible study that concerns parallels and differences between Vampirism and Christianity. It is my intention to prove that Jesus is the real Christ of the Vampires. The Bible study will probably shock both Christians and non-Christians alike. So read with an open mind.
Was Dracula Irish?
It has always been assumed that the original Dracula story, written by the Irishman Abraham (Bram) Stoker in 1897, was based on the Transylvanian folk hero Vlad Dracul, known as "the impaler" because of his favourite method of punishment.
However, an intriguing alternative inspiration for the Dublin civil servant's story has been put forward by Bob Curran, lecturer in Celtic History and Folklore at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, in the summer edition of History Ireland, a sober academic journal edited by historians from the Univeristy College, Cork.
Mercy Brown vampire incident
What is a Dhampir?
There are various variations of this, but the most common is that the impregnated female does not come to full term and the baby is lost. In other instances, the mother comes to term and gives birth to a stillborn. In extremely rare cases will a dhampir be born and grow to adulthood.
Dracula used the term to refer to someone who cannot be turned into a vampire.
(And to answer what may be another question, the words "vampeal" and "dunpeal" are mistranslated Japanese "danpiru" from Vampire Hunter D, who is a Dhampir.)
Where did the word "Vampire" come from?
Merriam-Webster, on the other hand, contends that vampir is originally Serbian and that the Hungarian word traces a path from Serbia, through Germany, to Hungary. The word entered English through German as well.
English usage dates to at least 1734. Bram Stoker wrote the novel Dracula in 1897.
Source: WordOrigins.com
Beast of Gevaudan - Werewolf or a Huge Wolf Like Beast?
This was the first sighting of what became known as the Beast of Gevaudanan. The woman was fortunate. Others were not so lucky. Men, women and children were killed, their bodies, savaged and mangled by the beast. The first victim, in July, 1764, was a young girl whose heart was ripped out. The slaughter resumed later that summer. Soon, the beast was attacking groups of men. It showed no fear. The people believed it was loup-garou, werewolf.
Werewolves: Legends, Cases, Theories
During the Middle Ages, people in Europe believed in werewolves. Some believed the creature was a wolf whose body was possessed by a demon. Others believed the devil put the person in a trance and transported the soul into a wolf’s body. Another theory was that a demon got into a wolf’s body and charmed the person into believing that he or she committed savage acts that were revealed in dreams. Another theory believed that the person actually changed into a wolf and that the devil substituted a human form in the werewolf’s place.
The Mysterious Vampyre of Croglin Grange
Vampyres: Legend, Cases and Theories
Vampire Research versus Vampire Hunters
Garlic against Vampires
Vampire Evolution
Certain ideas about the vampire are now fixed. Sie almost always survives by drinking blood. Sie has died, and come back to life. Almost always, sie is unable to be active during the daylight hours. Often, sie fears holy objects such as crucifixes and blessed wafers, and is also allergic to garlic. Sie can be killed by means of a stake through the heart, or, sometimes, by burning.
Vampires: a pain in the neck
He was cautious about having strangers over to his house, he said, because in his line of work he ran into some very weird people. "Murderers, psychopaths, blood cultists, vampiroids, degenerates...last year I got fan mail from a werewolf in Georgia…"
Unquiet Coffins
Real Vampires
Introduction to Cinematic Vampires
In the age of ignorance
Moving Coffins
What's That in the Mirror?
Part I
Why Dracula Hates Mirrors -- Bram Stoker
"The now popular idea that vampires cast no reflection in a mirror (and often have an intense aversion to them) seems to have been first been put forward in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. Soon after his arrival at Castle Dracula, Jonathan Harker observed the building was devoid of mirrors. When Dracula silently came into Harker's room while he was shaving, Harker noticed that Dracula, who was standing behind him, did not appear in the shaving mirror as he should have. Dracula complained that mirrors were the objects of human vanity, and, seizing the mirror, he broke it.
Vampire as Path to Meaning
THE VAMPIRE is a myth. Now hold on a minute! Don't just stop reading! At least ask yourself what you think I mean. Okay, so what do I mean by myth? The word myth is Greek in origin, mythos, meaning: Word, speech, story and legend. Confused yet? I was. Try this:
Vampires and Evil
My subject is vampires, as you may well have guessed. Those evil, malignant creatures of darkness who crawl forth from their tombs to drain the blood of the living. Hmmmm? What's that? You say that vampires aren't really evil? That vampires are really just misunderstood monsters who heroically fight to save their humanity against the forces of darkness seeking to claim their souls? How interesting. Well then, let's explore this further. Are vampires evil creatures, or tragic heroes? Where and when did vampires become the good guys? Tonight I'll try to answer this question, and maybe even come up with some good, solid questions of my own for others to ponder. (Oh, and if any of you happen to actually BE vampires, feel free to jump in at any time)
Dream Symbols - Bat, Vampire
Garlic vs Evil - The Power of Garlic
Origin of Lilith
The Morbach Monster
I first learned of the legend while I was stationed at Hahn Airforce Base, Germany. Morbach was a munitions site just outside of the village of Wittlich.
Lilith: From Demoness to Dark Goddess
Is There A True "American Vampire" Myth?
Burial Matters: How to prevent your loved ones from rising up -- taking a look at the mythology of vampire prevention.
In The Blood: A serious look at vampire-myth origins
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar; for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement. (Leviticus 17:11)
Any broad exploration of pre-Industrial European society cannot help but touch upon the plethora of peasant tales that both served to entertain the populace and teach morality to the children of Europe. On surface examination, at least, this function of folklore seems apparent enough. It is a perfectly valid assessment of the function of common fable--but in many respects, it is inadequate. Peasant tales served, in many cases, as more than simple fables. The fact that the vast bulk of European humanity remained illiterate in pre-Industrial Europe should stimulate questions about the more complex and subliminal purposes of this entirely oral form of literature.
Women in the Vampire World
Vampire and Ghost Stories from Russia
A moujik was driving along one night with a load of pots. His horse grew tired, and all of a sudden it came to a stand-still alongside of a graveyard. The moujik unharnessed his horse and set it free to graze; meanwhile he laid himself down on one of the graves. But somehow he didn't go to sleep.
He remained lying there some time. Suddenly the grave began to open beneath him: he felt the movement and sprang to his feet. The grave opened, and out of it came a corpse -- wrapped in a white shroud, and holding a coffin lid -- came out and ran to the church, laid the coffin-lid at the door, and then set off for the village.
El Chupacabra
The name translates to 'goat sucker' in Spanish, originated from the creature's earliest attacks, where goats and other livestock are found with puncture wounds on their necks and most of their blood drained.
Vampires in Myth and History
However, the vampires we are familiar with today, although mutated by fiction and film, are largely based on Eastern European myths. The vampire myths of Europe originated in the far East, and were transported from places like China, Tibet and India with the trade caravans along the silk route to the Mediterranean. Here they spread out along the Black Sea coast to Greece, the Balkans and of course the Carpathian mountains, including Hungary and Transylvania.
The Vampire and Holy Symbols
In the late 1400s, Pope Innocent VIII released a treatise recognizing the phenomena of incubi and succubi, male and female nocturnal demons. In the mid-1700s, Christian Monks wrote about various beliefs in the Undead that had developed in Western Europe, with hopes of dispelling the stories as superstition. These books of accumulated tales were available to the population at large, and the Undead within - previously known by any number of terms - were systematically named 'vampire'. As a result, the term vampire, vampyr, vampyre, wampire or wampirus - and all it's other translations - has become a household name (probably not the Monks' initial intention ...).
Vampires of Tlaxcala Mexico
Lore of the Vampire
Deconstructing the Myths of Vampire Folklore and Examining the Truths of Modern Day Vampires
Jewish Vampirology
"The blood is the life", states the Torah, and also declares "the life-force of all creatures resides in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). Eating blood is strictly forbidden by the Torah. Yet if one were to do so, he would acquire some measure of the semi-spiritual nature of the demons. They are not truly spiritual, since they must eat blood to live; yet they are not strictly bound to physical matter, insofar as they possess the power of invisibility, and the ability to travel great distances quickly. These are precisely the attributes ascribed to vampires! As the Sforno explains (Leviticus 17:7):
Creatures of the Night
The History of Vampires
The Vampire persona has evolved from many true and untrue facts, legends and myths. At various times vampires, real and imagined, have been considered fiends, supernatural beings, shape-shifters, mentally disturbed deviants, satanic servants and fetish followers. However, it all began and still revolves around a taste for blood!
Contrary to the popular belief that Vampire history, stories and legends began with Vlad the Impaler, they go back much further than that. Many ancient societies worshipped blood thirty gods. This caused people to begin to associate blood with divinity, leading to the development of the early vampire cults. Regardless of the spiritual value, some people have always had a desire to drink blood and the reasons are as varied as the practitioners. In some societies the practice was accepted, as in ancient Egypt. But in others, vampirism was considered deviant behavior and condemned.
Vampires: Origins of the Myth
"My Friend -- Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting you. Sleep well tonight. At three tomorrow the diligence [traveling party] will start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo Pass my carriage will await you and bring you to me. I trust that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land."