Cutting his teeth: how Bram Stoker found his inner Dracula in Scotland

Author’s method acting approach to writing terrified local people in Aberdeenshire as he perched on the rocks like a bat.

In August 1894, at the end of a month-long stay to research his embryonic novel, Bram Stoker wrote in the visitors’ book at the Kilmarnock Arms on the Aberdeenshire coast that he had been “delighted with everything and everybody” and hoped to return soon.

According to new research, though, the feeling was not entirely mutual. Stoker, a genial Irishman usually known for his cheeriness, was experimenting with what would become known as “method acting” to get under the skin of his new character, one Count Dracula. Local historian Mike Shepherd, who has spent seven years researching Stoker, says the author’s links with the London theatre inspired Stoker to try inhabiting his character in a different way.

Anne Rice, Author and Screenwriter of ‘Interview With the Vampire,’ Dies at 80

Her nearly 40 novels published over a half-century sold some 135 million copies, placing her among the most popular fantasy writers of all time.

By Lisa de los Reyes for The Hollywood Reporter, December 12, 2021

 

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

There is a legend among the Hebrew people that tags Judas, betrayer of Christ, as the original vampire. We know from ancient texts that vampires were present on the earth prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, yet the legend is still quite intriguing.

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 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 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.

Vampires, Jesus Christ, And Parabiosis: Science Meets Blood Mythology In Search For Anti Aging, Longevity, And Immortality

What do vampires and Jesus Christ have in common? They both believe that drinking blood holds the key to immortality, although Christ was speaking metaphorically. Blood mythology dates back thousands, if not millions of years. Adherents to Christianity believe you must symbolically drink the blood of Jesus Christ in order to gain eternal life. The belief in vampire mythology is that the blood of a supernatural creature will spare you from immediate, human death.

Vampires and Garlic

Halloween.  That yearly tradition of kids dressing up as their favorite character all in order to gather copious amounts of candy from total strangers while their parents pull a wagon full of adult beverages.

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?

Pantry Preventatives

Believe it or not, there are things that are common to most household kitchens that were once considered to be vampire-fighting ingredients.

Vampires - Succubi

I received an email, a while back asking me if I was disregarding Succubi as vampires or thinking the idea too far-fetched to even mention it. The fact is I just didn't really research the subject and couldn't write about something I didn"t know. Still today, I do not know much about it, but I will be using what little information I could gather on the Internet to talk about these creatures. Hope not to offend anyone with my lack of knowledge!

Vampires: The Real Thing

For the past two years or so, I have researched "real" vampires. The method of my research has been observance of and discussion with those people I have met who claim to be real vampires. I decided to heavily research this topic when an acquaintance of mine claimed to actually be a vampire. Since then, I have cultivated this relationship into a close personal friendship. She was my first contact into the world of vampires and has been my best research associate ever since. Special thanks to her and all the other vampires who have been kind enough to talk about this condition.

Now for the nitty-gritty of real vampires as I have observed them. I have been able to classify real vampires into several categories. These are as follows:

Why Vampires can Exist

There is a comparatively new science of symbols called semiotics which partly explains why humans can actually create something new under the sun.

Vampires

No creature haunting Western society's collective imagination has proven more enduring, more compelling, or more alluring than the vampire. But it was only with the his transformation from emaciated, plague-carrying "nosferatu" (literally, "not dead") to suave, sexually appealing anti-hero that the vampire's status as pop cultural icon was assured.

Satanism, Vampirism & Chthonic Traditions

Satanism and Vampirism get tied together in the public media stomach. Not everyone can tell Hunan from Mongolian, and both come off as "Chinese food" -- but a chef would never confuse the two. The same goes for Satanism and Vampirism: the two get confused (all Goths who have sickened at the question, "do you worship the devil?" raise your hands!), more often from the latter to the former, but occasionally in the other way as well. Especially if your Satan-wear happens to be predominantly black. But it's often true that every lie does contain a seed of truth, and many associations do have some kind of cultural root. It may in fact be the case that Vampires are a subset of the Satanic genus, albeit a minimal one.

Youth Vampire Culture: From the Darkness Toward the Light

As a growing number of youths in America begin to challenge the notion of inequality and repression, they are turning their heads away from the darkness of society's constraints and toward the light of the freedom of a vampire lifestyle. Vampires today symbolize power and life for many youth, including Asian Americans.

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.

Vampyrism and the Walking of Paths

The purpose of this writing is to discuss the vampyric condition and its relation to spirituality. It would seem self evident that vampyrism is a condition of the spirit/soul/Qi or whatever you wish to call it. Some would suggest a physical reason for vampyrism and there are documented medical conditions that would suggest vampyric behavior, but those patients are clearly not vampyres. That debate, however, is for another time. Regarding spirituality, it would seem that there is a fair amount of pressure in the community at large to drive those who are vampyres to embrace the left hand path regardless of the individual’s personal belief systems. The right hand path is not necessarily looked down upon, but is generally felt to be the weaker of the paths in relation to vampyrism.

The Bloody Gospel

Christ of the Vampires

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.

Introduction to Cinematic Vampires

For almost ninety-five years, from THE DEVIL'S CASTLE (1896) to BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992), the vampire has freely stalked movie theatres and preyed upon the willing patrons of over three hundred films. Though his origins may have been lost in the cave etchings of primeval mythology, obscured by the superstitions of folklore, or exploited by the "penny-dreadfuls" of Victorian melodrama, the vampire has remained a popular subject for motion pictures and television.

In the age of ignorance

Throughout history the legend of the vampire has been used to "explain" other natural phenomena that primitive people who lacked scientific knowledge could not otherwise explain. Possibly the most astonishing belief which people associated vampires with was the Black Death during the Middle Ages in Europe.