Vampire History
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History
Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living. In folkloric tales, the undead vampires often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods they inhabited when they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early Nineteenth Century. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in most cultures, the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe, although local variants were also known by different names, such as vampire in Serbia, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism.
In modern times, however, the vampire is generally held to be a fictitious entity, although belief in similar vampiric creatures such as the chupacabra still persists in some cultures. Early folkloric belief in vampires has been ascribed to the ignorance of the body's process of decomposition after death and how people in pre-industrial societies tried to rationalize this, creating the figure of the vampire to explain the mysteries of death. Porphyria was also linked with legends of vampirism in 1985 and received much media exposure, but this link has since been largely discredited.
Description and common attributes
Vampyren "The Vampire," by Edvard Munch.It is difficult to make a single, definitive description of the folkloric vampire, though there are several elements common to many European legends. Vampires were usually reported as bloated in appearance, and ruddy, purplish, or dark in color; these characteristics were often attributed to the recent drinking of blood. Indeed, blood was often seen seeping from the mouth and nose when one was seen in its shroud or coffin and its left eye was often open. It would be clad in the linen shroud it was buried in, and its teeth, hair, and nails may have grown somewhat, though in general fangs were not a feature.
Other attributes varied greatly from culture to culture; some vampires, such as those found in Transylvanian tales, were gaunt, pale, and had long fingernails, while those from Bulgaria only had one nostril, and Bavarian vampires slept with thumbs crossed and one eye open. Moravian vampires only attacked while naked, and those of Albanian folklore wore high-heeled shoes. As stories of vampires spread throughout the globe to the Americas and elsewhere, so did the varied and sometimes bizarre descriptions of them: Mexican vampires had a bare skull instead of a head, Brazilian vampires had furry feet and vampires from the Rocky Mountains only sucked blood with their noses and from the victim's ears. Common attributes were sometimes described, such as red hair. Some were reported to be able to transform into bats, rats, dogs, wolves, spiders and even moths. From these various legends, works of literature such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, and the influences of historical bloodthirsty figures such as Gilles de Rais, Elizabeth Báthory, and Vlad Tepeş, the vampire developed into the modern stereotype.
Vampyre Myths
Myth:Vampires are afriad of the sun.
False. Many vampires are sensitive to sunlight,but sunglasses and sun protection lotions offer sufficient protection. Although vampires are often more sensitive to the sun, this is because they are more sensitive to all forms of energy, and thus need to shield themselves from excess energy,such as in the form of sunlight. Hence,most vampires find the evening more comfortable. Some vampires cliam they suffer from photosensitivity,a condition that can be caused by many things,including prescription drugs. Other rare diseases and skin conditions that have ben linked to vampirism include porphyria and lupus. With these illnesses the sun's UV rays cause rashes and blisters on the skin within minutes of exposure and in this way sufferers are often likened to undead vampires,as there skin too reacts severely to sunlight. Despite these similarities,however,people who suffer from these diseases do not turn into dust at dawn like vampires of folklore.
Myth:A vampire can "TURN" another person into a vampire
False. Many people falsely believe that vampires can 'make' or 'turn' another into a vampire by means of a bite or the blood of another. Although vampires drink blood,it is primarily for attaining energy for themselves and not to convert or 'turn' another.
Myth:Vampires are afraid of garlic
False. Bram Stoker frist established this myth firmly in 1897 with Dracula, by suggesting that garlic warded off vampires. Garlic is reputed to make the blood thinner and this belief,added to the strong-smelling properties of garlic,enhanced the myth surrounding vampires and garlic. Many vampires are fond of garlic and use it in cooking.
Myth:Vampires must drink blood to survive
False. Vampires drink blood for its energetic properties,but not all vampires sek this type of energy. Some prefer to obtain energy through psychic vampirism,whereby they feed off the energy of others. Those that do drink blood consumevery little for there health about a couple of onces every few days. In reality,ingesting too much blood will cause a person to vomit.
Myth:Vampires bite their victims
False. Fangs or teeth have little to do with vampirism,and biting is not a method used by most vampires to draw blood-primarily as it is painful for the person being bitten and there are easier ways to draw blood,e.g. with a knife,but also because it is illegal.Authors and screenwriters have added fangs to the mythsurrounding a vampire and it is a relatively recent invention,as medieval accounts of folkloric vampires did not mention fangs.
Source: wikipedia.org
Used and Licensed with Permission from wikipedia.org
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
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