As I would expect to be rather self evident, there is little truth to be found in fiction. If one seeks truth in any historical area, it is to actual historical research one ought to defer. And where vampires are concerned, this modus operandi should be no different.
There are a number of wonderful resource books out there written by doctorate-level Slavicists, anthropologists and forensic medical professionals (e.g., Drs. Jan Perkowski, Alan Dundes, Paul Barber, Bruce McClelland) that one should first read and consider before attempting to come to any conclusions regarding who and what the "Vampire" of history was and perhaps still is.
What these expert resources reveal is that the actual Vampire from whence this term itself originates bears little if any resemblance at all to the Vampire of Western pop culture. No fangs, no blood drinking, no fear of crucifixes, no aversion to sunlight much less sparkling in the sun. Now, as to what exactly they were and why they were so demonized and then hunted down... that you'll have to consider for yourself once you have taken the time to begin replacing cinematic fiction with historical facts, assuming you should someday choose to do so.
The key in any area of inquiry is to seek out knowledge rather than rely on the claimed knowledge of others. Without knowledge, there is no intellectual self sufficiency. And without that, there is only naivete and ultimate gullibility to whatever others tell you that they can have sound attractive and appealing.
"Knowledge is Power" - Sir Francis Bacon
- Upir'
