The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

On Wikipedia:

Superstition and mythology
Garlic has been regarded as a force for both good and evil. A Christian myth considers that after Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic arose in his left footprint, and onion in the right. In Europe, many cultures have used garlic for protection or white magic, perhaps owing to its reputation as a potent preventative medicine. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn, hung in windows or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.

The association of garlic to evil spirits may be based on the antibacterial, antiparasitic value of garlic, which could prevent infections that lead to delusions, and other related mental illness symptoms.

Can you think of other myths in warding off vampires that have a inkling of truth to make it good protection?

All about legend here, folks :)

Silver is a good one.

Silver stakes, spears, daggers, bullets etc are often used on vampires (not just werewolves) especially in Romanian type traditions.

Silver can also be melted down from holy objects such as crucifixes in order to give that added oomph to your silver stake.

Apart from combating vampires silver is considered a metal of purity, purification, and protection against evil. Colloidal (suspended ultra-fine particles) silver is often used as an antibiotic and is said to stimulate cell growth, cleanse the blood, destroy pathogenic organisms, and boost the immune system. Silver can also be used in commercially prepared wound dressings. Caution though as silver is still a toxic metal in high quantities.

Silver used to be used as the reflective backing on mirrors, which may have contributed to the no-reflection myth.

For magical properies, silver has the power, amongst other things, of reflecting negativity and evil away - therefore it's powers of warding.

Thanks a good one, Drakontion.

I just read 'lemon was placed in the mouth of suspected Saxon vampires in Germany'... how that would protect, I've yet to find out there reasoning for it. Feel free to chime in if you know why.

it's sour and makes you go "bleh?"

In medieval medicine, garlic was regarded as hot and dry, and as such would stimulate the production of choler, one of the 4 humours - blood, phlegm, choler and melancholy. It was believed that these were all produced by the liver. So eating garlic would stimulate the production of choler at the expense of blood. Not an ideal condition for a vampiric victim. Just my thoughts :-)

They fed those related to the decended the water with the dead persons ashes in it because they thought that if the person was a vampire they would curse people and that their first victims would most likely be those who were close to them. They believed that drinking the water with the ashes of the person automatically protected those people, and because the body was no longer there afterwords (at least most of it) the person was less likely to be able to become a vampire.

I saw a show about it.. if I remember right it was the show that prompted my mother and I to do more research on vampirism and find this site. But in that show they had a section that was a story about someone from hungary or Romania or some place like that... I can't remember. But they still bury their dead a specific way and with items and food to help them to the afterlife. They went to an old lady who lived alone and someone close to her had just died and she was ill and going to die. So they gave her the water with the ashes and she became well again. So they accused the dead person of becoming a vampire and attacking her.

That show that i saw was very in depth about sang and psy vams and vlad thepes and the book Dracula and a LOT of stuff that has to do with vampirism.... I'd have to say it's one of the best shows I've seen within the past four years. After seeing it I actually did a report on Vlad Thepes and you know... he's really interesing... and also points out that there is a very fine line between genius and insanity and some people tend to cross it a bit.

If I can remember anything that that show mentioned that I may have forgotten I will post it. I have to say that even after about 4 years it still (with the exception or vr over this whole time) has some of the most info and vampirism I have seen in one place.

I've seen that documentary. You can buy it on the A&E website :)

as far as protection from us the list is long do any work? i doubt it

-raises eyebrow- That lemon thing sounded kind of odd.

Makes me think the not being able to cross over running water and can a vampire cross a threshold into your house uninvited.

othis: I am looking to see if people can think of mythical protection from LEGENDARY vampires, and what truths are there to these protections that made them land on the list.

Another supposed "defense" against vampires were seeds of some kind. Sesame or poppy, or something...

Anyway, you were supposed to drop a trail of them from the suspected vampire's grave and when they rose, they would be compelled to pick them all up, and by the time they did, it would be morning again, and they would have to return to their grave.

Anyone know anything else about this myth or the origin? I read about it a long time ago, and obviously I've forgotten mostly everything about it...

"In order to protect yourself from a vampire, the cross or crucifix was thought to be very powerful in the Christian countries. Little is known of how holy symbols were used as vampire protection before the Christian era, however, folk-cures were often employed. Garlic was the most popular vampire repellent, as well as hawthorn and the mountain ash (rowan). Another defense was scattering seeds - vampires were supposed to become so involved in counting every single seed that they would either lose interest, or be caught counting even as the sun came up. Surprisingly, silver was not as traditional a protective metal as supposed in popular fiction - iron was the material of choice. Iron shavings were placed beneath a child's cradle, a necklace with an iron nail was worn, and other iron objects were placed strategically around the place needing protection. "

Got that from the site.... http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/vampire.html

Salt was also another item that held protectionary powers ovewr creatures of darkness. If you hid inside a circle of salt, evil could not get to you. the reason behind it being that salt symbolized purity or the light of truth.

Silver was not a traditional protection, iron was the material of choice. Iron shavings were placed beneath a child's cradle and other iron objects placed around the place needing protection.

Okay, more clarity revealed on the seeds thing, but does anyone know WHY it was thought to work?

Well I was thinking sunlight because there are a lot of people who are very sensitive to sunlight.

i have personally, heard many different things none of which haven't already been thought off , but i have heard if you pull a vampires teeth out he looses his power long enough to chop his head off

The ideal of the cross and silver is religion based. I don't remember his name but one of jesus's disciples betrayed him leading to christ's crusifiction on the cross. His reward was several silver peices. He later tried to commit suicide and was denied death thus cursing him to become a vampyre. Silver and crosses he could not look upon due to them leading to his curse, just one of those stories floating around out there, thought I would throw it in.

How about the one that says a vampire can't come in your house unless they're invited? That's definitely grounded in reality. You know that most people are killed by people they know.

Some beleive an evil spirit to say may not enter a holy place unless invited by the true owner of the establishment. Sadly some beleive vampyre are evil creatures, some are some aren't, but truly it is the actions of the being that decides its true being. I'm not sure where the myth originated from in entering homes.

I seem to remember some time back about reading the "steak" used to kill a vampire should be made of a certain type of wood and blessed by a priest too before it would actually kill the vampire but I haven't heard it put that way for years now.

"Alukah
by Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis

A blood-lusting monster. The earliest reference to a vampire appears in the Bible, where it is called an alukah (Prov. 30:15). Jewish traditions about vampires vary over history. Sometimes they are regarded to be demonic spirits, other times they are described as a type of witch.

The best description appears in Sefer Chasidim, where the creature is understood to be a living human being, but can shape-change into a wolf. It can fly (by releasing its long hair) and will eventually die if prevented from feeding on blood for a long enough time. Once dead, a vampire can be prevented from becoming a demon by being buried with its mouth stuffed with earth."

Earth!...well...well...anyway...found this in the Encyclopedia Mythica Online.

Article copyright 2004 Geoffrey Dennis.

Ooops...forgot the second half of my post...

"Earth Healing or removing Geopathic Stress is a geomantic practice, connecting with earth energies and the spirit of the land. The work involves dowsing, meditation, intention, earth acupuncture, crystals and other healing tools. Earth Healing re-balances earth energies, restores a healthy, harmonious atmosphere in the places we live or work, has enormous potential to improve peoples' health & quality of life, and is therefore very much needed. Nourishing earth energies negate harmful ones."

Found this bit here...
"http://firehorsefengshui.com/"

La6Muerte66...I found something on counting seeds...

"Azeman
by Alan G. Hefner

A name given to a female vampire or werewolf in Surinam Negro folk belief. She transforms from human to animal form at night and travels around drinking human blood. According to belief the best way to stop her is by sprinkling grains or seeds about, when seeing them she has a compulsion to stop to count them and gather them up. Another way of stopping her is by propping a broom, which she won't cross, against a door."

Good ol' Encyclopedia Mythica...:)

Thanks that was cool, I was wondering about that seed thing too.

Silver : makes a very nice power ring
Stake : about a useful as a tooth pick
Garlic : will just spice up the dish as they serve you as their entree

i didn't read everyone else's messages but i stumbled across one. Some say that Judas Isscariot was one of the first vampyres. they say the fact he hung him self in a tree sparked two myths.

1) Vampyres can not go over a line of knotted ropes due to the fact that a noose is a knot. and it is an aversion to teh hatered of the traitor and of Jesus and all his holy ways.

2)That the fact if you leave seeds in front of them they must pick up every last one before fallowing the one who left them. This is from the fact, supposedly, that trees come from seed and the tree is judas' resting place.

some say that he was a vampyre because in the morning light before he strangled to death that as the sun hit his skin he burst open spilling snakes and insects out onto the ground below his dangling feet.

running water . It is said that water can make you pure and running water washes away all the dirt below it over time

With all the crap we think we know but don't, it's never safe to assume we know enough to truly protect ourselves from dark forces which mean us harm.

keep constant light in a room, and or holy water soaked floor and holy water around all the frames of the doors and windows

This is a really informational thread, it seems to me we have all heard the same things though, anyone any new ones? I'd love to hear them and am looking for some myself.

I read this and I laughed my ass off...

"Find a big black dog and paint an extra pair of eyes on its forehead. A vampire who sees this dog will be scared away."

I'm guessing the dog has bigger teeth or some such thing...no idea on the extra set of eyes though...

I've heard about the seeds. I may be off base but a vampire couldn't pass up a pile of scattered seeds unless the vampire counted them. Yeah, it's kind of corny, but that's what I heard. Now if there is any truth to that, perhaps there is a little case of OCD and the individual needs to have more order? Scattered seeds would take a lot of time organizing them.

I guess an if an individual was being chased by a vampire thew seeds on the ground behind them, the vampire would get distracted because of the need to count the seeds. Therefore giving the potential victim the opportunity to flee unhindered.

A concept came to mind last Samhain, a documentary it was...Concerning pumkins.

Of course I was bestilled, as to the fact that pumkins have nothing to do with vampires, but it seemed as though the young lady was talking about a pumkin being placed on a doorstep to ward off the vampire or some bull.

My favorite will always be water. As the folklore vampire cannot cross a stream of water. A peculiar reason why Castle Dracula is surrounded by a river?

Not sure if it was posted here...but I have posted in other threads.

The "staking" of a vampire started when villagers thought their loved ones died from a vampire...so they would dig them up...and "stake" them to the grave so they wouldn't "rise" from the dead and come back home.

Also throughout history people with a blood fetish were thought to be vampires.

i have heard of silver and garlic but will a siler necklace do the same or not

Vampires are killed by driving a stake through their heart

Source: Christian religion.

Fact: because their blood is circulated by skeletal muscles, vampires can easily survive injuries to the heart.

Vampires burst into flames upon exposure to sunlight

Source: most likely based on observations of a vampire's extreme reaction to sunlight

Fact: sunlight renders vampires, with their hyperdilated irises, blind. It also causes neural pathways to fire randomly in the vampire brain, creating an extreme epileptic reaction. As dramatic as this reaction may appear, it will not be enough to start a fire.

Polishsiren your so called modern day vampires could they go out in the sunlight what do you think?

I never stated that they were modern day or they could walk in sunlight for any duration of time, its whether they will explode into flames with exposure so the question would need a scientist to render a calculation of how much they can with stand of the suns exposure and I would take into account age if that was my claim to begin with but Im not a scientist.

Hey guys :)

When I went on the vampire tour in New Orleans, the tour guide talked about how, when people were looking to make sure a "vampire" couldn't come back, they'd burn the body and sprinkle the ashes into a river. This was because, although I'm certain ANYTHING being burned to ashes isn't going to do the waltz anytime soon, rivers tend to fork, further separating the ashes and rendering it impossible for them to regroup.

Why do you need to protect yourself from vampires.
In todays day & age, vampires dont need to feed directly from humans.
Most will askpermission to feed from you or use a bloodbank.

well i ponder about this and ask this to every one this question but i can take a wild guess and say myths come from the past and its like some one telling a fish story.. you have heard of the example //the fish is little when it was caught but by the time it gets around 20 people its a big long fish..

Good point TwistedLips, a good surival teqnique...assuming they feed from bagged blood or maybe they'll want to warm it in a microwave first...... sorry about the typo error's, it's 7.38am over here*yawn*

Now I am wondering who your tourguide was Arunima (spellcheck)...The quote from the tour is...After the body is staked through the heart, its head is cut off and seperated from the body...Its body burned to ashes thus severing its soul from its body so as not to rise again.

The ashes are scattered into a stream or river, since all that is needed to make the vampire rise once more is a single drop of blood.

If I am correct at remembering my lines from the tours, then this should resemble what was said to you.

Due to folklore histories, all this is quite accurate.

I think his name was Johnathon, or something close. He was an extremely handsome man, long, dark hair that he obviously took good care of, charismatic, good with the small children who attended the tour, snappy dresser. Does that sound familiar?

Also, you said "..my lines.." Does this mean you head some of the tours, or attend them regularly?

I am stumped completely on any new myths regarding warding off vamps, I would love to take one of those tours!

The History Channel had a very good show on some of the myths of vampires, not necessarily on warding them off.

Some of the things that might lead folks to believe a corpse was a vampire include:
Corpse swelling due to gases created during decomposing, making the corpse look well fed.
Growth of hair and nails (really due to the skin and flesh dehydrating and shrinking away, making the corpse still look alive.
Red stuff oozing from the mouth during decomposition, as if it was drinking blood.
Gums receding from teeth making teeth look long as if there were fangs.

Regarding placing lemon in the mouths of vampires;

I looked here and found this:

Germany - Alp/Bluatsauger/Dockele/Doppelsauger/Gierach/Gierrach/ Girrach/Nachtzehrer
Alp: This creature is similar in behaviour to the 'Incubus' as its victims are generally women which it attacks at night, drinking milk from their nipples and causing them to have horrible nightmares, although it will also drink blood from the nipples of men and young children. The 'Alp' is generally believed to be a demon, although there are accounts in which they occur as spirits of recently deceased relations. There are also instances which state that children may become an 'Alp' if the mother suffers a long and painful childbirth and is forced to use a horse collar to ease the pain. It can also appear in animal form, linking it with some werewolf myths, can fly like a bird and, like the 'Mara', will ride a horse to exhaustion. Somewhat comically, the 'Alp' is said to wear a hat in almost all of its manifestations. A butterfly called Alp sometimes came out if its mouth. Put a lemon in the vampire's mouth to stop its activity.

And here I found this:

To prevent the soul of the alleged vampire from rejoining its body, a special object (in Romania, a clove of garlic; in Greece, a consecrated piece of bread; in Saxony, a lemon) would be placed in its mouth.

Why a lemon in particular was to be a repellent of the soul is still a good question, and I'll keep looking to see if there's an answer.

Maybe because it smelled bad and the vampires have a sensitive nose???

yea but some myths do come from hollywood or they add to them a lot

I may have come a little bit closer with this site:

Spiritual Properties: Lemon balm has long been known as an herb that balances the feelings and the emotions. It helps resolve moodiness and melancholia. It was sacred to alchemists, and the plant-based philosopher's stone is made from an alchemical preparation of this plant.

Also this:

LEMON

Citrus Limon (Rutaceae)

A native from Asia, probably from India, it is now widely cultivated in Italy, California and Australia. Lemon was unknown to the ancient Greeks arriving in Europe probably brought by Roman soldiers returning from Asia Minor. It is one of the most important and versatile natural medicines for home use. A familiar food as well as a remedy, it has a high vitamin C content that helps improve resistance to infection, making it valuable for colds and flu. It is taken as a preventative for many conditions, including stomach infections, circulatory problems and arteriosclerosis. Lemon juice and oil are effective in killing germs. It decreases inflammation and improves digestion.

MAIN PROPERTIES: Antiseptic, anti-rheumatic, antibacterial, antioxidant, reduces fever.

If these properties of lemon were known at the time that lemons were placed in the mouths of suspected vampires, then I wonder if vampirism was viewed as a spiritual malady that could be "cured" by lemons, as lemons could seem to cure other, more material illnessess.

hmm many interesting feedback in here i want to learn so much more i do

Very good informative links! Thanks for providing them.

loved the info

I may have missed it, but I didn't see anyone mention a crucifix.

I've often wondered if it's the crucifix itself, or the person's faith that is the actual protection. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Has anyone else heard or read anything about lemons and vampires, and why there may have been a practical reason for it?

This thread inspired me to do a little research. Though I haven't come across anything about the lemons yet, I did find the following list of items that will either ward off, harm or kill a vampire. (The following list was found at http://www.castleofspirits.com/vampire.html)

Garlic - will ward off

Silver cross - will burn or ward off

Wooden stake through the heart - will kill

Decapitation of the head - will kill

Prayer/House of God - will ward off

Eating the grave dirt of a vampire & smearing oneself with the vampires blood - ward off and kill vampires bite

Sunlight/Fire - will burn and kill

Steel placed in the mouth, over the eyes, over the ears, and in between the fingers at time of burial - will ward off

Placing a crucifix inside coffin - will ward off and stop the vampire from rising from it's grave

Placing blocks under the chin to prevent the body from eating the shroud - will ward off

Nailing clothes to coffin walls - will ward off

Exorcism - will kill

Holy water - will burn or sometimes can kill

Repeating of funeral service - will ward off

Falling snow - will burn and kill

Rain or running water (rivers) - will burn and kill.

A Vampire cannot and will not drink the blood of the dead if he knows what's good for him (slightly deadly too).

I'm going to keep looking for something about lemons. If I find anything, I'll post it.

holy water is supposted to burn them

What's a Vampire?

According to tradition, a vampire is a person who does not die, an "un-dead," whose corpse rises from the grave at night and seeks to suck the blood of the living. The vampire must return to the grave at dawn.

Excommunicated people, unbaptized children, criminals, babies born with teeth, witches, magicians, and the seventh son of a seventh son can all become vampires.


Various methods have been used to protect against vampires. Driving a stake of ash or aspen wood through the heart during the daylight hours will kill one. Until 1823, when it was made illegal, it was common practice in England to drive a stake through the heart of suicides. In Romania, red-hot bars were often used. The vampire's body whould then be burned or reburied at a crossroads.

In Eastern Europe, vampires are believed to be afraid of garlic. Farm animals can be rubbed with garlic to protect them, while garlic often hangs from doors and windows to keep vampires out. Anyone who does not like garlic can be suspected of being a vampire.

Thorns of wild roses will also keep vampires away. Because vampires are compulsive counters, poppy seeds are often tossed around cemeteries, so that when the vampire awakes, he will spend the night counting and be forced to return to the grave before dawn.

Vampires dislike mirrors and silver, so silver crosses or icons were frequently displayed in houses for protection.

I got this off info please. I never knew about poppy seeds orroses.

I found another list of somewhat odd things that will destroy a vampire, and this one includes the lemon. It doesn't give a reason for it though. The list:

Cut off and burn the head

Pile stones on the grave

Put poppy seeds on the grave

Boil the head in vinegar

Chain to the grave with wild roses

Place a coin in the mouth and decapitate with an axe

Put a lemon in the mouth

Bury at a crossroads

Remove the heart and cut it in two. Put garlic in the mouth and a nail in the head

Drive a stake through the heart and a nail through the temple

Cut off the toes and drive a nail through the neck

Pour boiling oil on the body and drive a nail through the navel

The complete list, along with other vampire "facts", can be found here.

i have to say i agree with shaoilinwicca you can never know to much . Very informative post

Daedal - thats a great simple list ... I was trying to find one like that and gave up after a while.

Great information Daedal.

I can't think of any that wasn't mentioned before.

Don't know if this was already mentioned [[kinda skimmed my way down]] but I'm fairly certain staking anyone through the heart woudl be fatal, vampire or otherwise.

I wanted to jump back to silver for a second. You were curious about actual facts that may have contributed to their mythological protections. In modern medicine, silver and silver coated products are used in many situations because of it's anti-microbal and anti-bacterial properties. Silver coated bandages are used for this purpose (often I believe in severe burn cases).

Good to know, Felix. The TV show 'Moonlight' had an episode this season concerning silver... they took it really cool spin with it.

This may have already been posted but the thread is just TOO long to comb through.

How about:

To keep vampires out place fish net across windows and doors. The vampire is (OCD) and has to untie every knot before passing.

I've also heard about how vampires can't cross large bodies of holy water.

i would have to do some research on this and get back to you with a better answer.

the myth that garlic repels vampires started be cause they thought foul things would not go near other foul things hence garlic repels vampires. crosses were fortold to keep them at bay too only because 'they were holy' same as holy water because it was blessed.... none of them be true for i love garlic i wear a cross and i can drink holy water.

Oh really, phury?

I knew of the silver one, not of the others though

Not the garlic one?

i havent heard of any of this but thank you guys for the wonderful materials you have put together.i enjoyed reading it and i will definitely look into the myths for a while.

I have heard the seed thing but also that a vampire has a thing for puzzles and if you leave a rope with knots tied in it the vampire will stop chasing you because it is compelled to undo all the knots before it can move on

Sahnria I also heard that Judas Isscariot was the first vampire. Cursed and was left to roam the earth for eternity

girlofthevalley I heard that as well and it would make sense with the silver thing since he was given silver to betray Christ that is what made that a cursed metal to a vampire.

yep yep and Judas not being able to look at the symbol of the cross.. it ties in well ...as for garlic.. i dont know about you but if anyone or any place smelled like garlic id stay away as well esp. since a vampires senses are well enhanced

that would be from the last supper when he betrayed Christ and the knots are from the noose he used to try and hang himself

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not, but a holy cross has been referred to in countless legends in warding of vampires. It is said that a sign of god can scare off the evil that is within a vampire.

There is a myth that garlic came from the tears of lucifer as he was falling to hell.
the tears were the seeds from which garlic grew.

Like my grandmother said once "Myths always come from truth, no matter the tale." She told me that people in Translyvania were she lives hang garlic above their windows and doors because they believe that since the garlic thins the blood and it smells bad it protects you from vampires.She said that there isn't much life substance in thin blood and it's distasteful to vampires.

I agree that silver is one based on the creation of the metal, it's one of the purest metals in the world and therefore used in several symbols. it's also easily molded and has a low melting point making it good for just about everything plyable such as jewelry or weapons against vampires and werewolves. But sadly not good for armor or weapons (heanse no "silver age" in war history)

Also holy water would be one since most people concider vampires and werewolves as "cursed" people. Although I think that blessing water has more to it then simple making the sign of the cross above water by a person of holy faith. I think it's been simplified for the movies and for books for a more dramatic effect, but I do still beleiev it's possible.

some might have come from hollywood

I've heard of the lemon thing before, apparently they were placed in the mouths of suspected vampires, presumably so that when they 'awoke' they would clamp down on the lemon beofre they knew it, and be unable to remove it.

Incidentally, one of the properties of lemon juice is a coagulant, which helps blood to clot faster. It also has a haemostatic effect - meaning it will stop blood flow. I'm guessing that these may have some bearing on why a lemon was used.

There's a great Wikipedia article on the subject of vampire protection here

thanks for that info Arunima

Aside from giving one "Mule" breath, in any case nothing human or not will go near you. It does make food taste great. And where would the Itallians be without Garlic and or onions?

Here's one from Zerotime.com:

Crucifix: A crucifix, not a cross! There is a difference. A crucifix has the likeness of Jesus Christ on it while the cross is just a cross. The power of the crucifix comes from the Christian religion and Jesus Christ's ability to combat and force out evil. Vampires are considered to be demonic agents. The crucifix will only have power over evil if you believe in its power. If you don't believe in the power of the Christian faith then the crucifix will have little use.

and using a stake from monstrous.com:

Among the ancient Egyptians, the heart was considered the seat of the soul and organ or both emotions and intelligence. As vampires were often believed to be animated by a soul still in the body, staking the heart may have been seen as a way of releasing the trapped soul from the body.

While there were various beliefs as to what the stake should be made of, a large majority of stakes were made from a thorn tree. These included blackthorn, hawthorn, or whitethorn. This connects back to the belief that thorns prevent evil. Staking the heart both released the soul and pinned down evil.

I remember the idea of scattering seeds at a grave sight as a way of warding off evil spirits... not only vampires.

also;

In Chinese tradition they throw coins (chinese coins have holes in them) after the coffin passes en route to the graveyard. Evil spirits will have to flow through the myriad holes in each of the coins... giving the grievers a head start in burying their dead.

Also;

There was mention of whether a vampire can enter your home without an invitation. They can come in uninvited, but the legend claims that they relinquish their powers in doing so.

In the Lost Boys movie being invited gave the vampire MORE power as (if I remember right) he was able to cast a reflection and was unaffected by their garlic and holy water. So hollywood has a reputation for muddying the waters so to speak.

The Holy Water is apparently the best mean in defending one self from vampires, according to the myth, since it is doing a perfect job in banishing these vile demons, with its blessed holy purity.

SALT
Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder into the face of the devil waiting there.

This thread has been automatically closed for length.