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Vampire myths and legends
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Xander
Xander
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08:28:47 Sep 02 2005
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There's been a lot of debate on what everyone thinks vampires are and where they originated. I'm curious to find out what everyone knows about the actual myths and legends of the different cultures around the world. How many different ones can we come up with?




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Echo
Echo

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11:19:15 Sep 02 2005
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Well, I think the idea of being ble to detroy a vmapire of Slovac myth by stealing his left shoe and filling it with rocks, or by making him cross moving water (which I would see as a wonderful eenrgy source, thankyou!) The origination of vampire vs. garlic is also somewhat proposterous, and from what I know, decapitating a vampires ead and filling the mouth wthg arlic is another from teh same origin. All of which I find fascinating, but unbelievalbe... decapitation would kill anything!



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sonik
sonik

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11:22:56 Sep 02 2005
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xander what you post the same subject like me you think forum is a contest or what think a little and find good subject

people are so ...... sometimes



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Echo
Echo

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11:25:32 Sep 02 2005
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Hey, calm down sonik!

I do realise that its very similar to your thread, but I think he is trying to focus on myths instead of origins.

Xander, I think sonik has a point about how you have taken a very similar subject, and its bee done to me loads of times, but surely you two can ort this out amongst yourselves.



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sonik
sonik

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11:30:55 Sep 02 2005
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hey echo just shut up be a nice girl and go to your home :) before my vampire power beat you
if your think with justice there are a problem i post yesterday the same forum
and xander have writte on it
let me joke a little echo
lot of people do copycat
read the forum it s the same so what the problem now



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Echo
Echo

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11:33:27 Sep 02 2005
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Well, that doesn't sound like joking to me.

Why dotn I just let you two children pretend to bite eachother, eh?



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sonik
sonik

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11:38:33 Sep 02 2005
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very good idea echo
in france we have a proverb
dont put your fuck in nose in the problem of other because he can make you problem too at the final think of it and
think on it with humility and try to be goood judje next :)



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Echo
Echo

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11:43:03 Sep 02 2005
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In my personal life, I have a saying...

"why do people always be rude to those who are trying to help?"



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sonik
sonik

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11:53:20 Sep 02 2005
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i dont have see some help in your word and for your information i have the caracter of a pitbull or a shark and sometimes i bit violenty sorry if i hurt you



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Echo
Echo

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12:00:33 Sep 02 2005
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It' take a LOT more than that to hurt me... now lets stop this and leave it to Xander.



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sonik
sonik

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12:06:50 Sep 02 2005
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nop i do what i want but i less him quiet for the moment
ps : never tell me order or you can awake my bad caracter again



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Echo
Echo

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12:09:16 Sep 02 2005
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I wasn't ordering you around... if having the last word is so important to you, then DO IT IN PRIVATE MESSAGING.



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sonik
sonik

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12:14:15 Sep 02 2005
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nop at all
the storie is close now



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Echo
Echo

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12:16:54 Sep 02 2005
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I cant say that I believe that vmapires 'originated' like a type of species, but more from the hearsay of all the myths that have started by mans obsession with teh undead and death not being the end of us.



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sonik
sonik

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12:29:58 Sep 02 2005
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Of course, this list is not exhaustive and some other specimen will be added soon such as: dracul (Austrian), kwakiytl (American Indian), murony (Wallachian), ogolgen (Bohemian), otgiruru (African), oupir (Hungarian), owenga (African), talamaur (Melanasian), vapir (Bulgarian), avarcolac (Romanian), sharabisu (Babylonian), brucolacas (Greek), kattakhanes (Singhalese),khadro/dakini (Tibetan), kalika (Hindu), aulak.

As for the European vampire, other cultures have feared or revered a vampire-like monster, which has the same attributes: he is already dead and drink blood to lenghten its cursed existence. The way to dispose of such monsters is also very similar from one place to another.

From earliest times, humans have revered blood as magical. This was why the ultimate sacrifice was the blood of living creatures. The Vikings ran their longships over prisoner's bodies before sailing, to drench their keels in blood so the gods might bless their ships and crews. This was the forerunner to christening a boat with wine.

The Ancient Greeks had a burial ceremony that included lighting an (unsleeping lamp) for three years at the grave. That being the time it took for a corpse to decompose. At the end of three years, they would dig up the bones and wash them in wine. If, when they dug up the bones, the body should be instead swollen and still resembling the living, it was called " Vrykolakas ", meaning drum-like.
















Asasabonsam


Origin: Western Africa (Ashanti)

Description: human looking vampires except that they have hooks instead of feet and iron teeth. The Asasabonsam are tree dwelling vampires that live deep in the forest. They sit in the tops of trees with their legs dangling down which enables them to catch their victims with their hooked feet. They tend to bite their victims on the thumb.


















Azeman


Origin: South America

Description: During the day she has the form of a human female, but at night she is transformed into a bat or other animal.

Weaknesses: If seeds are scattered on the floor, she will stop to count them. Also, if a broom is placed across the door, she will not enter the room, as she will count the bristles of the broom.















Baital


Origin: India

Description: half-man, half-bat creature roughly four feet tall.















Callicantzaros


Origin: Greece

Description: They often appear in half-human, half-animal shapes and are active during the time from the beginning of Christmas to New Year's Day. They roam the countryside and enter villages at night but sleep in caves during the daytime. At the end of this period, they travel down caverns or other tunnels to Hades in the bowels of the earth. While on the world's surface, a male Callicantzaros is apt to kidnap a mortal woman to bring her back with him to the underworld as his bride and have children with her who also became callicantzaroi. It was said that the first victims of a callicantzaros whose parents were both mortal were often his own brothers and sisters, whom he was apt to bite and devour.

Weaknesses: To prevent an infant of two mortal parents born during the proscribed Yule Tide season from becoming a callicantzaros, the infant was sometimes held feet down over a fire by one of the parents until the toenails were singed












Ch'ing Shih


Origin: China

Description: appear as livid humans. Their immaterial form is a glowing sphere of light.

Powers: kill with poisonous breath in addition to draining blood

Weaknesses: If a Ch'ing Shih encounters a pile of rice, it must count the grains before it can pass the pile. They can be harmed and destroyed by normal weapons and by sunlight.














Civateteo


Origin: Mexico. They are believed to be linked to Tezcatlipoca, an Aztec god.

Description: These vampire-witches held Sabbaths at crossroads and were believed to attack young children and to mate with human men, producing children who were also vampires.

















Dhampirs


Origin: Eastern Europe

Description: Gypsies believed the mulo to be a spirit of a dead person separated from the physical corpse and that the male mulo was capable of impregnating women, often their widows. The resulting child was variously called a "vampijorivic", a "vampiric", a "lampijerovic", or "dhampir» meaning "little vampire".

Powers: Depending on the legend, dhampirs may be able to see vampires automatically or through a ritual, whereas they are usually invisible to humans. Dhampirs don't have special abilities other than being able to see invisible vampires. They are famous vampires-hunters and have been still recorded in activity in 1959 in Kosovo.













Leanansidhe


Origin: Isle of Man

Description: a beautiful female vampire faery. She is said to give inspiration to poets, but the reward for her services is death, or, at best, captivity in her kingdom under the Irish Sea off the eastern coast of Ireland.

Powers: Like all vampires, she is a bloodsucker. But rather than drinking the blood of her victims, she collects it in a huge red cauldron which is said to be the source of her beauty and powers of poetic inspiration. This may connect her with the Celtic Crone Goddesses who preside over the great cauldron of life, death, and rebirth

Weaknesses: One Manx legend says that calling for protection from the Sea God Manann ruins her hopes of gaining power over you.











Dearg-due


Origin: Ireland. A celtic legend says that a famous female called Dearg-due (red blood sucker) is buried near Strongbow's Tree in Waterford. In Scotland the vampire legend was called baobhan sith, and lurked in the mountains.

Description: She purportedly arises once a year from her grave to seduce men into her embrace and drains them dry of blood.

Weaknesses: The way to prevent the undead from arising, according to Irish legend, is to build a cairn of stones over its grave.











Ekimmu


Origin: Assyrie

Description: vampires of the spirit variety, they are naturally invisible and are capable of possessing humans.

Weaknesses: can be destroyed by using wooden weapons or by exorcism.
















Garkain


Origin: Australia, Northern Territories

Description:He was as big as a man, with bat-like wings and a foul stench. If any stray hunter or lost child entered his mangrove forest, he would swoop from the trees, wrapping his wings around the unwary. The unfortunate victim would first choke on the stench, and then slowly suffocate. The Garkain would then consume the flesh. The victim's spirit was then condemned to wander the region, unable to find his way home to the final resting place of his tribe.

















Glaistig (The)


Aka: Baobhan Sith

Origin: Scotland

Description: appear as beautiful young women who dance with men until they are exhausted, then feed on them.













Incubus/Succubus


Origin: Europe. Closely related to the incubi/sucubi are the Slavic mora, the German mahr, and the Scandinavian mara, from which the word 'nightmare' is derived.

Description: spirit and sexual vampires of a demonic nature. The general way they feed is by having sexual intercourse with the victim and feeding on the energy released during sex.

Powers: They may enter homes uninvited and can take on the appearance of other persons. They will often visit the same victim repeatedly. A victim of an incubus will experience the visits as dreams.

More about demons











Jaracara


Origin: Brazil

Description: Normally appearing as snakes, jaracara are said to drink the milk of sleeping women as well as their blood.













The Keres


Origin: Greece

Description: the Keres are sharp-clawed creatures clad in red. They are terrifying creatures that drink the blood of their victims. The Keres execute the Fates' commands. They are often seen hovering around battlefields.

More about mythological creatures











Krvopijac


Origin: Bulgaria

Description: Krvopijacs (also known as obours) look like normal vampires except that they have only one nostril.

Weaknesses: they can be immobilized by placing wild roses around their graves. One way to destroy a krvopijac is for a magician to order its spirit into a bottle, which must then be thrown into a fire.













Lamia


Origin: Greece and Rome

Description: Lamias are exclusively female vampires. They often appear in half-human, half-animal forms and eat the flesh of their victims in addition to drinking their blood.

Weaknesses: Lamias can be attacked and killed with normal weapons.











Loogaro


Origin: West Indies

Description: Appearing as old women, these vampires go out at night as blobs of light.










Mulo


Origin: Eastern Europe (Gypsy)

Description: The mulo is the spirit of a dead person who leaves his corpse in his grave at night and returned at dawn. The mulo was generally invisible but was often believed to be visible to certain people, in which case it usually appeared in the original form of the dead person.

Powers: The vampiric mulo most often preyed upon sheep and cattle. In the Balkan countries, the adult male mulo would typically come to visit his widow at night to resume his relationship with her. If the deceased was an adult male who had died unwed, his mulo might visit a woman whom he had loved during his lifetime. In some versions of the belief, he would be visible to his widow and act kindly towards her, helping with household tasks and regaining her favor. In another version, the mulo is invisible even to his wife but he liesupon her and rapes her while she feels paralyzed and is unable to cry out to others; the widow becomes sick with terror, refuses food and drink, and eventually dies.

Weaknesses: Some Gypsies in Kosova once believed that a brother and sister born together as twins on a Saturday could see a vampiric mulo if they wore their underwear and shirts inside out. The mulo would flee as soon as the twins saw it. A Gypsy practice in Moravia, now the eastern province of the Czech Republic, was to use a hen's egg to bait and ambush an invisible vampiric mulo. When the egg suddenly disappeared, the men would fire their guns at the spot.










Rakshasa


Origin: India

Description: powerful spirit vampires. They usually appear as humans with animal features (claws, fangs, slitted eyes, …) or as animals with human features (especially tigers). They eat the flesh of their victims in addition to drinking their blood.

Weaknesses: Burning, sunlight, or exorcism may destroy Rakshasas.













Shtriga


Origin: Albania

Description: a witch who preys upon infants by drinking their blood at night. But instead of transforming into an owl when she goes for her midnight snack, she is more apt to take the form of a flying insect. As recently as the early 20th century, many Albanians regarded the Shtriga to be the most common cause of infant deaths.


















Soucouyan


Origin : Dominica, Caraibeans

Description: appears as an old woman who sheds her skin at night (they know this because they sometimes find the skins, which are very valuable in the practice of Obeah magic. The skinless phantom flies through the air, usually appearing as a ball of fire and sucks the blood from her victims. The victims may die if too much blood is taken and it is possible for their drained bodies to become Soucoyan.

Powers: Its not clear whether the victim becomes a new Soucoyan or whether an existing Soucoyan possesses the dead victim's skin.

Weaknesses: The Soucoyan must return to her skin by morning, hence possession of the skin by an Obeah (if they dare) gives control over the Soucoyan.











Strigoi (Strigoiaca)


Origin: Romania, including Transylvania

Description: In most ways, the Romanian Strigoi Morti resemble the undead vampires found in other Eastern European countries. They were frequently blamed as the cause of death in cases of epidemics. According to old Romanian folklore, a person who is born with a caul (a veil of fetal membrane still attached to the head), with a small tail, or under other certain peculiar circumstances, is a Strigoi Viu (predestined to become an undead Strigoi Morti). The Strigoi Vii join together in covens and meet with the Strigoi Morti on special Sabbath nights such as the Eve of St. George (April 22)

Powers: The Strigoi Viu is not a blood drinker, but his powers include what could be called psychic vampirism. He can steal the vitality of his neighbors' crops and animals to enhance his own. Also, he can leave his body at night in the form of an animal or a small spark of light that can be seen flying through the air. Sometimes it was said that a Strigoi Viu took animal form by stealing the form from the animal.

Weaknesses: They can be destroyed after exhuming their dormant bodies from the grave by such typical means as impaling them with a stake or by cremating them.









Stryx


Origin: Rome

Description: witches who transformed into screech owls at night and, in this form, preyed upon infants by drinking their blood and sometimes eating their internal organs as well. The Latin feminine plural form of "stryx" is "striges". In the modern Italian language, "striga" has become a general word for "witch".

Weaknesses: Crane in Ovide’s sprinkles the door way with "drugged" water and places a branch of hawthorn in the window. In much later European lore, hawthorn is often considered as effective as garlic for the purpose of warding away or confining the undead vampires and the best material for stakes to pound through their hearts.















Tlahuelpuchi
plural: tlahuelpocmimi



Origin: Tlaxcala, Mexico

Description: A type of vampire, who lives with her human family, is able to shapeshift and sucks the blood of infants at night. The tlahuelpuchi is similar to the nahual in that they both can shape shift into various animal forms. The nahual, however learns his craft and does not need to suck blood. Also the nahual looks like a natural animal when shapeshifted. The tlahuelpuchi has a kind of glowing aura.

The tlahuelpuchi is born with their curse and cannot avoid it. Sometime around puberty they first learn of what they are. The vast majority of tlahuelpuchi are female and the female tlahuelpuchi are more powerful than the male. The tlahuelpuchi have a form of society. Typically they each have their own territories.

They also have a kind of pact with shamans and other supernatural creatures. This is why a shaman won't turn in a suspected tlahuelpuchi. The typical sign that the victim was killed by the tlahuelpuchi are bruises on the upper body

Powers: Tlahuelpuchi are able to change form by detaching their body from their legs. They then go hunting, usually in the form of some bird like a turkey or a vulture. This is because of the bizarre ritual the tlahuelpuchi has to perform before she can enter the house of a victim. The tlahuelpuchi must fly over the house in the shape of a cross from north to south, east to west. Coincidentally the shamans of the region cleanse the bodies of victims by uncrossing them. Victims also are given different burial rites. Often people report seeing glowing animals before a tlahuelpuchi attack. The tlahuelpuchi are able to avoid capture by turning into an animal so small, like tick, that the glowing is not noticeable.

Weaknesses: they must feed at least once a month on blood or they die. Feeding kills the victim. The victim of choice is an infant. There is no way to detect a tlahuelpuchi except by catching her in the act. Her family protects her out of shame and because if a family members is responsible for the death of a tlahuelpuchi the curse will be passed down to that family member. Garlic, onions and metal repel Tlahuelpuchi. Sometimes the metal is represented by a pair of open cisors left near the bed, sometimes a mirror, sometimes religious medalions pinned on the front and back of the shirt and sometimes safety pins in the form of a cross pinned to underwear.














Veshtitza


Origin: Montenegro and Serbia

Description: a blood drinking witch who has similarities to the ancient Roman Stryx and the Albanian Shtriga. The soul of a Veshtitza leaves her body at night and enters the body of a hen or a black moth. In the body of such a creature, she flies about until she finds a home where there are infants or young children then she drank their blood and ate their hearts. The veshtitze would join together to form covens. The members of a coven flock together in the branches of some tree at midnight on certain nights to hold a meeting while they snack upon what they had gathered earlier in the dark. Since it was a common Eastern European belief that witches in general became undead vampires after their death, it seems likely that the natural death of a Veshtitza does not end her drinking habit.










Vrykolakas


Origin: Greece

Description: In Greece and the Greek islands, the name Vrykolakas (plural: Vrykolakes) has variants such as Vourkalakas and Vrukolakas. On the island of Crete, «Kathakano» frequently replaces the name. At least in some mountain regions on the mainland, the term Vrykolakis could apply to a shepherd still living who is compelled at nights when the moon is full to go about biting and eating both man and beast. But most generally it was applied to dead people who return from their graves. According to one report from the 17th century, the undead Vrykolakes would go about knocking on doors at night and calling the names of the inhabitants. Anyone who answered such a call was doomed, but those who resisted were spared.

Powers: A person could become a Vrykolakas after his death by having been excommunicated, having committed a serious crime, or having led a sinful life. Those who were conceived or born on a holy day were predestined to become undead Vrykolakes. Even if a person died without these taints, he was apt to become a Vrykolakas if a cat jumped over his corpse before burial. Though the undead Vrykolakes were most active at night, they could also go about during daylight. They were only obliged to be in their graves on each Saturday.

Weaknesses: When a dead person was suspected of being a Vrykolakas, his corpse was exhumed to see if it had resisted decay. Also, there was a religious practice of exhuming all corpses after three years from their original burial. Typically, an exhumed corpse appearing undecayed was also bloated and ruddy. This was often interpreted as evidence that the dead person had become a Vrykolakas and had gorged itself with the blood of its victims. They may be destroyed by exorcism or burning. Yet another recourse to getting rid of a Vrykolakas was to rebury his corpse on a dessert island. This was done in belief that a Vrykolakas could not cross-seawater.











Wampir
Aka: vieszcy and upierczi

Origin: Pole and Russia

Description: appear exactly as normal humans and have a "sting" under their tongue rather than fangs. They are active from noon until midnight.

Weaknesses: burning may only destroy a wampir. When the wampir is burned, its body will burst, giving rise to hundreds of small, disgusting animals (maggots, rats, etc.). If any of these escape, then the wampir's "spirit" will escape as well, and will later return to seek revenge. These creatures are also called .



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sonik
sonik

No Longer Registered
12:35:04 Sep 02 2005
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myth on vampire :

We will now delve into some of the more common and uncommon myths relating to Vampires. If you have read the other classes on this site, you know that I deal in reality NOT myths, however the love and fear of Vampires is universal. The very word Vampire brings up visions of old. So we are going to take a few minutes and discuss some of the legends, the myths, the old wives tales and church lore and learn why and how they all began and the effect they have even today on the Vampire. We will begin with some of the more common ones. And since most of these have to do with church lore, we will look at that first. I am sure you are all familiar with the following legends:
• Vampires cannot exist in sunlight
• Vampires are burned and repelled by the sign of a cross

• Vampires cannot go into a church or holy place

• Vampires are burned by holy water

Every one of the above statements are the direct result of church lore and doctrine. We will now briefly look at each one beginning with ...

~ Vampires Cannot Exist In Sunlight ~
We must remember the date and times of these beliefs were many centuries ago. Vampires were believed to be servants of Satan; they were demons capable of all types of magic and trickery. They were creatures of evil who found strength in acts of darkness. The word darkness actually meant evil, such as the darkness of the soul. The sun represented light, God represented light. The sun is fire, fire purifies. Therefore, if the sun is light, God is light, God created the sun, the sun's light, light purifies, a Vampire could not stand the light of day. Because its evil would be destroyed by the purifying rays of the sun, therefore destroying the Vampire. It is church belief that no evil, not even Lucifer himself, is stronger than God. Therefore in the light of God, i.e.: in the presences of God, no Vampire could survive. This accounts for the belief that Vampires cannot enter a church, stand on holy ground, survive in the light of day, or survive in sunlight.

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~ Cross and Holy Water ~
Bram Stoker was Christian, haven't you ever found it amusing to read a Vampire story where the Vampires always attack Catholics or Christians? There has been only one story I know of, well perhaps two, where the Vampire has attacked a Jewish person, or where the Vampire has been a Jewish person. Again, we come back to church lore, with the cross and crucifix as holy symbols of the Christian faith. The cross represents Christ and in most Vampire movies, Christ is a representation of God. Hence we go back to the original explanations ... the cross represents God, God represents light, light purifies, Vampires are not stronger than God, Vampires cannot be in a holy place ... therefore a cross, which represents God and purification will burn a Vampire, destroy a Vampire and a Vampire cannot look upon a cross.
As far as vampires being burned and repelled by holy water, here again we are dealing with purification. This time not fire, but water. Holy water is blessed by a priest and God. That gives it the property of extreme good as opposed to the property of extreme evil. It gives the water a cleansing and purifying nature, hence a Vampire is burned, repelled or destroyed in much the same way as if he were in sunlight; All due to purification.

And now let's look at one of the oldest legends around...

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~ Reflection Cannot Be Seen In Mirror ~
Again we are going back to the foundations of good and evil and how it affects the soul. A Vampire is believed to have no soul because it is a demon. For some reason, which was never made clear, it has been a long held folk belief that a soul can be reflected in a mirror. Therefore a Vampire with no soul could not be reflected in a mirror.
I have always found this amusing especially with regard to the Catholic church's view on animals having no soul. According to the oldest beliefs of the Roman Catholic church, God bestowed souls only to humans. Animals are believed to have no soul, just as Vampires are believed to have no soul. Vampires have no soul because they are evil, animals have no soul because they are not human. And yet animals are reflected in mirrors .... interesting, is it not?


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Now we will look at some folk myths, but you must keep in mind the folk myths are still originating from some form of church myths.

~ Four Ways To Kill A Vampire ~

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~ Driving a Stake Through The Heart ~
Driving a stake through its heart basically evolved from medical mis-information. There is a disease which, in another day and time was called 'Consumption'. It was called consumption because it literally consumed the body. The patient lost weight, became very thin and pale, coughed and vomited blood and eventually died. These symptoms are very much like what was supposed to happen when you became a vampire's victim.
It was believed, if you did not actually PIN the corpse in its grave it would rise from the grave at night and infect its living relatives. At this time in history, there were no iron or metal nails of any kind. Furniture was put together with large sharp wooden pegs. You can see how the natural progression of a pointed wooden object which was used to 'nail' a chair together would be enlarged even further to 'nail' a body into it's wooden coffin. And that is how the stake was developed. Of course, the act of 'nailing' the corpse into the coffin was nonsense but that was the belief of the day.

In historical actuality, using any old wooden peg, or carved piece of wood would not work. It is believed, in many countries, that the wood has to be of a magical quality. And only special wood, such as Oak, Ash, Hawthorn and perhaps Box Elder, could be used for making a stake that would kill what we know as mythical vampires. In many legends involving black magick and witchcraft, and it’s not Wicca that I’m speaking of, it is believed that Hawthorn and Box Elder could be used against evil witches as well as vampires, then believed to be demons of hell.

The disease, consumption, is still with us today but it is treatable with antibiotics and long quiet rests. It is called ... Tuberculosis.


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~ Drowning In Running Water ~
Drowning a Vampire in running water again takes us back to the theory of purification. We must remember the age and time when these beliefs began. It was a time of cisterns, drainage ditches and primitive water storage capabilities. Standing water, i.e.: water without movement, became stagnant. Stagnant water became fouled, impure, contaminated and unfit to drink ... often 'evil' smelling, in other words, it stank.
Running water, such as in a brook, stream, river, and ocean often was not befouled and, therefore, was more pure. It was the prevailing belief that purity always killed a Vampire. Impure was simply another term for evil. Hence the myths, Vampires could not cross running water and would drown in running water.


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~ Destroying A Vampire By Burning ~
Burning a Vampire to destroy it relates directly back to the religious belief that fire purifies. Strong evil needed strong purification and at this time in history, fire was the only means of purification.

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~ Beheading and Removing The Heart ~
It was also believed that Vampires could be killed, or rather destroyed (because you can't kill something that is already dead) by severing its head from its body. It was believed that the evil was manifest in the heart and the brain. If the head was severed, it would kill the vampire.
In many European, as well as Asian countries, the body if a suspected vampire was buried with a very sharp scythe around its neck, in the belief that if the body sat up the scythe would cut off its head. And this may, in some way, have contributed to the image of the Grim Reaper carrying a scythe.

In many instances the heart was cut from the corpse and the body of the vampire burned as well as beheaded. At times, the heart was burned and the ashes mixed with a liquid, usually wine, and the one believed to be the victim of a vampire, as well as living members of a Vampire's family, were forced to drink this liquid in the misguided belief it was a sort of vaccine and could prevent the take-over of the soul of the person still living.


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~ Other Myths & Legends ~
The belief that garlic repelled a Vampire again relates back to the theory of purification. It was believed that a Vampire's blood was tainted and carried 'evil humors'. Evil humors meant a sort of gas in the blood. During this time, the word humor meant gas of all kinds, including 'wind' which is a very old fashioned way of saying gas from the stomach released from the body which made an audible noise and stench.
Garlic was believed to be a natural cleansing, purifying agent. It was believed to be able to drive evil from the body and was given as a remedy for gas and bloatedness. It would, actually precipitate the expulsion of gas and air from the body. Because of garlic's strong odor and medicinal benefits it was believed to be another strong form of purification.

We then return to the theory, evil cannot exist in the face of strong purification. Hence a Vampire was driven away by garlic.

There is an additional belief that mythological vampires were allergic to garlic. This allergy was believed to cause watering of the eyes, a difficulty in breathing and generally distasteful situation for a vampire. However, I feel that this just goes back to the purification theory.


Garlic was hung at entry points of a household to ward off evil. A Vampire, being evil, could therefore not enter the home. As in the written story, television and movies, people did, in fact, wear wreaths of garlic around their necks, hung it around open windows, entranceways, their kitchens and even went so far as to hang garlic on their livestock.

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The legend that Vampires could not cross silver is very similar to that of the witch not being able to cross silver. The origin of this being, in this time in history, silver was a very precious metal; almost as precious as gold. The poor and middle class normally did not own silver jewelry. However, in poorer parishes some of the priests did have silver crosses. Silver reflects light, God is light, light destroys dark, Vampires are believed to be dark ... hence a Vampire could be destroyed by silver.
What does this have to do with a witch?

Witches were believed to be servants of Satan, brides of Satan, corrupted by Satan and evil. Pretty much the same as a Vampire. Witches were not classified as demons but they were able to summon them. Witches were the ultimate evil and witches were also destroyed by light and other methods of purification, hence witches could not cross silver. It was also believed that witches worked with sulphur. Sulphur is an element of Hell. Hell was supposed to be the place of fire and brimstone. Brimstone was, at this time, another meaning for sulphur. Witches worked with sulphur and some witches were believed to have jewelry or implements of silver, sulphur corroded silver, or the witches' evil corroded the silver. Hence witches could not wear silver or cross silver, pretty much the same as the Vampire ... who also resided in Hell, amongst the fire and brimstone.

We realize today, that the people the church saw as evil witches were no more than female herbalists, midwives, women who had money or status or other possessions coveted by someone else.

In some countries, it was also believed that not unlike a werewolf, a vampire could be killed with a silver dagger, spear, knife and such. This author finds it difficult to believe that a human could have gotten that close, if mythical vampires were real, to be able to stab one in the heart with a small dagger.


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Vampires were believed to suck the blood out of a human to the degree the loss of blood caused the person's death. They were believed to feed on this blood for nourishment, in order to keep its corrupted aging body alive.
Upon the human's death the soul was believed to be corrupted and obtained by Satan, who then made the deceased a Vampire also.

There is a very ancient legend that it took three individual drainings of blood, which could be accomplished over a long period of time to actually kill the victim. As the victim fell more and more under the control of the Vampire they became increasingly evil and submissive to the Vampire's will.


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~ Undead ~
The term UNDEAD meant deceased, no longer alive. However dead people don't walk about at night or try to corrupt their family members. So UNDEAD was given as the state of being of a Vampire who was believed to be really quite dead but still animated.
The ability to function while dead was a gift from Satan. A sort of 'life' but it wasn't life and it wasn't 'afterlife'... that meant heaven, so it was called 'undead' which I believe is a fictional term probably created by Bram Stoker.


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~ Headstones ~
Although not totally dedicated to Vampires, headstones were originally developed not only to mark the site of a grave but to place a very heavy object on top of where the head of the deceased would lie underground in order to prevent the body from rising out of the grave.

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~ Vampires Need An Invitation ~
There are two basic theories on this aside from the fact that Bram Stoker could have made it up.
Theory one: As explained by the Inheritor Vampire ImortalN ...

'A household is infused with the aura or life energy of its inhabitants, past and present. This in a small part gives them greater strength and power on a defensive level. Certain Vampyres with empathic, hypnotic, or other powers like 'The Voice' are hindered by this.

Some holy, or sacred places are so strong that these amorphous abilities are actually nulled. When one invites a Vampyre or Magus or any with these powers in, one attunes this defensive veil subconsciously to the Vampyre. Thus letting him/her 'Move' freely thru this domain. Otherwise it is like having ones senses dulled, as if under murky water. One can still enter, but not 'comfortably'.

Also there is a certain etiquette built into this invite legend. Amongst those who are not renegade, we follow this as a rule. In past when those humans were more fluent in magic, to enter uninvited was to put oneself at risk of the others abilities. It was less that we could not enter but more that we refused to enter due to self preservation. It became so natural that even today we follow the rule.

Because many of the Vampyric breeds are so finely tuned to the magickal forces at such a high level, we are also more susceptible. A noted weakness, to these Aetheric powers. An actual verbalization seems necessary to attune us to the specific domain's resonant magical veil. Public domains are not as attuned to single individuals or families so the rule seems not to apply. Yet cathedrals, Indian circles and other sacred places seem to have a more unified resonance and dull the senses to almost a blindness to our other sensory abilities. It makes us jittery and sluggish.

Imagine you go to someone's home and they blindfold you or plug your ears before you enter, the feeling is quite similar since these other senses are a natural everyday ability of ours.'

Theory two: Suggested by my husband, a Classical Vampire ...

Humans of the time, being for the most part, uneducated and superstitious, were more than willing to clutch at anything that would give them a sense of comfort and or power over a situation.

When faced with a being of greater cunning, physical strength, and intelligence, with the ability to enter their very homes and prey upon them at will, these humans NEEDED something to help them at least FEEL safe.

If you did not invite the Vampire into your home, then it could not come in. Much like a child of today pulls the covers over his head to feel safe from the boogie-man, it didn't matter that they WERE NOT safe, it only mattered that they FELT safe.


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~ Shapeshifting ~
It was believed that Vampires could become anything they wished. The legends mostly state they became fog, wolves, bats. Vampires were demons, demons were magical.
Vampires were predators, one of the most feared natural predators of the day was the wolf, hence Vampires became wolves.

Bats have always inspired fear in humans because they attacked cattle and sucked blood. Blood could be considered liquid life, loss of blood meant death. Vampires feed on blood, Vampires killed humans, bats feed on blood, i.e.: a Vampire could become a bat.

Smoke and vapor ... it is very difficult to capture fog or smoke. A Vampire is a demon of magic, a Vampire can do anything he wants, i.e.: a Vampire can become smoke, fog, haze, anything he wants.


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~ Vampires Have Hypnotic Control ~
There are some religious and sociological reasons for these myths. The Vampire, some believe, is a metaphor for the oppression of women. The more seduced by a Vampire, the more sexually free the oppressed and repressed women of the 1800's became. And how could it be their fault that they were now entering the domain of males by the new sexual freedom, if they were under the control of a powerful and seductive Vampire?
Alternately, the belief that evil always seeks to corrupt good connected to the belief that the Vampire was a demon and demons could do anything, including hypnotize or control by magic or just their mind, is what originally gave rise to the hypnotic control of a Vampire over its prey.


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~ Immortality ~
Because a Vampire was believed to be undead, it could not then die. Something that cannot die is immortal. Immortality was taken to mean staying alive far beyond the human capability of life.
To humans, the Vampire was immortal, eternal. Existing through vast quantity of time. In reality, most human beings lived to their mid-thirties during these early days. Age fifty was considered extreme old age.

Today, fifty is barely more than middle age. But in the 14th through the 17th century the human life expectancy was very short. Age 50 was extreme, age 70 was unheard of, 100 or 105 would have been considered immortal.

We can see how silly these beliefs were. To begin with, Vampires could die. We've shown several example myths showing the beliefs that Vampires could be killed. The possibility of being killed, or destroyed, shows that they were not undead or immortal.


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When you go to the reality pages and read what Vampires really were we can see that all of these myths are quite silly. Undoubtedly there were real Vampires around at the time. Some of them might have been discovered as being quite old but not looking their age. This would have given rise to some of these myths and folk lore.

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* * Dear Catherene, I have a question for you. I was watching X-files one night and in this episode, Mulder was attacked by a vampire. During the struggle, a bag of sunflower seeds fell off a table and spilled on the floor. Seeing this, the vampire stopped in his tracks and picked up all the sunflower seeds for know apparent reason. Why did he do this? I hope you can answer these.



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lycian
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14:41:26 Sep 02 2005
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yeah, I know some origin storys of the vampire,you Xander.with your long feed thread and your short answer questions,
just another psycophant from"ever heard of you".



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BloodyWolf
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15:43:31 Sep 02 2005
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I have heard so many myths I can't count.



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Xander
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23:02:19 Sep 02 2005
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It's hardly a short answer question lycian. I'm curious to find out what myths people know, as there are so many. BTW, nice info sonik. Thanks for the response.



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Morrigon
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00:40:57 Sep 03 2005
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I can't even begin to really try and answer that question. I do enjoy reading other people's. I suppose the more a theory is based on actual things that are seemingly possible the more I would believe it. Of course there is nothing wrong with mythology either.



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Xander
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I think one of the more interesting myths comes from Poland, the Ustrel. They were children who died without baptism. After 9 days they would rise and feed on livestock and other animals before moving on to humans.

They appear as malformed and undernourished children with large talons and visible fangs. It's believed that wolves would attack them on sight, but unless they were burned, they could return as full-fledged vampires.

Just something about a vampire child that's kinda creepy.



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LoneFoxAndCub
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08:55:49 Sep 03 2005
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Hehe kids.....

One way or another, they bleed you dry...



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Morrigon
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16:24:57 Sep 03 2005
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wtf? hahaha



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LoneFoxAndCub
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17:05:34 Sep 03 2005
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Was it too obvious I had nothing of value to contribute to the thread? Haha



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BubbleGumClaudia
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17:25:15 Sep 03 2005
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I dont know if someone already brought this up...but imma say it anyway...what I found funny is the premise that Dracula was actually Judas...yes that movie Dracula2000..anyone belive that...



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Curiosax1nite
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23:28:31 Sep 03 2005
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so is it a mysth.. can any one prove this real??



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Morrigon
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23:33:19 Sep 03 2005
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No one can prove anything, think for yourself and find out. YAY



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Echo
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23:34:07 Sep 03 2005
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Morrigon has a poin, it is all a part of personal opinion that makes htings exist in the first place.



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Morrigon
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23:35:07 Sep 03 2005
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yes, I came here to learn stuff.
Learning is great
CUZ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!



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Echo
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Exactly... and even myth that you dont necessarily believe is true is knowledge on past eliefs. All of that can help us get a deeper knowledge on our standing beliefs, and what they are all about.



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BrennendeSeele
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06:26:48 Sep 04 2005
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So mch information, my brain is going to explode.. But thanks for all of it XD



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ZuberiUrbi
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21:18:52 Oct 06 2005
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i am not sure if this is the right thread to put this and if it isnt i am sorry...
anywho i was looking through my BoS and i found this interesting way to see if a cemetery is infested with vampyres..its comes from Transylvania:

1.place a young virgin boy onto a virgin black stallion
2.have the boy ride the horse around the cemetery
3.if the horse hals at any spot and will not go further, then you have a clue to a vampyre's abode ad identity



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WillowshadowfoX
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response as to why the vampire in the xfiles felt compelled to pick up the sunflower seeds :

In the Caribbean, vampires known as Soucoyant in Trinidad and Tobago, Ol' Higue in Jamaica and Loogaroo in Grenada take the form of old women during the day, and at night shed their skin to become flying balls of flame who seek blood. They were said to be notoriously obsessive compulsive, and could be thwarted by sprinkling salt or rice at entrances, crossroads and near beds. The vampire would feel compelled to pick up every grain. They could also be killed by rubbing salt into their discarded skin, which would burn them upon returning to it before morning.

http://www.ghostvillage.com/ghostcommunity/index.php?s=0c44daee9a5f763f61733e934869272c&showtopic=10078&pid=218490&st=0entry218490

this is where i found this interesting tidbit.. also more on vampyric legends and origins.



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deathnitegrl
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They always existed.



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hana
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04:27:33 Oct 10 2005
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Does anyone belive in born vampires?



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BeshadowedChild
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This is very informative. You guys answered most of my questions already. And BTW, Sonik, was your post an excerpt from a book? And if so, what is the title (I'll put it on my "Must Buy" list)?

Here are a few myths I've heard growing up, and I was wondering if anyone could help me with their origins:

Vampires have the gift of flight (without having to turn into a bat).

A vampire cannot pass a knot without untying it. No matter how difficult, the vampire will do nothing else until he has untied the knot or knots.

Vampires posess the ability of teleportation (this one might actually tie in with the myth about turning into fog)

If you draw a line in salt or white chalk, a vampire may not cross it.

A vampire will not enter a house, even if invited, if holy water is kept there.

What exactly Dracula's three wives were is a matter of speculation. Some say they were vamiresses, turned from his first three victims. Others say that they were harpies (which would make a hell of a lot of sense why they looked the way they did in Van Helsing), and still more say that they weren't women at all, but rather demons in women's form.

If you spill a bag of seeds (or whatever) on the ground, a vampire will not continue pursuit until he has counted every last one (I was never told anything about picking them up).

The sight of blood will make a vampire's fangs reflexively extend (thus blowing his cover).

A vampire's pupils are not round, but oval, like a cat's.

Vampire's cannot reproduce sexually.

Vampires used to keep werewolves as pets and guardians (I'm dying to know about this one!).

If a vampire does not drink blood, he wil not die, but grow steadily weaker.

Those are all I can think of for now. Please let me know. Thanks!



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Opilia
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07:24:16 Oct 10 2005
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You know I was talking to a woodsman the other day and he told me that he eats tons of garlic and makes him dogs to do it because then fleas, ticks, and mosquitoses leave him alone.. they don't like the smell of the garlic in the blood. So maybe that's where that part of the myrh came from...



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Opilia
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07:24:17 Oct 10 2005
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You know I was talking to a woodsman the other day and he told me that he eats tons of garlic and makes him dogs to do it because then fleas, ticks, and mosquitoses leave him alone.. they don't like the smell of the garlic in the blood. So maybe that's where that part of the myrh came from...



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Opilia
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07:24:36 Oct 10 2005
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sorry for the double.



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xtroublex
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03:06:20 Oct 23 2005
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Asasabonsam
These are African vampires amongst the Ashanti peoples of Western Africa. It is humanoid in appearance, but has iron teeth. It dwells in the forest, sitting in the trees, using its hook-shaped feet to ensnare unwary passers-by. I’ve also heard that they tend to bite victims on the thumb, but I don’t know whether or not that is correct.




Aswang
The story of the aswang is one that parents in the Philippines often used to keep children in line. The Aswang most often appeared as a beautiful maiden engaging in vampiric activities at night, and leading a normal life during the day. They supposedly had an ointment that they rubbed on to give them their supernatural powers. When feeding, the Aswang would become a large bird, and land on a prospective victim's roof. It would then let down its long pointy tongue, and prick the victim's jugular vein, sucking the blood through it's hollowed tongue. After feeding, the Aswang resembled a pregnant woman.




Asema
South American vampire, usually pictured as an elderly person during the day, which could take off its skin, and become a blue ball of light during the night. It was in this blue light form that it would feed. Popular forms of protection against the Asema were garlic, eating herbs that would make one’s blood bitter, and scattering rice or sesame seeds outside one's door, which it had to pick up before it could enter.




Baobban Sith
The Baobban Sith are evil Scottish fairies, who appear as beautiful young women (sometimes ravens or crows, as well) and will dance with men they find, being sure to keep their hoofed feet hidden, until the men are exhausted, and then feed upon them.




Bas
The Bas is a spirit believe in by the Chewong people of Malaysia. The food of the bas was ruwai, which is loosely translated as soul, vitality, or life. The Bas most often hunted pigs, but were said to occasionally attack humans, if hunger-driven enough, or by accident. The most common way to keep the Bas away was to build a fire, which it saw as a sign of civilization or humanity, and it would stay away.




Betail
See Vetala, they're the same thing, just two different words.




Bhuta
The Bhuta are Indian monsters, who are said to reside in and around cremation grounds, old ruins, and other abandoned locations, especially in deserts. They could transform into either owls or bats. They ate filthy food, and were always thirsty. They liked milk, and often attacked babies who had just fed. They were also said to have the ability to possess people. These creatures might act in a vampiric fashion at times, but were generally just seen as malevolent, not as vampires.




Brahmaparusha
These are a vampire-like creature pictured with a head encircled with intestines, and a skull filled with blood from which it drank. Their legendry comes from India.




Callicantzaros
These are Greek children born in the week between Christmas and New Years, which were believed to be unlucky. They were described as feast-blazed and believed to be destined to become vampires after their deaths. They were only active during Christmas Day and the twelve days afterward. They were known for their long fingernails and crazed behavior. They would tear apart victims using their fingernails. Not necessarily vampires, in the usual sense of the word, but somewhat related.




Chiang Shih
In China there are vampire-like creatures called Chiang Shih, which are created when a cat jumps over a dead person's corpse. They appear livid and may kill with poisonous breath in addition to draining blood. If a Chiang Shih encounters a pile of rice, it must count the grains before it can pass on. Their immaterial form is a sphere of light, much like Will-O-the-Wisps.




Cihuateteo
Aztec women who died in childbirth, as well as their babies. They wandered the night and attacked children, leaving them paralyzed or diseased. Described physically as having white faces, and very chalky arms and hands. They wore the garb of Tlazolteotl, goddess of sorcery, lust, and evil.




Dearg-Dul
In Ireland many druids speak of Dearg-Duls which has to be killed by building a cairn of stones upon the grave. I've also seen it spelled Dearg-Due, and I’m pretty sure they're the same creature. The Dearg-Duls can't shape change. Very little is known about the Dearg-Dul.




*Ekiminu
These are assyrian(spelling?) malignant spirits (half ghost, half vampire) caused by improper burial. They are naturally invisible and are capable of possessing humans. They can be destroyed by using wooden weapons or by exorcism.




Kappa
The Kappa are about as close as any Japanese monster gets to being a vampire. They are unattractive human-like children, with greenish yellow skin, webbed fingers and toes, and somewhat like a monkey with a long nose and round eyes. They had shells like tortoises, smelled like fish, and had a concave head that held water, which, if spilled, would cause the Kappa to lose its strength. Kappas fed from the edge of water, pulling creatures in, and sucking their blood out through their anuses (yes, you read that correctly).




*Kathakano
The Crete vampire Kathakano is much like your generic vampire, but can only be killed by chopping of the head and boiling it in vinegar.




Lamia
The Lamia were named after Libyan Queen Lamia. They were known in ancient Greece. They were exclusively female vampires, which often appeared in half human, half animal (most often a snake and always the lower part) form. They ate the flesh of their victims as well as drinking the blood. Lamias could be attacked and killed with normal weapons.




Lamiai
Not to be confused with Lamia, a Libyan Queen, daughter of Belus and Libya, whom the Lamiai were named after. Lamia is also another race of vampires, though, see above. These Greek demonic beings would often suck the blood of young children. They also have the power to shape change into beautiful young maidens, to attract and seduce young men in that form.




Lampir
See Vrykolakas.




Langsuyar
A Malaysian woman of great beauty, who bore a stillborn child, and when told of the condition of said child, she would be shocked (as any mother would), and after coming out of her stupor, she would clap her hands, and fly away into a nearby tree. She would then be seen every once in a while wearing a green robe, having long fingernails, and with ankle-length black hair. The hair hid an orifice in her neck with which she would suck the blood of children. To prevent a woman from becoming a Langsuyar, glass beads would be placed in her mouth to prevent banshee-like screams, eggs under her arms, and needles in her palms to prevent flying. It was supposedly possible to tame a Langsuyar. A Pontianak was the stillborn child of the Langsuyar.




Lidérc
A Hungarian Succubus-like creature, that could appear as a person, animal, or shining light. It is said that they did not have the ability to shape change, but rather existed in all shapes at once, choosing which form an observer might see it in. I believe it attacked victims in the same way a Succubus might.




Loogaroo
The loogaroos are often old women, in the folklore of Haiti and other islands in the West Indies, who'd made pacts with the devil. The devil would ask for some warm blood each night, and in return, give the loogaroos magical powers. When retrieving blood, they would take their skin off, and take the form of a fiery ball of light.




Nosferatu
Nosferatu is a modern word derived from Old Slavonic word, nosufur-atu, which in turn was borrowed from the Greek nosophoros, meaning, "a plague carrier”. This word has erroneously been used to mean "undead," which came about from Bram Stoker, and has been used as a reference to the Devil, as well. Quite often this word is used to signify your generic run-of-the-mill vampire.




Mulo
This literally means, "one who is dead." The Mulé (Mulo plural) are believed in by Gypsies. A Mulo was any individual, especially a person who died an untimely death (suicide, accident) that might become a vampire and search out the person or persons who caused their death. Physical appearance of Mulé is usually normal, except for a possible missing finger, animal-like appendage, or other such abnormality. The Slavic and German Gypsies often believed that vampires had no bones, and thus, the Mulé supposedly were boneless.




Nora
A small bald humanoid, that would move around on all fours, and was claimed to be invisible. He would attack by jumping on his victim, and sucking on their breasts. The Nora was known mainly in Hungary.




Obur
I believe these are also known as the Krvopijac, but I'm not positive on that. The Obur was Bulgarian. The obur was a gluttonous blood drinker, and was also very loud, capable of creating noises not unlike that of a firecracker, and had the ability to move objects like a poltergeist.




Pelesit
Malaysian vampiric being that took on the form of a house cricket. If someone was being attacked by a Polong , the pelesit generally accompanied it. The Pelesit would arrive before the Polong, enter the victim’s body, and prepare the way for the Polong.
Penanggalan
There are a few different ideas about the Malaysian Penanggalan, but most agree on a few points. They were all female, and their heads were separated from their bodies, and their intestines dangled down. She would live in a tree, and fly from house to house, sucking the blood of children just being born, and sometimes even their mothers.




Pisachas
These creatures originate from India, and the word means literally, "eaters of raw flesh." They're hideous in appearance, bloodthirsty, and repellant. They’re supposedly products of the anger of the deity Brahma.




Polong
A very small Malaysian female (1 inch tall), which was believed to be a witch’s familiar. In return for daily blood from the witch, the Polong would do many tasks, including attacking the witch's enemies. See alsoPelesit.
Pontianak
A Malaysian Langsuyar's stillborn child. It was believed to take the form of a night owl. To prevent a deceased baby from becoming a Pontianak, it was treated the same as the Langsuyar.




Rakshasa
This is one of the more well known vampiric races from India. They were often described as ogres or demons that would live in cemeteries, disrupt rituals, and interrupt devotions. The slaying of infants was a common pastime of the Rakshasa. Quite often the Rakshasa would take on a half breed form, half humanoid, half animal.




Redcaps
The Redcap was a malignant spirit who haunted abandoned castles and other places where violence had occurred. If one slept in a spot haunted by the redcap, it would attempt to dip its cap in human blood. It could easily be driven off with a word from the Bible or a cross. I do believe the Redcaps are Scottish.




Strigoi
This is the major Romanian vampire. It's basically the most common and well-known type of vampire, even if one doesn't know the term Strigoi. When a person thinks of a "Vampire," this is usually what they're thinking of, even if they don't know it. There is a difference between Strigoi, and Strigoi mort, both Romanian vampires. The former being a live vampire, and the latter being a dead vampire. There's also the Strigoi Vii, whom are witches destined to become vampires after death. The Strigoi was discovered by an unusual occurrence either at their birth or death, and a living Strigoi was a person who was born with either a caul or a little tail. A Strigoi Vii may become a Strigoi Mort, as well as other people who died irregularly, such as by suicide or an accident.




Succubus/Incubus
This is a race in Europe that is sometimes considered a vampiric race. The general way they feed is by having sexual relations with the victim, exhausting them and, then feeding on the energy released during sex. They may enter homes uninvited and can take on the appearance of other persons. They will often visit the same victim more than once. The victim of a Succubus will experience the visits as dreams. The male version of a Succubus is an Incubus.




Sukuyan
From Trinidad, these vampires resemble the Loogaroo.It would leave its skin at night, and travel as a blue ball of light in search of blood. If caught, a sukuyan would undergo a transformation into an animal, and without its skin would be unable to resume humanoid form.




Tenatz
From Montenegro, these were supposedly the bodies of deceased people taken over by spirits. They would roam around at night, and suck sleeping people’s blood. They would change into mice to enter and exit their gravesites.




Tlahuelpuchi
Aztecan person, usually female, which supposedly had the ability to shape shift into various animals and attack people, most often infants, and suck their blood. The most common was to change into a turkey, but dogs, cats, buzzards, and more were reported.




*Upierczi
These vampires have origins Poland and Russia, and is also called Viesczy. They have a sting under the tongue instead of the fangs. They are active from noon to midnight and can only be destroyed by burning. When burned, the body will burst, giving rise to hundreds of small, disgusting animals (maggots, rats, etc.). If any of these creatures escape then the Upierczi's spirit will escape too, and will return to seek revenge.




Upirina
See Vrykolakas.




Ustrel
This is a Bulgarian vampire, who was a child that had been born on a Saturday, and died before baptism. On the ninth day of its burial, an Ustrel was believed to rise from its grave, and attack local sheep and cattle, draining their blood. If an Ustrel was attacking a community's livestock, one could hire vampirdzhija, or vampire hunter. This person had an ability to see the Ustrels, and could detect whether or not there was an Ustrel in the community (sounds like a good scam to me).




Vetala
This Indian vampire spirit is also known as the Betail. It is said that they inhabited and animated the bodies of the dead. Vetalas are the subject for many Indian stories and legends, but I myself had a bit of trouble finding more information on them.




Vrykolakas
Vrykolakas (Greek) is pretty much interchangeable with Lampir (Bosnian),Vurvulak(Albanian), Upirina(Serbo-Croatian), and Vukodlak(Croatian). It was basically just an evil being amongst the Southern Slavs that attacked people at night, and it is said that there was one for every Slavic clan.




Vukodlak
See Vrykolakas.




Vurvulak
See Vrykolakas.




Yara-ma-yha-who
In Aboriginal cultures in Australia, there existed the Yara-ma-yha-who, a vampire-like being who was described as a small red man, about 4 ft tall, with no teeth, an exceptionally large head and mouth, and having the tips of its fingers and toes shaped like that of an octopus'. It was said to dropdown from trees and drain people of blood with their fingers and toes, leaving them weak and helpless, and would come back later to swallow them whole.




Yatu-Dhana
These are, in short, Indian sorcerers that devours the remains left by
Rakshasas





•  REPLY  •


PrincessDrussillaFangs
PrincessDrussillaFangs

No Longer Registered
03:32:09 Oct 23 2005
Read 1,412 times

I remember reading something about Adam(in the bible)'s first wife, lilith, she had a completely different set of genetics. i don't remember everything tho, sorry.



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Emaerald
Emaerald

No Longer Registered
22:02:16 Oct 26 2005
Read 1,401 times

I didn't get to read this thread before... but when I did, I sure understood the meaning of "áne de coup-de-pied" French style Sonik! -it took a long time to stop me laughing.

Aye, but you talked about the, "Dearg-dur", Ireland's rather lackluster native vampire that can be defeated by building a cairn of stones over its grave. This monster has become a cultural phenomenon that is often portrayed as more desirable than malign.



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• • • • THIS THREAD IS CLOSED • • • •
•  Closed by TheRat on Oct 03 2010  •

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