The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Few creatures of the night have captured our imagination like Vampires.
What explains our induring fascination with Vampires?
What is it about the vampire myth that explains our intrest?
Is it the over tellings of sexual lust, power, control?
Or is it a fascination with the inmmortality of the undead?
And what dark and hidden part of our psyche are aroused and captivated by the legends of the undead?

there is a certain romantacisim that seems to always go hand in hand with stories of vampires and its forbidden love either the vampire cant have what he wants, or someone cant have said vampire

I believe it is the idea of immortality combined with the fact that even though vampires drink blood, kill people.. all of that.. they still don't really appear as the "bad guys".

In my mind, vampires are interesting, not only because they are mysterious, but because having an interest in them doesn't make the society condemn you as being a "sick" person. Sure, people may think vampires are a morbid subject to be interested in, but its not as bad as other things either. And it lets you unfold some of your darker sides and fantasies as well.

you got that from the resident evil sound track..good cd.
i say the immortal part of vampires has gotten the attention, also how mysterious they can be. also they've been filed under 'horror', people like being scared because of the rush, and to most people vampires are scary

sorry i got that wrong, you got it wrong gorillaz, very cool band

The way the media has portrayed vampires over the years I think plays a huge part in the intrest. Characters are romantisized frequently and people identify with them.

A smelly creature in slime from a swamp is harder to cuddle up with and relate to but the media has made characters that go through the same struggles that we do ranging from the basics of just trying to survive to Spike being the @$$ Whole that we all fall in love with.

For me my fasination with Vampires has to do with blood.
I have developed a keen taste for blood, and can be sexually aroused by the site of it.
When I see or here about Vampires, I associate them with blood, and then with my fetish.
Vampires have become a sex symbol for me.

Iam new to the forums and iam dumb so if this sounds stupid sorry lol

For me I have always felt safe and pertected by darkness even though a lot of bad things have happened to me at night.

Vampires are romantic strong Intelagent and not often affraid. They can do anything and get away with it. Vampires are not bound by mortal rules,

I being handicapped can't do certain things that people do. I mean yes i walk with a limp but lifes harder so I guess I envy vampires. I also am fasinated by blood and such I have always wanted to share my blood with someone. That would be hot LOL

I think that it's because of the "typical Vampire" the media has been feeding us. We don't believe that something with that kind of power, immortality, and grace can exist withing something so excruciatingly stupid as the count from Sesame Street. I think that we will always be searching for what a true Vampire actually is. If that made any sense at all.

HAHAHAHA! DUDE!!! THATS FROM GODSMACK!!!!

for those around me the capture piont has always been the ability of those of the Gathering to continue in times pathways, without the need to bring into dispute the excistance of all creatures human or otherwise without the proverble utophia or war.

"a world of existance in ballance harmony the humans have yet to achieve."

cheers

Yes it is from Godsmack but it fits here very well ;)

It does indeed fit well here....

The myth of vampires originated mostly from Bram Stokers novel "Dracula" He based most of his novel off of Vlad Dracula son of Dracul also known as "devil" or "dragon"

A few cool little facts... the tale about vampires being pale and while is because it is believed that Vlad was a bit allergic to blood and it made his face swell up and be white.

The "stick through the heart" thing is from Vlad’s obsession with impaling people...

It was also thought that Vlad was allergic to garlic....

There are a lot more, but I just cant remember them right now :P That was kind of off-topic; Oh well

Vampires are the most human appearing "monster" out there. it seems more appealing to be a "pretty monster" than a gruesome one ie frankenstein

Indeed... very lustful and elegant creatures.

I personally think the lustful thing comes from modern vampires feeding off of sexual energy... and the elegance is just something no other creature compare with... something I am very proud of.

We are just suckers for the shy, handsome, aristocratic underdog.

i think its more the sexual part for most people and the living forever also ...

It is commonly believed that the vampires are creatures of the night in long gowns and suits who have an unquenchable thurst for blood... and it is a cute story.... but as I am sure many of you know that is not true for the modern day vampires.

The erotic part of me and the immortality gets me..I want to well be unafraid in a number of way from the sexual aspect to never havign to wonder when my numbers up

Maybe, its the sence of immortality.

yep i do believe its an idea of immortality .it creates curiosity to know them more the more u hear about them.As has been portrayed in stories ,movies n even in some of our ancient scripts ,they mostly are the creatures of night.The sun is their enemy.

It is said that even a man who is pure in heartand says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

I think it is a mixture of things, the desire for eternal life, health and beauty and the fact that we understand it could not be achieved naturaly. (at least not yet)
Sexual lust at its peak I guess for me is incredible when i feed and make love, it drives me insane with pleasure, the energy is the most intense I have encountered except maybe rage.
I'm fascinated by the idea of transcending time and learning everything I want and knowing the world from different places in time but, who knows really? It might just be the fact that blood drinking is such a feared taboo and the idea of it frightens most people who don't understand it.
Fear, lust and fascination.
Curiosity did kill the cat.

There are two ways we have to look at the vampire mythology to separate that initial question of why the archetype continues to thrive and evolve.

The first is that of the warning mythology where the vampire is simply a beast to beware. No romanticism, no personality to become enamored with. This monster archetype is the one that originally circled the globe and made itself at home in every language and culture in some form or another. Be it dead relatives come to feed on the family or witches that sucked the blood of children, this fiendish creature is probably traced to our need to answer for unexplained deaths. Early cases of SID or 'consumption' (TB) or possibly even porphyria, and albinism required some explanation in order to ease our collective mind.

The second more recent mythology is centered around the literary romanticized vampire and I'm sure is a more personal myth that appeals to our individual fears and desires. It's based on the power and knowledge attained from long life as well as the obvious desire to live forever. There are definitely sexual overtones to the idea of 'feeding' on our most basic and animal thirsts as well as the attraction felt toward the 'prey' on a sexual level. It's the reason that vampirism is often classified a fetish. Finally I also think it has to do with the desire to live free of rules and to engage in any action desired without guilt. The vampire is free to be enraged, lustful, murderous, or (rarely) kind without guilt from religion, society, or associates because he after all, already damned in their eyes.

Ah, you write with great eloquence FelixFelix.

Yes, the story of the vampire (or any other V-type creature) has evolved over time. But I still believe the elegant, pale, cape wearing figure mind set started when Bram Stokers novel of Dracula was released.

Thank you Velvet...and I agree. Heheh Though as I recall (it's been a couple decades since I've read it)...he wasn't exactly a sex symbol in the book. He had terrible smelling breath and body odor if memory serves. His character type simply began shedding those negatives as the use of vampires became more popular in literature.

I did not mean with the sexual attraction; I have all ready stated where I believe the "dark lust" vampire fetish began... (The sexual feeding of modern vampires)
I meant the tall, pale appearance trend came from that book.

Oh...my mistake...yes then I completely agree. Even though there were a couple stories prior, it was Stoker that infused vampires and their basic form into culture as the 'anti-hero' and away from faceless monsters of folklore.

The thing that attracted me to vampires the most is the mystery of the unknown, you heave of people who can do very powerful things with their minds. Vampires in myth or in folklore tell about the mind control they have over humans, also the powers they have to change their appearances. In some movies and stories vampires can turn into a bat, a wolf or even mist. They are able to move swiftly through the night without detection. It is this mystery that first attracted me to vampires.

I was attracted to power. Control and influence: control and influence over humans and their actions...

Demagorgon - well cheers to honesty...hehe
I think that most were attracted to the vampire for selfish reasons. It is after all a very selfish archetype with it's power rooted in it's ability to above all take care of itself and it's destruction almost always heralded by the moment a vampire begins to care.

Ahh, the question is not why ARE we facinated with vampires...it's why WOULDN'T we be?

i love the thought of being able to live forever and be in total control of your dark side. Everything is great about them.

Demagorgon- Ah the meat and potatoes of the sbuject. Entering vampires into the picture knocks man right off the top of the food chain. Think of all the things in life that you despise, from the little annoyances to the things that make want to commit carnal sins. Now remove all of mans laws, increase you physical and sexual prowess over the most dedicated humans, and add a little "godlike" mysticism and eternal life to it and tell me you are not attracted. It is the primal dark laws of nature side of us that compels us to said creature. If I ran into a girl with all of this I would be obsessed to have her and completely seduced. It is the base of all humanity, the fascination with power.

The idea of living forever,never aging,having total control...It is all of those that facanite me...Plus they are extremly sexy creatures..

the thing that attracted me to vampires is the fact that you could never truely understand each and everyone; unlike human, who all have the same nature. also that they're very sensual creatures

Hey most of the people remember and envy vampires for their immortality, the power.
But the lust factor and the sexual drive - which most us experience - I relate that to my liking towards vampires

Same here actully I seem to have the fangs of a vampire. It was always fasanating.

I belive vampirism is so actractive to people today partly because of the state of the world, immortality, beauty, power to be out side and immune to the mundane day to day existence and fears.

i think our fascination with vampires have something to do with envy. vampires (supposedly) can not die, which is what many people crave. people, at least some point in their life, wish to stay here forever with their loved ones. some just want to be sure that they have enough time to fix their mistakes. some are just plain scared of what greets them after they die. all of these fears and wants can be taken care of with immortality. that is why i think people are so interested in vampires.

Ok I am new to the site and the forums as well so if this sounds stupid, I apologize. I think what attracts people most, aside from the inherent sensuality and immortality, is the darkness and mystery that surrounds a vampire. People thrive on trying to figure things out and love mysteries and some, like me, thrive in darkness. I think some people may be attracted even to the 'Angsty Vampire' ie Nicholas de Brabant from Forever Knight. Something about being a saviour so to speak to someone who believes he needs saving. Don't get me wrong, I love the show but I am more of a Lucien LaCroix fan myself :D. I like the bad ass vamp lol.

the power, the sexuality, the seperation from the laws and rules of society of today or ever, the mystery clouded is shadows. is all that i find facinating.

I agree with Darkfreek but also I think it's the sad morbid lonliness of vamps that attracts some.

I think what attracted me, at a very young age, was the way that vampires held themselves. They always looked beautiful and were nicely done up. I have always loved the taste of blood as well...

The darkness, the unknown, the mystery and the unknown. I don't believe one truly knows the full aspects of who/what a Vampire is or the extent of their abilities.

The thing that attracts me is that they are so intellegent and in-tune one may say with the world and how they can feed off your fears, human flaws of course the blood is the most important, yet at the same time be ever so senual and immotal to me, they always seem to be a step ahead of us mere humans~~~ very inticing one might say~~ they are the ultimate - no one knows for real if they are a reality or just a ghost in our mist~~~ Of course I for one believe anything is possible ~~~ and to be one and live forever and to gain such knowledge over the years, well who would not want that to be the Ultimate Being~~

Well for me it has to be the sensuality of it all, the power and control. I have enjoyed reading all of your opinions on this, good subject!

Dark Greeting's, There are many kind's of creature's of the night,pure blood and 1/2 Vampire's are the most romanced of them.I have friends of al kind's of those creature's . and all hold there own romance.
Dark Blessing's,KA

I think it is the human facination of eternal life. what if you could live forever?

Also the romantic part from the books, where the handsome vampire enslaves the young maidens mind, turning her to his slave of love, and all that sappy stuff.

But also the way, the myths and legends are told, some build on actual historical caracters. for an example Vlad Tepez, the count that inspired Bram Stoker.

I have to agree with many people and say that it is the romanticism and sensuality of them that gets me. Also, the unrequited love, something they can never have.

see the thing about us vampires is that we are known for being very persuasive and manuplative towards people to get what we want and/or need...as i type this a few lyrics pop into mind...


You see I cannot be forsaken

Because I'm not the only one

We walk amongst you

Feeding, raping

Must we hide from everyone...


im not exactly sure why these lyrics pop into mind but they do...maybe its the fact that they talk about vampires walking around feeding and "raping" people yet we still strike the interest of everyone...
thats how i see it at least...

I personally think it is the freedom within the vampiric life coupled with the eroticism

this is a personal opinion, hope it doesnt offend......There is so many references to the vampire, it is the unknown that feeds our desire for this to be a romantic issue....in actuality there are 4 main races...the born....the turned....the halfbreed and the bodyless.....non of them are romantic and most long for death...again only my opinion.....check out my profile for the indepth report....

They say we only actually use 10% of our brains that if we were to use the whole thing we may be all powerful beings. I beleive that is were incarnations comes from, for us to come back till we get it right. sorry i strayed off topic. In the night there are things unknown and as creatures of the night we can inspect easier, i know like me i see better at night verses the day. i see all better. yes i believe the power has a factor, i know like me i get pissed when i feel weak on any level whether it be physical or mental. I guess it kinda depends on the individual. i have always had a fascination with vampires and nocturnal creatures, never knew y.

I think people's intrest in vampires, spawns from thier wanting to be something that powerful. To have control over others will. To be able to live forever. People want to be more than what they are. They want to be adored by many with just a wink or a look....

Vampires are so beutiful.They should be loved by all.I would love to be a vampire.

they are unknown and most are dark and i like dark...lol

the romance and beauty

For me, it is the absolute surrender. This would fall under the romantic mythology I suppose but my personal feeling is that to surrender to anyone totally is to give up your independace, and to give myself to an immortal and to have his immortal kiss returned is as sensual, sexual, lustful, and dangerous as any other thing I can imagine.

I think mayhaps it is the level of mystery and the awe that is depicted. Mayhaps it is the all powerful next stage of evolution from man that catches thier eye.

I like the darkness aspect, I am drawn to dark things.

what draws me to the creatures of the night, is the comlete giving of ones self into the arms of another

personaly i think its the facination that you cant die again when in fact you can that or some believe you become beautiful after you turn. but other than that i have no clue let me think on it

sex, power, eternity....no fear

I love the romance it brings.. the darkness it embraces.. I love it all.

Dark Gtreeting's
We are what we are.
Dark Greeting's,
KA

I don't see how vampires can be romantic, they're meant to be evil creepy dead things. But modern hollywood portrays them in a way where they're sexy and beautiful.

Here we go with the dead again.....
corpses smell funny

vampires are very sexual and erotic in the way that they feed, and the way that they depend on human creatures to survive. the fact that many vampire do more than simply FEEDING with humans only succeds in adding to the erotica of it all.

As a child I always dreamed of being something more, though I never knew what or how. Humans as a species are obsessed with the ever evolving aspect of their very being. Goat skin tents became monolithic mansions, and bows became surface to air missiles. Vampires carry the allure of mystery, the intoxication of power, the seduction of sex, and the dramatic curse of blood. From dracula to underworld, vampires are myths and legends because of the percieved barrier between the people and the legend. That is why for example a boy can see his father as simply his father, while the rest of the world could see him as a revered war hero to be venerated. This is an exploration of the world we live in, of the universe as it is, and existance as it could be.

I think subconciously everyone wonders. Wether they choose to admit it or not. Humans are curious. it's in their nature.

Then there's those who are creatures of the night and so kinda are forced into it.

Well, i have been infatuated with vampires and werewolves since I was 10. I think its because they are not human and arn't held down by mortal laws. That they come from a time far away and most of us will never know.

I always thought it was the very essence of the legends themselves that have attracted people for many centuries inot the subject for the creatures of the night itself. The seductive and mysterious creatures is what captivates people. Mostly by historical factors, people themsevles try to decide what is real, and what wasn't. Example: The Salem witchcraft trials was nothing more than caused by a strange ergot, a fungus that grew in the wheat and made people sick, blaming others that people used their dark magick to harm them into sickness.

Off the topic question,....poster, do you like Godsmack? hehe anyway
I think vampires are so captivating of the imagination, because, we are suductive, beautiful, powerful, dangerous, and "immortal". And I think that humans are drawn to us in that we look like they do in a way, we are built the same, we used to be JUST like them, but now, we dont have to worry about age, sickness, signs of mortality, we can be beautiful forever in there minds. I think thats probably what they want, why they are so drawn to us.

In Our Beloved Darkness

James A. McMorrigan
H.L. SSS

for starters, PLEASE refer to me as Morigetsu (forest moon in japanese) and secondly I research because history has always been a fav of mine. I listen to all kinds of music, but the topic here stands on what we know about our beautiful creatures of the night. My job is to share my ancient wisdom to help us realize more than the darkness can hide....

well it could be a mixture of a lot of things. The thirst of immortal life is always a great thing to have, and i think we all look into it because it is desired by a lot of people.

Another is their presence and the personality (most misconcepted in hollyweird films and in literature) They are a darker, more mysterious type of being and cannot be depicted to any pattern of certain behavior as most vampires are different wether they be gangrel, lasombra etc.

Another is shapeshifting, many could be fascinated with this idea or to blend into the shadows.

There are the ones that got me interested.

I think the fact that vampires are such dark and mysterious creatures, is why people are so fascinated.

That's funny, you got those questions from Godsmack's music track "Vampires" off of their self-title album.

I do believe that the "Godsmack" issue is entirely off topic. This post is about vampires, and why they fascinate us, not about a band's music. And, if they did not in fact get those questions from any album, you're insulting their ideas. Do try to be respectful, and the forum will be a better place.

They never age, they live on and on, but still the mystic of them and them being sexy is what intrigues me.

There is a freedom in being not only seperate from society but able to blend in with it when you want. The absolute disconnect from responsibility and mundane needs.

Vampires can live in dirt and sewers and still have an air of class so no home or apartment necessary.

They have no need for food, jobs, and are often depicted as entertained by merely people watching (or hunting) so they don't appear to be interested in TV or Movies.

They remain disconnected from family, their friends are also often 'loners' that neither ask for nor require constant company.

I think the vampire of modern fiction represents the ultimate carefree and unattached dream of life as we'd like to live it. As I've said, as soon as a modern fiction vampire gets attached to someone, they usually die in a couple chapters or scenes thereafter.

personally i think that it is because we would like to be different and unique.. something/ someone to look up to, possible be frightened about what may happen

another thing is the capability to fly, shape-shifting into animals or mist, to lour humans through our eyes to make them love us and do our bidding

but mostly...its just to be different, something special that goes down through generations of history

i like godsmack, but jeeze...that isnt even really a song...

Vampires can capture our minds so because, despite our best efforts, so little is known about them. Do they sleep in coffins and rise each night to kill humans, mindless beasts with no humanity left? Can they hatch master plots to bring the world to its knees, always halted in the last moments by clandestine groups of hunters? Are they sex embodied, or does their breath carry on it the reek of thousands of corpses? Each country, each time period has its own unique view of the vampire, and how can we ever be certain which are real?

The vampires of late have been portrayed and extremely sexy (look at Angel and Spike), that is the thing that gets me most, secondary is probably eternal youth.

There is something about the dark that has captured or attention and imagination. Not sure if it is vampires or just our minds wondering about what might be out there. Stalking us, watching us and waiting for just the right moment.

I think it can be summed up in one word...FREEDOM

sometimes i wish that being a vampyre were being immortal too...

there is another question that you raise with that one thought, would you really want to be immortal seeing how we as a society are pulling apart the world...

Personally I see the draw of the unknown, the unexperienced, that new and intreguing nature that people think will add to thier current existance as the reason for such a fond desire to know about us.
Be it the dark romantic within you that seeks the eternal flame that can surpass all time, the power and sheer strength or the ability to learn and know and be different.
I know when I read about kin, it is always the dark romantic things that take hold of my mind. That lost sence of completion being found in the arms of immortal essence...

shrugs.. then again, as most would say, I'm a nut.

From a standpoint of pure experience, I think there would be a huge pleasure that could come with watching centuries of history unfold while you enjoy from the 'sidelines'. Watching nations built up and then destroyed...seeing the temporary state of life while remaining totally seperate from it's effects.