The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Making The First Vampire



History of Vampires - Vampire Sketches

Only a vampire can create another vampire, so logic tells us that the history of vampires begins with a single vampire who created the others. Much like the chicken-and-the-egg argument, we had little insight into how the first vampire came about until recently. Logically, if there was no vampire to make the first vampire, how was the first vampire made?



RING OF MUSHROOMS SACRED SEED DA SHEEDRA DASHEDA BAETHSHEDRA EN KI SHE DARA EN SURASI



RING OF MUSHROOMS SACRED DISEASE DIANDHI DAENENEATH



RING OF TIME TIME OF KNOWINGS KNOWINGS KNOWING NONE, THEY THINK NO THINGS NO THINGS THEY THINK THEY KNOWINGS TILL NONE



AND AGAIN UNTILL IT IS DONE





AGAIN WE ARE BECOME



The answer lies in the Scriptures of Delphi, specifically in the collection of writings known as "The Vampire Bible".



The first vampire started out as not a vampire at all, but as a human man named Ambrogio. He was an Italian-born adventurer who fate brought to Delphi, in Greece. You can read the full story here, but in a nutshell a series of blessings and curses transformed this young man into history's first vampire.



Specifically, it began with the sun god Apollo (Greek mythology), who in a fit of rage cursed Ambrogio so that his skin would burn should it ever touch sunlight again. Ambrogio's bad luck followed when he ended up gambling away his soul to Hades (Greek mythology), the god of the underworld. The next curse came via Apollo's sister Artemis (Greek mythology), the goddess of the moon and hunting, who made it so that Ambrogio's skin would burn if he touched silver.



The blessings came soon after when Artemis, taking pity on the poor young man, gave him the gift of immortality. He would carry his curses - his skin burning by sunlight or silver, but he would live forever in his current form. Not only that, but Artemis also gave him the speed and strength to become a hunter whose skills were second only to her own.



Blood-sucking (which, by the way, is called "hematophagy" in case you were curious) is also included in this "blessing". In the vampire origin story, Ambrogio hunts swans and uses their blood as ink to write love poems to his lady Selene. While this may be considered a little creepy by our standards, it wasn't all that unusual in ancient Greece to make do with what you hunted.

















The First Vampire Clan



Ambrogio later moved back to Italy, now as a full-fledged vampire. Legend traces him to the city of Florence (Firenze), where he creates the first Vampire Clan.



We don't know a whole lot about this clan, other than they were most likely willing volunteers - humans who wanted power and immortality, and were willing to trade their souls for it. It was believed that the curse would continue for any vampire where their souls would remain in the Underworld (aka Hades aka Hell), where they could return to claim them, but then could never leave.



From what we know of the history of vampires, the clan grew in size and strength, until infighting created something of a "civil war" within the clan, and many vampires left to form their own clans.



What happened to Ambrogio and those who stayed with him is largely unknown, though many believe that he still resides somewhere in Florence.



The Scriptures of Delphi



Scriptures Of Delphi



The story behind these writings are almost as mysterious as the writings themselves. It's been a difficult but intriguing journey into the Scriptures and their history, and one that only recently have I come to finally understand. So if you are curious about what they are or where to find a copy, and have time a little time, read on.



I first came into contact with the writings via an acquaintance of mine from back in my early 20's. This person (who doesn't want me to use his real name, so we'll call him "Dan") knew about my interest in mythology for some time before he finally told me about a connection that he had to the subject.



It turns out that Dan comes from a family whose lineage goes back thousands of years to the area around the Mediterranean Sea. When Dan was a child his grandfather, an immigrant from Greece, would tell him stories about ancient Greek mythology because he wanted the old traditions to continue on in America. Many of these stories apparently involved prophecies and visions from the Oracles of Delphi. Dan's grandfather insisted that their ancestors had lived in the city of Delphi and that some had even worked at Apollo's Temple where the Oracles did their readings.



I guess Dan's grandfather really wanted him to carry on the stories, but Dan was, and still is, far from interested in mythology. In his later years, Dan's grandfather wrote down all of the stories he could remember, with the apparent goal of passing them down to Dan, who he still hoped would carry on the stories.



Though his grandfather has since passed away, Dan still has his grandfather's writings (as well as some small memory of some of the stories). Even though there is no formal order to these pages, this collection of stories and notes is what I refer to as "The Scriptures of Delphi" for two reasons. First, because that term is used occasionally in the notes that accompany the stories, and secondly because it needed a name and that one sounded good.



Now, what's really interesting is where Dan's grandfather got the stories from. Dan knew that his grandfather's mother had passed the stories down to her children, so Dan had assumed that these were stories that had been passed down from each generation to the next. This turns out to be partly true. The family was believed to pass down these stories generation after generation, but it turns out there was more to it than just that.



There is a section of these writings that seem a bit out of place with the rest (though in fairness there are a lot of pretty scattered stories and notes throughout). This section is all about vampire-like people and the stories about how they came to be, what they did, and how they lived as this underground cult in the shadows of society. There are mentions and tie-ins to the ancient Greek, Roman, and Turkish empires, yet these segments still seem to be almost more like a research thesis rather than myths and legends. Strangely, the notes that accompany these writings are far more random than those with the mythological stories. As in, they often aren't complete sentences, there are a lot of scribbles, they seem to have been written very quickly, etc.



This section, which is actually titled on the pages, is called "The Vampire Bible", even though it is somewhat more of an investigative look at vampire-like cults than a religious text. That's not the most interest part, though. What's most interesting is that it turns out that Dan's great-grandmother (Dan's grandfather's mother) was said to have the gift of prophetic visions herself. She wrote down the notes to the Vampire Bible from visions that she had of the past. Both Dan's great-grandmother believed that this gift was proof that her ancestors had not only worked with the Oracles in Delphi, but in fact were some of the Oracles themselves!



Of course, Dan's grandfather believed what his mother told him and seems to have taken great pride in this history himself, which is probably why he was so adamant about continuing the family legacy. Dan, himself, though, does not believe in any of this and thinks that if anyone finds out about it they will just think his family is delusional.



I have been lucky enough to get a chance to look through much of these writings, though they are still in Dan's possession. Even though I can't express how very, very much Dan does not like to even acknowledge the existence of the Scriptures of Delphi and his ancestors claims to an ancient prophetic lineage, Dan still feels somewhat obligated to carry out his grandfather's wishes (or at least not disrespect his life's work). Therefore, Dan reluctantly keeps these writings in his possession and lets me look at them on the condition that I don't tell anyone about his connection to them.



What this means for you is that I've been able to translate a couple of the stories and put them up on this site (thanks "Dan"!), but overall the writings are staying put (for now) with Dan. My goal is to eventually work out some kind of deal where I can organize the writings and publish them for everyone to read, but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. Someday, though, I hope it can work out.



Are They Real?



The question that I know is on the minds of a lot of people who have read this far is how legitimate these stories and writings are. It's a fair question, but one that is hard to answer. How do you define what is "legitimate" or "real" when it comes to mythology? We do know for certain that these papers were written by Dan's grandfather and great-grandmother and are not some ancient texts from thousands of years ago. At the same time, these papers are as physically real as any texts that were written at any other time in history. Every written word was written by someone, so who is to say whose words matter and whose don't?



This very question presents a challenge for me, in particular, because I have several articles on this site that discuss the myths from the Scriptures of Delphi alongside those that have existed since ancient times. If the Scriptures are indeed real stories that have been passed on orally through generations since ancient times, then they are indeed as ancient as the stories that were written down centuries ago.



I personally believe that these stories deserve to be heard. At best they are lost myths from ancient times. At worst they are fairy tales and fables that were created out of mythical tradition. The truth is we'll never know for sure how "accurate" the Scriptures of Delphi or the Vampire Bible are, but isn't that true of all mythology?



Some Myths Referenced In The Scriptures of Delphi



The Taurus Myth

The Mythology of Cancer

Capricorn Mythology

The Virgo Myth

The Vampire Origin Story

The Vampire Bible



The name "Vampire Bible" is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike the Judeo-Christian book, "The Bible", this is not considered a religious text. Like "The Bible", though, the Vampire Bible does contain stories and parables that describe early vampire history.



It is also not a book in and of itself. It's actually a collection of stories found amongst the writings known as The Scriptures of Delphi.



This collection contains a lot of previously unknown stories that shed light on the origins of vampire history. Probably most fascinating is the vampire origin story, that finally explains the original myth of how the first vampire was created.



As my associates keep digging through the papers and find more post-worthy info, I'll keep it updated on the main vampires page, but I wanted to make sure I explained it in case anyone was confused.



If you've ever wanted a compilation of facts about vampires, you have come to the right place. There is so much to say about vampires that we couldn't just dedicate one page to them. Both informational articles and questions (with answers) will be posted and updated right here.



There are literally thousands of vampire legends throughout history. Nearly every single culture on the face of the earth has some kind of myth about undead, blood-sucking creatures that relate back to vampire mythology.



Naturally, the legends are not all consistent with one another, though there are many common threads throughout the various cultural myths. In order to take a more analytical view at vampire, we must do a little scientific-style hypothesizing.



Female Vampire Images - Facts About Vampires



With vampires, it seems there are more questions than there are answers, so before we delve into the Question and Answer section, I'll hook you up with some basic facts first:



Basic Facts



The Vampire Origin Story



The Vampire Love Story That Started It All



Lovers print Ambrogio was a young adventurer. Born and raised in Italy, he had always longed to travel to Greece to have his fortune told by the Oracle of Delphi. When he was an adult, he got on a boat and sailed to the western edge of Greece, near Astakos. He traveled east until he eventually reached the city of Delphi.



Delphi was home to a great temple of Apollo, the sun god. It was also the home of the Pythia, better known as the Oracles. The Pythia would sit in a chamber within the temple and speak of prophecies, inspired by Apollo, to those who came to seek the Oracle's wisdom.



When Ambrogio finally arrived at the temple, he went to speak to the Pythia. The Pythia, whose words were often cryptic, said only a few words: "The curse. The moon. The blood will run."



He couldn't sleep that night. He stayed awake outside of the temple, pondering the meaning of the Pythia's words. As the sun rose in the morning he realized that he had not slept. As he walked back toward the town he saw a beautiful woman dressed in white robes walking to the temple. He ran over to her and introduced himself



Her name was Selene, and she was a maiden of the temple. Her sister was the Oracle, and so Selene tended to the temple and took care of her sister while in her entranced state.



For the next few days every morning Ambrogio met Selene at dawn before she entered the temple. They soon fell in love.



On his last day in Greece, Ambrogio asked Selene to marry him and return with him to Italy. She agreed. He said he would make the preparations then meet her at dawn the next morning at their meeting spot outside the temple.



Apollo, the sun god, had been watching. He, himself, had taken a liking to the beautiful Selene and was enraged that Ambrogio would come to his temple and take one of his maidens away. At sunset that night, Apollo appeared to Ambrogio and cursed him so that from that day forth a mere touch of Apollo's sunlight would burn Ambrogio's skin.



Ambrogio was distraught. He was set to leave with Selene in the morning, but he would not be able to meet her at sunrise as he promised because of the curse. Having nowhere else to turn, he ran to a cave that led to Hades for protection. Hades, god of the underworld, listened to his tale and made him a deal - if he could steal the sliver bow of Artemis and bring it back, Hades would grant him and Selene protection in the underworld. The deal specified that Hades would give Ambrogio a magical wooden bow and 11 arrows to hunt with. He was to offer his hunting trophies to Artemis in order to gain her favor and steal her silver bow. As collateral, Ambrogio had to leave his soul in Hades until he returned with the bow. Should he return without the silver bow, he would have to live in Hades forever, never to return to Selene. Having no other choice, Ambrogio agreed.



He had no way to contact Selene. He had parchments, but no writing implement, so he took his bow and arrow and killed a swan. Using its feather as a pen, and its blood as the ink, he wrote her a note explaining that he could not meet with her but would find a way for them to be together. He left the note in their meeting place and ran off to find a place to hide from the sunlight.



Naturally, Selene was devastated when she found the note, but she kept working at the temple as she did not want to anger Apollo any further. The next morning, Selene went back to the meeting place, but once again Ambrogio was not there. She saw another piece of parchment with writing in blood on it. It was a love poem from Ambrogio.



Before morning for 44 days Ambrogio slew a swan and used its blood to write Selene a love poem. After draining the blood and taking a single feather he offered the body of the swan as a tribute to Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the moon, and also sister to Apollo. He hoped that even if he could not steal her bow, she would be honored by the tribute and would be able to convince her brother



appolloo gis?



only one arrow left. He shot it at a swan and missed, the arrow sailing into the distance. He had neither the blood to write Selene's poem nor the swan to sacrifice to Artemis. He fell to the ground and wept.



Seeing how good of a hunt



and how dedicated of a follower Ambrogio had been, Artemis came down to him. He begged Artemis to let him borrow her bow and an arrow so he could kill one last bird and leave one final note to Selene.



Artemis took pity on him and agreed to let him borrow her silver bow and an arrow. He took the bow, and in desperation, ran to the cave that led to Hades. Artemis realized what was happening and cast her own curse on him. The curse caused all silver burn his skin. Ambrogio dropped the silver bow and fell to the ground in pain.



Artemis was furious at his deceit, but he begged her for forgiveness. He explained the deal he was forced to make with Hades, his curse by Apollo, and his love for Selene. He apologized profusely and swore that he had no other choice.



Artemis took pity on him again and decided to give him one last chance. She offered to make him a great hunter, almost as great as she was, with the speed and strength of a god and fangs with which to drain the blood of the beasts to write his poems. In exchange for this immortality, he would have to agree to a deal. He and Selene would have to escape Apollo's temple and worship only Artemis forever. The catch was that Artemis was a virgin goddess, and all of her followers had to remain chaste and unmarried, so Ambrogio was never allowed to touch Selene again. They could never kiss, never touch, never have children.



Ambrogio agreed. At least this way he and Selene could be together. He killed another swan and left Selene a note telling her to meet him on a ship at the docks. Before dawn the next morning, she saw the note and ran away before Apollo could notice.



When Selene arrived at the dock she found Ambrogio's ship and met him down in the hull. There was a wooden coffin with a note on it, telling her to order the ship's captain to set sail, and to open the coffin only after the sun had set. She did as the note said, and after sunset she opened the coffin to find Ambrogio alive and well.



The couple sailed to Ephesus, where they lived in a cave during the day and worshiped Artemis at her grand temple every night. They lived happily together for many years, never touching, never kissing, never having children.



After a number of years, Ambrogio's immortality allowed him to stay young, but Selene continued to age as a mortal. She finally fell ill and was on her deathbed. Ambrogio was distraught, knowing that he would not join Selene in the afterlife because his soul still resided in Hades. At night, he went into the woods and found a white swan swimming alone in a small lake. He killed the swan and offered it to Artemis, begging for her to make Selene immortal so they could stay together forever.



Artemis appeared to him. Thankful for his years of dedication and worship, she made him one last deal. Artemis told Ambrogio that he could touch Selene just once - to drink her blood. Doing so would kill her mortal body, but from then on, her blood mixed with his could create eternal life for any who drink of it. If he did this, Artemis would see to it that they stayed together forever.



Ambrogio wanted to refuse, but after telling Selene what happened, Selene begged him to do it. After much convincing, he bit her neck and took her blood into his body. As he set her limp body down, Selene began to radiate with light, and raise up to the sky. Ambrogio watched as Selene's glowing spirit lifted to meet Artemis at the moon. When she arrived, the moon lit up with a brilliant light.



Selene became the goddess of moonlight, and every night she would reach down with her rays of light to the earth and finally touch her beloved Ambrogio as well as all of their children - the newly created vampires who carried the blood of Ambrogio and Selene, together.



Vampire names haven't changed much over the years, at least not in a way that differs from the way human names change year to year.



Modern day vampires have all sorts of names, just like humans. Since vampires do not breed, vampires don't get a chance to name their children. Thus, those who become vampires typically keep their human name.



There is a movement, though, among certain vampire clans for clan members to change their "human" names to more traditional vampire names. These are typically Italian or Greek names (in honor of the "birthplace" of vampires, according to legend), but they also include ancestral clan names and any well known ancient vampire name.



Among vampires that choose a new name for their vampire life, the classics seem to remain the favorites. In fact, the more ancient the better it would seem, which is why the most ancient vampire name of all, Ambrogio, is still a popular choice among male vampires to this day.



"Ambrogio", which in Italian means "immortal", is the name of the famed Italian hunter who became the first vampire of legend. Some vampires, out of reverence for their maker, take the name "Ambrogio", though others refuse to take the name, opting instead for the name "Ambrogino", which translates to "little immortal one".



Similarly, for females the ancient vampire name "Selene" is very popular. Though Selene the moon goddess was never technically a vampire, she is considered by legend to be the mother of all modern vampires, which is why this is considered an ancient vampire name of stature.



Other popular vampire names come from famous historical vampires. It is worth noting that traditional names for males were almost always Italian while traditional names for females were almost always Greek. This, of course, is in honor of Ambrogio and Selene, who were of Italian and Greek birth, respectively. The following list contains the name and meaning of each ancient vampire name for males:



ALESSANDRO: meaning "defender of mankind."

AMBROGINO: meaning "little immortal one."

AMBROGIO: meaning "immortal."

ARNOLDO: meaning "eagle power."

BALDOVINO: meaning "brave friend."

BALDASSARE: meaning "Protect the king."

BERTOLDO: meaning "bright ruler."

BONAVENTURA: meaning "good fortune."

BONIFACIO: meaning "good destiny."

CIRINO / CIRO: meaning "like the sun."

CLEMENTE: meaning "gentle and merciful."

DARIO: meaning "possesses a lot."

DOMENICO: meaning "belongs to the lord."

EDMONDO: meaning "protector of prosperity."

EDOARDO: meaning "guardian of prosperity."

EGIDIO: meaning "shield of goatskin."

ELIGIO: meaning "to choose."

ELIODORO: meaning "gift of the sun."

EMILIO: meaning "rival."

ERMANNO: meaning "army man."

ETTORE: meaning "defender."

FARAMUNDO: meaning "journey protection."

FINO: (Serafino) meaning "burning one" or "serpent."

GASPARE: meaning "treasure bearer."

GREGARIO: meaning "watchful."

GUALTIERO: meaning "ruler of the army."

LEANDRO: meaning "lion-man."

MARCO: meaning "defender of the sea."

MASSIMO: meaning "the greatest."

NERIO: meaning "wet one."

NUNZIO: meaning "announces."

ORAZIO: meaning "has good eyesight."

ORFEO: meaning "darkness."

PELLEGRINO: meaning "wanderer."

PONZIO: meaning "of the sea."

RAUL: meaning "wise wolf."

RODOLFO: meaning "famous wolf."

SANSONE: meaning "like the sun."

SILVANO: meaning "from the forest."

TACITO: meaning "mute, silent."

UMFREDO: meaning "giant peace."





The following list contains the name and meaning of each ancient vampire name for females:



ADRASTEIA: meaning "inescapable."

AKANTHA: meaning "thorn."

AKELDAMA: meaning "field of blood."

AMBROSIA: meaning "immortal."

CALLIDORA: meaning "gift of beauty."

DESPOINA: meaning "mistress."

EVA: meaning "life."

IEZABEL: meaning "chaste."

KHARIS: meaning "charm / grace."

KORA: meaning "maiden."

MAIA: meaning "nursing mother."

NARKISSA: meaning "numbness / sleep."

NATÁSA / NATASSA: meaning "resurrection."

NERINE: meaning "sea sprite."

POLONA: meaning "of Apollo."

SELENE: meaning "moon."

SEMELE: meaning "of the underworld."

THANA: meaning "death."

THYIA: meaning "Bacchic frenzy."

THYONE: meaning "inspired frenzy."