The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Uncut scene from Dracula 1992
08:41 Sep 26 2011
Times Read: 936








Cesare: ... un mesaj in varful unei sageti turcesti... scria ca ai murit... nu am putut s-o oprim... ultimele ei cuvinte...



Mina`s voice: Domnul meu a murit.Nu are rost sa traiesc fara el.Dumnezeu sa ne uneasca in ceruri.



Cesare: Si-a curmat singura viata, fiul meu. Sufletul ei nu mai poate fi salvat. Este blestemata.Asta e Legea lui Dumnezeu.



[Dracula spills the holy water]



Cesare: Sacrilegiu!

Dracula: Asta este rasplata mea pntru apararea Bisericii lui Dumnezeu?





Cesare: Sacrilegiu! Nu întoarce spatele lui Hristos, El te-a ales pe tine ca să pedepsească...[that is were dracula interupts him]



Draculea: Renunţ la Dumnezeu şi la voi toţi ipocriţii care v-aţi hrănit de prin urma lui. Dacă iubita mea va arde în iad aşa voi face şi eu. Eu, Draculia, voievod al Transilvaniei ma voi ridica din mormant. si voi razbuna moartea ei cu toata puterea intunericului. Sangele este viata, si va fi si viata mea.

Sanguisuga
11:52 Sep 20 2011
Times Read: 945

Sanguisuga is the latin for blood-sucker (ext. vampire)



The term actually comes from Proverbs 30:15:



"sanguisugae duae sunt filiae dicentes adfer adfer tria sunt insaturabilia et quartum quod numquam dicit sufficit







It’s not a vampire per say, but a bloodsucking demon, most likely one of the Lilin. The Sanguisuga is the Aluga, which means “horse-leech” and depending oh which scholar you ask was either a ghoul, a powerful demon, or even the king of all blood sucking demons.



It might also help to give you the English version of Proverbs 30:15 :



"The horseleach hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give. There are three [things that] are never satisfied, [yea], four [things] say not, [It is] enough said."



The two daughters by the way are Cruelty and Covetousness, Creepy, eh? The three things that are never satisfied are the grave, the barren womb and the earth that is not filled with water. Add a fourth (fire) and you have the four things that say it is not enough.



The term later became the catch phrase of the day for XVIII-th Century pseudoscientific studies on vampirism and their causes. Such texts include:



- Dissertatio de Hominibus post Mortem Sanguisuga by Johann Christopher Rohl and Johann Hertel



- Dissertatio de Cadaveribus Sanguisuga by Johann Christian Stock



Both books were published in 1732 and leads one to believe if you’re name is Johann, you have a thing for vampires.

Vampires and silver
11:49 Sep 20 2011
Times Read: 946

Silver was originally a vampire weakness, NOT a Lycanthropic one. It wasn’t until the 1935 film "The Werewolf of London" that silver became part of the werewolf mythos. This was added to the werewolf mythos because of the old Scottish belief that if you shot a witch with a silver bullet while it was in an animalistic form, it would revert back to humanoid and die.



The reason silver is a weakness for the vampiric undead goes back to Greek and Roman times.



Silver was revered in Alchemy as both a symbol of the moon (another reason while Hollywood moved it to Werewolves as well) as also a symbol of the goddess Diana. Because silver is such a pure metal, as well as it’s white and lustrous state in nature, silver was considered a bane against all form of the walking dead and evil.



Even early Christianity used silver to ward off the devil and demons, stating a crucifix made out of pure silver was the proper element to fashion one out of.



Another offshoot of this belief can be found in Serbia and Romania. Here silver coins and a crucifix would be loaded into a shotgun. This projectile would slay the vampire if pierced by it.

Pishacha
11:14 Sep 20 2011
Times Read: 954












Pishachas are flesh eating demons, according to Hindu mythologie. Their origin is obscure, although some believe that they were created by Brahma. Another legend describes them as the sons of either Krodha or of Daksha´s daughter Pishacha. They have been described to have a dark complexion with bulging veins and protruding, red eyes. They are believed to have their own language, which is called Paishachi.



They like darkness and haunt cremation grounds along with other demons like Bhutas (meaning ghosts) and Vetalas. Pishachas have the power to assume different forms at will, and may also become invisible. Sometimes, they possess human beings, and the victims are afflicted with a variety of maladies and abnormalities like insanity. Certain mantras are supposed to cure such afflicted persons, and drive away the Pishacha which may be possessing that particular human being. In order to keep the Pishachas away, they are given their share of offerings during certain religious functions and festivals.





Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pishacha







A pishacha is a demon created by a man`s vices. It is the ghost of a liar, drunkard, adulterer, criminal, or of one who has died insane.

There are many tales and fables about these spirits, describing some as malevolent and others as good-natured and helpful.

Spirits are believed to live either at the site of their death or in secluded places. Abandoned homes and peepal trees are two favourite spots.

The Hindus also believe that if a person goes too close to a spirit, or if the services of a professional are employed, these spirits can enter human bodies. The spirit could enter through any of the nine orifices of the body. A possessed person is said to fall sick, die, be unhappy, lose his wealth, or behave oddly.

In such cases an ojha (exorcist), through mystic rites, tries to "talk" to the spirit inside and asks it to leave. If he knows the identity of the spirit, he asks its family members to perform certain ceremonies to pacify the spirit.

This system is still prevalent in some of the parts of India. Diseases and other upheavals are sometimes attributed to the fact that a deceased family member`s funeral rites have not been properly performed. To correct this, a tirthayatra is undertaken, and proper shradha is performed.

Sometimes, especially during ceremonies, a person is believed to become possessed by the spirit of a deceased family member who is either angry about something, or has come to take part in the festivities. A puja is performed to this spirit. Meanwhile the spirit is believed to be able to predict natural calamities, births and deaths through the possessed person.

Hindus wear talismans, lockets, bangles, and other adornments that are believed to have the power to protect from the gaze of spirits. The recitation of certain mantras is believed to have a similar effect.



Source:

http://www.indiancultureonline.com/details/Bhuta-Preta-Pishacha.html





The ghoulish, flesh-eating Pishachas arise in ancient Hindu mythology. They are first described by the eleventh-century Kashmiri folklorist, Kshemendra Vyasadasa. His translation of an older chronicle of Indian history was described as based on “goblin language” (actually a derogatory term for “low” dialects spoken by North Indian common people). The origin of the name “Pishacha” is obscure, but we find Manvas, Nagas, Pishachas, among others, in the list of ancient Kashmiri tribes. These people were known for exorcising their fields before attempting to cultivate them.



Haunters of fields of the dead, these demons eat human flesh, can change shape or become invisible, and are acknowledged masters of possession and insanity among their human victims. Welcome neither in heaven nor in hell, Pishachas can only be killed with a blessed sword, but exorcism rites can dispel them from a given area, if performed correctly.







sources: Wikia Education: Pishacha, Early Kashmiri Society & The Challenge of Islam

A History of Sanskrit literature (1900).





Here it is stated that the fumigation with the nirmAlya of shiva on which the mantra of aghora has been chanted a 1000 times is verily a means to destroy rakSha-s, bhUta-s, vetAla-s, graha-s vinAyaka-s, DAkini-s and various diseases. This negative view of the DAkini-s and bhUta-s presented by the SST is comparable to a similar negative view of them taken by the bodhAyanokta mahAnyAsa, a tAntro-vedic ritual.

In the li~Nga purANa we have:

bhUtaiH pretaiH pishAchaishcha DAkinIbhishcha rAkShasaiH |

saMvR^itaM gajakR^ittvA cha sarpabhUShaNabhUShitam || 2.50.24

Here we note that bhUta-s, preta-s, pishAcha-s, DAkini-s and rAkShasa-s are mentioned as being in the retinue surrounding aghora.





source:



http://manasataramgini.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/a-discursion-on-the-sanatkumariya-panchabrahma-siddha-shamkara-tantra-and-the-early-evolution-of-the-dakshinashaiva-system/

Shezmu
09:32 Sep 09 2011
Times Read: 970

Shezmu (also known as Shesmu, Schezemu, Schesmu, Shesemu, Shezmou, Shesmou, Sezmu and Sesmu) is the ancient Egyptian demonic god of execution, slaughter, blood, oil, wine and perfume.



Like many of the gods of Ancient Egypt, Shezmu was of a complex nature. He had qualities of both light and darkness, but this was not the reason that he was known as a 'demon'. To the Egyptians, demons were not necessarily evil in nature. Often they were quite helpful. Instead, the term "demon" was given to Shezmu because he was one of the lesser deities, and due to his relation to the underworld.

Shezmu(aka Shesmu) as it was depicted at a southern staircase at Denderah







Shezmu was the demonic god of red wine, slaughter, and sometimes perfumes or oils. The link between blood and the crimson color of wine is clear. Shezmu was known to destroy wrongdoers, gruesomely putting their heads in winepresses to remove the blood. He was known as the 'Executioner of Osiris'. Shezmu followed the commands of The God of The Dead, and therefore was sometimes given the title ‘Slaughterer of Souls’. He initially seems to be a fierce underworld deity, but Shezmu was quite helpful to the dead. Although he was a harsh executioner of the wicked, he was also a great protector of the virtuous. Shezmu offered red wine to those who had passed on. Other than wine, he was in charge of earthly objects such as embalming oils, and perfumes.



Among the gods, his job was to use the bodies and blood of the dead to create sustenance for Unas. Osiris was the one who ordered the use of the wicked one’s blood to be turned to wine. He was sometimes given the title ‘Demon of the Wine Press’. On a darker note, Shezmu’s affinity with the color red linked him to evil. Crimson was a feared and hated color among the Egyptians. Not only is it the universal color of blood, and therefore death, but it was the color of the god of chaos, Seth. Since it was also the color of the setting sun, red was associated with the coming darkness and the reign of Apophis the serpent demon.









The name of the deity is highlighted in red









Depiction and worship



Graphic depictions of Shezmu in Egyptian art are infrequent. Typically, the god is depicted in anthropomorphic form in charge of a wine- or oil-press.



Several late representations of the god depict him as ram-headed, though a leonine or lion-headed form is more common and in keeping, presumably, with the violent, bloodthirsty aspect of his personality.





He appeared to have the head of a lion, fangs and mane drenched in blood. It is said he wore human skulls around his waist like a belt.



Like many other Egyptian deities, Shezmu was sometimes depicted as a man or a man with the head of a falcon. To link him further with blood and destruction, he took the form of a man with a leonine head. This perhaps was a bridge between him and Sekhmet, the goddess of vengeance. Furthermore, he is associated with Nefertem through both his appearance and the connection with perfumes.



Shezmu seemed to be both represented as a great evil and an entity of good. In many places he is held in high regards by the god Osiris, and is worshipped as a protector god. However, he was also feared as the unyielding punisher of the damned. His greatest cult was centered in Faiyum, but his worshippers were also widely distributed in Dendera and Edfu.





Changes



Due to its colour, red wine became strongly identified with blood, and thus Shezmu was identified as lord of blood. Since wine was seen as a good thing, his association with blood was considered one of righteousness, making him considered an executioner of the unrighteous, being the slaughterer of souls. When the main form of execution was by beheading, it was said that Shezmu ripped off the heads of those who were wicked, and threw them into a wine press, to be crushed into red wine, which was given to the righteous dead. Beheading was commonly carried out by the victim resting their head on a wooden block, and so Shezmu was referred to as Overthrower of the Wicked at the Block. This violent aspect lead to depiction, in art, as a lion-headed man, thus being known as fierce of face. In later times, Egyptians used the wine press for producing oils instead of wine, which was produced by crushing under foot instead. Consequently, Shezmu became associated with unguents and embalming oils, and thus the preservation of the body, and of beauty.



Source: wikipedia