The Healer's Guardian

A Chapter by Phoenix

Vampire Myths and Legends

What is it about vampires that bewitch us? Is it their virile sexuality or the fact that they're all somehow incredibly attractive even if they come off as a tad scary? Vampires have been the stuff of mythology for years, tracing its roots back to as far as the 730s CE (Christian Era).

Oh Really?

Renfield's syndrome or clinical vampirism is a term used to classify people who have a fixation on drinking blood.

The idea behind the existence of vampires has been around for centuries, where the proof of this notion was first detailed in German and French literature. The word vampire was coined from the French word vampyre or possibly the German one for vampir. There was a time when the idea of a vampire (or more) roaming the streets was a strong belief among townsfolk during the early 18th century in southeastern Europe. People would get hysterical about those they suspected of being blood-sucking vampires, executing them in public as a morbid result. They believed that vampires were the reincarnations of witches, sinister people, or victims of suicide.

Vampires were thought of as healthy beings that had little or no traces of decomposition, where they were plump and slightly discolored. There were rituals conducted in graveyards to gauge whether those buried were vampires or not, especially if mass attacks occurred like the death of livestock, or people of a town. Over the years myths have been weaved that are either unbelievable or downright ridiculous. While the belief in the existence of vampires is nothing but a fanciful mythology, it is nonetheless a compelling myth to delve deeper into.

Famous Interpretations

Everyone knows about the novel that stoked life into the world of vampires that remained dormant in later centuries. The novel that I speak of is Bram Stoker's Dracula; it became an inspirational tool for great literary works, films, and ultimately video games. He also touched upon other mythologies involving strange demons and werewolves, bringing to light a whole new world of never-heard-of creatures. Other great books on vampires include The Vampyre by John Polidon and Varney the Vampire by James Malcolm Rymer. Modern-day interpretations come in the form of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, and TV shows like True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Vampire Diaries.

Myths about Vampires

There have been a slew of myths spun with regard to vampires, where experts and those who've conducted extensive studies will vouch for the fact that they're nothing but mythological beings.

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

This myth sustained itself through the years where vampires supposedly cannot see their reflection in a mirror. This belief (a Bulgarian superstition) stemmed from the fact that corpses weren't allowed to be in the presence of mirrors, since it was likely that another death would take place. A condition known as porphyria further took the myth a whole mile, since patients stricken with the illness didn't want to view themselves for its deteriorate effect. How the connection is drawn is unclear.

Bloody Affair

Some say that vampires drank blood to energize themselves when clearly this was not the case. There are many blood-related disorders that fit the bill when it comes to feeling weak. Drinking blood is not the answer to getting a quick energy spurt. Those suffering from blood-related disorders were thrown into the limelight for thinking that drinking this would in some way help with their condition.

Cozy Confinement

Vampires have always been portrayed as coffin-sleeping creeps that rise (in dramatic slow motion) from coffins or caskets. Just because they are purportedly undead, it doesn't mean that they need to lie in some coffin until the moon comes out.

Forever Young

While vampires obviously do age (although slower apparently), they can withstand harm but not all kinds of it - this makes them as mortal as any human being. Vampire immortality has been portrayed in many films and books, making this myth a classic among the rest. Staking a vampire through the heart would most definitely kill them but so would any lethal method of extermination.

Toothy Creatures of the Dark

Vampires have been associated with bats for as long as anyone can remember. The likeness that is portrayed of razor-sharp fangs and the inability to sleep at night, has fueled the myth to no end. It also stems from the belief that if a bat or any other flying creature passed over a corpse, he / she would rise from the dead - the Romanians are to blame for this notion. The disease porphyria affected the way one's lips and gums formed, making them look horrific because of the way they'd recede. Because of this facial deformity, it would seem like one's teeth were longer than normal thus assuming they were fang-like. And no, vampires certainly cannot fly.

Bright Lights

The myth that vampires are photosensitive is nothing but a bunch of nonsense, where skin conditions are prevalent among people who are sensitive to light. Sensitivity to light also affects one's eyes where patients need to shield or squint in the sunlight. Health conditions seem to be taking up an alarming amount of space as part of the myths.

A vampire is nothing but a fascinating (if not actual) kind of being, who has been entertaining and frightening people for centuries. For a fun reading session on vampires, head to vampirewebsite. The adoration for vampires today is simply because they exude the sort of confidence and sensuality that is so unlike the common man (or woman), where striking beauty seems to be the highlight of modern-day vampires. What happened to ghoul-like vampires? It seems like they've evolved quite remarkably over the years.

"No man knows till he experiences it, what it is like to feel his own life-blood drawn away into the woman he loves."

- Bram Stoker, Dracula

Vampires have haunted and ruled over the fears of human beings for thousands of years. Read on to know about their history.

The myth of vampires have existed since many centuries in almost every part of the world. Vampires were thought to be ghosts, evil spirits, witches or demons that lived on blood of human beings. It was also believed that human beings who die an unnatural death, raise from their tombs at night as vampires, to drink human blood for gaining life and power. This dark and ugly creature, with fangs to suck the blood of people, can be said to have emerged from the underlying fear of the unknown, which exists in the mind of every human being.

Though vampires are present in the legends of almost all cultures, no one knows exactly how did the myth of this terrifying bloodthirsty beast came into being. Vampires can be found in the fable of Persia, China, Aztec, India, Malaysia, Polynesia, etc. Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament mentions a demoness named 'Lilith' who used to drink the blood of little babies. However, it is believed that the myth of vampires originated in Europe. Greek and Roman mythology have stories of Goddesses, who disguised as human to drink blood of living beings. This must have triggered the vampire myth, eventually spreading to other countries and cultures of the world.

Another theory that strengthened people's belief in vampires, began in the 11th century. In those times, it was believed that people who committed suicide, or those who were excommunicated by the church, were likely to become vampires. The myth of vampires never ceased to exist, rather it evolved with every century, thus rising fear in people.

Superstitious stories of human beings also contributed to the irrational belief of people in vampires. One of them was Vlad Tepes Dracula, the Prince of Wallachia, who killed people for his own pleasure and was known as an autocrat. He was later characterized as a bloodthirsty vampire by Bram Stoker in his novel 'Dracula'. Another story that is related to vampires is that of Countess Erzsebet Bathory, who killed young girls to drink their blood, which she believed would make her look young and beautiful forever.

With the advent of industrialization, the superstition of vampires started to fade out. The main source that brought back the myth of vampires was literature. It was the romantics who introduced vampires in their writings. This age gave rise to the 'Gothic' novel, that turned these blood sucking vampires into charming erotic beings, who seduced people to suck their blood. Stoker's Dracula became the most successful vampire novel, and Dracula became synonymous to the vampire. Anne Rice, a 20th century novelist changed the image of the vampire completely. The vampire in her novels are ordinary people who have a vicious side to them.

Literature also gave rise to many more myths and superstitions about the vampire. Stoker in his Dracula, creates the belief that vampires were first found in Transylvania, and that they can be repelled with the smell of garlic and killed with a stake.

Today, there are many movies and television shows which are scripted on vampires. Though people are scared of them, there are some who are really fascinated by these dangerous beasts. This has given rise to many cult organizations, where ordinary people believe themselves to be vampires and drink blood believing the myth that it will give them a long life.

Vampires are definitely fictitious, created by the belief of human beings in superstition and supernatural ideologies. But, these mysterious characters continue to captivate us, even in this era of modern beliefs and rational thinking.

Vampire Legends From Around the World

From Vlad, Dracula to Edward Cullen, vampire legends have attracted human interest. So much so that, many stories that are told today have become, myths, legends and folklore.

re you an Edward Cullen fan? Well, then have a look his family tree and relatives. The only difference between the Cullens and their relatives is that the Cullens are nice people, but their relatives and ancestors, are oh boy, frightening. Evil villains have been an important aspect all folklore, classic books and epic cinema.

Mesopotamian Vampire Legends and Myths

The oldest among the ancient vampire legends are the Mesopotamian blood drinking demons. Excavated evidence in the form of pottery shards which was carved to tell the tales of vampires suggest the existence of a cannibal and blood drinking vampire demon, Lilith or Lilitu. Persian, ancient Babylonian and Hebrew and Jewish tales of Lilith indicate that she was initially the first wife of Adam who left him to become a demon leader. According to ancient folklore she subsisted on the blood of newborns and their mothers. Some vampire stories describe her to be a winged and bird footed maiden, while in some cases she is described to be very beautiful maiden. Sumerian vampire legends and stories cite a reference to a similar vampire devil by the name of Gallu.

Later Mesopotamian tales are of a new version of Lilith known as Lamashtu a malevolent goddess or a demigod. Incidentally these old vampire legends from around the world that come from the prehistoric times are centered around vampires whose victims were babies or really young children who did not sleep at night. It must be noted that Lilith has also been mentioned in the dead sea scrolls. The mythology of Lilith is often associated with the fact that many newborns whose birth time was at night had a different sleep cycle as they slept during the day and stayed awake at night. The vampire folklore probably came into being as a result of the abnormal sleep cycle.

Greek and Roman Vampire Legends and Stories

The Greek and Roman mythology are interrelated due to the historical association of the two nations. Empusa was a demigoddess in Greek mythology who was a vampire. She is a said to have seduced men and then feasted on their blood. Some cases a class of demons, who possessed same features as her appeared in the Greek mythology with the name, Empuse. One comical depiction of he name (Empusa: one-footed one), that the Greeks came up with was that Empusa having one bronze leg and another leg of a donkey. The victim's suffering is often associated with sleep paralysis.

Lamia was another Greek vampire. She was associated with extramarital affairs as she and Zeus were often termed to be lovers. Upon discovery her children were killed by Hera (wife of Zeus), which drove Lamia to insanity and rid her of the ability to sleep. Different tales of Lamia were also used by mothers and nannies to scare children into good behavior. Lamia is also a symbol of threat to marriage and the institution of family. Lamia was always associated with snakes and serpents and pictorial depictions show her draped in the skin of snakes and carrying a pet one. Some mythologists suggest that she was the daughter of King Belus of Egypt.

Strix, an ancient Roman bird is also said to be a vampire. Strix is an owl like bird who unlike other Vampires is not an undead, but is merely a shape shifter. Strix is a medieval character and is depicted in several tales where he is said to have attacked a baby prince, given his feathers as ingredients of love potion. Vampire stories of Strix were popular among Romanian people, Albanians and Polish, tough his name was different in almost every language. Some ancient historians suggest the early biologists also deemed Strix to be a vampire bat the flying mammal. Apart from the owl, the bat were the only flying 'birds' who hunted at night and had a weird appearance and cry, which led people to believe that it was a vampire.

The Later Era

Vampire mythology around the world has always been associated with unknown, unexplained and unacceptable themes. Leukoderma, lepers, skin cancer patients, albinism patients, viral fever patients and in some cases even cancer patients were associated and alleged to be vampires. In addition, prostitutes, people having extramarital affairs and people who were too liberal about their social behavior were also associated with vampires. This may also given birth to the term 'Vamp'.

From 12th century to 18th century, Habsburg Monarchy was distressed with vampire fever. Unexplained illnesses, grave robbing well planned crimes led to the belief that vampires really existed. Lack of medical knowledge, which led to untimely and unanticipated deaths of perfectly normal and healthy individuals was suddenly a vampire attack. Empress Maria Theresa of Austria assigned her physician, Gerhard van Swieten to investigate these cases. Dr Swieten was able to provide practical explanations to the mysterious occurrences. Slavic, Serbian and Russian folklore in the many rural areas also arose form such untimely deaths. Morana and Kuzlac of Croatia were two vampires of the era. Similarly Romania has its own two vampires Moroi (nightmare) and Strigoi. Romani people also had their own vampires known as Mullo and their children Dhampirs.

Bram Stoker's Dracula is often associated with Transylvanian ruler, Vlad the Impaler who was known for his ruthless killings. Similarly, more recent stories (well as few centuries old say 1st AD), accuse Judas Iscariot to be the first real vampire. Some scholars have also accused Hindu Goddess Durga to be a vampire as she drunk the blood of one demon to destroy him (the demon would multiply which each of his own blood drop). Vampire legends form around the world are common, endless, and well, as prevalent as evil itself. It must be noted that all evil is said to symbolically represented by vampires, well not the Cullens. They are present in vampire romance novels and best vampire movies. After all, not all vampires are evil.

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