Vampire (folklore)
Vampires are figures from folklore characterized by their need to feed on the blood of living creatures, often emerging at night to prey upon the living. The modern conception of vampires, particularly those with traits such as fangs and sensitivity to sunlight, largely developed in Eastern Europe during the medieval period, although vampire-like legends exist in various cultures throughout history. These creatures are often depicted as undead beings, sometimes taking on noble personas, while other representations are grotesque and frightening. The literary portrayal of vampires was significantly popularized by Bram Stoker's "Dracula," which established many contemporary vampire tropes.
Historically, fears of vampires can be traced back to various cultural legends, including those related to figures like Lilith and notorious historical figures like Vlad the Impaler. Instances of vampire hysteria often coincided with unexplained illnesses and societal superstitions, leading to practices such as exhuming bodies and staking the deceased. Despite the decline of such beliefs in many parts of the world, vampire lore continues to thrive in modern popular culture through books, television, and film, with notable examples including the "Twilight" series and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The fascination with vampires highlights the intersection of folklore, cultural fears, and even historical phenomena such as disease outbreaks, which have influenced the perception of these enigmatic creatures.
Vampire (folklore)
A vampire is a folklore figure that survives by feeding on the blood of living creatures. According to many legends, vampires come out at night and attack the living. While many cultures dating back to ancient civilizations contain legends about creatures with vampire-like characteristics, the popular contemporary version originated in Eastern Europe during the medieval period. Vampires are commonly described as undead creatures that have fangs, drink blood, and are sensitive to sunlight. Vampires are sometimes portrayed as aristocratic and noble beings, but may also be grotesque and frightening. They are often depicted as malevolent and violent, but can also be seductive and charismatic.
In the late nineteenth century, Bram Stoker was one of the first writers to popularize the modern vampire as a human corpse returned from the grave to hurt the living. Stoker’s Dracula is one of the most famous vampire characters.
Brief History
There are multiple theories surrounding the first appearance of a vampire in folklore. Some historians date the first one to biblical or even pre-biblical times. There are legends involving Lilith, Adam’s first wife, who, in the story of humans' creation, supposedly rebelled against him and ended up mating with fallen angels. Some interpretations point to Lilith’s offspring as the first vampires—figures that fed on human blood.
Evil creatures that feed on humans come up in many cultures around the world; they have a variety of names and take on many forms. The most common tales of vampires worked their way through Europe during the Middle Ages, when many brutal killers flourished. Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (often referred to as Vlad the Impaler) and Countess Elizabeth Bathory were murderers who are often linked with vampirism. Some scholars believe that Vlad served as Stoker’s inspiration for Dracula. There is no proof that Vlad the Impaler drank anyone’s blood, but he was known to be a ruthless individual who impaled his enemies with stakes. There are also written references in Wallachia (in the northern Balkan Mountains) to vampire-like children who died before being baptized and who would feast on the blood of cattle before passing on.
Vampire hunters and vampire hunting, often linked with witches, were recorded during the colonial period in the United States as well. Even as late as the eighteenth century, people continued to bury suspected vampires in special graves in Poland. Many stories of vampires are attributed to cases of mass hysteria brought on by superstition, which has often revolved around events that seemed inexplicable at the time. In eighteenth-century Serbia, a case occurred in which several deaths from unknown illnesses were ascribed to the believed existence of vampires. After several people in the same area became ill and died following the death of Peter Plogojowitz, people theorized that he must have returned as a vampire and killed them, leading to the disinterment of his body and the driving of a stake through his heart amid reports that his body allegedly had evidence of blood and had also not naturally decomposed. Suspicions of vampirism in the wake of multiple deaths from illness also occurred in the United States, including when several members of a Rhode Island family in the late 1800s likely died from what would eventually be commonly understood to have been tuberculosis. Upon the appearance of yet another member's symptoms of illness, the family's bodies were exhumed and examined until, according to claims, one young woman's body, that of Mercy Brown, was deemed too well preserved and containing fresh blood; her heart was then extracted and burned. Along with limited scientific understanding of disease, little was known about the process of decay, including the potential impact of winter burials and blood appearing in the mouth as a result of decomposing intestines. Stories of creatures with vampire attributes appear throughout the world, in places such as West Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia.
Vampires became more prominent in twenty-first century popular culture and appeared with greater frequency in literature, film, and television. For example, vampires are portrayed prominently in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series (and its film adaptations), which features a vampire named Edward Cullen who falls in love with a teenage mortal, who eventually chooses to live as a vampire as well. Other examples include the television series True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Impact
Aspects of vampire folklore appear around the world, with the popular contemporary view originating from Europe. Vampires are generally associated with old-fashioned superstitions and the paranormal. Some subcultures and occult groups have appropriated aspects of vampirism, such as drinking blood or holding supernatural beliefs. In some pockets of the world—such as small, remote villages in Eastern Europe—vampire superstition still exists, and claims of vampire attacks are sometimes noted. In Romania in 2004, a group of citizens allegedly desecrated the grave of a man who they believed to be a vampire.
In September 1998, Spanish neurologist Juan Gomez-Alonso published a theory about vampires. While watching a Dracula movie, he noticed that vampires behave like people with rabies. According to Gomez-Alonso, the rabies virus attacks the central nervous system, changing the moods and behaviors of those infected. Sufferers may become disconcerted and frantic, and their actions can become violent. The aggressive behavior of someone afflicted with rabies could be misinterpreted as exhibiting vampire traits. Gomez-Alonso points to additional similarities: rabies can cause insomnia, which may explain the nocturnal portion of the legend; rabies carriers also suffer from muscular spasms, which can cause them to spit up blood. Gomez-Alonso also discovered that vampire stories became prominent in Europe around the same time certain areas were experiencing rabies outbreaks, especially in Hungary between 1721 and 1728, when an epidemic affected dogs, wolves, and humans. As European disease epidemics were common during periods of the eighteenth century, vampire hysteria was particularly heightened as a means of explaining "mysterious" illnesses related to such diseases as pellagra. Resulting from a niacin (B3) deficiency, pellagra can cause physical effects such as anemia and sunlight sensitivity.
Years before Gomez-Alonso came out with his theory of vampirism and rabies, Canadian biochemist David Dolphin suggested a link between porphyria and vampires. Porphyria is a rare, chronic blood disorder characterized by the irregular production of heme, an iron-rich pigment found in blood. The disorder can cause seizures, trances, and hallucinations that last for days or weeks.
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