| Vampires | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Other Names |
Vampire, Shtriga, Vrykolakas, Strigoi |
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First Appearance |
European Folklore |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods which they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century.
Vampiric entities have been recorded in cultures around the world; the term vampire was popularized in Western Europe after reports of an 18th-century mass hysteria of a pre-existing folk belief in Southeastern and Eastern Europe that in some cases resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused of vampirism. Local variants in Southeastern Europe were also known by different names, such as shtriga in Albania, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania, cognate to Italian strega, meaning 'witch'.
In modern times, the vampire is generally held to be a fictitious entity, although belief in similar vampiric creatures (such as the chupacabra) still persists in some cultures. Early folk belief in vampires has sometimes been ascribed to the ignorance of the body's process of decomposition after death and how people in pre-industrial societies tried to rationalize this, creating the figure of the vampire to explain the mysteries of death. Porphyria was linked with legends of vampirism in 1985 and received much media exposure, but has since been largely discredited.
The charismatic and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of "The Vampyre" by the English writer John Polidori; the story was highly successful and arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century. Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and provided the basis of the modern vampire legend, even though it was published after fellow Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novel Carmilla. The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular in the 21st century, with books, films, television shows, and video games. The vampire has since become a dominant figure in the horror genre.
Apotropaics—items able to ward off revenants—are common in vampire folklore. Garlic is a common example; a branch of wild rose and hawthorn are sometimes associated with causing harm to vampires, and in Europe, mustard seeds would be sprinkled on the roof of a house to keep them away. Other apotropaics include sacred items, such as crucifix, rosary, or holy water. Some folklore also states that vampires are unable to walk on consecrated ground, such as that of churches or temples, or cross running water.
Some traditions also hold that a vampire cannot enter a house unless invited by the owner; after the first invitation they can come and go as they please. Though folkloric vampires were believed to be more active at night, they were not generally considered vulnerable to sunlight.
Although not traditionally regarded as an apotropaic, mirrors have been used to ward off vampires when placed, facing outwards, on a door (in some cultures, vampires do not have a reflection and sometimes do not cast a shadow, perhaps as a manifestation of the vampire's lack of a soul or their weakness to silver). This attribute is not universal (the Greek vrykolakas/tympanios was capable of both reflection and shadow), but was used by Bram Stoker in Dracula and has remained popular with subsequent authors and filmmakers.
Methods of destroying suspected vampires varied, with staking the most commonly cited method, particularly in South Slavic cultures. Decapitation was the preferred method in German and western Slavic areas, with the head buried between the feet, behind the buttocks or away from the body.
Although many cultures have stories about them, vampire bats have only recently become an integral part of the traditional vampire lore. Vampire bats were integrated into vampire folklore after they were discovered on the South American mainland in the 16th century. There are no vampire bats in Europe, but bats and owls have long been associated with the supernatural and omens, mainly because of their nocturnal habits.
The literary Dracula transforms into a bat several times in the novel, and vampire bats themselves are mentioned twice in it. The 1927 stage production of Dracula followed the novel in having Dracula turn into a bat.
In Balkan folklore, a dhampir is a mythical creature that is the result of a union between a vampire and a human. This union was usually between male vampires and female humans, with stories of female vampires mating with male humans being rare.
In H. G. Wells' 1897 sci-fi/horror classic The War of the Worlds, the Martian Invaders are seen assembling hundreds of abducted people to feed on, using their tentacle-like appendages to extract blood. This would later be further explored in French writer Gustave Le Rouge's 1908 unofficial followup novel "Le Prisonnier de la planète Mars", where the alien mollusks would be designated as space vampires. Strange Worlds #4 (September 1951) by Wally Wood and Joe Orlando introduces Myrza, a tyrant from the planet Palmoora who belongs to a race of space vampires.
Gallery[]
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Vampires from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Vampire (1748)
- Lenore (1773)
- The Bride of Corinth (1797)
- Thalaba the Destroyer (1801)
- The Giaour (1813)
- The Vampyre (1819)
- Varney the Vampire/Feast of Blood (1845–47)
- The Dark Blue vol. 2 (Dec. 1871)
- Dracula (1897)
- Powers of Darkness - Swedish Version (1899)
- Powers of Darkness - Icelandic Version (1901)
- Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904)
- Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (1914)
- The Hypnotist (1918)
Public Domain Theatrical Appearances[]
- Dracula, or The Undead (1897)
- Dracula - Original Production (1924)
- Dracula - Broadway Version (1927)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Dracula's Death (1921)
- Nosferatu (1922)
- London After Midnight (1927)
- Mark of the Vampire (1935)
- Dead Men Walk (1943)
- Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
- Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)
- The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Public Domain Advertising Appearances[]
- Count Chocula Cereal Box (1971)
- Count Chocula Commercial (1971)
Public Domain Comic Book Appearances[]
- Adventures into the Unknown #3, 10
- Blue Ribbon Comics #11
- Dark Mysteries #1-2
- Eerie #12
- Forbidden Worlds #2, 11
- Fantastic Fears #2
- Horrific #8-13
- Kid Eternity #4
- More Fun Comics #7
- New Fun #6
- Out of the Night #5
- Prize Comics #44-48
- Psycho #6, 22
- Shield-Wizard Comics #5
- Skeleton Hand in Secrets of the Supernatural #2
- Strange Stories from Another World #5
- Tales of Horror #13
- Terrific #14
- The Hand of Fate #21
- Wonderworld #4, 6
- Strange Worlds #4
Notes[]
- A list of public domain vampire characters can be found here.
- Historic figures such as Vlad Dracula or Elizabeth Bathory have inspired tales with vampires named after them or with the real life individual as a vampire in the tale.
- Australian superhero the Vampire was named after the monster but was not shown to be a vampire herself.