Buy Vampires: The Myths, Legends, and Lore at Desertcart. Many corpses were buried upside down, while others were pinned to the ground by driving stakes through their heads, bodies, or clothes. One of the earliest accounts of vampires is found in an ancient Sumerian and Babylonian myth dating to 4,000 B.C. It was thought that Aspen was especially holy because this was the tree that was used to make the cross that Jesus was crucified on. It was also feared that corpses that had been left unguarded were vulnerable. Some believed that if mirror reflected the image of a deceased person that it would return to life. Also, individuals who had Porphyria avoided mirrors because of their ghastly look. Stories of vampirism can be traced as far back as biblical times with Lilith the first rumored vampire. Many of these terrible human beings were thought to return as a vampire. Reflection in a Mirror -Mirrors have been present in burial rituals in some cultures for a long time. In modern day, however, we know this happens because of a natural decaying process. Here are some of the most famous myths about vampires, how they live, feed, and how they can be defeated. Hebrew mythology gives us the story of Lilith and the estries. As time goes on, Artemis takes pity on Ambrogio and offers him assistance. Vampires: The Myths, Legends, and Lore - Kindle edition by Sherman, Aubrey. This would have likely been interpreted as reanimation by early cultures. As time went on, there were many different variations of the vampire tale. It was also common for corpses to be put into positions that would make escape from the grave more difficult. Upyr. There were, however, ways to track down these vile creatures. Vampires have haunted literature, art, and folklore since the dawn of mankind. After driving a stake in a corpse’s heart, people could witness the moans coming from the corpse's mouth and deflation of body, all providing proof that something unnatural was present in the body. If you’re a vampire fanatic, you probably already know that much of the lore about vampires in Transylvania at the time referenced Vlad the Impaler’s bloodthirsty war tactics. The vampire myth has been ... is a relatively modern addition to vampire lore, ... to dispel this and other ill-founded notions that may link legends and myths to specific diseases,” they wrote. The vampire of modern folklore is much more charming and charismatic than the tales of the bloated creatures in early mythology. There were several categories of protective knowledge and items that were used to guard against the much feared vampire. © 2021 - Vampire Facts | Privacy Policy | Contact. It is also recorded that Silesia thought Oak was the most effective wood. Many cultures believed that the soul sometimes lingered in the body after death, but that decapitating the head could force the soul to move on and keep it from causing problems. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters: A compilation of vampire myths and legends from all over the world, including American Indian tales. The reason this myth gained such popularity was the rare disease called Porphyria which (among other things) caused the lowering of hemoglobin levels in the blood. In reality, dry and cold conditions in the deeply buried coffins can enable the body to remain relatively well preserved even for several weeks. The second belief was that a wild animal could somehow curse a body that was not guarded by jumping over it. Another possible source for inspiration is the condition known as ‘porphyria.’ This condition is known to cause sensitivity to light and is often characterized by those with reddish brown teeth. Because of this, people would often leave bags of seeds, kernels, or grains of rice near their doorways. Its effect on the human body can vary, from skin blisters, pigment changes, inability to heal skin, deterioration of the lips and nose, extreme photosensitivity, receding tissues of the gums and lips and irregular hair growth across entire body (most surely leading to the rise of lycanthropy myths). It was also claimed that vampires could not cross running water. Influenced by the thousands of year old tradition of many myths around the world, modern day vampires gained many supernatural abilities and traits that are often created only for some literary piece of the movie. . The Legends of Vampires & Werewolves. Stake through the heart - This tradition comes from the medieval times when medical knowledge did not account the presence of gasses in the decomposing corpses. Though these people appear to think that the drinking of human blood is done for reasons purely related to health, they often keep their practices private to deter the potential for vampire related panic. Russia. It talks about real historical Vampires (i.e. It was greatly feared that bodies which were not properly guarded before burial – or bodies that hadn’t been given proper funeral rites – would become possessed by an evil spirit. What Ambrogio didn’t know, however, was that Apollo also desired Selena for his own. Eventually, Selena escapes Apollo and is reunited with Ambrogio. One of the easiest was to search the cemetery for signs of holes above grave sites. Some cultures even went as far as to sever the tendons at the knees of the corpse so that it could not walk in death. It was also common practice for suspected vampires to be staked through the heart. Additionally, the reddish-brown stains on the teeth of the afflicted could have been easily mistaken for the blood of a human victim instead of a medical condition. FREE Returns. Greek mythology references the story of Ambrogio – a mortal man who had the grave misfortune of desiring the same woman as the sun god, Apollo. The Vampire itself is probably one of the most enduring myths in both pop culture and mythology. Apollo thinks about how he can prevent Ambrogio from marrying Selena (who has now proposed and is planning his wedding). Later, she would bathe in their blood – supposedly as a beauty treatment. Throughout the history of legend and storytelling tradition, there have appeared a particularly dangerous set of creatures that feed on the vital life force of human beings. One of these is Hemeralopia – a term for patients that suffer from day blindness. Before that time, many ancient cultures had their version of blood sucking spirit who possessed a deceased human body, with many unique forms and traits that varied depending on the region, environment, religious beliefs, and folklore. In addition to being despised for their absolute power, leaders of early cultures were known to be especially cruel and vengeful with their subjects. There are also rumors that he enjoyed eating bread that had been dipped in the blood of his victims. A revenant was known to be a vile undead creature that was driven to return to the earth because of the evil deeds it had committed in its previous life, or because of unfinished business. There is also the possibility that the myth of the vampire was caused by the lack of knowledge concerning bodily decomposition. It was thought that those who practiced occult magic were directly tied to evil nature, making them some of the most feared individuals of their time. It was thought that early vampires were a form of revenant that targeted their victims by attacking them and feasting on their blood. In Aubrey Sherman’s book “Vampires: The Myth, Legends, and Lore” she says, “When you hear the word vampire, probably the first image that comes to mind is that of a tall, dark, handsome man with luminous eyes, clothed in a fine black tuxedo enveloped by an exquisite opera cloak” (Sherman 19). It was also known that vampires were only active at night, which led many to implement curfews for the protection of their citizens. Vampires are also known to have super-human strength and speed. Though we no longer have to be fearful of attacks from vampires in modern day, there are still groups of people who believe that they are vampires. If a stranger knocked and asked to be invited in, the house owner would check for their reflection and shadow before letting them in. Hades offers help to Ambrogio – but requires him to steal Artemis’ silver bow to carry out a mission in return. This caused many to turn to consecrated ground (churches, temples, cemeteries) for refuge. It has since evolved into a holiday when spooky legends, myths and folklore take center stage. It was thought that these evil spirits would then come back as a vampire and attack the living. Elizabeth Bathory, Gilles de Rais, Vlad Dracula, Peter Kurten, etc.). Though there are many different legends of vampires that modern day perception can be traced back to, it appears that the first vampires were actually a form of revenants. While ‘Dracula’ was quickly popularized and would go on to become the most famous vampire in history, it was not released until 1897. He was so relentless, much of history says, that people of the time and place assumed he must be evil, and drink the blood of his victims. Russia staked victims through the mouth, while Serbia staked victims through the stomach. They are also immortal, making them one of the most feared predators known to man. a storehouse of curious and interesting lore." This was based on two commonly held beliefs. There is both an internet archive and website version of this work. These holes were thought to indicate the resting place of a vampire. Many cultures document cases of people who supposedly turned into a vampire after rebelling against the church. However, it wasn’t until the early 1800’s that the vampire legends could be clearly separated from the revenant legends. One myth of Ancient Greece depicts a tale where the queen of Libya, Lamia, invokes the wrath of Hera, queen of the gods, by having an affair with her husband Zeus. One of the primary culprits for the rise of several vampire myths is rare skin and neurological disorder Porphyria, which is often the result of family inbreeding that was somewhat present in medieval Europe. Drinking blood - One of the most telltale signs of the vampire is his need to consume blood to sustain its undead existence. In his jealousy, he curses Ambrogio to be burned by the sunlight whenever the rays touched his skin. She was born in Hungary in the year 1560 and died in 1614. There also seems to be some sort of connection between uncleanliness and vampirism. A fascinating, sometimes terrifying book, The Vampire in Lore and Legend is a "mine of out-of-the-way information full of unspeakable tales," writes The New York Times; and according to Outlook, "a fascinating inquiry into the vampire legend . It was thought that once a vampire saw these things, he or she would be forced to count them until they knew the exact number. It seems that the early cultures feared that people who died after leading evil lives and people who had refused to accept religion would come back as an evil entity. It was commonly thought that vampires slept in coffins during the day. FREE Delivery Across Botswana. This indicates that many of Stoker’s ideas came from ‘The Vampyre.’. This was often used to determine the vampire status of an individual. Real vampires don’t need blood, they only need some part of blood, or just energy. In fact, vampire myths around the world abound in many different and interesting ways. Myth & Lore: A vampire feeds on the life essence of their victims. Artemis is angered by the theft and curses Ambrogio to be burned by silver whenever he is touched by it as revenge. The thought of a seemingly everyday man or woman who could seduce a person into becoming their prey quickly caught on in many colonized countries. European vampire lore has many descriptions of vampires taking the forms of dogs, cats, horses, pigs, donkeys, sheep, wolves, snakes, and other animals commonly known and owned. In Aubrey Sherman’s book “Vampires: The Myth, Legends, and Lore” she says, “When you hear the word vampire, probably the first image that comes to mind is that of a tall, dark, handsome man with luminous eyes, clothed in a fine black tuxedo enveloped by an exquisite opera cloak” (Sherman 19). Two of the most notable versions can be found in Hebrew and Greek mythology. It was thought that since a vampire was a creature of pure evil, it would not be able to stand the presence of any type of holiness. This is likely because when bodies were dug up to check for signs of vampirism, it was common to see the corpse move or sit up whenever the coffin lid was opened. The ekimmu is a type of uruku or utukku (a spirit or demon) who was not buried properly and has returned as a vengeful spirit to suck the life out of the living. Lilith is a female demon that is known to prey on the blood of babies, young children, and pregnant women. Vampires have been featured in folklore and fiction of various cultures for hundreds of years, predominantly in Europe, although belief in them has waned in modern times. Aversion to Sunlight - Disease Porphyria is once again to blame for this myth because people who have it cannot repair their skin from UV ray damage. Whenever a vampire was suspected in the community, graves would be searched, and guilty people would be questioned. Additionally, it was known that vampires could not enter a house unless they were invited inside. However, it wasn’t until the early 1800’s that the vampire legends could be clearly separated from the revenant legends. Artemis comes to the couple’s rescue again by telling Ambrogio to drink Selena’s blood. Because of that, many medieval people who had this disease practiced drinking fresh blood. ISBN 9780786444526. Many of these strange communities can be found online and exist in the shadows of society. 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