Subject: Vampires
Content: Here are a few Key points on vampires. This is actually an essay that I wrote for an english class. :D Throughout the years many legends have been talked about around the world. A few examples of these legends are: the lochness monster, werewolves, and the Bermuda triangle. One of these legends, the lochness monster, is very famous indeed; every year it attracts many tourists and scientists to the Loch. Legend has it that this beast is an ancient dinosaur that has survived for generations in the lake Loch. How such a behemoth could survive in the lake for so many years no one knows. Another famed myth is the werewolf, a creature that is half-human and half-wolf. On the full moon it is said that an infected human transforms into this hair raising creature. Another fable well known to the public is that of the Bermuda triangle. Cases of missing ships and planes in this area have been documented throughout history. The triangle is shrouded in mystery, for no one knows why these vessels mysteriously vanish in this area. A famous disappearance case is that of Amelia Earheart who, while making her famous flight around the world, disappeared in the triangle without so much as a fragment of the plane she flew. Though these enigmas would make quite the tale to tell, I am delving into something more out of the ordinary than missing planes and old fossils. Vampires have been in history since the 1500’s, terrorizing innocent villagers all across Europe. They were described as having pale skin, fang-like teeth, and long, protruding fingernails. Their seductive powers could ensnare your senses and lead you to a fate worse than death, an everlasting cursed life as another bloodsucking creature. Garlic and other apotropaics were used to ward off a vampire, and other methods were used to keep the dead from rising out of their grave as one of these night walkers. In this paper I will delve deeper into this legend by informing you of: vampire history, causes of vampirism, and people in history related to the legend. Ever since the 1700’s, vampires have been in folklore. <http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vhist.html> Slavs, Romans, Greeks, Chinese, Britains, and even Southern Americans believed in these nocturnal beasts. It all started in eastern Prussia in the year of 1721 with a series of so-called ‘vampire’ attacks <http://chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vhist.html> Previous to the 18 th century scholars just ignored all of this vampire nonsense and moved on with their lives. It wasn’t until 1732 that the word vampire came into the English language. This came to be because of a German account telling of two famous vampire cases. The first tale is that of Peter Plogojowitz who died at the age of 62. The tale goes on to say that Peter arose from the grave and returned to his son’s house. Peter asked his son for some food but his son declined; he was found dead the next morning. <http://chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vhist.html> The story doesn’t end there, Peter also killed two others, by draining their blood, following the death of his son. The other story is about an ex-soldier who became a farmer. His name was Arnold Paole and years ago he was attacked by a rogue vampire. After his tragic death other villagers started to expire as well and the dead Arnold was charged as being a vampire. <http://chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vhist.html> Vampire lore became more commonplace and beliefs were developed about these unknown entities. The Slavic people believed that if you were born with a caul, teeth, or a tail you would become a vampire. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires> Also if an animal jumped over your grave, you had an early death, or were excommunicated from the church you would become a vampire. In China, the Jiang-Shi was the Chinese version of the vampire. These vampires were said to be corpses that were simply brought back to life. Instead of drinking blood, these creatures drain a person of their life essence. Elsewhere in New England another culprit was responsible for this fiendish disease. Tuberculosis was said to be the cause of the reanimation of cadavers. It was also said that these New England vampires spread the deadly tuberculosis as well. Another tasty morsel of information about these creatures is that Spanish conquistadors discovered vampire bats and named them so because of their similarities to the folkloric vampire’s feeding habits. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires> Now, vampires weren’t only around back in the Dark Ages, they still exist to this day! Contemporary vampires, just like wiccans, form covens and indulge in vampiric practices. Don’t worry though, they don’t go haphazardly gallivanting about, sucking the blood out of any poor soul they come across as did their fictional predecessors. However, there is another type of vampire that may not know they are draining you or they are aware of what they are doing. Psychic vampires are what they are called, however they don’t drain blood like an ordinary vampire. No, these vampires drain your energy. So the next time you are in a room with people and the atmosphere is gloomy save one soul with a cheery attitude, they might be a psychic vampire. Also, in modern times scientists and skeptics alike try to decipher how people before the Renaissance imagined such nonsensical beliefs about how to become a vampire. Different cultures had similar and differing theories of how a person could become a vampire. The Slavs thought that if you were born on certain days, had an improper burial, or had an irregular death then you would become a vampire. <http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vhist.html> The Romanian beliefs were similar but with a few differing beliefs like if you were born out of wedlock, died before baptism, or if you were the seventh child born of the same sex. <http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~vampire/vhist.html> In Greece they believed that if you dishonored a sacred day or were cursed then you were doomed to become a vampire. On the other hand, modern day beliefs shrug off these beliefs as ludicrous superstition. Instead of blindly spewing out superstitions, contemporary scientists analyze the plausibility of ancient beliefs and how vampires could have existed. For example, in the Dark Ages it was thought that a dead corpse was a vampire if it: looked well fed, had blood on its mouth, if it had long fingernails, toenails, and hair, or if the corpse had fangs. All of these can be explained logically. The part about the corpse being well fed is due to the accumulation of gases from decomposition. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires> The blood on the corpses was just blood being expelled because of the pressure from the gases. New hair, toe/fingernail, and teeth growth were just a loss of fluids in the body which made gums and skin recede. In addition to this diseases have been blamed for the vampire hysteria. These diseases are porphyria and rabies. Porphyria is a blood condition that disrupts heme production. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires> Some signs and symptoms of porhpyria are: sensitivity to sunlight, a retreating gum line, and pale skin. All of these are classic signs of a vampire. The other disorder, rabies, can give the victim the urge to bite. It can also make the victim become nocturnal and make them hypersensitive to things like sunlight and garlic. A bloody frothing at the mouth was a sign of rabies as well. Once again, these are similar traits of our fictitious vampire. Also, a legend tells that if you can see your reflection then you are not rabid hence the saying that if you are a vampire you have no reflection. Rabies was also said to be widespread in Europe so it is highly likely that this was actually vampirism back in the day. Not only could diseases be the start of vampire lore, but the people associated with them could have helped to give the story that extra kick. A few individuals have existed in the past that people relate to vampires. They are either known for their bloodthirstiness or simply just a novel. One of these was a Countess named Elizabeth Bathory. She was born in 1560 and she was an intriguing person. Her family, which was quite…interesting, was one of the oldest and richest families in Hungary. <http://hjem.get2net.dk/the_cellar/bathory.htm> Later in life she married young, to the Count Ferencz Nadasdy. They moved to his castle, Castle Csejthe, which was located near the village of Csejthe. Since her husband was always away on war business, Elizabeth would court with other men or visit her aunt Klara Bathory who was an open bisexual. What’s more is that she took an interest into the occult, and one of her maids, Dorka, taught her witchcraft. <http://mdmd.essortment.com/elizabethbathor_rmpp.htm> Another of her favorite pastimes was to torture the female servants in the castle. Now, similar to most people, Bathory had an obsession; her beauty. She would often gaze upon herself in the mirror for hours, but this youthful beauty would not last for, all people age. She tried to conceal her aging with cosmetics, but to no avail. However on one fateful day her chamber maidens were grooming her. One of them was brushing her hair, and apparently had pulled too hard. The Countess struck the servant with the back of her hand. Upon looking at the back of her hand, she saw the blood of the chamber maiden she struck. Bathory gazed upon her skin and felt as if that single splash of blood rejuvenated the spot it touched. Elizabeth then ordered that the servant’s blood be drained for her body and be readied in a bath. The Countess soaked in this blood bath and was ecstatic at how it apparently made her beautiful. This blood draining became a commom practice in Castle Csejthe. Peasants were brought to her house to feed her incessant demand for young blood. After awhile the Countess realized that peasant blood was doing her no good and so she went on to the lower nobility’s females. However, Bathory became careless and word of her heinous crimes reached the Hungarian Emperor. He orderd Bathory’s own cousin, Count Thurzo, to raid castle Csejthe. After the raid, Elizabeth’s accomplices were put on trial. During the trail a paper containing the records of some 650 victims was found in the castle. <http://hjem.get2net.dk/the_cellar/bathory.htm> Her accomplices were sentenced to death, but their master was fated with something far worse. Countess Bathory was sentence to life of imprisonment in her own room. A stonemason walled her in leaving only a small door flap for meals. Many years passed and one day the guard realized that the countess had not touched her food. He peered inside the food flap to see her body laying dead on the floor. At age 54 the “Blood Countess” was finally dead. <http://gothlupin.tripod.com/vbathory.html> Another gruesome figure related to vampire lore is Vlad Tepes, also known as “Vlad the Impaler.” He gained title of “Impaler” because he liked to decapitate then impale the heads of his enemies. Vlad was born on November 8, 1434 in Sighisoara, Transylvania. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_III_Dracula> His life was not a happy one, for his father gave him up to the Ottoman Sultan as a peace offering. Later on Vlad escaped and took over the Wallachian throne. In his life, Vlad Tepes lost and regained control of the Wallachian empire three times. During his rule he killed many of his enemies and actually enjoyed eating his lunch near their impaled heads. After his third reclamation of the throne, Vlad the Impaler died one month afterwards in December of 1476. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_III_Dracula> His head was then decapitated and impaled then sent to be put on display in Constantinople. His body was buried in a monastery near Snagov, Romania. <http://www.draculas.info/vlad_iii_dracula/> Thus ending his reign of gore and blood. However, his memory still lives on to this day. An additional persona in this register of vampire relatives is the author of the book Dracula , Bram Stoker himself. Bram Stoker was born in 1847 in Dublin, Ireland. Some of his works previous to Dracula are: The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland , “The Crystal Cup”, and “The Chain of Destiny. He finally published his book Dracula in 1897. He spent eight years prior doing tedious research on folkloric vampires and his inspirations for the story were a visit to Slains Castle and another visit to the crypts under the church St. John the Baptist where Stoker was baptised. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker> In conclusion the legend of Vampires is one that has been passed down through many generations. Vampire history, causes of vampirism, and people related to vampires are the topics that have been discussed in this paper. There are not just blood sucking vampires but vampires who leech energy as well. Porphyria and Rabies are possible causes of vampirism because they have signs and symptoms similar to those of vampire traits. Famous figures in vampire lore are the Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Vlad the Impaler, and Bram Stoker who is the author of Dracula .
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