Vampire mythology has existed for over 2,000 years and is found in many cultures. Common characteristics include blood drinking, aversion to religious symbols, and various causes of creation. The myth of blood drinking may have arisen from corpses bleeding after death. Repelling vampires with religious symbols may have come from the belief that unconsecrated burials could create vampires. Many cultures believe vampires can create other vampires through a blood ritual. Bram Stoker’s Dracula popularized the romantic aspect of vampires, and modern fiction continues to focus on their sexual aspects.
Vampire mythology springs from the foggy pages of history, born and reborn across dozens of different generations and cultures. Although most vampire mythology owes its existence to imaginative fiction, rather than actual historical events, many cultures feature myths of vampire-like creatures, dating back more than two thousand years. While each legend has distinct variations, there are several important aspects of vampire mythology that echo one another in different lands. Some of the more commonly encountered vampire characteristics include consumption of human blood, aversion to religious symbols, various causes of creation, and the ability to sexually arouse or attract victims.
Blood drinking is at the heart of nearly every vampire story, but it may in fact be rooted in a physiological phenomenon. According to some experts, the myth of blood drinking may have arisen from the fact that corpses, particularly in mass graves, occasionally bleed from their mouths after death. In an age before modern medicine, bloodstains may have been mistaken for those left by drinking blood. Drinking blood has also created an association between vampire myths and certain animals, particularly those perceived to be bloodthirsty, such as wolves and bats.
Another tenet of vampire stories is the ability to repel them with religious symbols, such as a crucifix. This myth may have arisen from the belief that vampires could be created through unconsecrated burials, since the body was not blessed by the church and buried on sacred ground. Vampires as the antithesis of religion can also be linked to the belief that creatures can be created through unauthorized sexual acts, such as incest or adultery.
How vampires are created is another key component in the different types of vampire mythology. In addition to improper burial or illicit sexual encounters, many cultures share the belief that vampires can create other vampires through a blood ritual. While vampires in these traditions can certainly kill a person just for their blood, they may also be able to create a mate or minion leaving the victim barely alive and allowing them to drink vampire blood in return. In a famous paper by physicists Costas Efthimiou and Sohang Gandhi, this theory is dismissed as highly improbable for mathematical reasons, as an initial population of a vampire could lead to the total destruction of all living humans within two years.
Romani and Malay vampire mythology both contain some references to the sexual prowess of vampires, but great credit goes to Bram Stoker’s written interpretation of Dracula for popularizing the dark and romantic aspect of the monster. The sexually repressive culture of Victorian England plays a major role in Stoker’s Dracula, which focuses heavily on the sexual corruption of the vampire’s victims, as well as their physical destruction. Through hugely popular modern fiction series such as Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight and Robin McKinley’s Sunshine, the sexual aspects of vampire mythology may prove to be the most enduring in popular fiction.
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