Vampires are mythical creatures that drink the blood of living animals, with most myths centering around reanimated human corpses. Vampire mythology is ancient and universal, with many cultures having their own version. Modern ideas come from Eastern Europe, but ancient Rome, Greece, China, and Egypt also had similar stories. Vampires must feed on human blood to survive and are often portrayed as immortal with great strength. Many myths surround vampires, including sleeping in coffins, being sensitive to garlic and crosses, and transforming into animals or vapor. The pervasiveness of the vampire myth may be related to a lack of understanding of death and decay.
A vampire is a mythical creature that sustains itself by drinking the blood of living animals. Most vampire myths center around the reanimation of human corpses, with the corpse preying on other humans for the blood it needs. Vampire mythology is ancient, with most cultures having a version of the vampire in their folklore, perhaps reflecting a universal desire to explore ideas of death and dying. In the modern era, the vampire has almost become a pop culture figure, thanks largely to Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, which features an aristocratic and handsome vampire.
Modern ideas about vampires come mostly from myths that have their roots in Eastern Europe, but the origins of the vampire are much older. Ancient Rome, Greece, China, and Egypt all had stories of creatures that closely resemble the modern vampire, and vampire myths were present in many other regions of the world as well, in one form or another.
The common thread in all vampire stories is that the creature must feed on human blood to survive, and is typically created by being bitten by another vampire. In many myths, vampires are also portrayed as immortal, and feats of great strength are often required to slay vampires; beheading, burning, exposure to sunlight, heart staking, and dismemberment are all presented as possible ways to kill a vampire in various myths. Typically vampires are described as nocturnal, using the cover of night to hide their activities and avoid sunlight, which is often described as harmful to vampires.
A plethora of myths surrounds vampires. According to some accounts, vampires sleep in coffins, often coffins filled with earth. In other stories, vampires cannot cross running water or enter a house without an invitation. Vampires can also be sensitive to garlic, crosses, and holy water in some stories, and they classically prey on young, handsome men and women. Some vampires can supposedly transform into bats, wolves, and other animals in some stories, while others possess the power of flight or are capable of transforming into vapor.
For most of history, vampires have been portrayed as dark, bloated corpses. In the 19th century, however, the popular mythology surrounding vampires began to change, and they were described as cadaverously thin and extremely pale individuals, perhaps reflecting an increase in tuberculosis, a disease that sometimes made people look like vampires, as they grew thin and pale and spat blood. In many modern stories, vampires are devastatingly attractive, use their good looks to lure their victims, and are often portrayed as wealthy or aristocrat.
The universality of the vampire myth is quite intriguing to many anthropologists and historians. Researchers have suggested that the pervasiveness of some aspects of the vampire myth may be related to a lack of understanding of the process of death and decay. Historically, “corpses” sometimes revived, because they weren’t actually dead, but no one realized it, due to shortcomings in the medical profession. Additionally, the bodies often seemed to shift in their graves as they settled in the process of decomposition, also becoming dark and swollen. Grave robbing would also have contributed to the illusion that the bodies had come out of their graves during the night.
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