Vampires and the Undead

Vampire
Vampires are mythological creatures who feed on blood of living creatures Although vampires appear in the history of many cultures which go back to the prehistoric. Vampire superstition flooded into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were recorded first, such as Eastern Europe. This brought a series of mass hysteria and the vampire superstition in Europe it led to bodies being staked and people being accused of being vampires.



Vampires have existed for eons; cultures such as the Greeks and Romans had tales of demons and spirits. However, the vampire as it is known today comes from early 18^th century Europe. Many of the regions where folklore began has been recorded and published. Belief in these legends became so instilled that in some areas it caused the executions of people believed to be vampires and included witches and werewolf hysteria.



Vampires were usually described as being bloated with a dark reddish countenance; these characteristics were seen to be from the recent drinking of blood. Blood running from the mouth and nose when in a coffin and wearing shroud the burial shroud.



To the Slavs and Chinese a corpse that an animal that had jumped over was predicted to become a vampire



Many rituals were used to identify a vampire no signs of decomposition in a corpse was the most popular evidence. Signs that a vampire was active included death of cattle, sheep, relatives.
Several items were able to ward off vampires, are common in vampire folklore. Garlic was used either on a door or as a necklace around one's neck and in Europe, sprinkling mustard seeds on the roof of a house was another way of repelling them. Other instruments used were sacred items, holy water, crucifix or rosary beads.. Vampires are said to be unable to cross running water. Also vampires do not have a reflection and do not cast a shadow. Most traditional folklore agree that that vampires were more active at night, they were not generally considered vulnerable to sunlight.



Destroying vampires varied but the most common method was to drive a wooden stake through the heart of the suspected vampire, particularly in southern Slavic cultures, though the mouth was used in Russia and northern Germany^.. In Romania, garlic would be placed in the mouth^.






Tales of supernatural beings subsisting off of the blood of the living have been found in nearly every culture around the world for many centuries. In ancient civilizations these activities were attributed to spirits and demons.



The vampire is now a major part of popular fiction that began with 18th-century poetry and continued with 19th-century short stories, The vampire theme continued in serial publications and captured worldwide fame in the foremost vampire novel of all time: Dracula by Bram Stoer.



The world of the supernatural beings such as vampires, werewolves and other demons brings us face to face with our deepest fears yet we a re avid readers and listeners to the tales and legends of their heinous deeds. The realm of the unknown is a journey to the be taken one cautious step at a time.