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Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. They may be the best-known classic monsters of all. Most people associate vampires with Count Dracula, the legendary, blood-sucking subject of Bram Stokers epic novel, Dracula, which was published in 1897. But the history of vampires began long before Stoker was born.
There are almost as many different characteristics of vampires as there are vampire legends. But the main characteristic of vampires (or vampyres) is they drink human blood. They typically drain their victims blood using their sharp fangs, killing them and turning them into vampires.
In general, vampires hunt at night since sunlight weakens their powers. Some may have the ability to morph into a bat or a wolf. Vampires have super strength and often have a hypnotic, sensual effect on their victims. They cant see their image in a mirror and cast no shadows.
Its thought Bram Stoker named Count Dracula after Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad Dracula was born in Transylvania, Romania. He ruled Walachia, Romania, off and on from 1456-1462.
Some historians describe him as a justyet brutally cruelruler who valiantly fought off the Ottoman Empire. He earned his nickname because his favorite way to kill his enemies was to impale them on a wooden stake.
According to legend, Vlad Dracula enjoyed dining amidst his dying victims and dipping his bread in their blood. Whether those gory tales are true is unknown. Many people believe these stories sparked Stokers imagination to create Count Dracula, who was also from Transylvania, sucked his victims blood and could be killed by impaling a stake through his heart.
But, according to Dracula expert Elizabeth Miller, Stoker didnt base Count Draculas life on Vlad Dracula. Nonetheless, the similarities between the two Draculas are intriguing.
Vampire superstition thrived in the Middle Ages, especially as the plague decimated entire towns. The disease often left behind bleeding mouth lesions on its victims, which to the uneducated was a sure sign of vampirism.
It wasnt uncommon for anyone with an unfamiliar physical or emotional illness to be labeled a vampire. Many researchers have pointed to porphyria, a blood disorder that can cause severe blisters on skin thats exposed to sunlight, as a disease that may have been linked to the vampire legend.
Some symptoms of porphyria can be temporarily relieved by ingesting blood. Other diseases blamed for promoting the vampire myth include rabies or goiter.
When a suspected vampire died, their bodies were often disinterred to search for signs of vampirism. In some cases, a stake was thrust through the corpses heart to make sure they stayed dead. Other accounts describe the decapitation and burning of the corpses of suspected vampires well into the nineteenth century.
Mercy Brown may rival Count Dracula as the most notorious vampire. Unlike Count Dracula, however, Mercy was a real person. She lived in Exeter, Rhode Island and was the daughter of George Brown, a farmer.
After George lost many family members, including Mercy, in the late 1800s to tuberculosis, his community used Mercy as a scapegoat to explain their deaths. It was common at that time to blame several deaths in one family on the undead. The bodies of each dead family member were often exhumed and searched for signs of vampirism.
When Mercys body was exhumed and didnt display severe decay (not surprising, since her body was placed in an above-ground vault during a New England winter), the townspeople accused her of being a vampire and making her family sick from her icy grave. They cut out her heart, burned it, then fed the ashes to her sick brother. Perhaps not surprisingly, he died shortly thereafter.
Although modern science has silenced the vampire fears of the past, people who call themselves vampires do exist. Theyre normal-seeming people who drink small amounts of blood in a (perhaps misguided) effort to stay healthy.
Communities of self-identified vampires can be found on the Internet and in cities and towns around the world.To avoid rekindling vampire superstitions, most modern vampires keep to themselves and typically conduct their feeding ritualswhich include drinking the blood of willing donorsin private.
Some vampires dont ingest human blood but claim to feed off the energy of others. Many state that if they dont feed regularly, they become agitated or depressed.
Vampires became mainstream after Dracula was published. Since then, Count Draculas legendary persona has been the topic of many films, books and television shows. Given the fascination people have with all things horror, vampiresreal or imaginedare likely to continue to inhabit the earth for years to come.
A Brief History of the Immortals of Non-Hindu Civilizations. Shri Bhagavatananda Guru.A Natural History of Vampires. Scientific American.Draculas Homepage. Elizabeth Miller.Meet the Real-Life Vampires of New England and Beyond. Smithsonian.com.Real-Life Vampires Exist and Researchers Are Studying Them. Discover.Where Do Vampires Come From? National Geographic.The real-life diseases that spread the vampire myth. BBC Future.Born to the Purple: the Story of Porphyria. Scientific American.
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Vampire History - HISTORY
- Is This a Real Photo of Vampire Queen 'Madam Violet,' Voted UK's Scariest Woman Alive in the 1880s? - Snopes.com - March 16th, 2024
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- Empire of the Damned Review: A Wickedly Good Time | Arts - Harvard Crimson - March 8th, 2024
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- Bloodsuckers Through the Ages - A History of Vampires (Video) - Ancient Origins - February 28th, 2024
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- Vampires Invade the Marvel Universe in New Blood Hunt Trailer - Superherohype.com - February 28th, 2024
- 'Near Dark' Is the Acid-Soaked Vampire Western You Need to See - IMDb - February 19th, 2024
- In The Sci-Fi World I Created, Vampires And Werewolves Are Still A Huge Problem (20 New Pics) - Bored Panda - February 19th, 2024
- Kathryn Bigelow's 'Near Dark' Is the Acid-Soaked Vampire Western You Need to See - Collider - February 19th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire review Tom Cruise and Brad Pitts brilliant bloodsucking bromance - The Guardian - February 19th, 2024
- Is This Too Niche: Vampires - The Post - The Post - February 19th, 2024
- ALEX VAN HELSING Novel Trilogy Being Adapted as a TV Series By Kit Williamson GeekTyrant - GeekTyrant - February 19th, 2024
- The Supernatural Romance Of Vampire: The Masquerade Blood-Stained Love - Forbes - February 19th, 2024
- Leaving the shadows for passion: Why vampires are classic monsters that best reflect our fears and desires - EL PAS USA - February 19th, 2024
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- Vampire Weekend adds second Austin show to 2024 tour - Laredo Morning Times - February 19th, 2024
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- Vampire Weekend Announce Massive Tour in Support of New Album Only God Was Above Us - Rolling Stone - February 19th, 2024
- Harry Potter: Are There Vampires in the Wizarding World? - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 19th, 2024
- The Midnight Sons return, Black Panther becomes a vampire, and much more in Marvel's Blood Hunt tie-ins - Gamesradar - February 19th, 2024
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- Geometry Survivor is a little Geometry Wars and a bit Vampire Survivors - GamingOnLinux - February 19th, 2024
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- BLOOD HUNT: Marvel Comics Reveals T'Challa/Black Panther Will Be Transformed Into A Vampire This May - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - February 19th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire season 2 teaser reveals May 12 release date - Winter is Coming - February 11th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2: Cast, Latest News, and Everything You Need to Know - TV Guide - February 11th, 2024
- 'Interview with the Vampire' Season 2 coming to AMC in May - Yahoo Lifestyle UK - February 11th, 2024
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- Everything We Know About INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Season 2 - Yahoo Entertainment - February 11th, 2024
- Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler's top secret vampire movie will be set in the 1930s and have anime influences - Gamesradar - February 11th, 2024
- Sean Strickland has weird altercation with 'vampire' Machine Gun Kelly, Dana White offers hilarious reaction | Video ... - MMA Mania - February 11th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2's Claudia Recast Impact Explained By Star & Producer - Screen Rant - February 11th, 2024
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- Vampire Weekend Announced Their 'Only God Was Above Us' New Album - UPROXX - February 11th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire - AMC Sets Season Two Premiere Date - Bloody Disgusting - February 11th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend announce new album 'Only God Was Above Us' & Austin total eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - February 11th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease new music with a cryptic video - NME - February 11th, 2024
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- 'Interview With the Vampire' season 2 is FINALLY on the horizonhere's when you can watch it - Out Magazine - February 11th, 2024
- Introducing the 'Vampire Virus' and What It Means for Connecticut and New York - i95rock.com - February 11th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire' Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Plot, and More - The Mary Sue - February 11th, 2024
- Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Is Already Making One Big Mistake - Screen Rant - February 11th, 2024
- AMC's very good, very sexy Interview With The Vampire sets its return - Yahoo Entertainment - February 11th, 2024
- Man accused of burning down home said voices told him the place contained vampires - KOIN.com - February 3rd, 2024
- Dolly Parton on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' reboot: 'They're still working on that' - USA TODAY - February 3rd, 2024
- Become the ultimate vampire In V Rising, coming to PS5 this year - PlayStation - February 3rd, 2024
- Here's Your First Look At Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Gameplay From Its New Developer - Game Informer - February 3rd, 2024
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- Our first look at Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 shies away from what makes it a vampire RPG, and that has ... - Gamesradar - February 3rd, 2024
- Hulu's ACOTAR Show Could Kick Off The Next Early 2000s Vampire Craze - Screen Rant - February 3rd, 2024
- Dolly Parton On Potential Buffy The Vampire Slayer Revival: Theyre Still Working On That - Deadline - February 3rd, 2024
- Here's 15 minutes of The Chinese Room's Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Eurogamer.net - February 3rd, 2024
- Sink Your Fangs into This Extended Gameplay Reveal of Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - MMORPG.com - February 3rd, 2024
- They're still working on it: Dolly Parton teases Buffy The Vampire Slayer revival - Gay Times Magazine - February 3rd, 2024
- 'Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2' gameplay revealed in new trailer - NME - February 3rd, 2024
- Dolly Parton Hints At 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Reboot - Purple Sneakers - February 3rd, 2024
- All 8 The Vampire Diaries Seasons, Ranked Worst To Best - Screen Rant - February 3rd, 2024
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- Is Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot still in the works? Here's what Dolly Parton says - Sportskeeda - February 3rd, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot still in the works, says Dolly Parton - PinkNews - February 3rd, 2024
- Dolly Parton shares Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot revelation - The Independent - February 3rd, 2024
- Dolly Parton Spills the Tea on Potential 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Reboot - American Songwriter - February 3rd, 2024
- Hit Vampire RPG V Rising Arrives on PS5 This Year - Push Square - February 3rd, 2024
- Blade Theory: Mahershala Ali isn't Hunting Vampires, He's Hunting Followers of Knull Planning an Incursion - FandomWire - January 26th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero