Brief History and Overview of Vampires

For my blog post this week, I thought I would give a history and overview of vampires, to help us understand I Am Legend.

Though not the first vampire character, the most famous modern vampire is Count Dracula, the main protagonist of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula.  Stoker’s Dracula is most likely a historical reference to Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476), who was also called Dracula and was known for his cruelty.

These modern vampires, called revenants, are human corpses that come back from the dead, but older versions of the vampire weren’t even considered human.  The modern idea of how one becomes a vampire (i.e. to be bitten by one) is actually relatively new. In many myths and legends, potential revenants could be identified at birth by a physical abnormality/deformity and many of these infants were likely killed soon after birth, or else risk a life of public suspicion of being a vampire.

The idea for a vampire likely came from superstitions surrounding infectious diseases, or other misfortunes, before germ theory was widely accepted, as well as from a fear of death and the dead.  In fact, it is very possible that lack of knowledge about the decomposition process led to the modern idea of the vampire, as a body well sealed in a coffin, especially in the winter, might take weeks to begin to decompose.  Intestinal decomposition causes bloating of most of the body and can force blood into the mouth, which would make it look as though the body had recently sucked blood.

Methods of protection and vampire destruction vary by tradition.  On method is to carry a bag of salt, and when chased by a vampire, one should spill the salt on the ground, because the vampire will be obligated to count all the salt grains.  Objects that scare away revenants are known as apotropaics.  They are thought to include: garlic, wild rose, hawthorn, mustard seeds, crucifixes, holy water, rosary, running water, mirrors. Methods of destruction usually include: staking (either through the heart or mouth), decapitation, shooting and drowning.  To prevent the dead vampires from returning, many burned or dismembered vampires, sprinkled holy water on them, or shot a bullet through the coffin. 

And check out this spectacular website for real vampires:

http://vampirewebsite.net/

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire#Protection

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/history/vlad/index_1.html

http://www.livescience.com/24374-vampires-real-history.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula