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PostHeaderIcon The Vampire – The Myth, Legend and Reality

David Slone asked:




Vampires and vampire legend play significant roles in the cultures of many areas around the world. These blood-sucking beings are most common in the cultures of Eastern Europe, although similar manifestations are reported in some Asian cultures as well as some ancient cultures. Vampire legends have a distinct background bridging several cultures and eras, making them some of the most compelling stories ever told.

The first step in understanding vampire lore is to understand some of the biological reasons that may have led to such beliefs. One of the most plausible explanations for vampire myths is the disease porphyria, which occurred frequently in Transylvania. Engagement Rings Denver . Porphyria is a blood-related condition where a vital function of blood cells is lost. This results in rapid tissue damage, giving the victim a ghastly pallor and enlarged teeth due to gum damage. The effects of porphyria are greatly amplified upon exposure to the sun, making sun light a likely threat victims would try to avoid at all costs. It is also believed that certain strains of porphyria are associated with neurological conditions, which would result in insanity. This condition also explains the practice of drinking blood, as these people would likely drink animal blood as a cure for the anemia associated with porphyria. Another explanation for this legend is the disease rabies, as it leads to hypersensitivity, unusual sleep patterns, and intense sexuality. Rabies is also associated with the compulsion to bite others, and a bloody foaming at the mouth. These two diseases could possibly explain the origins of vampire legends, and perhaps also why they are so widespread.

From the beginning of history, vampire-like spirits and beings have been recorded. The Akhkharu were blood-sucking demons, written about back in the time of Sumer. The ancient Chinese wrote about "hopping corpses" which would go around and consume a victim's life essence (commonly known as chi). Even ancient Egyptian lore had a story where the goddess Sakhmet was consumed with bloodlust. From the earliest of times, vampire like beings have been prominent in folklore from several different cultures.

The most well-known versions of vampire myth are those of the Slavic and Romanian cultures, which, due to their proximity, are surprisingly similar. Both have several reasons that a person may become a vampire, such as unnatural death, birth defects, or conception on certain days. Romanian legend gave rise to the belief that being bitten by a vampire would doom one to become a vampire after death. Both Slavic and Romanian myths hold the belief that, with the advent of a vampire, there would be deaths of livestock and family members of the vampire. The favored way to kill a vampire in these two myths is by driving a stake through the heart, decapitation, and if necessary, dismemberment. phlebotomist pay . Slavic and Romanian vampire myths have given rise to the most popular world-view of vampires.

Vampire legends have played a significant role in the folklore of many regions of the world, since the beginning of history in Sumer, and they will continue to be important through such media as movies, books, and video games well into the future.



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    PostHeaderIcon Vampires in Folklore

    CT Thompson asked:




    Vampires are fantastic villains and appear throughout folklore. Here are four tales of vampires.

    The Buckinghamshire Vampire

    In 1196 a vampire roamed the Buckinghamshire region of England. The tale is chronicled in Historia Rerum Anglicarum. The author of the story is a monk named William of Newburgh. A vampire, which was the apparition of a recently decease man, attacked his victims at night. He was a classical vampire, one who slept each day in the grave at the local cemetery. When the sun set the vampire would rise and attack his widow while she slept. Term Life Insurance Quotes . It is common in vampire folklore for vampires to attack their former family members.

    Although he didn't kill his widow, each night he returned to her bed chamber and attacked and harassed her. The widow asked family members to stay with her and keep her awake at night. The vampire began attacking other family members in the house. Before long, the entire town was afraid of falling asleep.

    The vampire's grave was exhumed by the local townspeople. The corpse hadn't decayed and was in fresh condition. The townspeople reburied the corpse. LCD TV . On the chest of the corpse they placed a holy scapula. The vampire never rose from the grave again.

    The Folktale of the Vampire of Berwick

    In another account of William of Newburgh's Historia Rerum Anglicarum, a wealthy man who lived in the town of Berwick died of plague near the England and Scotland border. After his death he was seen roaming the streets at night. The dogs of the town would howl deep into the night while this vampire was roaming. The townspeople, who were afraid that plague might infect the town due to the vampire's presence, dug up the corpse, dismembered it, and burned it. The vampire was never seen roaming the village at night again. However, plague still infected the town and it was attributed to the lingering spiritual presence of the vampire.

    The Vampire Folktale of Arnold Paole

    In this famous Austrian folktale, a Serbian outlaw named Arnold was subject to a vampire attack during a nocturnal walk in a cemetery. He traced the vampire's grave and beheaded it with a spade. The vampire curse was a superstition that caused the slayer of a vampire to turn into a vampire themselves. In an attempt to thwart the curse, Arnold ate some of the dirt around the grave. Arnold would live a normal life for several more years.

    Sometime later Arnold died from a fall in which he broke his neck. After his burial his specter was found lurking in the village late at night. Many villagers were found dead in the morning, all drained of blood. The stark speculation was that Arnold had fallen prey to the vampire curse. The Austrian army was appointed to probe the matter. They exhumed the body and were shocked by what they found. The body had not decayed and there was fresh blood frothing from the mouth, nose, and eyes. The nails had elongated and new skin had grown.

    The townspeople drove a stake through the heart of the corpse. The body began bleeding from the wound and the corpse began groaning in agony. The vampire was never seen again.

    The Vampire Folktale of Peter Plogojowitz

    This case was one of the most sensational and well documented cases of vampire hysteria. The story is found in Imperial Provisor Frombald, written by an Austrian official who witnessed the vampire stalkings of Peter Plogojowitz.

    In 1725 Peter Plogojowitz, a Serbian peasant, lived in a village named Kisilova. Just after Plogojowitz's death, at least nine other villagers perished. They died slowly and on their death beds they claimed that Plogojowitz was attacking and strangling them during the night.

    The townspeople exhumed the body and examined it for signs of vampirism. They discovered that the corpse had not decayed, the hair and nails had grown, and a beard had grown. Blood was found in the mouth of the corpse. The townspeople staked the corpse through the heart. Blood began to run from the nose and ears. Fearful that the vampire would rise again, the villagers burned the body.

    Conclusion

    Vampire folktales share very common themes. When a person dies and is reanimated as a vampire, the vampire oftentimes attacks former family members first. Near dawn the vampire returns to its grave to seek shelter until the next night. When the body is exhumed it lacks signs of decomposition. After the body is staked through the heart or destroyed by fire, the vampire is never seen again.



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      PostHeaderIcon The Vampires All Around Us

      Andrew Biggins asked:




      When we say vampire what comes to your mind? Bloodsucking white faced individuals that live in dark castles somewhere in Transylvania or something. atlanta seo firm . Well vampirism or the belief in the existence of vampires/the act or practice of it isn't just a human territory. Various vampires in nature can be seen - a lot of them in the government and your workplace - but we won't be talking about those KIND of creatures.

      Anyway my interest in vampires was piqued when I saw the recent discovery of a new kind of vampire moth. Here are a few vampires in nature you should be aware of:

      Vampire Moth
      "evolution at work". These little moths were first seen in Finland, then just recently a new kind of vampire moths were seen in Siberia. recycled glass vase . These vampire moths are the first ones in the world with the amazing ability to fill its stomach with human blood - a puncture can cause your skin to swell, turn reddish & ache for hours. Check out national geographic to see the video.

      Vampire Squid
      fear not, this guy probably won't reach your feet when you hit the beach - it normally resides at depths of 2000-3000 ft. According to reports, its form looks more of a jellyfish than a squid. It has no ink sac like the common squid, and it has the ability to turn itself on or off - it has light producing organs called photophores. When it turns itself off, it is completely invisible. Its arms are covered with sharp tooth like spikes that can form a defensive web when attacked. Ouch. Why is it called vampire squid? Because of the sharp tooth like spikes.

      Vampire Fish
      Now this one, you gotta steer clear of! The vampire fish of Brazil or otherwise called the Candiru has been known to lodge itself in the genitals of the human host, eat away the mucous membranes and tissues until eventually the host dies of hemorrhage. It can be pulled by its tail however it can spread itself like an umbrella inside the host. What makes them so attracted to humans? The taste & smell of human urine.

      Vampire Weed
      The dodder plant is a kind of weed that preys on plants by coiling itself around it, drains it of its lifeblood until it dies. What makes this plant interesting? The dodder plant sniffs out its prey. For example it prefers to prey on tomatoes rather than wheat.

      Oxpeckers
      Although they don't have vampire anywhere near their name, it has been recently discovered that although oxpeckers remove the ticks off their host, they also take nips of their hosts' blood.

      Vampire Bat
      No description required!

      Blood Bot
      Although not a creature of nature, the blood bot is an interesting new technology. Blood bots are robotsbarely visible to the eye that are injected by surgeons into the patient's veins. These blood bots are used to clean plaque-filled vessels and a host of other things such as slicing off tissues for biopsies.

      Although not every thing on this short list is a potential danger to human life, their description alone can make you imagine things. What other vampiric animals do you know of? Share your knowledge!



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        PostHeaderIcon What Makes a Vampire?

        Ruby Groves asked:




        Vampires are everywhere. Movies, Books, and TV Shows. settlement loans . Denver Search Engine Optimization . atlanta seo firm . But what really makes a vampire? What are their traits, what are their general characteristics?

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          PostHeaderIcon The Roots of Numerous Vampire Myths

          CT Thompson asked:




          There are a great number of myths surrounding vampires. Many of these myths find their roots in early Christian doctrine. Others are the result of the superstitious people of the Middle Ages.

          Vampires Are Repelled By Crosses And Holy Water

          The root of this myth is in Christianity. The early vampire myths that spread across Europe were passed on by early Christians. Bram Stoker is a more modern example, but nonetheless, he was Christian as well. The victims of vampires are almost always Christians. As a result, crosses and holy water offer Christians protection from a devil that has manifested itself in the form of the vampire.

          The effect of holy water upon vampires has more to do with purification. As holy water is blessed by an ordained priest of God, it has the power to purify anything evil. Therefore, the power holy water has over vampires can only exist in a Christian vampire context.

          Vampires Sleep In Coffins

          It is speculated that the root of this myth originates from ancient grave diggers. There was no shortage of stories in the Middle Ages that dealt with vampires rising from graveyard coffins in the middle of the night. The myth would later evolve to include the notion that vampires must sleep in the native soil that they were originally buried in. Traditionally, vampires would crawl back to their grave each night. If a vampire wanted to travel to a new region, the vampire would have to take some soil from his or her grave along. In this manner, a vampire could return to the soil of his or her native grave each night. Later, the myth would evolve yet again to include protection from the sun.

          Kill A Vampire By Stabbing A Stake Through Their Heart

          The disease consumption, more commonly known as Tuberculosis is a micro bacterial disease that attacks the lungs. In the advanced stages of the disease the host coughs up blood and finally dies. In the Middle Ages both the disease consumption and vampire rumors were running rampant. It became a common belief that if you did not pin a victim of consumption to their grave, by means of a stake through the heart, the victim would rise the next night and become a vampire. A wooden stake was used for this pinning, as it was the most common tool available for the job. Iron was much harder to come by, so traditional nails were expensive.

          Vampires Cannot See Their Reflection In Mirrors

          Early vampires were portrayed as demons walking in animate dead corpses. These corpses were no longer occupied by their original owners. The souls of these recently dead had ascended into heaven. The demons now occupying the bodies of the recently dead were without a soul. As a result, they could not see their reflection in the mirror.

          Vampires Die In Sunlight

          The origins of this myth are rooted in the belief that vampires are servants of Satan. Vampires were soulless demons that wandered the night. dallas dentist . Their power grew in darkness. They could not thrive in the light, as light is equated with things that are good and holy. God is light and it is light that drives away demons.

          Vampires And Bats

          A popular vampire myth is that vampires can turn into bats. This is a more recent concept, as earlier myths about vampires have no connection with bats. The connection no doubt exists in the modern era due to the vampire bat. This creature doesn't thrive in Romania or Europe, but rather in tropical and subtropical America, most notably from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. There are three species of vampire bat: Desmodus rotundus, Diphylla ecaudata, and Diaemus youngi. Each species feeds solely on blood.

          Vampires And The Blood Of The Young

          This myth mirrors the Victorian-era ballyhoo over the sexual awakening of young women. The myth is perpetuated through the life of the Countess Elizabeth Bathori. She was a Hungarian Countess that lived almost 400 years ago. She is regarded as the most notorious female serial killer of all time. migliori casino online . She was accused of killing over 600 victims. However, she was only convicted on 80 counts. In her castle she imprisoned young girls. She tortured them, drank their blood, and finally killed them.

          After her death in 1614 numerous tales emerged. She was accused of bathing in the blood of virgins in an attempt to retain her youth. She was given nicknames such as The Bloody Lady of Cachtice and The Blood Countess.

          More recently there is the case of Friedrich "Fritz" Haarmann, who lived from October 25, 1879 to April 15, 1925. Born in Hanover, Germany, this serial killer killed at least 24 young men. His victims were mostly male prostitutes and vagrants who congregated in downtown Hanover. Haarmann would lure these men back to his apartment and then brutally assault them. He would bite through their throats, drink their blood, and kill them.

          Haarmann would later become known as The Butcher of Hanover. His life would add to the vampire myth and the idea that drinking the blood of the young could help prolong your life.

          Conclusion

          Vampire myths are numerous in nature. Their spread has been the result of early Christian doctrine coupled with the superstitions of the Middle Ages. In modern times these myths are perpetuated and updated via fiction and literature. Today these myths continue to thrive thanks in part to the actions of insane individuals such as Friedrich Haarmann.



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