The History of Vampires

When we think of vampires we think of Dracula, someone romantic yet deadly. Bloodthirsty creatures that exist in the night. Indians, Greeks and Christians have all had a part of the conception that drinking the blood of another is sometimes understood as obtaining the life-blood of someone else for yourself. They are even known to suck the blood from animals. They are characterized as being sensitive to light, able to fly, sleeping in coffins, and often prey sexually on both male and females.

According to the Stoker novel, vampire myths appear to have originated in Transylvania. Today there are some cults of vampires that exist. These people believe that drinking the blood of others will bring power and life.

Vampire myths extend as far back as history itself, in every culture around the world. The Chinese thought vampires to have red eyes with pink or green hair, to the Greek Lamia, which has the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a winged serpent. In Japan they believe there are vampire foxes, and in Malaysia they believe in creatures called Penanggalang who have heads with trailing entrails.

Vampire myths of Europe originated in the Far East and were transported from places like China, Tibet and India. An old myth to keep a vampire away was to place millets or poppy seeds at the gravesite to keep them counting seeds rather than preying on relatives.

It was believed that by being born with teeth or some other defect could make you a vampire. It was even believed that improper burial rituals, being conceived on certain days could also cause someone to be a vampire. Preventative measures included placing a crucifix in the coffin in the dead, could prevent becoming a vampire.

There were certain things evident to say a vampire had been around, the death of cattle or sheep, relatives, neighbors, exhumed bodies being in a lifelike state. The destruction of vampires was very simple, it was necessary by means of decapitation, burning, driving a stake through the heart of the vampire and exorcism.