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40 Interesting Facts About . . .
Vampires
[INS: :INS]
1. Many scholars argue the word “vampire” is either from the Hungarian
vampir or from the Turkish upior, upper, upyr meaning “witch.”
Other scholars argue the term derived from the Greek word “to
drink” or from the Greek nosophoros meaning “plague carrier.” It
may also derive from the Serbian Bamiiup or the Serbo-Crotian
pirati. There are many terms for “vampire” found across cultures,
suggesting that vampires are embedded in human consciousness.^b
2. A group a vampires has variously been called a clutch, brood,
coven, pack, or a clan.^f
3. Probably the most famous vampire of all time, Count Dracula, quoted
Deuteronomy 12:23: “The blood is the life.”^f
4. The Muppet vampire, Count von Count from Sesame Street, is based on
actual vampire myth. One way to supposedly deter a vampire is to
throw seeds (usually mustard) outside a door or place fishing net
outside a window. Vampires are compelled to count the seeds or the
holes in the net, delaying them until the sun comes up.^b
[home_blank.gif]
dolmens
[home_blank.gif]
Celtic for “stone tables,“ dolmens may have been placed over graves to
keep vampires from rising
[home_blank.gif]
5. Prehistoric stone monuments called “dolmens” have been found over
the graves of the dead in northwest Europe. Anthropologists
speculate they have been placed over graves to keep vampires from
rising.^c
6. A rare disease called porphyria (also called the "vampire" or
"Dracula" disease) causes vampire-like symptoms, such as an extreme
sensitivity to sunlight and sometimes hairiness. In extreme cases,
teeth might be stained reddish brown, and eventually the patient
may go mad.^c
7. Documented medical disorders that people accused of being a vampire
may have suffered from include haematodipsia, which is a sexual
thirst for blood, and hemeralopia or day blindness. Anemia
(“bloodlessness”) was often mistaken for a symptom of a vampire
attack.^f
[home_blank.gif]
Elizabeth Bathory
[home_blank.gif]
Considered a "true" vampire, Elizabeth Bathory supposedly bathed in the
blood of young virgins
[home_blank.gif]
8. One of the most famous “true vampires” was Countess Elizabeth
Bathory (1560-1614) who was accused of biting the flesh of girls
while torturing them and bathing in their blood to retain her
youthful beauty. She was by all accounts a very attractive woman.^f
9. Vampire legends may have been based on Vlad of Walachia, also known
as Vlad the Impaler (c. 1431-1476). He had a habit of nailing hats
to people’s heads, skinning them alive, and impaling them on
upright stakes. He also liked to dip bread into the blood of his
enemies and eat it. His name, Vlad, means son of the dragon or
Dracula, who has been identified as the historical Dracula. Though
Vlad the Impaler was murdered in 1476, his tomb is reported
empty.^f
10. One of the earliest accounts of vampires is found in an ancient
Sumerian and Babylonian myth dating to 4,000 B.C. which describes
ekimmu or edimmu (one who is snatched away). The ekimmu is a type
of uruku or utukku (a spirit or demon) who was not buried properly
and has returned as a vengeful spirit to suck the life out of the
living.^a
11. According to the Egyptian text the Pert em Hru (Egyptian Book of
the Dead), if the ka (one of the five parts of the soul) does not
receive particular offerings, it ventures out of its tomb as a kha
to find nourishment, which may include drinking the blood of the
living. In addition, the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet was known to
drink blood. The ancient fanged goddess Kaliof India also had a
powerful desire for blood.^a
12. Chinese vampires were called a ch’iang shih (corpse-hopper) and had
red eyes and crooked claws. They were said to have a strong sexual
drive that led them to attack women. As they grew stronger, the
ch’iang shih gained the ability to fly, grew long white hair, and
could also change into a [11]wolf.^a
13. While both vampires and zombies generally belong to the “undead,”
there are differences between them depending on the mythology from
which they emerged. For example, zombies tend to have a lower IQ
than vampires, prefer brains and flesh rather than strictly blood,
are immune to garlic, most likely have a reflection in the mirror,
are based largely in African myth, move more slowly due to rotting
muscles, can enter churches, and are not necessarily afraid of fire
or sunlight.^f
14. Vampire hysteria and corpse mutilations to “kill” suspected
vampires were so pervasive in Europe during the mid-eighteenth
century that some rulers created laws to prevent the unearthing of
bodies. In some areas, mass hysteria led to public executions of
people believed to be vampires.^b
15. The first full work of fiction about a vampire in English was John
Polidori’s influential The Vampyre, which was published incorrectly
under Lord Byron’s name. Polidori (1795-1821) was Byron’s doctor
and based his vampire on Byron.^f
16. The first vampire movie is supposedly Secrets of House No. 5 in
1912. F.W. Murnau’s silent black-and-white Nosferatu came soon
after, in 1922. However, it was Tod Browning’s Dracula—with the
erotic, charming, cape- and tuxedo-clad aristocrat played by Bela
Lugosi—that became the hallmark of vampire movies and literature.^f
17. A vampire supposedly has control over the animal world and can turn
into a bat, rat, owl, moth, fox, or wolf.^c
18. In 2009, a sixteenth-century female skull with a rock wedged in its
mouth was found near the remains of plague victims. It was not
unusual during that century to shove a rock or brick in the mouth
of a suspected vampire to prevent it from feeding on the bodies of
other plague victims or attacking the living. Female vampires were
also often blamed for spreading the bubonic plague throughout
Europe.^d
19. Joseph Sheridan Le Fany’s gothic 1872 novella about a female
vampire, “Carmilla,” is considered the prototype for female and
lesbian vampires and greatly influenced Bram Stoker’s own Dracula.
In the story, Carmilla is eventually discovered as a vampire and,
true to folklore remedies, she is staked in her blood-filled
coffin, beheaded, and cremated.^f
20. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) remains an enduring influence on
vampire mythology and has never gone out of print. Some scholars
say it is clearly a Christian allegory; others suggest it contains
covert psycho-sexual anxieties reflective of the Victorian era.^k
21. According to several legends, if someone was bitten by a suspected
vampire, he or she should drink the ashes of a burned vampire. To
prevent an attack, a person should make bread with the blood of
vampire and eat it.^f
[home_blank.gif]
threshold
[home_blank.gif]
Without an invitation, vampires in most legends cannot cross a
threshold
[home_blank.gif]
22. Thresholds have historically held significant symbolic value, and a
vampire cannot cross a threshold unless invited. The connection
between threshold and vampires seems to be a concept of complicity
or allowance. Once a commitment is made to allow evil, evil can
re-enter at any time.^b
23. Before Christianity, methods of repelling vampires included garlic,
hawthorn branches, rowan trees (later used to make crosses),
scattering of seeds, fire, decapitation with a gravedigger’s spade,
salt (associated with preservation and purity), iron, bells, a
rooster’s crow, peppermint, running water, and burying a suspected
vampire at a crossroads. It was also not unusual for a corpse to be
buried face down so it would dig down the wrong way and become lost
in the earth.^f
24. After the advent of Christianity, methods of repelling vampires
began to include holy water, crucifixes, and Eucharist wafers.
These methods were usually not fatal to the vampire, and their
effectiveness depended on the belief of the user.^f
25. Garlic, a traditional vampire repellent, has been used as a form of
protection for over 2,000 years. The ancient Egyptians believed
garlic was a gift from God, Roman soldiers thought it gave them
courage, sailors believed it protected them from shipwreck, and
German miners believed it protected them from evil spirits when
they went underground. In several cultures, brides carried garlic
under their clothes for protection, and cloves of garlic were used
to protect people from a wide range of illnesses. Modern-day
scientists found that the oil in garlic, allicin, is a highly
effective antibiotic.^k
26. That sunlight can kill vampires seems to be a modern invention,
perhaps started by the U.S. government to scare superstitious
guerrillas in the Philippines in the 1950s. While sunlight can be
used by vampires to kill other vampires, as in Ann Rice’s popular
novel Interview with a Vampire, other vampires such as Lord Ruthven
and Varney were able to walk in daylight.^f
27. The legend that vampires must sleep in coffins probably arose from
reports of gravediggers and morticians who described corpses
suddenly sitting up in their graves or coffins. This eerie
phenomenon could be caused by the decomposing process.^c
28. According to some legends, a vampire may engage in [12]sex with his
former wife, which often led to [13]pregnancy. In fact, this belief
may have provided a convenient explanation as to why a widow, who
was supposed to be celibate, became pregnant. The resulting child
was called a gloglave (pl. glog) in Bulgarian or vampirdzii in
Turkish. Rather than being ostracized, the child was considered a
hero who had powers to slay a vampire.^f
29. The Twilight book series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking
Dawn) by Stephanie Meyers has also become popular with movie-goers.
Meyers admits that she did not research vampire mythology. Indeed,
her vampires break tradition in several ways. For example, garlic,
holy items, and sunlight do not harm them. Some critics praise the
book for capturing teenage feelings of sexual tension and
alienation.^i
[home_blank.gif]
vampire
[home_blank.gif]
Hollywood vampires often differ drastically from folklore vampires
[home_blank.gif]
30. [14]Hollywood and literary vampires typically deviate from folklore
vampires. For example, Hollywood vampires are typically pale,
aristocratic, very old, need their native soil, are supernaturally
beautiful, and usually need to be bitten to become a vampire. In
contrast, folklore vampires (before Bram Stoker) are usually
peasants, recently dead, initially appear as shapeless “bags of
blood,” do not need their native soil, and are often cremated with
or without being staked.^f
31. Folklore vampires can become vampires not only through a bite, but
also if they were once a werewolf, practiced sorcery, were
excommunicated, committed [15]suicide, were an illegitimate child
of parents who were illegitimate, or were still born or died before
baptism. In addition, anyone who has eaten the flesh of a sheep
killed by a wolf, was a seventh son, was the child of a pregnant
woman who was looked upon by a vampire, was a nun who stepped over
an unburied body, had teeth when they were born, or had a cat jump
on their corpse before being buried could also turn into
vampires.^f
32. In vampire folklore, a vampire initially emerges as a soft blurry
shape with no bones. He was “bags of blood” with red, glowing eyes
and, instead of a nose, had a sharp snout that he sucked blood
with. If he could survive for 40 days, he would then develop bones
and a body and become much more dangerous and difficult to kill.^f
33. While blood drinking isn’t enough to define a vampire, it is an
overwhelming feature. In some cultures, drinking the blood of a
victim allowed the drinker to absorb their victim’s strength, take
on an animal’s quality, or even make a woman more fecund. The color
red is also involved in many vampire rituals.^k
34. In some vampire folktales, vampires can marry and move to another
city where they take up jobs suitable for vampires, such as
butchers, barbers, and tailors. That they become butchers may be
based on the analogy that butchers are a descendants of the
“sacrificer.”^c
35. Certain regions in the Balkans believed that fruit, such as
pumpkins or watermelons, would become vampires if they were left
out longer than 10 days or not consumed by Christmas. Vampire
pumpkins or watermelons generally were not feared because they do
not have teeth. A drop of blood on a fruit's skin is a sign that it
is about to turn into a vampire.^e
36. Mermaids can also be vampires—but instead of sucking blood, they
suck out the breath of their victims.^e
37. By the end of the twentieth century, over 300 motion pictures were
made about vampires, and over 100 of them featured Dracula. Over
1,000 vampire novels were published, most within the past 25
years.^k
38. The most popular vampire in children’s fiction in recent years had
been Bunnicula, the cute little rabbit that lives a happy existence
as a vegetarian vampire.^g
39. Some historians argue that Prince Charles is a direct descendant of
the Vlad the Impaler, the son of Vlad Dracula.^h
40. The best known recent development of vampire mythology is Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel. Buffy is interesting
because it contemporizes vampirism in the very real,
twentieth-century world of a teenager vampire slayer played by
Sarah Michelle Gellar and her “Scooby gang.” It is also notable
because the show has led to the creation of “Buffy Studies” in
academia.^k
-- Posted May 2, 2009
References
^a Bartlett, Wayne and Flavia Idriceanu. 2006. Legends of Blood: The
Vampire in History and Myth. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
^b Dundes, Alan. 1998. The Vampire: A Case Book. Madison, WI:
University of Wisconsin Press.
^c Greer, John Michael. Monsters. 2001. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn
Worldwide.
^d Gusman, Jessica. “[16]Medieval Vampire Skull Found Near Venice.”
HuffingtonPost.com. March 11, 2009. Accessed: April 23, 2009.
^e Illes, Judith. 2009. Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to
the Magic Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods, and Goddesses. New
York, NY: HarperOne.
^f Melton, J. Gordon. 1999. The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the
Dead. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press.
^g -----.1998. The Vampire Gallery: Who’s Who of the Undead. Farmington
Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press.
^h Russo, Arlene. 2008. Vampire Nation. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn
Worldwide.
^i TheTimes.com. “[17]New-Age Vampires Stake Their Claim.” January 12,
2006. Accessed: April 23, 2009.
^j Webster, Richard. 2008. The Encyclopedia of Superstitions. Woodbury,
MN: Llewellyn Worldwide.
^k Williamson, Milly. 2005. The Lure of the Vampire: Gender, Fiction,
and Fandom from Bram Stoker to Buffy. London, UK: Wallflower Press.
Copyright © 2007-2015 Random History.com | [18]All Histories &
Facts | [19]Using Information on this Site | [20]Privacy
Policy |
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Vampires
By [18]Carl Pettit October 16, 2013 10:35 AM
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Dracula Dead and Loving It Columbia Pictures
Everyone knows that vampires suck … your blood!!!! Seriously though, do
you know the history behind modern vampire lore? These creatures of the
night have been lurking around for a very long time, although the
princes and princesses of darkness have taken on different guises and
mythologies throughout the ages.
Here are some things you probably didn’t know about vampires. If the
items on this list are old news to you, you might want to take a look
in the mirror and check for a reflection … your blood! Okay. Didn’t
work so well that time.
Why Vampires Have No Reflection
Harry Engels, Getty Images
According to legend, when a human dies and then returns to the world as
a vampire, he or she no longer has a soul. The unlucky individual is
now a vampire. It was once believed that mirrors cast back the
[19]image of the body and the soul; therefore if you didn’t have soul,
you couldn’t have a reflection.
Mirrors also used to contain some silver (not anymore, so don’t go and
break yours up trying to score beer pennies), which could also have
made a vampire’s reflection hard to see. Silver, [20]as pretty much
everyone knows, is toxic to the undead. Seriously, if you don’t know
that, what have you been doing with your life? Enjoying it? Pfffffft.
The Egyptians Had Vampires… Sort Of
egypt vampire YouTube
Proof!
Ancient Egyptians had all kinds of gods. The [21]warrior goddess
Sekhmet had the very bad habit of walking among men, slaughtering them
and then drinking up all of their blood. Apparently she needed
thousands of jugs of blood, sometimes mixed with beer, either to quench
her incredible thirst or because she was an unstoppable party animal.
One of her nicknames was the “Lady of the Bloodbath.” Another was “Lady
Who Maybe Stole My Cellphone.” If she ever is reincarnated, you might
want to refrain from inviting her over for your next Halloween costume
party, because she will ruin bobbing for apples like *that.*
What Do You Call a Group of Vampires?
Christopher Furlong, Getty Images
We would call them dorks.
Let’s see, cows are grouped together in herds, geese gather in gaggles,
fish in schools….What would you call a [22]large group of vampires
flying your way? Well, other than “nothing good is about to happen,”
you could officially say, “Look, there’s a brood, clutch, clan, coven
or pack of vampires over there. Maybe we should head in the opposite
direction. Wait, I dropped my thesaurus. Don’t leave me, only
frieeeend!”
Dracula Was Not a Nice Guy
IFRAME: [23]http://www.youtube.com/embed/5Ioiag30eAI?feature=oembed
All right, the fact that the [24]historical Dracula wasn’t a nice guy
is stating the obvious, but the level of his evil is actually quite
shocking. It was said that Vlad of Walachia, who also went by “Vlad the
Impaler,” never ate a meal without Ottoman Turks, impaled on stakes,
dying all around him. This 15th century Romanian monster left, at one
time, 20,000 corpses stuck on pikes outside of his castle as a warning
to all who would dare challenge him. When a corpse became too rotten to
display any longer, Vlad had no problem making a new one to take its
place. Apparently, he took his nickname very seriously. (“Vlad the Home
Decorator” never quite took.)
Vampire Defense
buffy gif
This doesn’t always work.
If a vampire bites you, not all hope is lost. Different societies
believed there were different cures for the affliction known as
vampirism. Here are some things you can do if you suspect those marks
on your skin aren’t from a mosquito, or [25]you want to keep an
unwanted vampire away:
– Eat lots of garlic
– Gather hawthorn branches and use them as a repellent (they also make
lovely wreathes)
– Bury potential vampires face down so they’ll dig the wrong way when
trying to get out (vampires are mad dumb, yo)
– Spread salt around the house
– Wear a cross (a no-brainer)
– Decapitate the vampire bothering you
– Wear iron (not silver) jewelry
– And last but not least, scatter seeds around your house because
vampires like counting them and can get distracted, which will give you
time to escape.
Unusual Ways to Become a Vampire
hocus pocus
Depending on the culture a vampire came from, there were a lot of
interesting ways [26]a vampire could be “made.” In Romania, for
example, people used to believe a child could simply be born a vampire
if the right spell was cast during or before the birth. Other fun ways
you could become a member of the club of the undead were partaking of
lamb meat slaughtered by a wolf, being a Satanist or a witch,
committing suicide, letting a cat or dog walk above the newly departed,
or being buried (after you die, of course) in the wrong manner. And
here you thought all it took was a simple bite on the neck.
The Word ‘Vampire’ Has Many Possible Roots
ungroundable
There is some disagreement among scholars about the [27]true origins of
the word vampire. It might be Hungarian, Romanian or Turkish in
origin, or perhaps the word even came from Hebrew. Other theories
speculate the word dates all the way back back to ancient Greece, where
it might have come from the verb “to drink.” Regardless of the origin
of the word, the terror it has so often inspired remains the same
everywhere, because people don’t really care about word origins when a
monster is trying to eat them.
Vampire Pumpkins and Watermelons, Really?
vampire pumpkin
Okay, vampire pumpkins and watermelons might not sound scary, but in
the Balkans people actually once believed that gourds posed a real
threat. If a pumpkin or watermelon was left outside for too long after
picking, and especially if it wasn’t gobbled up before Christmas, the
fruit in question [28]could turn into a vampire. Even though this kind
of food wasn’t deemed desirable, an undead pumpkin was a low-level
threat, because without teeth, the fruit had no way of biting its
potential victims.
Britain’s Prince Charles Might Be Related to Dracula
Chris Jackson, Getty Images
Yep, it seems Prince Charles just might be a [29]descendant of the
historical Dracula, also known as Vlad of Walachia, or to his more
intimate associates, “Vlad the Impaler.” At least that’s what some
historians think, and if you doubt the future monarch of Great Britain
could ever be related to such a tyrant, Charles has even admitted the
fact himself. He stated that genealogy has proven his kinship with the
dastardly prince. Because of this, Charles once joked that he had, “A
bit of a stake in the country (Romania).” Peasants being impaled by the
thousands. Hilarious!
A Real Disease Causes Vampire Like Symptoms
Public Domain, Getty Images
The very rare, and unusual, group of diseases known as “porphyria” can
actually cause vampire-like symptoms. That said, the disease is
something you definitely don’t want, just in case any of the
‘[30]Twilight‘ fans out there were hoping for a chance at the romantic
and glittery vampire life. People afflicted with this condition
suffered from a severe sensitivity to sunlight, hallucinations,
paranoia, possible madness and a host of other debilitating conditions.
The disease has been [31]associated with vampires in the past, but in
reality, it only gives its victims a vampire’s weaknesses, but none of
vampire’s strengths. So basically it turns you into Count Duckula. A
vampire that eats broccoli? What a wuss.
IFRAME: [32]http://www.youtube.com/embed/VthsQVsXwEg?feature=oembed
[33]Next: The 15 Best Horror Movies Streaming on Netflix Instant
Filed Under: [34]Animated Gifs | [35]Things You Didn't Know About |
[36]Vampires Category: [37]Amazing | [38]Halloween | [39]Humor |
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(I’m going to preface this by saying I absolutely loathe the modern
Vampire model.)
The History of the Vampire
The word “vampire” did not appear in English until 1734, when it was
used in an Anglo-Saxon poem titled “The Vampyre of the Fens”. One of
the earliest accounts of vampires is found in an ancient Sumerian and
Babylonian myth dating to 4,000 B.C. which describes ekimmu or edimmu
(one who is snatched away). The ekimmu is a type of uruku or utukku (a
spirit or demon) who was not buried properly and has returned as a
vengeful spirit to suck the life out of the living. The first full work
of fiction about a vampire in English was John Polidori’s influential
“The Vampyre”, which was published incorrectly under Lord Byron’s name.
Polidori (1795-1821) was Byron’s doctor and based his vampire on Byron.
In vampire folklore, a vampire initially emerges as a soft blurry shape
with no bones. He was “bags of blood” with red, glowing eyes and,
instead of a nose, had a sharp snout that he sucked blood with. If he
could survive for 40 days, he would then develop bones and a body and
become much more dangerous and difficult to kill.
In 2009, a sixteenth-century female skull with a rock wedged in its
mouth was found near the remains of plague victims. It was not unusual
during that century to shove a rock or brick in the mouth of a
suspected vampire to prevent it from feeding on the bodies of other
plague victims or attacking the living. Female vampires were also often
blamed for spreading the bubonic plague throughout Europe.
Modern Takes
5703218908_67cea91da8_z [35]via Flickr – Alvaro Tapia
Hollywood and literary depictions of vampires are vastly different than
of historical myths. Today vampires are widely believed to be very old,
tall, attractive, intelligent and aristocratic, sleep in coffins on
native ground, have an insatiable thirst for blood, and who must be
staked through the heart to be killed. In contrast, folkloric vampires
(before Bram Stoker) are usually peasants of low intelligence, recently
dead, do not need their native soil, and are often cremated with or
without being staked. By the end of the twentieth century, over 300
motion pictures were made about vampires, and over 100 of them featured
Dracula. Over 1,000 vampire novels were published, most within the past
25 years.
Powers
4196557505_8ae55196bd_z [36]via Flickr – Jared Kelly
Modern literature often states that vampires have many powers; anything
from telepathy and mind control to the ability to communicate with
and/or transform into animals. There is no historical lore that
corroborate these concepts and seem to mostly be very recent
developments in vampire mythology. The idea of a vampire is harmed by
sunlight is a fairly recent and, apparently, a literary invention.
Historic lore makes no mention of it. Though, there have been reports
that perhaps the U.S. government used such a tale to scare
superstitious guerrillas in the Philippines in the 1950s. While
sunlight can be used by vampires to kill other vampires, as in Ann
Rice’s popular novel Interview with a Vampire, other vampires such as
Lord Ruthven and Varney were able to walk in daylight.
How one becomes a vampire…
377326443_925518ce0b_z [37]via Flickr – ryan remillard
Folklore vampires can become vampires not only through a bite, but also
if they were once a werewolf, practiced sorcery, were an illegitimate
child of parents who were illegitimate, died before baptism, anyone who
has eaten the flesh of a sheep killed by a wolf, was the child of a
pregnant woman who was looked upon by a vampire, was a nun who stepped
over an unburied body, had teeth when they were born, or had a cat jump
on their corpse before being buried (England and Japan), a baby born
with teeth; a stillborn; a bat flying over a corpse (Romania); being
excommunicated by the Orthodox Church (Greece); being the seventh son
of the seventh son; a dead body that has been reflected in a mirror;
red heads (Greece); people who die by suicide or sudden, violent
deaths; people who were improperly buried; renouncing the Eastern
Orthodox religion.
What to do if you’ve been bitten and how to repel a Vampire…
2885420038_7b00119718_z [38]via Flickr – gaelx
According to several legends, if someone was bitten by a suspected
vampire, he or she should drink the ashes of a burned vampire. To
prevent an attack, a person should make bread with the blood of vampire
and eat it. Things that repel vampires: churches; crucifixes; eucharist
water; garlic; holy water; thresholds (unless they’re invited in);
mirrors; sunlight; fire. Before Christianity, methods of repelling
vampires included garlic, hawthorn branches, rowan trees (later used to
make crosses), scattering of seeds, fire, decapitation with a
gravedigger’s spade, salt (associated with preservation and purity),
iron, bells, a rooster’s crow, peppermint, running water, and burying a
suspected vampire at a crossroads. It was also not unusual for a corpse
to be buried face down so it would dig down the wrong way and become
lost in the earth. Garlic, a traditional vampire repellent, has been
used as a form of protection for over 2,000 years. The ancient
Egyptians believed garlic was a gift from God, Roman soldiers thought
it gave them courage, sailors believed it protected them from
shipwreck, and German miners believed it protected them from evil
spirits when they went underground. In several cultures, brides carried
garlic under their clothes for protection, and cloves of garlic were
used to protect people from a wide range of illnesses. Modern-day
scientists found that the oil in garlic, allicin, is a highly effective
antibiotic.
Offspring
18449204_5002549d02_z [39]via Flickr – Shawn Allen
In folklore, the vampire’s first victim would often be his wife. This
is why, in some cultures, when a husband died, the wife would change
her appearance, i.e. she would cut her hair and would wear black for
the entire period of mourning. These things were done with the
intention of deceiving the vampire, should he return. According to some
legends, a vampire may engage in sex with his former wife, which often
led to pregnancy. In fact, this belief may have provided a convenient
explanation as to why a widow, who was supposed to be celibate, became
pregnant. The resulting child was called a gloglave (pl. glog) in
Bulgarian or vampirdzii in Turkish. Rather than being ostracized, the
child was considered a hero who had powers to slay a vampire.
Vlad Tepes III
Vlad_Tepes_002 [40]via Wikipedia
It’s largely believed that Dracula is based on a Wallachian Prince
named Vlad Tepes, or Vlad Dracul, meaning “The Dragon”, though this may
not be so. There’s no evidence that Bram Stoker had ever heard of this
monarch while writing the book. Vlad Tepes was born in the fortress of
Sighisoara, Romania in December of 1431. When he was born his father,
Vlad Dracul, was the military governor of Transylvania, appointed by
the emperor Sigismund. A year prior to this time Vlad Dracul was
welcomed into the Order of the Dragon. The Order began in 1387 and was
a society committed to the military and religion. The Order was could
be compared to a men’s club today that consisted of members that were
passionate about preserving the Catholic religion and to fight against
the Turks. Dracula became prince in 1456 and in his brief reign is
estimated to have killed 100,000 people. He is named “The Impaler”
because of his proclivity for impaling his victims on a sharp pole,
often eating meals on the field in which his victims were suspended. He
was assassinated in 1476
Possible Explanations for Historic Outbreaks of “Vampirism”
NosferatuShadow
Recent research has linked historical reports of vampirism to outbreaks
of rabies in nearby areas, which would explain the senility,
sensitivity to light and garlic, as well as a tendency to bite people,
leading to the spread of the infection. A rare disease called porphyria
(also called the “vampire” or “Dracula” disease) causes vampire-like
symptoms, such as an extreme sensitivity to sunlight and sometimes
hairiness. In extreme cases, teeth might be stained reddish brown, and
eventually the patient may go mad. Documented medical disorders that
people accused of being a vampire may have suffered from include
haematodipsia, which is a sexual thirst for blood, and hemeralopia or
day blindness. Anemia (“bloodlessness”) was often mistaken for a
symptom of a vampire attack.
How To Kill Them…
1200px-Vampire_skeleton_of_Sozopol_in_Sofia_PD_2012_06 [41]800-year-old
skeleton stabbed through the chest with an iron rod via Wikipedia
To destroy a vampire: burn it; bury the corpse facedown; drive a wooden
stake through its heart; pile stones on the grave; put poppy seeds or
wild roses on the grave; boil the head in vinegar; place a coin in the
mouth and decapitate with an axe; put a lemon in the mouth; bury at a
crossroads; remove the heart and cut it in two; put garlic in the mouth
and drive a nail through the temple; cut off the toes and drive a nail
through the neck; pour boiling oil on the body and drive a nail through
the navel. TC mark
featured image – [42]via Wikipedia
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Facts About Vampires
If you've ever wanted a compilation of facts about vampires, you have
come to the right place. There is so much to say about vampires that
we couldn't just dedicate one page to them. Both informational
articles and questions (with answers) will be posted and updated right
here.
There are literally thousands of vampire legends throughout history.
Nearly every single culture on the face of the earth has some kind of
myth about undead, blood-sucking creatures that relate back to vampire
mythology.
Naturally, the legends are not all consistent with one another, though
there are many common threads throughout the various cultural myths. In
order to take a more analytical view at vampire, we must do a little
scientific-style hypothesizing.
With vampires, it seems there are more questions than there are
answers, so before we delve into the Question and Answer section, I'll
hook you up with some basic facts first:
Basic Facts About Vampires
* [19]Do Vampires Really Exist?
* [20]History of Vampires
* [21]The Vampire Origin Story
* [22]How To Become a Real Vampire
* [23]How To Kill a Vampire
* [24]Vampire Feeding
* [25]Vampire Disease
* [26]Traditional Vampire Names
* [27]Spell To Become A Vampire
[INS: :INS]
Answers to Previous Questions
Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...
[28]Werewolf vs Vampire [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Why do vampires and werewolves hate each other? Answer:
According to many modern vampire stories, the vampire and the werewolf
…
[29]Selene's Prayer [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif]
Question: I was kind of confused while I was reading about this . Is
this actually something that people would use when wanting to become a
vampire
…
[30]Vampire Lineage [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif]
Question: I FIND YOUR WEBSITE TO BE VERY INTRIGUING AND QUITE MORE
REALISTIC THAN THE OTHER WEBSITES I SEARCHED BEFORE. MY QUESTION IS
SOMEWHAT
…
[31]How Many Vampire Spells Are There? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Is there more than one spell to become a vampire? Answer:
Technically, there aren't any spells to become a vampire. The only
…
[32]Special Vampire Powers [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Do vampires have special powers such as mind reading, ability
to compel people or seeing the future? Answer: The simple answer
…
[33]After The Change [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif]
Question: When someone is changed into a vampire does it have any
affect on their complexion, the way their body looks or the way their
voice sounds?
…
[34]Are Vampires Always Evil? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Are vampires naturally evil/demonic? What if you still praise
god when you are a vampire, can crosses still effect you? Answer:
…
[35]Mirrors and the Moon? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Do vampires have a reflection or not? Also wouldn't the moon
hurt them? Answer: Both excellent questions. I'll start with
…
[36]How To Invite A Vampire To Our House? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: IS THERE ANY GOOD SPELL OR SOMETHING TO INVITE A VAMPIRE TO
OUR HOUSE TO MAKE US A VAMPIRE? Answer: This seems to be a very
…
[37]What Don't Vampires Like? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: What don't vampires like? Answer: Like humans, vampires are
individuals with individual tastes and preferences. Unlike some
…
[38]Why is Vampire Skin Pale and Cold? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Okay, so I always hear that vampires skin is very cold but if
there is no blood in their veins it would be kinda like they're cold
blooded
…
[39]Facial Changes and the Power of the Cross [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: This question is mostly something i couldn't find a topic of
it, because it kinda mixes them. What do crosses do to vampires? And
can
…
[40]Are Vampire Novels Accurate? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: I am interested in researching vampires and the myths about
them. How do you find a real vampire and not someone who is acting like
one?
…
[41]Do Vampires Turn The Willing? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Where do vampires live and do they attack humans? Do vampires
stalk humans? If a vampire were to bite me, and I told her/him that I
…
[42]Where Can I Find a Real Vampire? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Are vampires real? Are they really living somewhere? Is there
any vampire living in the world? Do they exist? Are they dead living
creatures
…
[43]The Life and Death of Vampires [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: I have read that vampires can be killed by sunlight, silver,
wooden stake, fire, by tearing his head of, and using vampires disease.
…
[44]Are Vampires Heartless? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: I have heard vampires are heartless creatures? They do not
feelings? Answer: I wouldn't say that they are heartless, but there
…
[45]Is Reading About Vampires Dangerous? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: My mom showed me an article which said we become vampire,
wizards as we read about them. Is it true? Answer: The simple answer
…
[46]Can Humans Sense Vampires? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: How do you sense that you are in the presence of a vampire?
Answer: Many vampire stories tell of special powers that come
…
[47]Vampire Offspring [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif]
Question: Lets say both of a person's parents are vampires... would the
two create a vampire offspring? Answer: There is some disagreement
…
[48]Strange Vampire Name [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Can someone tell me what the vampire name Tubula Laaughstein
means and possibly the origin? Answer: As far as I can tell,
…
[49]Vampire Personality [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: What do vampires look like? Are they same as human or they
have any difference related to their personality? Answer: I assume
…
[50]Vampire Prevention [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif]
Question: I know vampires cannot enter your house with out being
invited in and cross's also keep them away from you, but are there any
other ways
…
[51]The History of Vampires [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: In The Vampire Origin Story why didn't Ambrogio feel the
thirst to kill Selene although he was in love with her? Wasn't Selene
human?
…
[52]Vampires and Garlic [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: I've heard the garlic is used to repel vampires. Is this
because they just cannot bear the smell, or is it the fact that the
odor is
…
[53]Can Vampires Fly? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[halfstar.gif]
Question: Can vampires fly like bats? Answer: There are many vampire
stories that involve flying, and some of those include the vampire
…
[54]Vampire vs Human [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[halfstar.gif]
Question: We know that vampires are a lot like people in some ways, but
will there every be a Vampire vs Human war? I think its pretty likely
because
…
[55]What Attracts Vampires? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: Are there certain things that attract vampires? Answer: In
regards to objects, materials, and sensory items, there are a few
…
[56]How Do You Know If You Are A Vampire? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: How do you know if you are a vampire? What are the real
signs? Answer: I would be surprised to find someone who was a vampire
…
[57]Do Vampires Glitter? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: I heard that vampires body glitters in the sunlight like
diamonds, and they don't show their body in the sunlight so they wont
glitter.
…
[58]What Kind of Blood Do Vampires Drink? [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: Do vampires have the ability to chose what blood to drink?
Can they chose to drink animal blood vs. human blood? Answer: Yes,
…
[59]Vampires and Silver [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: I heard that vampires are injured when they come in contact
with silver. If it's true, then like silver are there any more
materials
…
[60]Can U Bite Me Please? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: Can u bite me please! please!!!!!!!!!!!!! Answer: No.
[61]Vampire Location [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[halfstar.gif]
Question: Where do vampire's live? Do they all stick together as a
group or rather by themselves? Answer: All vampires are nomadic to
…
[62]Vampire Slaves? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[halfstar.gif]
Question: I have read a lot of books on vampires and almost all of them
have a vampire slave in them that a special vampire bite had made it so
…
[63]Werewolves and Vampires? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: I've heard (from movies, some books, and other sites) that
vampires sometimes keep werewolves for protection. I was wondering how
true
…
[64]Do Vampires Exist in India? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: Do vampires exist in India either in the present or in the
past? Answer: I seem to get this specific question quite a bit.
…
[65]Do Vampires Exist? [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[halfstar.gif]
Question: Do vampires really exist? If so, where are they? How would I
find one? Answer: I answered a similar question a while back
…
[66]Vampire Rules and Regulations [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: What are the rules and regulations vampires should follow?
Answer: There are two different kinds of "rules" to be considered.
…
[67]Vampire Conspiracy Theory [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
[star2.gif] [halfstar.gif]
Question: It is believed that vampires can be killed with stakes or
silver, don't have a reflection, are cold etc, etc. Is it not possible
that
…
[68]Special Weapons [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif] [star2.gif]
Question: Could I make handheld weapons that take advantage of a
vampires weakness to kill it at longer range? For example, you
mentioned the "active
…
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(BUTTON) [1]Vampire Facts
* [2]Vampires History
* [3]Vampire Facts
* [4]Famous Vampires
* [5]Vampires in Fiction
1. Home
[INS: :INS]
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[INS: :INS]
Vampire Facts - Origins, Legends, Beliefs...
[6]Picture Of Nosferatu
* Legends and myths of vampires existed long ago before the word
"vampire" itself started being used. Before that time, many ancient
cultures had their own version of blood sucking spirit who
possessed deceased human body, with many unique forms and traits
that varied depending on region, environment, religious beliefs,
and folklore.
* The most common believed traits of vampire is their ability to
survive death of physical body, sustaining their undead life by
drinking fresh human blood, have fangs, sleep in coffins during day
and that they could be hurt by sunlight, objects of religion
(crosses, holy water, etc) and garlic.
* The most commonly accepted means of killing a vampire is exposure
to sunlight, beheading, piercing wooden stake in hart, burning,
entering a church or holy ground, and covering it with holy water.
* They can be temporary stunned or subdued with the use of holy
objects (crosses), garlic, holy water, mirrors, sunlight, water
(they cannot survive touching open water, such as oceans or large
lakes) and invite (they cannot enter a house without invitation).
* Some of the more exotic powers that vampires can sometimes get in
folklore tales is the ability of flying, transforming into mists or
animals, magical persuasion over humans, and ability to change
their size and weight.
* The word vampire was derived from Hungarian word "vampir" which was
given to a good or (most often) evil spirit who possessed the body
of deceased in the first 40 days of their death.
[7]Vampires History
History of vampires is long and interesting one. Countless mystical
creatures who drink blood and can live in dead human bodies haunted the
folklore tales of various civilizations from the dawn of time, but the
arrival of Slavic myth of vampires created unprecedented attention and
mass hysteria that enabled them to become instantly famous around the
world.
[8]Vampire Facts
With several hundred years of their presence among us, vampires managed
to inspire people into creation of many legendary tales, works of art
and explanations how can they really walk among us. From such abundance
of information, we extracted some of the most important facts about
vampires that you need to know.
[9]Famous Vampires
The popularity of vampires is not only great because the power they
hold, but also because the famous vampires who wielded that power with
absolute conviction and determination. Here you can find out more about
famous vampires from our history and arts.
[10]Vampires in Fiction
Since their appearances in our culture, vampires appeared in countless
pieces of art – from novels and poems, to the stage plays, movies and
video games. Here you can find out more about some of the most
important vampire themed pieces of art that mankind has ever produced.
[INS: :INS]
[11]Picture Of Vampires And Garlic
Do you know these facts about Vampires?
* Ancient Babylonians were one of the first who incorporated undead
blood eating entity in their folklore. Six thousand year old evil
mystical beings Lilitu and Esrites survived by feeding of babies
and men, respectively.
* Egyptian believed that improper burial can bring the deceased back
from the death in a form that can only survive by eating human
blood.
* Ancient Greek and Roman people feared to meet Empusae and Lamia,
who feasted on human flesh, had ability to enchant people and use
magic. Those two beings later on became morphed into medieval
versions of witches and demons, and were greatly popularized by
Church who used those two folklore beings to explain the harsh age
filled with wars, famine and diseases.
* Northern medieval Europe had also incorporated beings with vampiric
traits to their folklore. In England first stories about revenants
(resurrected evil corpses) started appearing shortly after the
waves of Viking invasions. Viking themselves told the tales of
superhuman undead creature draugr.
* The most famous vampire of all time is Count Dracula, who was based
on the life of Hungarian Count VladTepes, a man with a reputation
of fierce killer. According to popular belief, he killed because of
his Christian beliefs, which gave birth to his inability to look
and be close to churches, crosses or holy water.
* Group of vampires is often called coven or clan.
* Popular myths of vampires rose because lack of knowledge in several
scientific areas, such as stages in decomposing of body, bad
medical practices (burying of alive people, who later managed to
claw out from their grave), identification of diseases who changed
mental processes (induced rage), rare appearances of blood disorder
disease porphyria (physical inability to survive in sunlight) and
anemia, psychological diseases such as haematodipsia(sexual thirst
for blood), hemeralopia (fear of sunlight), and more.
* Mass vampire hysteria that ruled over the Europe in 18th and 19th
century gave birth to many laws regarding burying of the dead,
which in the end gave birth to many popular works of fiction and
art with vampires as main theme.
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[16]Home » [17]History » 10 Interesting Vampire Facts
10 Interesting Vampire Facts
Monday, August 5th 2013. | [18]History
[19]Vampire facts are interesting to learn. This is one of the
important parts in European cultures. Many films have been made related
to the life of vampire. Even though the truth of vampire is still
questionable, we can learn more about what people believe about vampire
through the spreading movies around the world. Here is some beneficial
information about vampire:
Vampire Facts 1: Word of Vampire
Many people have their own options when it comes about the origin of
vampire word. Some people say that it is derived from the Turkish word
of upyr, upper or upior. It means witch. Others state that it comes
from the Hungarian word of vampire. Some people call it from Greek
which means to drink.
Vampire Facts 2: Group of Vampires
The group of vampires is called in various words such as a clan, brood,
coven, clutch, or a pack.
[20]Vampire Facts
Vampire Facts
Vampire Facts 3: Count Dracula
One of the most well-known names of vampires is Count Dracula. It has
been quoted in many kinds of books and movies. See [21]vampire bat
facts to know the blood sucker animal.
Vampire Facts 4: Stone Tables
People have different belief about vampires. To keep them from rising
and suck the blood of human, people use Celtic for stone table. It will
be installed on the graves with dolmens.
[22]Vampire Sucks Blood
Vampire Sucks Blood
Vampire Facts 5: Porphyria
There is a disease called as porphyria. Many people call is as a
disease of Dracula or vampire. The symptoms are just like a Dracula.
The patients will face hairiness and sensitivity to sunlight. In some
cases the patients can get mad and have reddish brown teeth.
Vampire Facts 6: Elizabeth Bathory
Elizabeth Bathory is called as a true vampire. The blood of young
virgins is estimated to bath her. She did it because she wanted to
preserve the beauty by sucking the blood of young virgins.
[23]Vampire
Vampire
Vampire Facts 7: Vlad of Walachia
Vlad of Walachia is another important figure of vampire. He lived
between 1431 and 1476. He had a bad habit killing the people by
skinning them alive and eating the victim.
Vampire Facts 8: Chinese vampires
Vampire myth is not only seen in Europe but also in Asia, such as
China. A Chinese vampire is called as corpse hopper or ch’iang shih. It
was characterized with high sexual drive with crooked claws and red
eyes.
[24]Vampire's Teeth
Vampire’s Teeth
Vampire Facts 9: Control of the Animal World
It is stated that a vampire had a big control in the animal kingdom.
The mythology stated that it can turn its form into an owl, bat, moth,
rat, wolf and a fox.
Vampire Facts 10: Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The most notorious book about vampires is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was
written in 1897. Many experts stated that the book had been influenced
much by Victorian era. Look at [25]bat facts to know the animal linked
with vampire.
[26]Woman Vampire
Woman Vampire
In this present day, there are myriads of vampire movies made around
the world. The famous one today is Twilight. It was adapted from a
novel written by Stephanie Meyers. Do you have any more information on
[27]facts about Dracula?
tags: [28]Vampire, [29]Vampire Facts
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Vampires
[vs_red.gif] [14]Peter Plogojowitz and Arnold Paole both hailed from
the same country, a Slavic region that had long been ruled by the
Turkish Ottoman Empire. What country was this?
[vs_red.gif] [15]During the nineteenth century, generations of
rural New Englanders sought relief from a dread disease that slowly
killed their loved ones, often in the prime of their lives, and
often taking years to do its work. Just as they would treat wounds
and allergic reactions with poultices and herbs, they would treat
this mysterious threat with a remedy of their own sensibilities -
destroying the bodies of the recently departed, whom they believed
were feeding on the living. According to folklorist Michael Bell's
book "Food for the Dead" (and most other analyses of New England's
vampire hunters), what was this mysterious wasting sickness?
[vs_red.gif] [16]The Danag is an ancient South East Asian vampire
that is initially believed to have been a good friend to humans
before it got a taste of their blood and decided to feast upon
them. Which country does this vampire originate from?
[vs_red.gif] [17]At the time of Peter and Paole's alleged vampiric
activities, their homeland had recently been conquered by a major
European power. In fact, officials from this multinational empire
were responsible for documenting these episodes and reporting them
to the bulk of Western Europe. What empire was this?
[vs_red.gif] [18]The first step of your investigation is to
determine whether there really is vampiric activity in the area.
What are some signs to look for in diagnosing the undead?
[vs_red.gif] [19]In 1732, Austrian medical officers published a
well-received account of a Serbian vampire who terrorized a small
village. What was this vampire's name?
[vs_red.gif] [20]You immediately turn around and start running.
Nero chases after you at full speed and starts to gain on you. You
reach into your pocket for something to throw at him and take out a
pouch filled with rice. What can you do with this?
[vs_red.gif] [21]What color was a Russian vampire's face said to
be?
[vs_red.gif] [22]We often hear that most vampires take the form of
a bat in order to fly about at night in search of prey. The Bruxsa,
a Portuguese vampire, however, transforms itself into another
winged creature. What form does the Bruxsa take?
[vs_red.gif] [23]There are a number of ways to get rid of a
vampire, some more invasively than others. There is, however, one
method in Eastern European practice which never seems to fail. What
is it?
[vs_red.gif] [24]Unfortunately, your aim is off tonight and you
toss the rice too far behind him for it to do anything. It does
make him duck, though, giving you enough time to speed ahead. You
see a group of bats flying nearby, and so does Nero. Can he make
them harm you?
[vs_red.gif] [25]What was so strange about the way a Bavarian
vampire slept?
[vs_red.gif] [26]In Italy in the 1540s what was considered the best
way to tell if a suspect was really a werewolf?
[vs_red.gif] [27]As you may have guessed by now, the vampire in
folklore is not the suave sophisticate one would find in Anne Rice
or Laurel Hamilton. He's usually a peasant, and a rather disgusting
creature at that. The first aristocratic vampire appears in John
Polidori's 1818 story "The Vampyre", and is modeled after a
well-known figure of the period. What celebrity of the period was
this?
[vs_red.gif] [28]The foreign official who reported on Plogojowitz
understandably wanted to consult his superiors before allowing the
villagers to hunt the vampire. However, the villagers said they
would flee the area if they couldn't destroy Peter immediately -
vampires had destroyed entire villages before, and they did not
want it to happen again. When the official relented and allowed the
grave to be opened, what did he detect that changed his mind?
[vs_red.gif] [29]Your method of finding the vampire seems to have
worked--one grave is clearly indicated. To confirm that this is the
vampire's lair, what signs should you look for?
[vs_red.gif] [30]Emily Gerard's 1885 essay, "Transylvanian
Superstitions", is often cited as a major source for "Dracula"
author Bram Stoker's knowledge of vampires. According to Gerard,
how does one become a vampire?
[vs_red.gif] [31]You make a sharp left turn away from them and keep
running. Unfortunately, Nero is too quick for you and grabs your
arm, dragging you to a halt. As you face him and watch your life
rush before your eyes, you notice a medallion around his neck.
You've seen it before, it's been adopted by modern day vampirists
as a sign of eternal life. What is it?
[vs_red.gif] [32]What was so strange about the way a Bulgarian
vampire fed?
[vs_red.gif] [33]What is most unusual about the Polish vampire
known as Upier?
[vs_red.gif] [34]How was Peter Plogojowitz destroyed?
[vs_red.gif] [35]Another widely-held Rhode Island superstition
holds that one can tell if a cemetery is haunted by evil spirits by
a special sign, an indication that the devil flies out of the
graves. What sign is this?
Interesting Vampire Facts
Published on November 15, 2010 in [16]World Facts by [17]Interesting
Facts
Vampires are generally associated with bats, dragons and beautiful
woman. The word vampire is believed to have been derived from either
Hungarian vampire (witch) or Turkish upior (witch) or from Greek
nosophorus (plague – carrier). A group of vampires is termed as clutch,
coven, or a clan.rnrnSome common ways people follow to keep the
vampires away are: they put mustard seeds on the threshold or hang
fishing net on their window to keep the vampires busy counting the
seeds or the fishing net’s holes till the sun rise. In ancient times in
the Europe, stone monuments were commonly called dolmens were built on
the graves to stop vampires from coming back. rnrnVampires are not
always dead; they are live people suffering from a type of disease.
This disease is called porphyria or in common words as “vampire
disease” or “Dracula disease”. The general symptoms of this disease are
discomfort in sunlight or hair in large quantity all over the body. In
severe cases the patient might have reddish brown stains on the teeth
and finally goes mad. This medical disorder is generally due to
haematodipsia, hemeralopia or sensitivity to sunlight termed as day
blindness.rnrnThe famous vampires known of are Count Dracula, Muppet
Vampires etc. The true vampire known for its beauty and attraction was
Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Vampires have different tastes and habits.
They are fond of blood, skin, flesh, nails and bones. Some grow white
hair; change appearances and can even fly. rnrnBefore Christianity
evolved garlic, bells, iron, seeds, spades, rowan trees, hawthorn
branches, salt, peppermint, running water etc. were used to keep the
vampires away but after the advent of Christianity the vampires’
repellent included holy water, crucifixes and Eucharist
wafers.rnrnLiterature in form of folk tales, short stories, comics
using mermaids all talk of vampires including movies and serials. SOME
VAMPIRE FACTS IN THIS TEXT ARE MARKED AS FICTIONAL!rn
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9 Comments
1. blackwing666 says:
[19]November 15, 2010 at 7:11 am
is this true???
[20]Reply
2. tau says:
[21]December 15, 2010 at 12:12 am
Word vampire comes from Serbian language (??????,vampir).
[22]Reply
3. Patronis says:
[23]February 5, 2011 at 10:02 am
it doest come from serbian language ther is no serbian language or
macedonian or any balkans language others than Bulgarian (????????)
[24]Reply
4. Tamara says:
[25]February 9, 2011 at 5:02 am
First of all, I must say if you want to say something in a certain
language, first know that language. *This is for Patronis.
Second, yes, the word vampire (??????;vampir)was first used on the
Balkan and was noted by Germans.
After Austria gained control on Serbia in 1718, officials noted
that the local population is sometimes exhuming bodies and “killing
vampires”.
They called them ??????-vampir so the Germans took the same
word(vampir)the French called them vampyre and the English term was
derived in vampire.
[26]Reply
5. Emilian says:
[27]March 4, 2011 at 10:03 pm
If the story of vampires originates from Count Dracula, who lived
in Transylvania (Romania), then I would see fit that the word comes
from Romanian (Latin based language) – Vampir [singular] Vampiri
[plural]
[28]Reply
6. Jelena says:
[29]April 27, 2011 at 9:04 pm
In fact, the word ‘Vampire’ (vampir) does come from Serbian
language;it’s the one and only Serbian word that’s in usage
worldwide. :)
[30]Reply
7. [31]Shanti says:
[32]December 2, 2011 at 4:12 am
is it true?
i am so exciting about vampires!
[33]Reply
8. porphyria says:
[34]February 5, 2012 at 10:02 am
I have porphyria. There are 8 types. (Not all types reacts to
sunlight). I have Verigate Porphyria, and cannot stand the sun,
although I love it! Readish teeth (and urine) is not common these
days, for we brush teeth, and get medical help when ill. We DO NOT
“eventually go mad”, but are prone to depression,and mood swings.
We are in constant pain, over sensitive to sun, heat, stress,
sulphur, chemicals, and often have sores that takes long to heal,
and eventually leaves purple scarring. We are allergic to most
meds, and crave carbs, iron, and sugar. We often have an
“attractive” appearance, because we do not do sun,alcohol, smoking,
or late nights. I am housebound in summer, and only feel good when
the sun goes down. Porphyria is a rare disease,that forces us to
live different, and approach everything with caution.
[35]Reply
9. mone says:
[36]October 22, 2013 at 8:10 pm
yea its true why wouldent it be its facts tha
[37]Reply
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Top 10 Interesting Facts About Vampires
Top 10: Interesting Vampire Facts
Posted on: September 9, 2015 /
Comments: [20]No comments /
Categories: [21]Crime, Horror and Mystery
IFRAME: [22]https://www.youtube.com/embed/WeSFqheNSYo
In the shadows of night, these humanoid monsters stalk, seeking hapless
victims to claim as their own. Vampires have been seamlessly integrated
into modern culture through movies, TV, and video games, but there was
a time when they were creatures that fueled nightmares. In this
blood-soaked installment, we’re going to look at mythologies
bloodsuckers and the ten most interesting facts about them.
10. The Coffin Theory
[23]Vampire Coffin
Much of vampire lore has the bloodsucking undead returning to their
wooden grave just before sundown, but where did the popular myth that
vampire’s slept in coffins come from? According to American author,
historian, geomancer, independent scholar, and cultural critic, John
Michael Greer, the belief that vampires rose from coffins could have
come from reports from morticians and gravediggers of bodies suddenly
sitting up in their graves and leaving their crypts. It is believed
that the supposed deceased were buried while in a vampiric coma and
would, therefor, rise from their grave once the transformation was
complete.
[24]http://www.fvza.org/vmyths.html
9. Vampire Counting
[25]Vampires are obsessed with counting
If you’ve ever wondered where Jim Henson’s The Count picked up his case
of Arithmomania, or the obsessive need to count things in one’s
surrounding, it’s actually a long standing vampire myth and not just a
clever play on the “Count” moniker. One alleged means of keeping one
safe from vampires at night was to drop small seeds or grains of rice
around the grave of an assumed vampire. Some cultural beliefs state
that the vampire would obsessively count each grain, keeping them
preoccupied until sunrise. Don’t believe it? Just ask Fox Mulder about
his run-in with The Sandlot-actor turned vampire, Patrick Renna.
[26]http://dracula.cc/vampires_traits/
8. Egyptian Texts
[27]Set God of Vampires Ancient Egypt
We know that vampires are not some modern concept, but some may be a
bit blind as to how old the myth of bloodsuckers really is. Some
vampirologists – yes, that’s a real thing – believe Ancient Egypt, or
Kemet, was the birthplace of the vampire. In one translation, it is
believed that Set, jealous of his brother Osiris’ fortune and place as
king, fed on humans and created an army of vampires that would overtake
and murder Osiris. In response to his father’s death, Horus turned to
Ra to place a curse on Set and his people so that they couldn’t step
into the sunlight without being destroyed.
[28]http://kheperu.org/set-god-vampires/
7. Dracula
[29]Dracula
Vlad the Impaler may be the world’s most famed vampire, known for
horrifically impaling his enemies and dipping bread in blood. Today,
Vlad is best known for his more popular nickname, Dracula, and is a
focal vampire in bloodsucker lore. How did Vlad earn the name Dracula,
though? Ironically, it was in his blood since birth. His father, Vlad
II, was best known as Dracul, meaning dragon or devil. Dracula
translates to Son of Dracul or, even more fitting, Son of the Devil.
Was Vlad cursed from birth to be viewed as the legendary monster he is
believed to be today? In 1931, his remains were brought to the History
Museum in Bucharest where they supposedly vanished without atrace.
[30]http://www.infoplease.com/spot/dracula1.html
6. Boneless Bags of Blood
[31]Vampire Boneless Bag of Blood
According to South Slavic vampire folklore, the emergence of the
vampire is completely different, and slightly more unusual, than
traditional belief. During the early stages of transformation, the
vampire was an invisible shadow that would gain strength by sucking the
blood of its victims. With each drained body, it would begin to form a
jelly-like, boneless mass – a bag of blood – that would eventually
become a physical form not unlike the person’s original figure. The
development would start the moment the shadowy figure rose from its
grave. Slavic vampires were typically male and would breed with his
widow to create vampire children.
[32]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_folklore_by_region
5. To Repel a Vampire
[33]How to repel a vampire
Hollywood has all but bashed into our skulls the many ways that a
vampire can be repelled, from sunlight to decapitation to cloves of
garlic; but the list does not stop there. We’ve already learned about
their incessant need to count, but vampires also have a weakness to
silver, wolfsbane, salt, and fire. Vampires are also believed to not be
able to cross running water, unless it’s at the ebb, as flowing water
is thought to be a symbol of life and holiness. The undead are also
thought to be repelled by peppermint, iron, bells, hawthorn branches,
and a rooster’s crow. To stop a vampire from emerging completely, some
corpses were buried face down, ensuring that the creature would burrow
the wrong way into the depths of the earth.
[34]http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Weaknesses_of_the_Vampi
re
4. To Become a Vampire
[35]How to become a vampire
Think you’re safe from becoming a vampire if you simply avoid being
bitten? While that is a traditional means of joining the ranks of the
undead, popular folklore across the world lists many other ways that
one can become a vampire. Individuals that were once werewolves,
practiced sorcery, or were excommunicated were believed to be
susceptible to transformation. Additionally, illegitimate children of
parents that were also illegitimate, still born babies or those that
died prior to baptism, and people that committed suicide could sprout
fangs and be forced to walk the earth at night. It doesn’t stop there,
either, and it gets even more ludicrous should you ever eat the flesh
of a sheep killed by a wolf, were unfortunate enough to be the 7th son,
or were a nun and stepped over an unburied body.
[36]http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/607090.The_Vampire_Book
3. Dolmens
[37]Dolmens on top of Vampire Graves
In northwest Europe, anthropologists uncovered prehistoric stone
monuments placed over the graves of the deceased. These dolmens were
thought to have a rather curious purpose, one connected to vampires
rising from the grave. It is thought that these stone structures, heavy
and near impossible to move with just one person, were placed over the
graves as a preventative measure to keep vampires at bay. The
structures ranged from simple formations to more elaborate structures
that look like small stone abodes.
[38]https://books.google.com/books?id=YMx3nzTnBB4C&printsec=frontcover#
v=onepage&q&f=false
2. Prince Charles’ Blood Ties to Dracula
[39]Prince Charles related to Vlad the Impaler
What sounds like a weird conspiracy theory over in the UK actually has
some truth to it as the nobleman Prince Charles is said to have blood
ties to the Romanian terror, Vlad the Impaler. In a propaganda video
used to promote tourism in the United Kingdom, the Prince of Wales
himself notes his kinship to the great Wallachian ruler, Dracula.
Prince Charles is not shy about his lineage, which can be traced
through his great grandmother, Queen Mary, all the way down to the half
brother of the Impaler, Vlad IV.
[40]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/9656769/Princ
e-Charles-heir-to-Draculas-blood-line.html
1. Porphyria
[41]Vampire Condition Porphyria
Of course, all of this could be a very moot point and there could be a
generally scientific explanation for vampirism. There is a rare disease
called porphyria that produces symptoms very similar to what we believe
vampires to be susceptible to. Those that suffer from the hereditary
disease are extremely sensitive to sunlight, with any skin exposed to
it developing redness, blisters, and scarring. Along with sunlight
sensitivity, people with porphyria are also known to suffer from severe
mental disturbances. It is believed that Vlad the Impaler suffered from
the disease, likely starting or solidifying the belief that vampires
are allergic to sunlight.
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11 Bloody Facts About Vampire Bats
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[21]Matt Soniak
filed under: [22]11, [23]Animals, [24]biology, [25]disgusting
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Bats are firmly rooted in Western vampire lore, but only three species,
out of some 1100 in the order Chiroptera, actually have a taste for
blood. The vampire bats are the only mammals in the world that live on
blood alone, and the unique challenges of that diet make them some of
the most specialized, fascinating and downright weird animals that
nature has to offer.
1. The three vampire bat species—the common vampire bat (Desmodus
rotundus), the hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata), and the
white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi)—are closely related and
grouped together in the subfamily Desmodontinae. Their ranges overlap
in parts of Central and South America, so, in what might be an effort
to avoid competition with each other, the species specialize in
different prey. The common vampire feeds primarily on the blood of
mammals —ranging from tapirs to horses to the occasional human—and
seems to have a preference for livestock animals. The hairy-legged
vampire, meanwhile, lives almost exclusively on bird blood, while the
white-winged vampire is more versatile and drinks from both birds and
mammals.
2. Other bats with less grisly diets got a bad rap from European
explorers in the Americas. The Europeans had heard stories about
blood-drinking bats and encountered native people and livestock that
had been bitten in the night and, without any real knowledge of the
animals’ diets, began [26]labeling different bats as vampires willy
nilly, usually applying the term to bigger and/or uglier ones. Bats
that lived on insects or even fruit were assumed to be vampires thanks
to their appearance, and the association stuck when they were
scientifically described and saddled with names like [27]Vampyrum
spectrum and [28]Pteropus vampyrus. Meanwhile, when a naturalist
finally got his hands on an actual vampire, D. rotundus, no one one
believed his assertions that it drank blood, and he made no mention of
it in his description.
3. When the bats feed, they use their teeth to shear away hair or
feathers from a small spot and then cut into their victim’s flesh with
their sharp incisors. (According to zoologists at Chicago’s Field
Museum, even the teeth on old, preserved bat skulls in museum
collections are sharp enough to cut someone handling them carelessly.)
Rather than actively suck the blood from the wound like their
namesakes, the bats let the physics of [29]capillary action do the
work. They lap at the blood and specialized grooves on their lips,
tongues, and/or roof or their mouths suction it up. A protein in the
bats’ saliva called a plasminogen activator prevents the blood from
clotting and keeps it flowing freely while they drink.
[30]Wikimedia Commons
4. White-winged vampires have a few tricks for feeding on domestic
chickens without startling the birds. Sometimes, they’ll approach a hen
and mimic a chick by nuzzling up to her brood patch. This featherless
section of skin on the hen’s underside is densely packed with blood
vessels and is used to transfer heat to her eggs or chicks during
nesting. The vessels make an easy target for the bat, and if the hen
thinks it's her baby cuddling up to her, she’ll sit on the bat to give
it access to drink. Other times, the bats will climb up on a hen’s
back, mimicking the touch and weight of a mounting rooster and sending
the hen into the crouching stance they take before mating. The bat can
then shimmy up to the hen’s neck for a bite and she’ll stay in that
position until the bat hops off.
5. White-winged vampires will also take their meals in the trees
instead of the barnyard. While a bird roosts on a branch, the bat
sneaks up on it from below, crawling along the underside of the branch
and staying out of sight. Once it’s directly underneath its prey, the
bat bites the bird’s big rear-pointing toe and drinks its fill.
6. The hairy-legged vampire also feeds in the trees, but doesn’t bother
with subtlety like its cousin. They’ll often land directly on a bird
and hang from its body upside-down with their feet while biting around
the bird’s cloaca, the all-purpose entrance and exit for the
intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts. The maneuver is helped by
the bat’s calcar, a bony spur that comes off the ankle bone. It’s
absent in some bats and underdeveloped in others, but the hairy-legged
vampire’s protrudes noticeably and is used by the bat like an extra
digit to help it hang on.
7. Unlike its cousins, the common vampire bat eats solely on the
ground, and it has evolved to be as nimble there as it is in flight.
While most other bats are awkward crawlers, the common vampire can
[31]move with a quick run-like gait or hop along the ground, supporting
its weight on its hind legs and using its wings and elongated thumbs to
steer and push off of the ground. This comes in handy for chasing after
prey on the move and for jumping out of the way if it needs to.
IFRAME: [32]//www.youtube.com/embed/iLp-ls8AoaU
Feeding for common vampires is often risky, given that their preferred
victim, the domestic cow, is several thousand times larger than they
are. They usually bite cows on the area of the leg just above and
behind the hoof, since the skin is relatively thin and the blood
vessels run close to the surface. One step backwards, and a bat could
be squashed if it hadn’t figured out how to run or make impressive
three-foot leaps into the air.
8. To meet their energy needs, vampire bats need to drink about an
ounce of blood at every meal, meaning they consume half their body
weight during each 20 to 30 minute feeding session. Their bodies have
adapted to lighten that load, and their stomach lining rapidly absorbs
much of the blood’s water content and sends it to the kidneys so it can
be excreted. The bats can process their meal so quickly that they may
begin disposing of it before they’re even finished with it, and start
urinating just a few minutes into the feeding.
9. Vampires are known to [33]share meals with each other. Mother bats
regurgitate previously-drunk blood for their offspring until the babies
are old enough to hunt on their own. Other related bats and even
unrelated ones have also been observed puking blood up for one another
in a reciprocal arrangement. If a bat can’t find a meal one night, one
of its roost-mates may share some of its meal. In the future, the bat
who was fed is highly likely to return the favor. If it cheats, or
takes a blood donation without ever giving back, it may find that it
gets the cold shoulder the next time it needs help.
10. Vampire bats have a few different tools for finding their food.
They have well-developed senses of smell and, despite bats’ reputation,
keen eyesight. They’ve also got [34]heat-seeking faces—their wrinkly,
leaf shaped noses are loaded with nerves that are, in turn, loaded with
proteins that are sensitive to the infrared radiation given off by
warm-blooded animals. They also have finely-tuned hearing and
specialized neurons that react only to the sound of breathing. They can
even [35]distinguish the breathing sounds made by different
individuals, and may be able to remember the unique sonic components of
an individual animal’s breathing, allowing them to return to the same
reliable source of blood night after night.
11. Animals that are adventurous eaters learn to avoid potentially
toxic foods through trial and error. They try something new, get sick,
and then avoid those flavors in the future. Vampire bats appear to have
lost their sense of [36]taste aversion, though. In [37]experiments,
biologists have given vampire bats and their fruit- and insect-eating
cousins treats seasoned with different, unfamiliar flavors, and then
induced vomiting. At their next few meals, the bats were given the
choice between normal food and food flavored with the same seasonings
from before. While the other bats avoided the flavors they associated
with getting sick after the first meal, the vampires dug in to both
flavored and unflavored blood. The researchers think that the vampires
either lost the ability to make these associations because their diet
doesn’t present a variety of flavors and it wasn’t needed, or maybe
that they had to lose it early on in their blood-drinking history to
make the diet viable.
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33 Fun Facts About 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
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[21]Erin McCarthy
filed under: [22]Lists, [23]tv
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On the genre-busting television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the
heroine saved the world—a lot—over the course of seven seasons. Here
are a few things you should know about the show. (And this is just the
tip of the stake.)
1. THE SHOW IS A SEQUEL OF SORTS TO A MOVIE.
IFRAME: [24]//www.youtube.com/embed/wuL7oJA66XI
In the late ‘80s, writer Joss Whedon had an idea for a movie that would
subvert the horror genre. “I had seen a lot of horror movies, which I
love very much, with blond girls getting killed in dark alleys, and I
just germinated this idea about how much I would like to see a blond
girl go into a dark alley, get attacked by a monster and then kill it,”
he [25]said. “And that was sorta the genesis for the movie, Buffy the
Vampire Slayer.” The movie, penned by Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel
Kuzui, hit theaters in 1992. It starred Kristy Swanson as Buffy, Donald
Sutherland as her watcher Merrick, and Luke Perry as her love interest,
Pike (David Arquette also starred as Pike's best friend-turned-vampire
Benny). But the film was different from what Whedon had originally
intended. “My original script for the movie was kind of dark and scary
and it was comedic, but the final product was much more a broad
comedy,” he said.
A few years later, the rights holders approached Whedon about making a
TV show out of his creation. He wasn’t sure it would work, but “I
started to think about it and I came up with the notion of playing all
sorts of horror movies in high school and making them metaphors for how
frightening and horrible high school is,” he said. “With the show, I
kinda wanted to get back to the roots of genuine horror, but with a lot
of comedy and a lot of edge and a lot of self reflective sort of
examination of horror. But at the same time, get genuinely creepy and
hopefully genuinely moving.” And the TV version of Buffy was born.
2. KATIE HOLMES AND RYAN REYNOLDS COULD HAVE STARRED ON THE SHOW.
Could you imagine Katie Holmes as Buffy and Ryan Reynolds as Xander?
According to a 2000[26] biography, before she was Dawson’s Creek’s Joey
Potter, Holmes was offered the role of the slayer, but turned it down
to go to [27]high school. Reynolds refused the role of Buffy’s
wisecracking sidekick. "I love that show and I loved Joss Whedon, the
creator of the show, but my biggest concern was that I didn’t want to
play a guy in high school," Reynolds told [28]The Star in 2008. "I had
just come out of high school and it was f------ awful."
3. GILES WAS THE FIRST ROLE CAST.
According to casting director [29]Marsha Shulman, “Anthony Stewart
[Head] was the first person that got cast on the first day we started
casting. He was just it.”
Many other actors who read for the part, Whedon said, made Giles too
stuffy, but Head’s take was a little sexier. “Tony Head was one of the
few people that we saw and instantly knew right away that nobody else
was going to play that part,” Whedon said. “He embodied it perfectly.”
4. SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR AND CHARISMA CARPENTER SWAPPED ROLES.
Gellar auditioned for the role of Sunnydale High queen bee Cordelia
Chase before eventually being cast as Buffy. “At the time, we were all
trying to find our way to make the show something, its own thing apart
from the film,” Schulman said in The Watchers Guide. “We didn’t think
of Sarah as Buffy because we thought she was too smart and too grounded
and not enough of a misfit in a sense, because Buffy was this outsider.
How could Sarah be an outsider? She’s so lovely. So we brought her in
as Cordelia, and she was fantastic as Cordelia. Then we went to the
network, they knew that Sarah was a star from her previous work, and
that she could be Buffy, and that we could do that Buffy.”
Carpenter, meanwhile, auditioned for Buffy before being cast as
Cordelia. “I think that the way it turned out is the way it was meant
to have turned out,” Carpenter told the [30]BBC. “I’m extremely pleased
that I wound up with the character that I have for a myriad of reasons.
... I don’t know that I would have been ready for that kind of fame if
I’d gotten Buffy. So, I think [Buffy] went to the right person.”
5. WILLOW WAS RECAST AFTER THE PILOT WAS SHOT.
IFRAME: [31]//www.youtube.com/embed/WR3J-v7QXXw
Willow, science geek and Buffy’s best friend, was an exceptionally
tough part to cast. “We had actually cast someone else in the pilot. It
just didn’t work,” Shulman said. “When we got picked up, we always felt
that we were going to start again and look for another Willow.”
“I was determined that we wouldn’t have the supermodel in horn rims
that you usually see on a TV show,” Whedon said. “I wanted somebody who
really had their own shy quirkiness. While the network and I were
looking for people, Alyson Hannigan slipped under our radar. She came
in and we didn’t really know that she was going to be the guy, and then
when she read for the network we were just blown away. She brings so
much light and so much tenderness to the role, it’s kind of
extraordinary.”
6. DAVID BOREANAZ WAS DISCOVERED BY THE CASTING DIRECTOR’S FRIEND.
Whedon, the network, and the casting director saw a number of guys read
for Buffy's eventual boyfriend (and vampire!) Angel before David
Boreanaz auditioned. “The breakdown said the most gorgeous, mysterious,
fantastic, the most incredible man on the face of the earth,” Shulman
said. “I think I saw every guy in town. It was the day before shooting,
and a friend of mine and called me and said to me ‘You know, there’s
this guy that lives on my street who walks his dog every day and I
don’t know what he does but he has all the things you’re describing.’
And the minute he walked in the room, I wrote down on my notes: This is
the guy.”
Still, despite the fact that Boreanaz gave “very good read,” Whedon
wasn’t sold on him. “He wasn’t exactly my type,” he said. “I wasn’t
sure we necessarily had the guy here until I asked the women in the
room, who had turned into puddles the moment he walked in. I had to
defer to them—they seemed to know better than me, and thank god I did,
because David turned into a great star and a very solid actor.”
7. THE FIRST VERSION OF THE THEME SONG WAS A DUD.
IFRAME: [32]//www.youtube.com/embed/5-xnvdtuRRo
Whedon wanted the credits sequence—which begins with “this scary organ
and then devolves instantly into rock 'n roll”—to spell out for viewers
exactly what the show was about: “Here’s a girl who has no patience for
a horror movie, who is not going to be the victim, is not going to be
in the scary organ horror movie,” he said. “She’s going to bring her
own youth and rocking attitude to it.”
Dissatisfied with an early version of the theme, Whedon opened it up in
a contest of sorts to local indie bands. It was Hannigan who suggested
Nerf Herder; the band ultimately wrote and recorded the show’s theme.
“They created the show and were filming the first season and the people
there ... hired some fancy pants Hollywood guy to write the theme song
and they didn’t like it; they wanted something more rocking, I guess,”
Nerf Herder’s lead singer, Parry Gripp, [33]said. “So they asked a
bunch of local, small time bands who they could pay very little money
to come up with some ideas and they liked our idea and they used it.
And the rest is history!”
The band rerecorded the theme in the second or third season because the
first recording was a hasty affair, and the song went off-tempo in the
middle, Whedon said.
8. THE SHOW SHOT IN A WAREHOUSE—AND AT ACTUAL SCHOOLS.
[34]Wikimedia Commons
In the beginning, Buffy didn’t have much of a budget, so instead of
shooting on a soundstage, the crew used a huge warehouse in Santa
Monica, California. “We were very much on a tight budget,” Whedon said.
“This hall you’ll see a lot of in the first 12 episodes. It is the
entire school. We only had the one hall, so we use it over and over
again. It’s really kind of sad, actually.” The outside of the warehouse
also doubled as the entrance to Sunnydale’s only club, The Bronze.
“When we designed the club, we put the door to the club on the outside
of the actual warehouse so that we could go in from the outside because
that would give it real life and make it very realistic,” Whedon said.
“And of course we did it just once, and then once more in the third
season, because you have to wait until night to shoot, go in and out
and light it, and it’s just enormously complicated.”
[35]Torrance High School in Los Angeles subbed in for the exterior of
fictional Sunnydale High. It’s a popular spot for film and TV; you
might also recognize it from Beverly Hills 90210, The Secret Life of
the American Teenager, 90210, She’s All That, Not Another Teen Movie,
and more. And when Buffy went to college, most of Sunnydale University
was shot in the warehouse, but some parts of the first episode of the
fourth season were shot at UCLA.
9. THERE WAS A REASON FOR THE VAMPIRES’ CREEPY FACES—AND THE "DUSTING."
In the Buffy movie, the vampires looked like regular people with
sharper teeth and paler skin. But for the show, Whedon wanted to
increase the sense of paranoia by making the vampires resemble normal
people until it’s time to feed—at which point, they transform into
monsters. But there was another reason, too. "I didn't think I really
wanted to put a show on the air about a high school girl who was
stabbing normal-looking people in the heart,” Whedon said. “I thought
somehow that might send the wrong message, but when they are clearly
monsters, it takes it to a level of fantasy that is safer."
Getting into vamp mode—which required a prosthetic that fit from the
forehead down to the bottom of the nose—took about an hour and 20
minutes. “It can be tedious,” David Boreanaz[36] said in 1998, “and
taking it off is the worst part, because you have to sit there and you
just want to rip the damn thing off—but you can’t, because you’ll take
a piece of your skin with you. It has to be removed very delicately.
But the end result is definitely worth it.”
The film also had vampire bodies lay where they fell after they were
staked. But Whedon had different ideas for the show. “It was a very
conscious decision to have [the vampires] turn to dust, clothes and
all, because I didn’t think it would be fun to have 15 minutes of let’s
clean up the bodies after every episode,” he said. The show’s visual
effects artists worked on and refined the technique over the seasons.
10. THE CREATORS DREW ON EXISTING VAMPIRE LORE FOR THE SHOW.
But they didn’t use everything. Vampires don’t fly on Buffy or turn
into bats because the show didn’t have the money and Whedon thought it
looked silly. Other elements of vampire lore, however, were used:
Vampires don’t have reflections; they can’t enter a house unless
they’re invited; they’re vulnerable to garlic, crosses, sunlight, fire,
and holy water; and they can be killed by beheading or via a stake
through the heart.
11. GELLAR HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE DIALOGUE.
The show was famous for its “Buffyspeak,” which was partially inspired
by California Valleygirl-isms and how Whedon and the other writers
spoke. For Gellar, though, that dialogue sometimes was an issue. “Joss
has his own sort of language that’s difficult for us mere mortals to
understand,” she [37]said in 1998. “I grew up in New York. We didn’t
have Valley girls, and constantly, I’m asking him ‘What does this mean?
I’m not quite sure.’ There’s a very funny story about [my audition]
where the first line is ‘What’s the sitch?’ And there I go walking in,
and my first [question was,] ‘What does this mean?’ No idea it meant
situation. Talk about blowing a job instantly.”
12. HERE’S WHERE YOU’VE SEEN SEASON ONE’S BIG VILLAIN BEFORE.
Underneath all of the Master’s vampy makeup is actor Mark Metcalf, who
has appeared in Animal House (he played Doug Neidermeyer) and Seinfeld
(he played The Maestro), among many other films and television shows.
“Most of the guys we read came in and gave us villain villain villain
in a very unimaginative way,” Whedon said. “Mark’s not that character,
he’s just sly. He undercut all of the villainousness with real charm.”
13. THE CAST AND CREW HATED THE LIBRARY SCENES.
Head delivered much of the show’s expository dialogue in the
library—and cast and crew alike came to dread those scenes. “He’s
brought so much to all these really tough speeches, giving them life
where they had very little because they’re full of so much
information,” Whedon said. “When we finally blew up the school at the
end of season three and were in the library for the last time,
everybody breathed a great sigh of relief because these became the bane
for us when we were filming, to go back into this space and talk yet
again about what the peril was going to be.”
14. DARLA WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE IN THE SECOND EPISODE.
The vampire (played by Julie Benz) was supposed to expire at the end of
“The Harvest” after Willow doused her with holy water, but Whedon kept
her alive because he thought Buffy and Angel's romance would be more
interesting if it was a triangle; Darla, of course, was Angel’s sire.
She was eventually killed in episode seven, but would continue to pop
up in other episodes—and in the spin-off show, Angel—from time to time.
15. GELLAR AND BOREANAZ WOULD EAT GROSS STUFF BEFORE KISSING SCENES.
In a 2002 interview with [38]The Independent, Gellar called love scenes
“the unsexiest thing in the world.” What she and Boreanaz did
beforehand couldn’t have made it any sexier. “[We] were the worst,” she
[39]said. “We would do horrible things to each other. Like eat tuna
fish and pickle before we kissed. If he had to unbutton my shirt or
trousers I would pin them or sew them together to make it as hard as I
could. Once I even dropped ice cream on him.”
16. THE SHOW BUILT ITS OWN GRAVEYARD.
In the first season, Buffy shot in a graveyard in Hollywood. “It meant
going out all night, until sunrise, a lot of times,” Whedon said. “That
was back when we had the energy for that kind of thing.” Starting in
the second season, they created their own graveyard in the warehouse’s
parking lot. “It made our lives a whole lot easier, but it doesn’t give
you the scope that you get from [the Hollywood graveyard],” Whedon
said. “It’s a really beautiful place. Looks great.”
"We poured in kerb, back-filled it with dirt and planted grass and lots
of trees and stuff and that’s our graveyard set," production designer
Carey Meyer [40]told the BBC. "The majority of our cemetery stuff
actually takes place in that little tiny parking lot. At night, with a
couple of headstones in the background with all the trees and such, you
can really cheat to make it look quite large."
17. WHEDON HAD AN INTERESTING NICKNAME FOR GELLAR.
At a cast reunion in 2008, Whedon revealed—to Gellar's surprise—an odd
nickname for her, borne from the fact that she dealt with so much pain
on screen. "David [Greenwalt] and I used to crow, when we realized what
Sarah could do," he said. "We used to call her Jimmy Stewart, because
he was the greatest American in pain in the history of film." Gellar
laughed and said "I never knew that!"
18. AT LEAST TWO ACTORS PLAYED MORE THAN ONE VILLAIN.
Brian Thompson, who played vampire Luke in the first two episodes,
returned in the second season to play The Judge. “Quite frankly, we
were in a hurry,” Whedon said. “We already had his face cast and we
knew he could put makeup on and give us a good performance.” Camden
Toy, meanwhile, played a number of villains, including one of the
Gentlemen in “Hush” (season four), a skin-eating demon called Gnarl in
“Same Time, Same Place” (season seven), and Ubervamp Turok-Han
(throughout season seven).
19. THE WRITERS HAD THEIR OWN TERM FOR PLOT-MOVING DEVICES.
It was coined by writer David Greenwalt. “A lot of this stuff is based
on myth and horror movies, and a lot of it made up for our
convenience,” Whedon says. “At one point, when we were trying to figure
out exactly what Buffy would be trying to do [in the first episode],
Greenwalt just shouted out ‘For God’s sake, don’t touch the phlebotnum
in Jar C!’ We have no idea to this day what it was supposed to mean,
but it became our word for the vague mystical thing—such as the
master’s cork in the bottle theory—so phlebotnum is our constant on the
show.”
20. WHEDON WROTE THE LARGELY DIALOGUE-FREE EPISODE “HUSH” TO CHALLENGE
HIMSELF.
IFRAME: [41]//www.youtube.com/embed/53Uk1KITymI?rel=0
Season four’s tenth episode, “Hush,” features creepy villains called
The Gentlemen, who come to Sunnydale and steal the residents’ voices
... so that no one can scream when the monsters cut out their hearts.
There are only 17 minutes of spoken dialogue in the 44 minute episode.
Whedon wanted to do a largely silent episode because he felt like he
was phoning it in. “I had fallen into the ‘people a-yakkin, I can sort
of do this without really thinking about it’ style of directing, and I
wanted to curtail that in myself,” he said. “On a practical level, the
idea of doing an episode where everybody loses their voice presented
itself as a great big challenge because I knew that I would literally
have to tell the story only visually, and that would mean that I
couldn’t fall back on tricks. I wanted to do something harder.” Though
Whedon was terrified that he wouldn’t be able to pull off the episode,
it was well received by critics, and is a favorite of fans and the
series’ stars alike.
21. THE GENTLEMEN WERE INSPIRED BY A DREAM.
A version of Buffy’s creepiest villains first appeared in a dream of
Whedon’s; they floated toward him while he was in bed. “What I was
going for was very specifically a very Victorian kind of feel, because
that to me is very creepy and fairytale-like,” Whedon said. He created
a drawing, which he delivered to makeup supervisor Todd McIntosh and
John Vulich at Optic Nerve, the special effects house that created the
prosthetics for the show. “I was drawing on everything that had ever
frightened me, including the fellow from my dream, Nosferatu, pinhead,
Mr. Burns—anything that gave that creepy feel,” Whedon said. “We get
into a lot of reptilian monsters and things that look kind of like
aliens, and what I wanted from these guys was, very specifically, fairy
tales. I wanted guys who would remind people of what would they were
scared of when they were children.”
Whedon’s ultimate hope was that kids of a certain generation would be
as traumatized by the Gentlemen as he was by the Zuni Doll from Trilogy
of Terror. The team cast mimes and actors who had done creature
work—like[42] Doug Jones—to play the Gentlemen.
22. THE HARDEST CHARACTER FOR WHEDON TO KILL OFF WAS BUFFY'S MOM.
IFRAME: [43]//www.youtube.com/embed/B8lKEckx4yE
One of Buffy's most critically acclaimed episodes is season five's "The
Body," in which the slayer's mom, played by Kristine Sutherland, dies
of natural causes. Whedon said in a 2012 Reddit AMA that Joyce was
[44]the toughest character for him to kill. He did the episode, he said
in DVD commentary, because "I wanted to show not the meaning or
catharsis or the beauty of life or any of the things that are often
associated with loss, or even extreme grief, which we do get in the
episode. But what I did want to capture was the extreme physicality,
the almost boredom of the very first few hours. I wanted to be very
specific about what it felt like the moment you discover you’ve lost
someone. And so what appears to many people as a formal exercise—no
music, scenes that take up almost the entire act, if not the entire
act, without end—is all done for a very specific purpose, which is to
put you in that moment of dumbfounded shock, that airlessness of losing
somebody."
The moments after Buffy discovers her mother dead on the couch were
done in a single take, which Whedon had Gellar perform seven times (the
actress has called the episode [45]one of her favorites). "The
cameraman had the camera on his shoulder the whole time and was running
around," Whedon said. "It wasn’t a steadicam—he had no harness because
I wanted that urgency of handheld, that you’re in the moment of it.
It’s an extraordinary piece of acting from Sarah ... to go from the
extremity of first finding her, the helplessness of not knowing what to
do. All the things that Sarah had to go through in this, she had to go
through many, many times. And every take was extraordinary."
23. ONE SHOT IN "THE BODY" WAS INSPIRED BY DIRECTOR PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON.
One shot in "The Body" follows the coroner after he examines Joyce's
body out to where Buffy waits with her friends in another single take.
"I am a huge Paul Thomas Anderson fan," Whedon said, "and I had been
watching Magnolia excessively before I shot this. So these endless
tracking shots probably owe something to that. What can I say, I’m a
hack. But what I was really trying to get at here was, again, the
reality of the space. I wanted to see Joyce very clearly, and then I
wanted to walk all the way over to where Buffy was, where her loved
ones were, so that you understood she was down the hall, she was really
there. We weren’t on a different set." Whedon gave kudos to production
designer Carey Meyer for building sets that would let him get those
long takes.
24. GELLAR KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN SEASON FIVE WELL IN ADVANCE.
Several moments in the final episode of season three foreshadowed two
major events in season five: Namely, that Buffy would get a sister
(Dawn, played by Michelle Trachtenberg) and that the slayer would die
at the end of season five. "I’ve actually known the [plot of the]
entire last season for about three years," she [46]told the BBC. "There
was a dream sequence that Buffy had with Faith. Faith had a riddle, and
it was something like 'Little Miss Muffet, sitting on her tuffet,'
counting down from whatever the numbers were, and I went to Joss to ask
what it meant. That’s when he explained to me that I was going to have
a sister, that Dawn, the character of Dawn, would be coming on the
show. I think that’s exactly when I became aware also of what the
future plans were."
Why manufacture a sister out of thin air? "Part of the mission
statement was, let’s have a really important, intense emotional
relationship for Buffy that is not a boyfriend," [47]he told Salon.
"Because let’s not have her be defined by her boyfriend every time out
of the bat. So, Season 5, she’s as intense as she was in Season 2 with
Angelus, but it’s about her sister. To me that was really beautiful."
25. SEASON SIX WAS THE TOUGHEST FOR GELLAR.
After the fifth season, Buffy moved from the WB to UPN and resurrected
its heroine for the sixth season—which was darker in tone (and more
controversial) than any season before it. "It was definitely tough for
me," [48]Gellar said at a Paley Center event in 2008. "It's so hard to
separate myself from her, so it was tough for me to see these
situations and say 'But Buffy wouldn't do this.' ... I know Joss and
Marti both had to talk me off a ledge a couple of times because it just
felt so far removed from me at the time, and maybe that was the point.
Maybe I was struggling the same way she was struggling to find out who
she was. It just felt so foreign to me. ... We love her, and I think it
was hard for all of us to watch her suffer. ... It was a tough time.
And I think that's what came through in the end, and that was great.
When Buffy herself resurfaced, we sort of found our voice again."
26. WRITER/PRODUCER MARTI NOXON HAS A CAMEO.
IFRAME: [49]//www.youtube.com/embed/ol-J-CQGT00
She’s the lady with the parking ticket in “Once More, With Feeling.”
27. GELLAR CALLED THE MUSICAL EPISODE “DAUNTING.”
“I’m a perfectionist, I come from a long line of lots of preparation,
and certainly that was not the case with this,” she [50]said. “If I had
my druthers, we would have gotten it about two years ago and been in
classes for a year and a half, maybe six weeks of rehearsals? Instead
of four days.” At a Paley Center event in 2008, Gellar admitted to
“begging” to be let out of it. “I begged for Buffy the rat,” she
[51]said. “I kept thinking, ‘Bring the rat back.’”
28. STONE TEMPLE PILOTS’ LEAD SINGER IS A FAN.
Scott Weiland reportedly become one while watching the show in
[52]prison. Gellar, who later appeared in the band’s music video for
“Sour Girl,” had a theory about why the show was so popular among
prison [53]inmates: “Hot chicks doing battle. It's like acceptable
porn.”
29. GELLAR KNEW THE SHOW WAS OVER BEFORE THE REST OF THE CAST.
In the [54]March 7, 2003 Entertainment Weekly cover story, Gellar
announced that Buffy was coming to an end after seven seasons. "I love
this job, I love the fans," she said. "I love telling the stories we
tell. This isn't about leaving for a career in movies, or in
theater—it's more of a personal decision. I need a rest. Teachers get
sabbaticals. Actors don't." The rest of the cast found out the day the
story hit stands. “I was devastated," [55]Hannigan said in 2013. "I was
just very shocked.”
30. BUFFY’S ADVENTURES CONTINUE IN COMIC BOOKS.
[56]Comic Book Resources
A number of writers who worked on the TV show have also worked on the
comics (they're currently on [57]season 10). Even James Marsters, who
played vampire Spike on the show, wrote a comic about his character. "I
was at the San Diego Comic Con and I was describing an idea that had
been kicking around my head for a long time to [artist] George Jeanty,
who draws a lot of the Buffy comic books," [58]Marsters told io9. "And
he thought that it was a fabulous idea and that I should definitely get
in touch with [Dark Horse editor] Scott Allie. He made the phone call
and then I pitched it to Scott over the phone and Scott liked it a lot.
It's a story that was going to try to be made into a Spike movie years
and years ago."
31. THERE WAS TALK OF AN ANIMATED SERIES.
Whedon and the show's other writers [59]produced seven scripts for an
animated Buffy series, which would have taken place during the show's
first three seasons and been voiced by the cast. Sadly, no one wanted
the show. "They were really fun to write," Whedon said. "We could not
sell the show. We could not sell an animated Buffy, which I still find
incomprehensible."
32. THE SHOW SPAWNED ACADEMIC COURSES...
A number of colleges and universities [60]offer courses on the show;
they're called "[61]Buffy Studies." People have written books and held
conferences dedicated to discussing the themes of the show and
presenting papers on it. [62]According to the Los Angeles Times,
attendees at a 2004 Buffy conference "were presenting 190 papers on
topics ranging from 'slayer slang' to 'postmodern reflections on the
culture of consumption' to 'Buffy and the new American Buddhism.' There
was even a self-conscious talk by David Lavery, an English professor at
Middle Tennessee State University, on Buffy studies 'as an academic
cult.'"
[63]An informal study [64]conducted by Slate in 2012 showed that, when
it comes to pop culture in academia, Buffy is number one: "More than
twice as many papers, essays, and books have been devoted to the
vampire drama than any of our other choices—so many that we stopped
counting when we hit 200."
33. ... AND A BOOK OF SLANG.
Publisher's Weekly called [65]Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lexicon "a strange marriage of a fan guide and a linguistics textbook."
Said The Kansas City Star: "If you're curious about the word
'ubersuck,' or just want to remember which episode you first heard it
in, this is the place to look. As Buffy would say, it is not uncool."
Separating Myths from Facts in Vampire: The Requiem
By [37]Justin Achilli, [38]Ken Cliffe, and [39]Colleen Totz Diamond
from [40]Vampire: The Requiem For Dummies
Where does Vampire's mythology diverge from popular belief? Where do
the conceits ring true? The following statements outline real-world
legends of the undead, clarifying their truth or falsity in the World
of Darkness.
* Vampires must sustain themselves on the blood of the living: Fact.
For the Kindred, the act of feeding is highly sensual. The vessel
feels ecstatic when it happens, and the feeding vampire undergoes a
heady rush. Certain vampires sustain their undeath by drinking the
blood of animals, but rarely for long, as either their tastes or
the needs of their cursed bodies force them to seek human blood.
* Vampires are immortal: Myth and fact. Although vampires do not
appear to age, and some survive for centuries, the Kindred use the
word undead rather than immortal. Vampirism is a curse, not a
blessing. It does carry with it great power, but the state of being
a vampire also brings with it numerous detriments, not the least of
which include the internalized rage of the Beast and feeding on
human blood.
* A vampire's prey automatically becomes a vampire: Myth. You do not
necessarily become a vampire if you're bitten or killed by a
vampire. It takes a conscious act of will, known as the Embrace, to
create a new vampire. Indeed, a vampire leaves little to mark her
passing if she is careful. All a vampire must do to hide the wound
left by her feeding is to lick it when she's done.
* Vampires have every manner of supernatural power, such as turning
into animals, flying, and wielding the strength of a dozen men:
Fact. While these powers are not universal, vampires have unique
abilities, known as Disciplines, that can grant individual undead
capabilities such as these and more.
* Vampires can have sex: Fact. While the act of feeding replaces all
physical urges, vampires can still indulge in sex and even take
pleasure from it. Curiously, however, the emotional aspect of sex
vanishes after the Embrace. A vampire might enjoy the physical
sensation of sex, but no more than she enjoys a particularly savory
smell or the touch of a luxurious fabric.
* A wooden stake destroys vampires: Myth. Vampires aren't destroyed
upon being staked; they're held in stasis. A vampire's body slowly
withers while trapped in this state, becoming ever more corpselike.
* Vampires don't show up like normal people on camera or in mirrors:
Fact. Vampires show up with their features obscured in photographic
media (including video footage) and in mirrors. They can
temporarily counteract this effect, but by "default," their
features are obscured. The same is not true for voice recordings;
vampires' voices are captured normally on voice recorders.
* Sunlight burns vampires: Fact. As part of their curse, vampires
recoil at the touch of the sun, its vital rays scorching their
undead flesh. Vampires typically spend the daylight hours in the
cold sleep of undeath, and only the most resolute can shake off the
weight of the day's forced slumber for even a short time.
* Garlic and running water repel vampires: Myth. Such notions are
nothing more than old wives' tales, cultural biases, or perhaps the
banes of certain bloodlines of Kindred.
* Vampires are repulsed by crosses and other holy symbols: Myth —
almost. While such is not generally the case, the devout sometimes
do affect the Kindred with miraculous aspects of their faith.
* Vampires' souls are as dead as their bodies: Myth and fact. A
vampire may believe that he feels an emotion, but what he actually
feels is the echo of mortal emotions that the remnants of his soul
apply to his current experience. That is, a vampire who feels angry
might indeed be angry at the subject of his ire, but the resonance
of the emotion actually comes from some situation the vampire dealt
with in life. This condition results in many strange situations. A
vampire who has never experienced a given emotion before becoming
Kindred might become confused, while a vampiric artist might create
a work of art that is awkwardly devoid of any true emotional
insight.
[6]Vampire Wedding Journal
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Welcome to the Vampire Wedding Journal. Updated daily, here you will
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vampire movie buffs, this is the place to find out everything and
anything to do with the creatures of the night. We have articles for
the die-hard Dracula fans to the Twilight fans, including the debate
between sparkling and non-sparkling vampires. We have news on real
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[14]July 19, 2011 • [15]3 notes
Some Weird and Wonderful Vampire facts!
Hello again to our all wonderful vampire friends and followers, old &
new!
We hope that your having fun and all posting on our one and only
VAMPIRE WEDDING CASTING COMPETITION! have you downloaded the FIRST EVER
iphone casting app yet? If you have an iphone, simply go to the
appstore, type in vampire wedding and you can download for free the
awesome new vampire casting app, which allows you to upload your
pictures straight from your iphone to the casting competition. it has
awesome new graphics of the vampire wedding comic and information on
all the vampire wedding characters!
we love all kinds of vampires and we just love finding out about
different kinds of vampires, vampire myths and vampire facts from the
ages! Here’s some interesting facts we found out about vampires, do you
have anymore?
[tumblr_lokwc1iKzk1qi1tyh.jpg]
1. The Muppet vampire, Count Von Count from Sesame Street, is based on
actual vampire myth. One way to supposedly deter a vampire is to
throw seeds (usually mustard) outside a door or place fishing net
outside a window. Vampires are compelled to count the seeds or the
holes in the net, delaying them until the sun comes up
2. They aren’t supposed to be able to cross-run in water - like the
twilight films would have you believe - vampires are not supposed
to be able to stand water - and can be killed by holy water
3. Some rumours and vampire myths say that vampires are supposed to be
able to hypnotize people with a special skill - this is slightly
shown in the twilight films with the cullens being “so goodlooking”
that their prey becomes hypnotized in their presence. In old myth
vampires can hypnotize their prey with a special skill instead.
4. A rare disease called porphyria (also called the “vampire” or
“Dracula” disease) causes vampire-like symptoms, such as an extreme
sensitivity to sunlight and sometimes hairiness. In extreme cases,
teeth might be stained reddish brown, and eventually the patient
may go mad.
5. Documented medical disorders that people accused of being a vampire
may have suffered from include haematodipsia, which is a sexual
thirst for blood, and hemeralopia or day blindness. Anemia
(“bloodlessness”) was often mistaken for a symptom of a vampire
attack
6. One of the earliest accounts of vampires is found in an ancient
Sumerian and Babylonian myth dating to 4,000 B.C. which
describes ekimmu or edimmu (one who is snatched away).
The ekimmu is a type of uruku or utukku (a spirit or demon) who was
not buried properly and has returned as a vengeful spirit to suck
the life out of the living.
7. Vampires are not visible to mirrors
8. Vampires do not show up in photographs
9. Most of vampires powers that we find today were made up by bram
stoker with dracula
10. Apart from the obvious well known ways of killing vampires (by
stake, garlic etc) it is said that vampires can also be killed by
burying them at crossroads, form a cross with the arms over a chest
and entwine thorny vines over the corpse to ensure it cannot walk
again
11. the first full work of fiction about a vampire in English was John
Polidori’s "The Vampyre", which was published incorrectly under
Lord Byron’s name. Polidori (1795-1821) was Byron’s doctor and
based his vampire on Byron.
12. According to several legends, if someone was bitten by a suspected
vampire, he or she should drink the ashes of a burned vampire. To
prevent an attack, a person should make bread with the blood of
vampire and eat it
13. The most popular vampire in children’s fiction in recent years had
been Bunnicula, the cute little rabbit that lives a happy existence
as a vegetarian vampire - could this be partly what Meyers based
the “vegetarian” cullen vampire on?
[tumblr_lokxkbubur1qi1tyh.jpg]
14. Some historians argue that Prince Charles is a direct descendant of
the Vlad the Impaler, the son of Vlad Dracula
15. Mermaids can also be vampires—but instead of sucking blood, they
suck out the breath of their victims
Watch this space for more Weird and Wacky vampire facts! Comment back
any vampire facts of your own and keep the great pictures coming!
Hugs & Bites
The Vampire Wedding Team
1. [16]vampire-renee reblogged this from [17]vampirewedding
2. [18]affairemortal likes this
3. [19]vampirewedding posted this
[17]Amazing and Weird
* [18]Facts
Vampire squid facts-20 interesting facts about Vampire squid
Here are some of the interesting facts about water Vampire squid:
Fact 1:Vampire squids are approximately one foot in length.
Fact 2:“Vampire squid from hell” is the translation of this squid’s
latin name – Vampyroteuthis infernalis.
Fact 3:The vampire squid was always thought to be a slow swimmer
Vampire squid facts-20 interesting facts about Vampire squid
Fact 4: Vampire squid was first discovered and described in 1903
Fact 5:The vampire squid’s principal [19]escape response involves the
glowing of the light organs on the tip of the arms and at the base of
the fins.
Fact 6:It is believed that the Vampire Squid reproduce by the males
depositing sperm into the sac of the female.
Fact 7:The vampire squid reaches a maximum [20]total length of around
30 cm
Fact 8:The vampire squid is thought to reside at aphotic (lightless)
depths from 600 to 900 metres
Fact 9:Vampire squid facts has eight long arms and two retractile
filaments
Fact 10:They hatch with one pair of fins, but then develop a second
pair closer to the front of the body.
Fact 11:The vampire squid has no positive economic benefit to humans.
Fact 12:They don’t need to eat very much though due to their low
metabolism.
Fact 13:Vampire squids only has to feed a few times per week.
Fact 14: The female vampire squid is larger than the male
Fact 15:They have the largest eye-to-body ratio of any animal in the
world – their eyes alone make up about 10% of their 12-inch bodies
Fact 16:They are also known as super squids
Fact 17:The vampire squid can luminesce for longer than two minutes as
a result of the photophores
Fact 18:The females will die soon after their offspring are born.
Fact 19:Hatchlings are about 8 mm in length and are well-developed
miniatures of the adults
Fact 20:The vampire squid can be found in temperate to [21]tropical
regions in the ocean.
Vampire squid facts-20 interesting facts about Vampire squid
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