Post by Danae on Mar 5, 2010 19:20:05 GMT -5
A vampire feeds on the life essence of their victims. This usually occurs by drinking the blood of their victim. The reasons that the vampire needs blood to survive varies from culture to culture. Some feel that the vampire needs blood to flow through their veins to keep their bodies animated and limit the damage of decay. Others feel that the beasts feed as a sadistic habit in order to wreak havoc and fear.
This theory of course also makes on think that it may not be the blood that animates the vampire, but the fear & pain. Vampires aren't particular they will drink the blood of animals as well as humans.
The most obvious characteristic that you think of when referring to the vampire is of course that the creature is dead a yet walks among the living. Most tales of vampirism tell us that these beings have fangs, are afraid of sunlight, they can shape-shift, (i.e. bats and wolves), they cry tears of blood, sleep in a coffin during the day and have extreme levels of strength and speed. Of course it goes without saying that this creature is immortal, unless of course killed using the proper methods.
As stated before different cultures have different myths about the vampires. For instancing European beliefs the vampire is dead, zombie like, hideously deformed from death and inherently evil. Whereas the American legend has been handed to us by Hollywood. The creature is a sensual, desirable one. Most of our movies and fiction combine the myth and legend of Europe, but also adds the dash of Americana, making this being a seductive beauty, with brawn as well as brains, and sometimes even a dash of compassion.
Who is a vampire? Are you predestined from birth to become one of the undead? In older lore vampires were people who died unnaturally and couldn't face the fact that they were truly dead. In my research I found some really fun and interesting ways of becoming one with the undead. The most common way of becoming is of course being bitten by a vampire. From here on the becoming is very bizarre. Lets start with some of the predisposition's; being conceived on a holy day, being weaned too early, being born the seventh son of the seventh son or receiving a curse. The last two are my personal favorites a mother who did not eat enough salt during pregnancy and a mother being stared at by a vampire while pregnant. Enough of predisposition's, lets move onto ways that you can cause yourself to become a vampire. Common beliefs in older lore include being a witch or were-wolf, being cruel or evil person, committing suicide, being murdered or being the murderer. All these things can make you a vampire upon death. But wait, there are more ways to be a do-it-yourselfer. These are my personal favorites in this category; eating sheep killed by a wolf, leading an immoral life, (i.e. prostitutes & treacherous barmaids), or (for a priest) saying mass while in the state of mortal sin. For the Europeans after death becomings include; wind from the Russian Steppe blowing on the corpse and being buried face up in the grave, the latter of the two believed in certain parts of Romania. Other after death causes of the becoming are; having a cat or other animal jump or fly over a corpse, having a shadow fall on a corpse, no burial or improper burial rites, murder that is unrevenged, having ones brother sleep walk (?), death by drowning and finally stealing the ropes used to bury the corpse. So my research turned up many way to become a vampire.
How do you detect that someone is a vampire? Ever wonder if your friends, family or teachers are just Vampires leeching you dry? The following suggestions are taken basically from old myths and lore. If you find a corpse that is bloated, showed blood in the mouth, grew long nails and hair chances are that you are dealing with a vampire. (Of course in modern times we have realized that the previous conditions are all part of decomposition.) To detect a vampire at graveside or in the cemetery, if you are not looking for anyone in particular, first look for fingersized holes around the grave, look for disturbed dirt, constant mists, disturbed coffins, moved or fallen tombstones footprints leading to and from the grave, (just make sure that they aren't your own), no birds singing, dogs barking and refusing to enter the cemetery, geese screaming when near the suspected grave and last, but not least, groaning sounds from under the earth.
If you think that someone you know has been a victim of vampirism or might possibly be a vampire here are some ways of detection. If the supposed victim suffers from one or more of the following list chances are that you are dealing with the undead. Things to look for are sleeplessness, nightmares, anemia, bite marks on the neck, (dead give away), exhaustion, nervousness, irritability, sleepwalking, difficulty in breathing, no appetite, weight loss, aversion to garlic, strange dental growths and photosensitivity. All taken together means that you are either dealing with a vampire or a parent of young children.
The appearance of the suggested vampire is also important. You should look for the following; fangs, red eyes, long fingernails, paleness, reluctance to enter a house without an invitation, hairy palms and aversion to bright lights. Also look to see if your family and/or friends have a reflection or cast a shadow.
Once you have determined that you are dealing with the undead, the following information is to help you prevent, protect and destroy your evil demon. Prevention for pre-burial is fun, here is just a sampling of what I found; destroyed vampire that caused death, close all windows, prevent moonlight from falling on the corpse, cover all mirrors, (keep in mind that these are old rituals used when people still buried their own), place corn or garlic in mouth and cover all standing water. Now for some of my personal favorites; pour incense into eyes, nose and ears of victim. Bind the body of the victim by tying the mouth shut, tying legs or feet together, weld the toes together (?), and then wrap in carpet or net. Decapitate the corpse and place the head under the arm or between legs or bury it in a separate grave. The number one favorite to prevent a loved one from becoming one of the undead, stretch a dead cat or dog across the threshold to the house.
If your prevention does not work, then you should try to protect yourself and your loved ones from the same fate. Garlic of course is one well-known method. It can be used on windows, doors, around the neck and under armpits (?); if you mix it with water it can be sprinkled or sprayed throughout an area. Also try fishnets on windows, doors and graves, for some unknown reason vampires are obsessed with untangling objects. Seeds are another way to protect yourself, just sprinkle into yard or walkways; vampires are compelled to count seeds (i.e. the count on Sesame Street). Holy water is yet another popular way of protection. Bells ringing will keep the undead away if ringing constantly. My last suggestion would be placing mirrors on the doors, because, as one author put it, it really annoys the vampire that they cannot see their own reflection.
This theory of course also makes on think that it may not be the blood that animates the vampire, but the fear & pain. Vampires aren't particular they will drink the blood of animals as well as humans.
The most obvious characteristic that you think of when referring to the vampire is of course that the creature is dead a yet walks among the living. Most tales of vampirism tell us that these beings have fangs, are afraid of sunlight, they can shape-shift, (i.e. bats and wolves), they cry tears of blood, sleep in a coffin during the day and have extreme levels of strength and speed. Of course it goes without saying that this creature is immortal, unless of course killed using the proper methods.
As stated before different cultures have different myths about the vampires. For instancing European beliefs the vampire is dead, zombie like, hideously deformed from death and inherently evil. Whereas the American legend has been handed to us by Hollywood. The creature is a sensual, desirable one. Most of our movies and fiction combine the myth and legend of Europe, but also adds the dash of Americana, making this being a seductive beauty, with brawn as well as brains, and sometimes even a dash of compassion.
Who is a vampire? Are you predestined from birth to become one of the undead? In older lore vampires were people who died unnaturally and couldn't face the fact that they were truly dead. In my research I found some really fun and interesting ways of becoming one with the undead. The most common way of becoming is of course being bitten by a vampire. From here on the becoming is very bizarre. Lets start with some of the predisposition's; being conceived on a holy day, being weaned too early, being born the seventh son of the seventh son or receiving a curse. The last two are my personal favorites a mother who did not eat enough salt during pregnancy and a mother being stared at by a vampire while pregnant. Enough of predisposition's, lets move onto ways that you can cause yourself to become a vampire. Common beliefs in older lore include being a witch or were-wolf, being cruel or evil person, committing suicide, being murdered or being the murderer. All these things can make you a vampire upon death. But wait, there are more ways to be a do-it-yourselfer. These are my personal favorites in this category; eating sheep killed by a wolf, leading an immoral life, (i.e. prostitutes & treacherous barmaids), or (for a priest) saying mass while in the state of mortal sin. For the Europeans after death becomings include; wind from the Russian Steppe blowing on the corpse and being buried face up in the grave, the latter of the two believed in certain parts of Romania. Other after death causes of the becoming are; having a cat or other animal jump or fly over a corpse, having a shadow fall on a corpse, no burial or improper burial rites, murder that is unrevenged, having ones brother sleep walk (?), death by drowning and finally stealing the ropes used to bury the corpse. So my research turned up many way to become a vampire.
How do you detect that someone is a vampire? Ever wonder if your friends, family or teachers are just Vampires leeching you dry? The following suggestions are taken basically from old myths and lore. If you find a corpse that is bloated, showed blood in the mouth, grew long nails and hair chances are that you are dealing with a vampire. (Of course in modern times we have realized that the previous conditions are all part of decomposition.) To detect a vampire at graveside or in the cemetery, if you are not looking for anyone in particular, first look for fingersized holes around the grave, look for disturbed dirt, constant mists, disturbed coffins, moved or fallen tombstones footprints leading to and from the grave, (just make sure that they aren't your own), no birds singing, dogs barking and refusing to enter the cemetery, geese screaming when near the suspected grave and last, but not least, groaning sounds from under the earth.
If you think that someone you know has been a victim of vampirism or might possibly be a vampire here are some ways of detection. If the supposed victim suffers from one or more of the following list chances are that you are dealing with the undead. Things to look for are sleeplessness, nightmares, anemia, bite marks on the neck, (dead give away), exhaustion, nervousness, irritability, sleepwalking, difficulty in breathing, no appetite, weight loss, aversion to garlic, strange dental growths and photosensitivity. All taken together means that you are either dealing with a vampire or a parent of young children.
The appearance of the suggested vampire is also important. You should look for the following; fangs, red eyes, long fingernails, paleness, reluctance to enter a house without an invitation, hairy palms and aversion to bright lights. Also look to see if your family and/or friends have a reflection or cast a shadow.
Once you have determined that you are dealing with the undead, the following information is to help you prevent, protect and destroy your evil demon. Prevention for pre-burial is fun, here is just a sampling of what I found; destroyed vampire that caused death, close all windows, prevent moonlight from falling on the corpse, cover all mirrors, (keep in mind that these are old rituals used when people still buried their own), place corn or garlic in mouth and cover all standing water. Now for some of my personal favorites; pour incense into eyes, nose and ears of victim. Bind the body of the victim by tying the mouth shut, tying legs or feet together, weld the toes together (?), and then wrap in carpet or net. Decapitate the corpse and place the head under the arm or between legs or bury it in a separate grave. The number one favorite to prevent a loved one from becoming one of the undead, stretch a dead cat or dog across the threshold to the house.
If your prevention does not work, then you should try to protect yourself and your loved ones from the same fate. Garlic of course is one well-known method. It can be used on windows, doors, around the neck and under armpits (?); if you mix it with water it can be sprinkled or sprayed throughout an area. Also try fishnets on windows, doors and graves, for some unknown reason vampires are obsessed with untangling objects. Seeds are another way to protect yourself, just sprinkle into yard or walkways; vampires are compelled to count seeds (i.e. the count on Sesame Street). Holy water is yet another popular way of protection. Bells ringing will keep the undead away if ringing constantly. My last suggestion would be placing mirrors on the doors, because, as one author put it, it really annoys the vampire that they cannot see their own reflection.