THE VAMPIRES
Decoding the Mysterious Origins of "hissss"
The evolution of vampires in literature, film, and television including iconic tales like Dracula, Salem's Lot, Nosferatu, Blade trilogy and New Moon and TV shows include The Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries made me very curious to think about their history, and their origin.
Questions raised within myself such as Who are they? Why were they created? Are they real? etc.
So, Let's find out...
Long before man created celluloid or began to write fiction, long before he used horror stories as entertainment. The Cornish prayer 'From Ghoulies and Ghosties & Long Leggity Beasties. And Things That Go Bump In The Night - Good Lord, Deliver Us!' was a reminder that once existed in all of us.
To us now, vampires may seem unusual and incomprehensible, but to our ancestors, they were real. Yes, believe it or not, there actually was a real live Dracula.
His name was Vlad Tepes, but his nickname was Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was born in Transylvania in 1431. His father, Dracul, which means "dragon", ruled Walachia, which is now a part of Romania. Dracula means "son of dragon". When Vlad was only 16 years old, nobles killed his father and mother. This made Vlad very angry and very violent. When Vlad became the leader of Walachia, a few years later, he wanted revenge.
As soon as Vlad returned to Walachia, he threw a big party and invited all of the nobles to attend. Vlad didn't send his guests home; instead, he impaled the nobles with a wooden stake. Impaling become one of Dracula's favorite methods of killing people. According to legend, Vlad enjoyed dining amidst his dying victims and dipping his bread in their blood.
In conclusion, Vlad was a killer, but not a vampire.
An author named Bram Stoker was so fascinated by Dracula that he wrote a book about him in 1897. Whether those tales are true is unknown, but many people believe these stories sparked Stoker's imagination to create "Count Dracula".
Are They Real?
Diseases were frightening things before the age of medical science. Some diseases like plague helped spawn one of the most enduring and widespread monster myths - the vampire. The disease often left behind bleeding mouth lesions on its victims, which to the uneducated was a sure sign of vampirism.
Many researchers have pointed to porphyria, which affects heme, the chemical compound which helps make up the hemoglobin found in our blood. Due to this, patients suffer itching, rashes and blisters every time their skin is exposed to sunlight. In the worst cases, the gums recede from the teeth. Some symptoms of porphyria can be temporarily relieved by ingesting the blood of someone who is healthy.
The fear that the dead could still harm the living was only intensified when dead bodies appeared to have blood coming out of their mouths. Without an understanding of how the body decomposes and “purge fluid,” it’s easy to see how people could assume that their loved ones had come back from the dead and were drinking people’s blood. So as soon as a suspected patient died, a stake was thrust through the corpse's heart to make sure they stayed dead.
Essentially, the vampire myth comes from more than just disease, says Luckhurst.
But, there are people who actually consume human and animal blood in real. The condition of craving blood for energy is known as "Haematomania".
They usually drink blood from willing donors. Most are fairly private about their taste for blood for fear of getting confronted by people. But with organizations like Atlanta's Vampire Alliance, there is a growing advocacy for those that pursue this lifestyle.
So, splash your views now ladies and gentlemen. Whether viewed as fictional character or embraced as part of lifestyle, vampires remain a fascinating symbol in our consciousness.
ALWAYS AND FOREVER!
About the Creator
Anusri Venugopal
Lost alone with only words to share with.
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well-crafted and offers valuable information.