Facts about Vampire
Romania is surrounded by Slavic countries, so it is not surprising that Romanian and Slavic vampires are similar.
Some scholars have suggested this belief in vampires arose because of a series of deaths due to unidentifiable or mysterious illnesses, usually within the same family or the same small community.
The most fanatic partisans said the embargo was a machination of Jews and Freemasons against Catholic Spain.
The appearance of vampires varied throughout Greece and were usually thought to be indistinguishable from living people, giving rise to many folk tales with this theme.
The word “vampire” is mentioned in Babylonian demonology, and the even more ancient bloodsucking Akhkharu is mentioned in Sumerian mythology.
The modern day term, Vampire (derivative of the German vampir), usually refers to mythological or folkloric beings that subsist on the life force of a human being and/or animal.
The vampire was usually first noticed when it attacked family and livestock, or threw things around in the house.
Bram Stoker's Dracula arguably presents the definitive version of the vampire in popular fiction.
Other types of vampires in Romanian folklore include Moroi and Pricolici.
A vampire in the grave could be discerned by holes in the earth, an un-decomposed corpse with a red face, or with one foot in the corner of the coffin.
One form of vampire in Romani folklore is called a mullo (one who is dead).
The Roma legends of the "living dead" have indeed enriched the vampire legends of Hungary, Romania, and the Slavic world.
Other examples of early vampire stories are Samuel Taylor Coleridge's unfinished poem Christabel and Sheridan Le Fanu's lesbian vampire story, Carmilla.
Romanian vampires are called Strigoi, based on the ancient Greek term strix, for screech owl, which also came to mean demon or witch.
Vampires were so feared for their potential for great harm that a village or an island would occasionally be stricken by a mass panic if a vampire invasion were believed imminent.
Living vampires were identified by distributing garlic in church and observing who would refuse to eat it.
In zoology and botany, the term "vampirism" is used in reference to leeches, mosquitos, mistletoe, vampire bats, and other organisms that subsist on the bodily fluids of others.
Lord Byron arguably introduced the vampire theme to Western literature in his epic poem The Giaour (1813), but it was John Polidori who authored the first "true" vampire story, called The Vampyre.
A person born with a caul, an extra nipple, a tail, or extra hair was doomed to become a vampire.
The first recorded use of the English variation "vampire" comes from a police report in Austrian controlled Serbia during the sixteenth century, in which the police were investigating vampire claims made by local peasants.
Polidori was the personal physician of Byron and the vampire of the story, Lord Ruthven, is based partly on him—making the character the first of the now familiar romantic vampires.
To get rid of a vampire, one could hire a Dhampir (the son of a vampire and his widow) or a Moroi to detect the vampire.
The "hopping corpse" may be considered the Chinese equivalent of the vampire.
Soon, vampires became staples of the horror genre, for both television and film, often depicted in similar representations to Stoker's.
Vampires were among the first cinematic creations of the early twentieth century with the silent classic Nosferatu, followed by a string of Dracula inspired movies.
Mobs stoned one individual to death and attacked at least four others, including Governor Eric Chiwaya, based on the belief that the government was colluding with vampires.
To prevent vampires from rising from the dead, their hearts were pierced with iron nails whilst resting in their graves, or their bodies burned and the ashes scattered.
The anthropomorphic and demonic version of the vampire did not emerge until centuries later, however, in Eastern Europe folklore.
A person born with a caul, an extra nipple, a tail, or extra hair was doomed to become a vampire.
Vampires, like other Slavic legendary creatures, were afraid of garlic and were compelled to count particles of grain, sawdust, and the like.
Female vampires could return, lead a normal life, and even marry, but would eventually exhaust the husband.
Vampire-like spirits called the Lilu are mentioned in early Babylonian demonology, and the even more ancient bloodsucking Akhkharu is discussed in Sumerian mythology.
Ways purported to kill vampires range from putting sawdust in or around their coffins to carrying fresh rose bush sprigs.
To destroy a vampire, a stake was driven through the body, followed by decapitation, and placing garlic in the mouth.
Vampire style groups have developed where vampire behavior is practiced, such as a preference for night time and darkness, and the drinking of blood.
The most popular and well-known means of killing a vampire is driving a silver stake through its heart and presenting it with holy items, such as rosaries, crosses, and holy water.
Often in old folklore, those who committed suicide or were brutally murdered were susceptible to becoming vampires, since the natural course of their life was interrupted.
Vampires could be harmless, sometimes returning to support their widows by their work.
During late 2002 and early 2003, hysteria about alleged attacks of vampires swept through the African country of Malawi.
The English word vampire is a derivative of the German vampir, which became "vampire" when passed into French, and stayed the same when it was assimilated into English.
Certain people would bury those believed to be potential vampires with scythes above their necks, so the dead would decapitate themselves as they rose.
Anyone who had a horrible appearance, was missing a finger, or had appendages similar to those of an animal, was believed to be a vampire.
The same way a human baby is born. Each vampire story has its own RULES. In this case Vampires are like humans with super human ability. They can have children and they can die.
Vampires have traditionally several weaknesses, but how effective these are to an individual vampire varies greatly:Direct sunlight may cause instant Disintegration, burn like fire or prevent the use of supernatural powers. ... Wooden stake through the heart. ... May be unable to enter dwelling without invitation.More items...