History of vampire lore

Most cultures around the world have tales of vampires. Though they may differ in appearance, behavior and name, all are dark creatures who feed off the blood or essence of humans. The term vampire first appeared in the English language in the 1700s, and came into common use a few centuries later, due in large part to a rise of popular vampire fiction. However, other cultures mentioned similar creatures perhaps as early as the 2nd century.  According to Lindahl, McNamara, and Lindow’s “Medieval Folklore” encyclopedia, part of Homer’s Odyssey, which was written in the 8th century B.C.E., contains a tale of a transfusion of living blood giving life back to the deceased. The strongest beliefs and superstitions about vampires seem to have originated in Eastern Europe, and many of the modern beliefs about vampires can be traced back to this specific region.

The Middle Ages

In medieval literature, the earliest records of vampiric activity include texts from England, Germany and Bohemia. The oldest of these is Historia rerum Anglicarum, written by a monk named William of Newburgh in 1198. It tells the story of a monster rising from the grave and lurking about his living family and his town. When the townspeople exhumed the accused body, the deceased individual appeared plump and well-fed, with blood at the mouth. As happened often in medieval times, according to Green’s “Folklore” encyclopedia, this appearance was interpreted to mean the corpse had risen and fed. In truth, these are some of the first stages of decomposition, bloating and expulsion of blood from the mouth. Newburgh’s account ends with the townspeople cutting out the corpse’s heart, and burning what remains.

The origin of vampirism was believed in most societies to be rooted in evil, both evil-doing in life, as well as a failure to give the dead proper funeral rites. It may have reflected the uncertainty that those societies felt about what happened after death, as well as the mysterious connection of the body to the soul. Now it seems, vampires may have been the scapegoat for real medical conditions that were mysterious to medical science at the time. Tuberculosis, the Plague and rabies have symptoms that could be interpreted, to a superstitious community, as vampirism. Dr. Juan Gomez-Alonso has pointed out that rabies has symptoms including hypersensitivity (possibly to light) hyper-sexuality, abnormal sleep patterns, and violent behavior including biting. It is also spread when infected individuals bit others. It seems likely that individuals afflicted with “vampirism” suffered from some of these conditions.

Although the lore of vampires existed long before the advent of Christianity, in many regions it had a strong effect on beliefs about vampires. When Christianity spread in the Middle Ages, vampires were still feared in many regions. Green’s “Folklore” recounts things that were said to ward off vampires at this time, including sharp objects, and things with a strong odor, including manure, incense, and garlic (explaining the modern belief in garlic as a repellent). As the church often did with pagan rituals and holidays (such as Halloween), it did not try to disprove local superstitions about vampires. Rather, to ease the transition from pagan beliefs into Christianity, the church assimilated these beliefs into beliefs about demons and other evil creatures. Bane’s in-depth “Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology” contains various examples of the changes in local vampire lore under the Christian church’s influence. In one case, the Tomtin of Germany, a sort of vampiric faerie, morphed into Saint Nicholas, an early form of Santa Claus.  It was at this time that religious objects such as the cross, rosaries, and holy water became effective weapons against the undead. In doing this, regional belief in the power of Christianity, both in general and against the undead, took hold.

As many people may be aware, a real life inspiration for the vampire may be a historical figure from the Middle Ages known as Vlad the Impaler. According to Lindahl et al, Count Vladislaus Dracul lived in Transylvania from 1431-1476, and was infamous for his cruelty and bloodlust, often manifested by impaling enemies on stakes. Throughout the rest of the middle ages and even later, the tales of Vlad the Impaler became very popular. Although some scholars disagree that Vlad had any influence on popular vampirism, it is possible that this real life figure began to morph into a more supernatural being.

Evolution in the Modern Era

Even after the middle ages, for centuries people continued to practice elaborate rituals to protect the dead from rising again. Lindahl et al list the many ways in which corpses were buried to prevent them from rising again, including being buried facedown.

In spite of this lengthy history, vampires continue to evolve in folklore and popular culture. Throughout the remaining centuries after the Middle Ages, legends continued to change and grow. Vampires as we know them really gained many of their current attributes in the 1800s. These attributes were mostly synthesized from the vampire folklore and superstition specific to Eastern Europe. People have retained such a fascination with them that they are recreated again and again, as Buffy’s Angel or Bella’s Edward and more. Perhaps it is their invulnerability to death, or the seductiveness of power, that has captured popular imagination for many centuries. Whatever it is, they will no doubt will continue to fascinate for a long time to come.

References

Bane, T. (2010) Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. McFarland & Company, Inc. Jefferson, NC, 28640.

Gomez-Alonso, J. (1998) Rabies: A possible explanation for the vampire legend. Neurology, vol. 51 no. 3 856-859.

Green, T.A. (1997) Folklore, An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, and Art, Volume 2: I-Z. ABC-CLO, Santa Barbara, CA, 93116

Klinger, L. (2008) The New Annotated Dracula. W.W. Norton & Company, 500 5th Ave. New York, NY, 10110.

Lindahl, C., McNamara, J., Lindow, J. (2000) Medieval Folklore, An Encyclopedia of Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs, Volume 2: L-Z. ABC-CLO, Santa Barbara, CA, 93116