Random question about vampires, or vamypres, which ever. by AURaptor

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Random question about vampires, or vamypres, which ever.

POSTED BY: AURAPTOR
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 13:55
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Sunday, December 16, 2012 6:34 AM

America loves a winner!

Don't the origins of vampires start w/ Vlad, the Impaler aka Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476)?

Nobleman and ruthless warlord, I believe.

His main rivals, as I understand, were the Ottoman Turks, Muslims, who were trying to over run the rest of Europe, which was decidedly Christian.

Now, wasn't ol Vlad pretty much like his fellow noblemen, who , if not Christian themselves, at least fought under the symbol of the cross, at least giving the appearance to their peasants that they were followers ?

So, where does the idea of showing a cross to a vampire to ward it away, make sense ?

Or is there another source for the vampire legend which is out there, and I'm overlooking ?

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Sunday, December 16, 2012 7:01 AM

BYTEMITE

Vlad wasn't actually the source of the legend, but his reputation for cruelty preceded him across Europe, even though in his native Bulgaria he was considered quite the defender of the people and a hero.

Slavic people originated the vampire myth, Vlad was himself slavic, so when Bram Stoker did his research into vampires, he learned about Vlad and how Vlad was a member of the house of Draculesti, so Vlad himself was also known as Dracula, which translates as "(Son of) The Dragon" which is what was intended as the slavic Order of the Dragon his family was a member of was a Christian group, but the name also means "(Son of) The Devil." Because of this Stoker attributed vampiric qualities to Dracula, and the rest is history.

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Sunday, December 16, 2012 7:03 AM

WHOZIT

Everyone who writes a story about vampires puts their own spin on it. In the "Twilight" series they can go out into the sun, in "Interveiw with a Vampire" they're fine with crosses.

Also Bram Stoker wasn't the first to write about blood suckers, his book just happen to be the 1st one to be a best seller about them.

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Sunday, December 16, 2012 7:19 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

But wasn't there a surge of executions of those thought to be vampires, by the Church, much like as was done with those accused of being witches? And this was long before the Stoker's book came out.

And I'm really fuzzy on the origins of the blood suckers, who THINK they're vamps, or what ever, and actually get off on blood play. As Jayne would say... " where's THAT get fun ?

Ick.

I've always pretty much ignored the whole vampire genre, and still do, but thanks to Joss, I can't help but noticed all the different versions and tales of vampires that have popped up since Buffy and Angel.

Seems to me that it's the same basic tale, told over and over again, and folks just keep adding their own twists , to make things 'fresh'. I fail to see the appeal, myself, but it sure seems to still be raking in the $.

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." - Socrates

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Sunday, December 16, 2012 8:02 AM

BYTEMITE

Quote:
But wasn't there a surge of executions of those thought to be vampires, by the Church, much like as was done with those accused of being witches?

Not that I'm aware of. The Slavic folklore was actually pretty specific that only people who had already died could become vampires.

Bram Stoker's story had Dracula's family make a deal with the devil, but that was not a normal thing. In fact I kinda wonder if Bram mixed up witches (thought to commune with the devil) and werewolves (who originally obtained a wolf fur or belt or salve from the devil that caused them to transform, rather than infecting people with a bite and transforming only on the full moon).

There WERE vampire hunts targeting innocent people, but that was only after the late 18th century, when a poorly understood version of the vampire myth began to be circulated around greater Europe. It was nothing like the earlier church sanctioned witch-hunts.

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013 1:55 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Don't pretty much all major cultures throughout history have some kind of vampire mythology?

Stoker gets credited for bringing it to the Western world, but I don't think he was by any means the first.

I'd heard at one time that the whole stake-through-the-heart thing was a fiction as well (it is, of course, but I mean the idea that *any* wooden stake will do for a vamp); according to some of the lore I'd heard, it had to be a stake of ash wood (from an ash tree, I mean), or it wouldn't turn the vamp to dust (as in, to *ash* - get it?).

But I've never been able to find that folklore anywhere else to verify it. Maybe it will be my twist on the vampire mythology...

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero

"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012

Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"

Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."

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