Vampire

A Vampire is a mythical creature who survives by sucking the blood out of living creatures. The first Vampire can be found in the Scriptures of Delphi.The characteristics of a Vampire can vary. Some Vampires can turn into bats or wolves, cast a reflection, die from Holy water and sunlight, while others may not have these characteristics. However, there is one characteristic that remains the same throughout all Vampires and that is the sucking of blood. There are often physical appearances that you see in Vampires such as pale skin and red eyes.

Etymology

The exact Etymology of the word " Vampire" is not confirmed. The English word vampire was borrowed from German "Vampir", which was borrowed from Serbian "вампир/vampir" or from Hungarian "vámpír". The word Vampire can be described as A corpse that leaves its grave at night to drink the blood of the living by biting their necks with their long pointed canine teeth.

Folk History

The creation of Vampires started with one single vampire, because only a vampire can create another vampire. The history of who created the first vampire can be found in the Scriptures of Delphi , also known as "The Vampire Bible".The first vampire was a man named Ambrogio.  The physicality of the first vampire began to take place when the sun god, Apollo cursed Ambrogio so that his skin would burn if it were to touch sunlight ever again. He then gambled his soul to Hades, the god of the underworld.  After that, Apollo's sister Artemis, the goddess of the moon and hunting, cursed him so that his skin would burn if he touched silver. Out of grief, Artemis agreed that he would carry his curses if he lived in the same form and age for the rest of his life. He also gave him strength and speed so he developed hunting skills. Blood-sucking, or "hematophagy" was a trait he inherited.

Modern Usage

The way society views Vampires has changed over time.  The release of the film Dracula changed the genre for decades by causing Vampire media to shift. The United States became the Vampire capital of the world in the twentieth century. In 1992, Stoker's classic novel became the Hollywood version of what we pictured a Vampire to be like. Aside from the violence, the Vampire was also seen as an emotional creature.  In The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, the vampire starts to display more human like qualities. They had feelings, emotions, and sadness.These qualities allowed people to understand what it was like for Vampires for centuries. Shortly after this, the concept of gender was revised. It became acceptable for Men and Women to be Vampires. We then start to see Vampires becoming more emotional rather than evil. As our culture continues to grow, the Vampire will become more like humans.

Dracula and History

Bram Stoker's Dracula is a key text in our understanding of the modern vampire. There are many rumors about historical connections, but it is questionable if these are real inspirations for Stoker's work. Either way, they have entered the current tales of Vampires and have a significant effect on our understanding of the legend. Vlad the Impaler is in name a true Dracula. It derives from their family name of Drăculești, which was a ruling house who fought the Turks in supposedly gruesome ways. He is most notably remembered for the stories about his gardens of death. Whole areas around his house were said to have people being slowly impaled while still alive. He died by being beheaded, which many authors note is a way that Vampires can be killed.

List of Texts/Media

1. Dracula- Known for introducing the character or the Vampire. Dracula is portrayed as a character who has manners, is charming, and is highly unresistable to girls.
2. Twilight Series- Made Vampires out to be the most attractive creatures. The series showed a mysterious side to Vampires, which drew the attention of the audience immensely. The exaggeration of the idea of dating a Vampire made the myth of Vampires extremely popular to teenagers.
3. Vampire Diaries- A TV series that is geared toward an adolescent crowd. This series is similar to the twilight series, in that it tells the story of teenage Vampires who are blood thirsty and fall in love.
4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- A film about the 16th president of the United States and his revenge on vampires for the killing of his mother and his young son. Lincoln finds out that the vampires are trying to dominate the United States and turn everyone into vampires, but he puts a stop to this plan.
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a television series that cultivated a strong fan base for five seasons. The show portrayed Vampires, along with other monsters and creatures, as an evil force that continually needed to be eradicated by the ‘Slayers.’ The show specifically follows the main character Buffy, who was characterized as a force for good.  The storyline highlights the internal conflict displayed when a Slayer, Buffy, and a Vampire, Angel, fall in love. The series was so successful that books, video games, and merchandise continue to be sold with the display of what modern day Vampires are.
6. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles- This film is about a man named Louis, played by Brad Pitt, who was transformed into a vampire by Lestat, Tom Cruise, in the 18th Century. Throughout the film Louis recounts his journey as a vampire to a reporter in modern day San Francisco.
7. The Lost Boys- This film is about two brothers, named Michael and Sam, who move with their mother to live with their grandfather in Santa Carla. While on the Santa Carla boardwalk Michael becomes infatuated by a woman named Star. Little does he know she is in a relationship with David, the leader of the local gang of vampires. After hanging out with this gang Michael develops the thirst for blood. It is up to his younger brother Sam, and his allies (the Frog brothers) to help Michael reverse the process by killing the head vampire.
8. The Little Vampire- This film, which is geared towards a family audience, portrays vampires as friendly creatures with family dynamics that are similar to humans. In fact, the vampires in the movie only drink cow blood. In the film, the vampires are the ones whose lives are in danger because they are being chased down by a merciless vampire hunter. The vampires are being portrayed victims whose only hope of being saved lies in the hands of a little human boy.
9. Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire- In this original Disney movie, kids set up a blind date for their mother not realizing that the date is a vampire. In the film, the vampire is portrayed in a very stereotypical manner such as not having a reflection, not being able to enter a home until welcomed, having the ability to put people in a trance, and appearing to be very charming. As it turns out, the vampire plan was to turn the mother into a vampire in order to make her his bride but luckily the kids were able to put his evil scheme to a halt before it was too late.
10. Vampyr- This film, is about a young man named Allan Gray, who studies vampires. The film begins with Allan arriving at a inn on the outskirts of the village of Courtempierre. One night Allan heard "a human soul in fear of Death cry[ing] for help." Allan finds out that another guest at the inn has two daughters who are sick and awaiting the arrival of the doctor. While at the inn Allan begins studying vampires, learning that vampires are "not at peace because of terrible deeds they did while living, rise from their coffins - to suck the blood of children and young people - and prolong their own life in the land of the shadows." After the doctor arrives and tends to the daughters, Allan decides to follow him. The doctor is found digging up a grave of an old woman. A stake is driven through Marguerite Chopin's body and the daughters become free from the vampires control.