Stories of vampirelike creatures have
come from many parts of the world. But
most vampire tales originated in Eastern
European and Balkan countries, such
as Albania, Greece, Hungary, and Romania.
There are many superstitions about vampires.
People who commit suicide, die violently,
or are condemned by their church supposedly
become vampires. According to folklore,
a vampire can be destroyed by driving
a wooden stake through its heart. In
Europe, from the late 1600's to the
early 1800's, people dug up graves looking
for vampires.
The
horror novel Dracula (1897), by the
English author Bram Stoker, is the most
famous vampire story. The character
of Dracula is based on Vlad
Tepes, a cruel prince from Walachia
(now part of Romania). Vlad was nicknamed
Dracula, which in Romanian means son
of the devil or son of a dragon.
English author Bram Stoker, Dracula
is the most famous vampire story of
all time. The main character is a wicked
nobleman, Count Dracula of Transylvania,
a region of Romania.
In the novel, Dracula's search for new
victims leads him to England. There,
he pursues two young women, Lucy Westenra
and Mina Murray. He, in turn, is hunted
by Mina's fiance, Jonathan Harker, and
by Abraham Van Helsing, an authority
on vampires. The two men finally destroy
Dracula. Dracula was based on vampire
legends that probably arose from hundreds
of savage murders committed in the 1400's
by Vlad Tepes, a prince from Walachia,
a region south of Transylvania.
Stoker's novel, published in 1897,
is probably best known as a motion
picture. Film versions include Nosferatu
(1922) and Dracula (1931).
†
Media Vampires
Dark Shadows was a Gothic television
soap opera that originally aired weekdays
on the ABC television network, from
June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971.
A pre-existing Elizabethan residence
known as Seaview (1885) formerly owned
by James Kernochan, was incorporated
into Greenley's design. In keeping
with its seaside location, the 65-room
manor house features turrets, stained-glass
windows, high, arching doorways and
shell motifs that adorn the fa?ade.
Rooms imported intact from France
were moved from the Bradley's home
in Washington, D.C. to Newport, and
reassembled with the chateau constructed
around them.
The Bradley's daughter Mrs. Julia
Bradley Fox took over the estate and
lived there until the late 1930s with
her husband Rt. Rev. Herbert Shipman,
protestant Episcopal Bishop of New
York and World War I Army chaplain.
It has been used as World War II Army
officers' quarters, an exclusive girls'
school and as an exterior set for
the cult classic television show Dark
Shadows. Purchased in 1974 by the
Carey family of New York and renamed
Carey Mansion, it currently serves
as an academic facility and student
residence.
Barnabas Collins:
episode 193 (22 March 1967) to 365
(17 November 1967) Barnabas Collins,
a nearly two-hundred-year-old vampire,
is released from his coffin and brings
terror to Collinsport. Doctor Julia
Hoffman is called to investigate the
strange kidnapping of Maggie Evans,
a Collinsport waitress whom the vampire
believes to be the reincarnation of
his long lost love, Josette.
The show was produced by Dan Curtis,
who tells of a dream he had in which
a girl takes a long train ride to
visit a large mansion. The story "bible",
which was written by Art Wallace,
does not mention any supernatural
elements. It was considered daring
(and unprecedented in daytime television)
when ghosts were introduced about
six months after it began.
The series became hugely popular
when, a year into its run, vampire
Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan
Frid, appeared. In addition to vampires,
Dark Shadows featured werewolves,
ghosts, zombies, man-made monsters,
witches, warlocks, time travel, both
into the past and into the future,
and a parallel universe. A small company
of actors each played many roles and,
as actors came and went, some characters
were played by several actors. Major
writers in addition to Art Wallace
included Sam Hall, Gordon Russell,
and Violet Welles.
†
Anne Rice
Anne
Rice (born October 4, 1941) is a
best-selling American author of
gothic and later religious themed
books. She was born Howard Allen
O'Brien. Best known for her Vampire
Chronicles, her prevailing thematical
focus is on love, death, immortality,
existentialism, and the human condition.
She was married to poet Stan Rice
for 41 years until his death in
2002. Her books have sold nearly
100 million copies, making her one
of the most widely read authors
in modern history.
She
completed her first book, Interview
with the Vampire, in 1973 and published
it in 1976. This book would be the
first in Rice's popular Vampire
Chronicles series, which includes
1985's The Vampire Lestat and 1988's
The Queen of the Damned. Rice has
also published adult-oriented fiction
under the pen name Anne Rampling,
and has written explicit sado-masochistic
erotica as A.N. Roquelaure.
Her
fiction is often described as lush
and descriptive, and her characters'
sexuality is fluid, often displaying
homoerotic feelings towards each
other. Rice said that the bisexuality
was what she was looking for in
her characters; a love beyond gender.
She also weaves philosophical and
historic themes into the dense pattern
of her books. To her admirers, Rice's
books are among the best in modern
popular fiction, possessing those
elements that create a lasting presence
in the literary canon.
In
1994, Neil Jordan directed a relatively
faithful motion picture adaptation
of Interview with the Vampire, from
Rice's own screenplay. The movie
starred Tom Cruise as Lestat, Brad
Pitt as the morbid Louis and was
a breakout role for young Kirsten
Dunst as the deceitful little Claudia.
A
second film adaptation of the Vampire
Chronicles came out in 2002. Starring
Stuart Townsend as the infamous
Lestat, the movie combined incidents
from the second and third books
in the series but released under
the title of the third book, The
Queen of the Damned. The plot was
substantially altered from that
of the book, and the film was poorly
received by fans and critics alike.
On
April 25, 2006, the musical Lestat,
based on Rice's Vampire Chronicles
books, opened at the Palace Theatre
on Broadway after having its world
premiere in San Francisco, California
in December
2005. With music by Elton John and
lyrics by Bernie Taupin, it was
the inaugural production of the
newly established Warner Brothers
Theatre Ventures.
Despite
Rice's own overwhelming approval
and praise, the show received mostly
poor reviews by critics and disappointing
attendance. Lestat closed a month
later on May 28, 2006, after just
33 previews and 39 regular performances.
The
Vampire Chronicles:
Interview with
the Vampire (1976)
The Vampire Lestat (1985)
The Queen of the Damned (1988)
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
Memnoch the Devil (1995)
The Vampire Armand (1998)
Merrick (2000)
Blood and Gold (2001)
Blackwood Farm (2002)
Blood Canticle (2003)
New Tales of the Vampires: (Other
vampire tales that are not within
the main sequence, but in the same
fictional world)
Pandora (1998)
Vittorio the Vampire (1999)
†
Forever Knight
Forever Knight was a Canadian-German-American
television series about Nick Knight,
an 800-year-old vampire working as
a detective in modern day Toronto.
Nicholas is an unlikely vampire and
an even less likely civil servant,
seeking to repay society for his sins.
The series originated as a 1989 CBS
television movie, Nick Knight, with
Rick Springfield playing the title
character. In 1992, CBS began broadcasting
the series as part of its Crimetime
After Primetime lineup, with a new
name and with Geraint Wyn Davies now
playing Nick Knight.
Nicholas de Brabant’s life
is one of profound struggle. He is
at constant odds with the nature of
who he is (a monster, a natural predator),
and his unending quest to be human
again. His desires (both carnal and
humanitarian) seem to equally get
the best of him. Helping him achieve
his mortality is Dr. Natalie Lambert
(Catherine Disher), a medical examiner
who accidentally discovers the truth
about Nick and vows to help him. Through
the series there evolves a budding
(albeit forbidden for obvious reasons)
romance between Nick and Natalie,
constantly complicated by the presence
of Nick’s vampire family who
are never far from him.
The beautiful vampire Janette du
Charme (Deborah Duchêne) is
a very powerful influence over Nick,
for they are not only bound by their
very natures but by their master and
their quite literal eternal love for
one another. While Nick might love
Natalie for her mortality and her
tireless devotion to his cause, Nick
loves Janette for their deep abiding
history and almost preternatural bond.
Janette is also a “safe”
way for Nick to indulge his vampire
urges.
The most powerful force in Nick’s
life, however, is Lucien LaCroix (Nigel
Bennett), the vampire master who brought
both Nicholas and Janette across.
Nick both hates and loves LaCroix,
despising him for bringing him into
a life of darkness but also bound
by an unshakable loyalty to him. While
Janette might be mildly amused by
Nick’s desire to be human, LaCroix
fosters no such tolerance. It is quite
clear from the beginning that LaCroix
also harbors a deep, obsessive love
for Nick, providing a strong homoerotic
element to their complicated relationship.
LaCroix not only thwarts every attempt
Nick makes to achieve his goal, he
mocks his quest with cold derision.
LaCroix wants nothing more than for
Nick to leave the world of the living
and unite with his “family”
and especially him once more. This
seems to be all the more apparent
when Nick learns about who brought
LaCroix across. LaCroix was a general
in the Roman army, known as Lucius,
and he lived in Pompeii. He returned
from the war a hero, and had a bust
created in his honour. Lucius was
in love with a woman named Selene,
who had a young pre-teen daughter
named Divia (Kathryn Long), whom he
embraced as his own daughter. While
he was away, Divia became ill, and
when he returned, she was better again.
When Vesuvius was erupting, Divia,
now a vampire, noticed that Lucius
did not want to die, and she brought
him across, saving his life.
†
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American
cult television series that aired
from March 10, 1997 until May 20,
2003. It was created by writer-director
Joss Whedon under his production tag,
Mutant Enemy. The series narrative
follows Buffy Anne Summers (played
by Sarah Michelle Gellar), the latest
in a line of young women chosen by
fate to battle against vampires, demons,
and the forces of darkness. Like previous
slayers, Buffy is aided by a Watcher,
who guides and trains her. Unlike
her predecessors, Buffy surrounds
herself with a circle of loyal friends
who become known as the "Scooby
Gang".
Buffy Anne Summers (played by Sarah
Michelle Gellar) is "the Slayer,"
one in a long line of young women
chosen by fate to battle evil forces.
This mystic calling endows her with
dramatically increased physical strength,
as well as endurance, agility, ease
of healing, intuition, and a limited
degree of clairvoyance, usually in
the form of prophetic dreams.
Buffy receives guidance from her
Watcher, Rupert Giles (played by Anthony
Stewart Head). Giles, rarely referred
to by his first name, is a member
of the Watchers' Council, whose job
is to train the Slayers. Giles researches
the supernatural creatures that Buffy
must face, offering insights into
their origins and advice on how to
kill them.
Buffy is also helped by friends she
meets at Sunnydale High: Willow Rosenberg
(Alyson Hannigan) and Xander Harris
(Nicholas Brendon). Willow is originally
a bookish wallflower; she provides
a contrast to Buffy's outgoing personality,
but shares the social isolation Buffy
suffers after becoming a Slayer. As
the series progresses, Willow becomes
a more assertive character, a powerful
witch, and a lesbian. In contrast,
Xander, with no supernatural skills,
provides comic relief and a grounded
perspective. Buffy and Willow are
the only characters who appear in
all 144 episodes; Xander is missing
in only one.
†
Angel
Angel (born 1727 in Galway, Ireland)
is a fictional character created by
Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt for
the television programs, Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and Angel. The character
is portrayed by David Boreanaz.
The vampire with a soul, Angel, is
Buffy's love interest throughout the
first three seasons. He leaves Buffy
to make amends for his sins and search
for redemption in his own spin-off,
Angel.
Angel has made more appearances in
canon Buffyverse programs than any
other character (including, ironically,
Buffy herself.) He appeared in:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer —
Angel became a series regular in the
show's second and third seasons, although
he did not appear in "Inca Mummy
Girl"; he was also technically
absent from "Innocence"
to "Becoming" when his curse
was broken and he reverted back to
Angelus. Whether as himself or as
Angelus, he appeared in 56 episodes
in all, including guest appearances
in the episodes:
Season 1 (1997) - "Welcome to
the Hellmouth"; "The Harvest";
"Teacher's Pet"; "Never
Kill a Boy on the First Date";
"Angel"; "Out of Mind,
Out of Sight"; "Prophecy
Girl".
Season 4 (1999, 2000) - "Pangs"
(he returned to Sunnydale after Doyle
had a vision of Buffy); "The
Yoko Factor" (He followed Buffy
back to apologise for their recent
confrontation).
Season 5 (2000, 2001) - "Fool
for Love" (flashbacks); "Forever"
(he came to Sunyndale to comfort Buffy
after her mother's funeral.
Season 7 (2002, 2003) - "End
of Days"; "Chosen"
(he came back to Sunnydale to help
Buffy in the final confrontation with
The First Evil.)
Angel — As the star of the series,
Angel appeared in all 110 episodes
of five seasons; however, he was technically
absent in "Soulless", "Calvary",
"Salvage", and "Release",
as his soul was extracted and he was
Angelus for the duration of these
episodes.
Angel was born as Liam, to an Irish
merchant, in 1727. By 1753, at the
age of 26, he had developed a taste
for alcohol, women and sloth. Though
a good man at heart, Liam was a hedonist
whose only real ambition lay in seeing
the world. For the lazy Irishman,
that seemed a laughable dream, especially
after he was expelled from his father's
household, but he had caught the eye
of an affluent woman; actually a vampire;
named Darla. She lured him into an
alley, and, promising him a world
full of excitement and travel, transformed
him into a vampire.
Angelus during the 18th century.The
loss of his soul meant Liam no longer
possessed any restraint over his darker
impulses. On the night he rose from
his grave, and in response to Darla's
claim that he could have anyone in
the village, he set about slaughtering
the entire community. When he came
to slaughter his own family, he found
no problem in entering, his little
sister inviting him in without hesitation
or suspicion. Before killing his father,
he would tell him mockingly, "[My
sister] thought that I'd returned
to her. An angel. She was wrong."
For generations Darla and Liam, now
known as Angelus, terrorized humankind,
murdering and torturing anyone who
crossed their path. Angelus sired
the vampires Penn (who indulged his
blood lust by becoming a serial killer),
and Drusilla, a young woman driven
insane by Angelus before he finally
sired her. Drusilla, in turn, sired
Spike, for whom Angelus largely served
as a mentor and "role model."
Spike would go so far as to call the
elder vampire his "Yoda".
Vampire Main Powers
Ability
to multiply by contamination
The vampire as a negative image of the
Christ - that gave his blood to save
men, Nosferatu give blood to corrupt
souls and propagate evil. The Vampire
is self-sufficient and despite the attraction
he may provoke, seems to be beyond “sexuality”.
Life time
The vampire does not age nor will
it die from the passing of time, though
it may appear to age if it goes sometime
without feeding. However, the vampire
can also undergo a rejuvenate with
the blood supply.
Most
of the vampire's powers increase with
age and experience. Dracula is considered
as the Master of all Vampires but it
is unsure if he was the first vampire
on earth.
Invulnerability
The vampire is also immune to most
diseases and is invincible to mortal
weapons. Only when moving about during
the day or when resting in his coffin
is he subject to physical harm.
Strengh
The vampire's physical strength greatly
exceeds that of mortals. Dracula is
described as having the strength of
twenty strong men.
Shape-shifting
The vampire may command several animal
creatures such as the wolf, the rat,
the fox, the owl, the bat and the
moth and is also able to assume the
form of a wolf or a bat and possibly
any of the other animals subject to
his command. The vampire may also
transform himself into a mist or dust
cloud drifting in the air.
The vampire may alter his size within
certain limits, becoming either larger
or smaller.
The vampire may climb walls much
like a large insect. He may climb
normally or with his head toward the
ground much like a spider.
League with the demons
In modern stories and series, the
vampire gets the ability to command
some form of magical or monstrous
beings (demons, zombies, ...), which
seems natural as the vampire is in
connection with the devil.
Hypnotic mind control
Much like the snake and the bird,
the vampire may exert his will over
the will of his victim, even to the
point of inducing a catatonic state.
This power explains why victims often
have no memory of being attacked.
For some vampires, these abilities
come easily, for others in a more
difficult fashion, and still others
not at all.
Dracula’s special powers
These abilities may be specific to
Dracula and not generally available
to other vampires. Dracula was a master
in occult arts and black magic and
acquired additional powers through
pacts with satanic entities.
Within
a limited range, the Count has the power
to control the weather. He often uses
fog or mist to cover his movements.
Telepathy,
telekinesis and other mind powers: Dracula
has the power to become invisible and
to pass unseen among his enemies.
Necromantic
power. Dracula can raise the dead that
will come as zombies at his command.
Main
Weaknesses
Sleep
The vampire is obliged to sleep during
the day and to rest upon a protective
layer of hallowed ground from its
native land. Usually the vampire will
rest in its coffin during the day
in a trance that keeps him aware of
things happening around it. The vampire
may only leave its resting place at
sunrise, noon or sunset. This is clearly
the vampire's time of greatest vulnerability
since it is helpless when resting
within its coffin.
Light is destructive
During the day of light, the vampire
is severely weakened. Most will not
leave the dark but the experienced
vampire is able to move and act as
a human. Nevertheless, he loses his
supernatural abilities and mortal
weapons may harm him.
Repelled/harmed by religious symbols
Across most of Europe, the vampire,
as an agent of Satan, was held to
be subject to the dominion of the
symbols of Christ. The Cross-, Holy
Water and other symbols of the Church
were almost universally held to be
powerful weapons against vampires,
werewolves, witches and other spawn
of Satan.
This conception has evolved with
centuries and the propagation of the
vampire myth beyond the Christian
world. The consensus seemed to be
that the power of the symbol derived
from the faith of the wielder (or
more rarely, from the belief of the
vampire) rather than any intrinsic
power of the symbol itself. If a person
try to intimidate a vampire with a
cross but has no faith, the cross
will be useless. Christian symbols
may be replaced with other religious
symbols according to the belief system
of the wielder and/or vampire. In
other words, if a person, confronted
by a hungry and hostile vampire, presents
any symbol, which they truly believe
to represent the power of Light and
Goodness, their very belief will manifest
itself in a force sufficient to drive
away the undead.
Modern authors are definitely moving
away from religious symbolism to control/avoid
vampires. It can be explained by a
growing awareness in our society of
the variety of religious experiences
available around the world, and the
recognition that there are many people
(including vampires) to whom Christian
religious symbols are meaningless.
Anne Rice’s vampires have no
fear of holy symbols and may kill
priests as any other victims.
Absence of reflection
Vampires don’t cast a reflection.
This also means that his image does
not appear on film or any other device
that requires a light (or heat) source
to produce and image. A flame can
be seen through his body. In some
areas, vampires are believed not to
show in photographs or to cast shadows.
A reason given for this is the old
idea of the reflection of the soul
into the mirror, since vampires have
lost their souls they cast no reflection.
Other limitations
The vampire may not enter a home
unless he is freely invited in by
one of the residents. From the first
time he has been invited, he may come
and go at will.
The vampire may not cross running
water, except at the ebb and flow
of the tide. He may be carried over
or at certain times he may change
shape and fly or jump over. If the
vampire becomes immersed in running
water he is completely helpless and
will be destroyed. The reason comes
from the analogy of standing water
to the mirror.
Vampires
cannot cross a thicket of wild rose
or a line of salt. Vampires are compelled
to stop and count every grain in a pile
of grain or numerous objects (often
grain) thrown into their path.
How
to recognize a Vampire?
Throughout Europe there was one generally
acknowledged method of identifying
the suspected vampire. The natural
decomposition of the body after death
was assumed to be due to the departure
of the soul from the body. In most
cases if, after exhumation, a body
was found to be uncorrupted, it was
usually assumed that the soul remained
with the body or that a demonic spirit
had taken possession of the body.
The exception to this belief was
found in the case of saints, martyrs
and other especially godly individuals.
In these cases the failure of the
body to decompose naturally was believed
to be a divine blessing rather than
a demonic curse. In most cases, such
corpses were likely to be summarily
cremated by the peasants who exhumed
the corpse.
In
Romania and Tchecoslovakei, horses were
taken to a cemetery, as it was believed
they would refuse to cross over a vampire's
grave.
There are
many possible routes of becoming a
vampire. Some of the more prevalent
mythological routes are:
Suicidals, eretics, schismatics and
excommunicants
The Church has long considered suicide
one of the unforgivable sins. It was
commonly believed in Christian Europe
that such souls were unable to rest
in the grave, especially in hallowed
ground. Their bodies could not decay
and return to their original dust
(the most commonly accepted proof
of vampiric infection) and they left
their graves at night to prey upon
the living who were granted the chance
of salvation that they were denied.
The act of excommunication prohibited
one from receiving the sacraments
of the church. This case is similar
to that of the suicide. He who died
excommunicant was believed to be unable
to return to dust or to find release
from the body.
Sinners
Those who were particularly cruel
or violent in life were believed to
be prime candidates to return from
the grave as vampires. Those who led
dissolute or debauched lives were
also likely to return as vampires.
This, of course, was only the case
for those individuals who did not
repent and receive absolution before
death. Again, the soul was believed
to be bound to the body, preventing
the natural decomposition of the body.
And while the soul was bound to the
body it was also bound in servitude
to Satan.
Witches and wizards
Those who practiced black magic or
summoned spirits were believed to
servants the devil and particularly
subject to vampirism. If a witch or
a black sorcerer died unrepentant
he, like the suicide or the excommunicant,
was bound to earth and unable to pass
into the next world. Also, the witch
or sorcerer was more subjected to
demonic infestation. The offspring
of a witch or a sorcerer were also
subjected to becoming a vampire after
death. This was especially true if
there was reason to suspect that the
child might be the result of a union
between a witch and an incubus or
a sorcerer and a succubus.
Werewolves
There was a strong link between the
werewolf and the vampire. Unlike the
vampire, the werewolf was not generally
believed to be immortal. It was commonly
held that when a werewolf died he
was most likely to return as a vampire.
Also, those who were killed by a werewolf
were thought to be prime candidates
for resurrection as a vampire. Often
the two curses were to be found in
the same geographic regions.
Natural-born vampires
There were a number of signs that
people watched for at birth in order
to detect children who might be potential
vampires: illegitimate children of
illegitimate parents, those with birthmarks
or born with teeth, children with
red hairs, seventh sons or daughters,
children born with a membrane covering
their heads (cauls). In slovic countries
where most had dark hair and eyes,
any child who was blue-eyed and redheaded
would become vampires after death.
Other
beliefs include having a cat or other
animal jump over the corpse before it
gets properly buried, or being murdered
and not attaining revenge for the murder,
drinking the blood of a vampire.
How
to prevent somebody from becoming a
vampire ?
There
are many recipes to preserve the defunct
from being infested by the vampire.
The
Burial
In many Eastern European countries,
it was thought that if a cat by chance
had jumped over a corpse prior to
burial, the dead would return as a
vampire. According to some beliefs,
in order to prevent a vampire from
chewing its way out of the grave,
people would stuff the mouth with
certain coins or dirt, or prop the
mouth shut. In Romania, people buried
a candle, a coin, and a towel with
the corpse to prevent vampirism. Garlic
or millet could be stuffed into the
nostrils, eyes, and ears of a corpse
to prevent vampirism. Apparently,
vampires are obsessed with tying knots,
and can become so engaged in the task
that they neglect to rise from their
graves and kill. In Northern Germany,
corpses are buried enlaced into nets,
so they cannot leave their graves
until they have untied all the knots.
Greeks will cast fishing nets over
their doorways to keep vampires out;
this same obsession will force the
vampire to count every knot before
he can enter.
There
is only one good and sure method of
permanently destroying the vampire
First
drive a wooden stake through his heart
then sever his head. Don’t waste
any time between both operations, as
vampires are resistant. The body should
then be burned and the ashes scattered
or burried at a crossroads. If someone
uses the stake or burns the heart, but
fails to cut off the head, the vampire
turns into a cloud of fog and reconstitute
its body when out of reach.
Modern
vampire-hunters would recommend extreme
heat, which can be achieved with military-class
flamethrower.
These
particular objects called apotropaic
turn away demons and evil monsters,
including vampires. They can be ranged
into four general categories:
‘appeasing' apotropaics, which
stop the vampire and remove its urge
to kill and spread disease.
Countering'
apotropaics anhilate such harmful ability
of the vampire by using a natural anti-substance
with a more powerful counter-ability
.'Constricting' apotropaics paralyze
the vampire making him therefore unable
to leave his grave and spread death
and destruction. Destructive apotropaics
keep vampires in chess by killing them.
Stakes
They were used in many ways to prevent
and imprison vampires. In Eastern
Serbia, small pegs made out of hawthorn
wood are driven into the grave next
to the cross, preventing the corpse
from becoming a vampire. Stakes and
other sharpened objects are also driven
into the body. The wounds preventing
vampirism by making it impossible
for the Devil to 'inflate' the body
so it can rise. Stakes can be simply
driven over a corpse's grave, so if
it becomes a vampire and tries to
rise, it will impale itself. Most
movies include in the now famous ritual
scene of the killing in the coffin,
the hammer and the wooden stake as
mandatory means of destruction.
Sharp
objects
Sickles have a very simple and effective
use in stopping vampires. When the
corpse is burried with the sickle
over its neck, should the corpse become
a vampire and try to rise from its
grave, it will cut its own head off.
Another way of using the sickle involved
piercing the corpses heart with it,
a custom probably inspired from the
use of the stake. Thorns and other
spiny objects were used in a similar
way. They can also be inserted under
a corpse's tongue to prevent it from
sucking blood.
Crucifix
Anything
that resemble to a christian cross and
has been blessed will repell the vampire.
Placed inside his empty coffin, it will
prevent Dracula from returning to rest
there. Putting a wooden cross on a household's
door or smearing tar on it in the shape
of a cross would keep vampires away.
Silver
bullets
A consecrated bullet fired through
the coffin at this time will kill
him. Some vampire’s hunters
used silver holly bullets to destroy
the vampires they chased. A Serbian
belief also states that a silver coin
inscribed with a cross, cut into quarters,
loaded into a shotgun shell, and then
fired at a vampire will kill it.
Eucharistic
wafers
Holy
wafer placed in the vampire's coffin
will prevent him from using it as a
resting place.
Garlic
or wolfsbane
The odor of the bulb causes Dracula
to leave the room or immediate area.
This mainly a tradition from Transylvania.
During the early 1500 as the plague
ravaged Europe, people turned to a
concoction of vinegar and garlic called
"Four Thieves' Vinegar."
The name supposedly originated with
four thieves who confessed that wearing
