The Folklore of the Undead

Of course, most people don’t believe in the undead, and for good reason. Some people who claim to be Vampires or Vampire hunters are in fact only doing it to get attention, such as the Dogs Of War “vampire hunting group” who later admitted to being frauds.(www.choronzon.com) There are also many conflicting ideas of what a vampire is, or on definitions of vampires. Vourdalak vampires, for instance, are always female, whereas, while females are more commonly vampires, it is by no means a rule in other folklore. (Vampire Grimoire) The Zmeu, on the other hand, is completely ridiculous creature, being a candle flame which took the form of a beautiful man to seduce women. (Vampire Grimoire) This is so far removed from other vampires it should not even be placed in the same category, yet it is, as it feeds on the women whom it seduces. Of course there are also differences between the past and the present ideas of vampires. Vampires have not always been associated with the bats which they are now almost synonymous with, which gives less credibility to modern vampire sightings where they turn into bats.(Man, Myth, And Magic) Most people say they don’t believe in the undead because of “common sense.” There are a lot of good reasons for saying this. A lot of “vampires” out there are nutcases, such as this man: ”Hi, I’m Craig, and I’ve been a vampire since about the age of 5”(interview with the vampire, Cult Vampire Magazine). Some people may pretend to be vampires, to find a place where they fit in or are more accepted, since most normal people think of them as weirdos. Some people are just jumping on the bandwagon of acting like vampires, made popular by the Anne Rice novels, and “Goths.” And, of course, there is the scientific impossibilit...

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...ing that a wounded zombie is a normal human who will be deterred by the pain. So, basically, if we are better prepared, knowledge-wise, we may be able to stop a future attack by these creatures, or defend ourselves more appropriately against them should an attack happen.

So, time to sum up. This essay has shown the misconceptions about zombies and vampires, the facts about them, the common reasons for not believing in their existence, and the reasons for believing in their existence. It has explained why they probably are real, and why it is important to realize that they are. So, in conclusion, if zombies and vampires are not real, they are at least based on reality, and that reality should be taken just as seriously as they should, as it could be just as dangerous. So be prepared, and be wary! Armed with this new knowledge, you never know what you could confront!