You may have asked, do vampires truly exist? Can the Folklore be real? Can humans become vampires? Vampires came from myths long ago in Europe. Marc Lallanilla in his article “The Real Dracula: Vlad the Impaler,” explains that the myth came from the actions of a historical figure, “The morbid nickname is a testament to the Wallachian prince 's favorite way of dispensing with his enemies”(Lallanilla). The Vampire story came from a prince that impaled his enemies with stakes and actually had a bloodlust. That is a good example of how Vampires can be similar to human beings, because some humans can be the worst vampires there are. There may not be real life vampires that live off eating human blood, but people are a little similar to them. Humans are closely related to the monsters known as vampires, but not when it comes to sucking on human flesh for blood, the similarity is they do horrible acts like murdering someone, polluting the earth, do human trafficking, …show more content…
Vampires may experience being lonely because of not having other people to be around with. That is when they go feeding and turning people into monsters like themselves; furthermore, when a vampire turns someone else into a vampire is like a depressing person just talking negativity to a positive person and that positive person become negative. That is why Vampires are immortal because they never die but they do have weaknesses like getting a stake stabbed through their heart. When it comes to a depressed person that same stake that puts the vampire to rest can be represented as love towards the depressed person that gets stabbed with it and leaves the dead and negative part of them; then they become alive and go away from the negativity leaving their dead spirits behind. Humans have certain addictions in their life like vampires do for
In a world with ghosts, monsters, demons, and ghouls, there is one being that resonates in everyone’s mind. The idea of these creatures can be found in almost every culture on the planet in one form or another. They prey on the weak and they feast on the blood of their victims. They are compared to a fox for being quick and cunning, but also rather seductive in their nature. With their unholy existence one can only describe them as almost demonic. So what is this horrid creature? Well it is none other than the vampire, a creature as old as time itself. Throughout history there have been many different variations of the vampire, each with their own unique abilities. But one cannot help but mention
Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula has increased the number of vampires in media exponentially, partly because of one man: Vlad the Impaler. He, as well as other various sources, led to what is known as the vampire today.
In chapter 23, Professor Van Helsing mentions that Count Dracula was in life a “wonderful man,” a soldier, and a statesman, (Stoker, 1897/2001, pp.289). Although Stoker in his original book does not clarify how count Dracula became a vampire, there are references in the text that suggest it was the result of necromancy. In chapter 18, Van Helsing reveals that the Count was a student of alchemy, necromancy, and the occult (Stoker, 1897/2001). He further mentions that Dracula attended the “Scholomance,” a mystical school in the mountains, where the students are tutored by the devil himself (Stoker, 1897/2001; pp. 231). This point is taken further by Montague Summers (as quoted in Laycock, 2009, pp.19-20), through his words- “The vampire is believed to be one who has devoted himself during his life to the practice of Black Magic…”. These references in the book and interpretation in the Laycock’s work, lead to the conclusion that the Vampire-Dracula was the result of his deeds and practices during his lifetime. On the other hand, Cullen was the son of a pastor, who hunted monsters like “…witches, werewolves… vampires” (Meyers, 2005, pp. 331). When the pastor grew old, Cullen assumed the mantle of the monster slayer. Unfortunately, during a hunt, he was bitten by an old vampire he was chasing. After his transformation, Cullen, repulsed by what he had become,
“Bram Stoker’s novel… integrated many vampire superstitions” (“History of”). Many vampire stereotypes and characteristics came from Dracula. The method for killing a vampire was addressed in the book. “There are things that we know of; and as for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that was amongst us even now when we resolve, to them he is nothing, but in their presence he take his place far off and silent with respect… The branch of wild rose on his coffin keep him that he move not from it; a sacred bullet fired into the coffin keep him that he be true dead; and as for the stake through him, we know already of its peace; or the cut-off head that giveth rest” (Stoker 259). Most of these ways are still a part of modern vampire superstition. In a lot of different vampire myths, a stake through the heart is an effective technique to kill a vampire. “Certain types of wood were said to be the most effective towards these old vampires, such as maple, hawthorn and aspen” (“Top 10”). Garlic is also associated with repelling vampires. “It was known not only for healing but also protection against the plague and supernatural evils” (“Why Do”). The fact that vampires cannot see their reflection came from Dracula, as well. Myths and superstitions concerning these blood-sucking creatures originated from or are the same as the ones in Stoker’s
All vampires have the craving for the blood of humans. Without this blood they could not survive. In Dracula multiple vampires drank human blood, and one was even using children to quench her thirst. The new generation of vampire is given an alternate food source to control their inner hunger. Bill Compton and other vampires from the True Blood series have been provided with an organic substitute called Tru Blood. Other famous vamps have been known to use animal substitutes. The “vegetarian” vamps of the Twilight series and Angel from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series overcame their craving for human blood and drank from deer and rats.
Count Dracula has been the frontrunner for the modern day vampire lore and legends since being printed back in 1897, pop culture took the vampire traits from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and twisted them. In modern portrayals of vampire lore, each author chooses an original aspect from Stoker but then creates a little bit of their own lore in the process. Count Dracula appears to be a walking corpse from the pale and gaunt visual aesthetics to the coolness of his undead skin (Stoker). In some cultures, the vampire is able to transform from the body of a human being to that of a fellow creature of the night, a bat. In the novel Dracula more than one town was easily visualized through the detailed descriptions throughout the novel, thus
For years, there have been so many various ways of how playwrights decide on how to portray their characters when they want to write about vampires. In this article “The Wild Evolution of Vampires, From Bram Stoker to Dracula Untold” by Devon Maloney, he talks about just some of the countless ways people have taken the concept of the undead, and made it to where people create fandoms about them; whether they come from the side of romance, horror, or a mix of many. In the movie, He Never Died, they show a not so common archetype of how the vampire, Jack, is slowly giving up on who he is, both physically and mentally. Jack is just your normal, quiet guy in the diner who orders the same thing every time, then proceeds to just sits there alone.
Similar to Dracula, Twilight’s vampires have many of the same characteristics. The vampires in Dracula and Twilight both are very pale. People in both books often mention how pale the vampires are. Along with pale skin their skin is usually very tough. This meaning that it is very strong and does
What does it take for someone to be a vampire? When most think about a vampire, they think of the typical sharp fangs and extremely pale skin, however human-like other than those two identifying features. Count Dracula fits into the category of what one would think of when asked. He has the appearance and his actions match that of a typical vampire. From his appearance, various actions, and other characteristics Count Dracula fits into the vampire template perfectly, making him exactly the type of character the reader expects him to be.
Humanity has always been fascinated with the allure of immortality and although in the beginning vampires were not a symbol of this, as time passed and society changed so did the ideas and perceptions surrounding them. The most important thing to ask yourself at this point is 'What is immortality?' Unfortunately this isn't as easily answered as asked. The Merriam Webster Dictionary says immortality is 'the quality or state of being immortal; esp : unending existence' while The World Book Encyclopedia states it as 'the continued and eternal life of a human being after the death of the body.' A more humorous definition can be found in The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce:
Simply searching through articles, databases, and other resources, vampires are depicted as malicious and monstrous creatures. First off, the vampire is famous for its dark and mysterious image affiliated with fear and death. In many ways, “the vampire can be seen through its most basic characterization as the bringer of death”(Stevens par. 3) and evokes a “marginal world of darkness, secrecy, vulnerability, excess, and horror” (Stevens par. 6). Obviously, the vampire has adopted a dark, fearful, and mysterious image. Next, vampires are famous for their unique characteristics. Dictionary.com defines the vampire as “a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night”(dictionary.com). Vampires are also known for their distinct weakness suck as “various tailsmans and herbs”(Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia) but the only way to kill a vampire is “only by cremation or if a stake is driven through their hearts”(Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). Another distinct and commonly known characteristic of the vampire is their fear of the light as it could potentially kill them. Emotionally, the vampires are almost viewed as sex symbols as they “indulge in their desires ...
The werewolf mythology dates back to Ancient Egypt, while the vampires started terrorizing humans in Ancient Greece. To become a werewolf or a vampire the only thing you need to do is get bitten by one. Vampires choose who to bite, while werewolves bite and turn any human in their way into a werewolf. Both werewolves and vampires can turn into animals.
The vampire genre is one that is so widely exploited, that anything can be done with it. It can be made into a horror story made to induce nightmares, into a story that displays humans can be just as monstrous as the monster, or into a romance that proves that love conquers all. The mystery and sensuality that shrouds vampires allows for a vampire story to be anything and everything the writer or reader desires.