The Vampire in Legend
-First origin – vampires are real – how the myth came about
-In ancient Greece, vampires were considered to be creatures, most often females, who are demons that have sexual relations with humans, and also are bloodsuckers and ghouls (devourers of corpses)
Masters – connection between life and blood
-Blood sacrifice, blood consumption for power -> “there is life in blood”
-Fear: disease and death (blood brings disease; AIDS ex: Nosferatu – plague of rats ; fear of being buried alive (happened often)
-Universality of the vampire myth – the vampire throughout the world can be divided into two basic manifestations
-1)The spirit of a dead person (or demon)
-2) A corpse. Reanimated by his own spirit or alternatively by a demon, who returns to suck at the life of the living, depriving them of blood or some vital organ in order to maintain its own vitality
-Repressed sexual desires – nocturnal emissions; feeling guilt/dread towards death
-Jones (psychologist)- vampires are repressed by sexual desires and fears; obsessed with death
East-European Balkan Vampire (Slavic Vampire)
-Romania and Hungary – eastern European but not Slavic
-Influence of the Orthodox Church (page 23) Excommunicated = soul roams the earth; can’t have a Christian burial becomes vampire/undead being
-The Eastern European-Balkan vampire usually preys on his own relatives and loved ones, occasionally while having sexual intercourse with them
-This is significant in physiological terms in relation to the love-dread attitude towards death and the departed
-Ambiguity in the purpose for the vampires return to his loved ones – whether it’s for affection, revenge, compulsion, lust, or a combination
-Physical characteristics: “tapering face, sharp, shining teeth, an abundance of thick hair, a peculiar voice, usually a bad odor,” and with an erotic temperament; skin is elastic, cold and pale, he can transform into various animals, very strong, invisibility power, control over natural forces – can leave and return to the grave without disturbing ground
-Vampires are also infectious – the victim becomes an undead like his malefactor
-Preventive measures – a stake through the heart, decapitation, consummation by fire, or the corpse buried face down
Historical and Natural Vampire
Elizabeth Bathory
-16th century Hungarian nobleman who killed peasant girls at her estate and bathed in their blood because she thought it would make her younger
-Bisexual; her victims were almost always female
Natural vampires – physchopathia sexulias – example of J.H. --? Victims were raped and slashed across the throat so their blood gushed into his mouth – condemned to death as a “vampire” – he said “you cannot understand me – no one understand me”
Other examples – child molestation, corpses of boys he killed were often the source of fresh meat for his (Haarmann’s) steaks and sausage
Vampire Victor Ardisson – “the Vampire Muy” -> rarely committed violence, but he invaded cemeteries and indulged in his fantasies on female corpse often those of women he had been in love with in life – put in an asylum and studied till his death
Blood – a symbol of love, hate, anger, and passion
John Haigh – “The Vampire of London” -> most self-righteous of the group – religious fanatic, imagined himself as a Christ figure during his trials for murder in 1949
-Killed and drunk the blood of nine victims – expressed no remorse
Psychopaths! -> Natural vampire
*Thanks Isabel Hopkins*
-First origin – vampires are real – how the myth came about
-In ancient Greece, vampires were considered to be creatures, most often females, who are demons that have sexual relations with humans, and also are bloodsuckers and ghouls (devourers of corpses)
Masters – connection between life and blood
-Blood sacrifice, blood consumption for power -> “there is life in blood”
-Fear: disease and death (blood brings disease; AIDS ex: Nosferatu – plague of rats ; fear of being buried alive (happened often)
-Universality of the vampire myth – the vampire throughout the world can be divided into two basic manifestations
-1)The spirit of a dead person (or demon)
-2) A corpse. Reanimated by his own spirit or alternatively by a demon, who returns to suck at the life of the living, depriving them of blood or some vital organ in order to maintain its own vitality
-Repressed sexual desires – nocturnal emissions; feeling guilt/dread towards death
-Jones (psychologist)- vampires are repressed by sexual desires and fears; obsessed with death
East-European Balkan Vampire (Slavic Vampire)
-Romania and Hungary – eastern European but not Slavic
-Influence of the Orthodox Church (page 23) Excommunicated = soul roams the earth; can’t have a Christian burial becomes vampire/undead being
-The Eastern European-Balkan vampire usually preys on his own relatives and loved ones, occasionally while having sexual intercourse with them
-This is significant in physiological terms in relation to the love-dread attitude towards death and the departed
-Ambiguity in the purpose for the vampires return to his loved ones – whether it’s for affection, revenge, compulsion, lust, or a combination
-Physical characteristics: “tapering face, sharp, shining teeth, an abundance of thick hair, a peculiar voice, usually a bad odor,” and with an erotic temperament; skin is elastic, cold and pale, he can transform into various animals, very strong, invisibility power, control over natural forces – can leave and return to the grave without disturbing ground
-Vampires are also infectious – the victim becomes an undead like his malefactor
-Preventive measures – a stake through the heart, decapitation, consummation by fire, or the corpse buried face down
Historical and Natural Vampire
Elizabeth Bathory
-16th century Hungarian nobleman who killed peasant girls at her estate and bathed in their blood because she thought it would make her younger
-Bisexual; her victims were almost always female
Natural vampires – physchopathia sexulias – example of J.H. --? Victims were raped and slashed across the throat so their blood gushed into his mouth – condemned to death as a “vampire” – he said “you cannot understand me – no one understand me”
Other examples – child molestation, corpses of boys he killed were often the source of fresh meat for his (Haarmann’s) steaks and sausage
Vampire Victor Ardisson – “the Vampire Muy” -> rarely committed violence, but he invaded cemeteries and indulged in his fantasies on female corpse often those of women he had been in love with in life – put in an asylum and studied till his death
Blood – a symbol of love, hate, anger, and passion
John Haigh – “The Vampire of London” -> most self-righteous of the group – religious fanatic, imagined himself as a Christ figure during his trials for murder in 1949
-Killed and drunk the blood of nine victims – expressed no remorse
Psychopaths! -> Natural vampire
*Thanks Isabel Hopkins*
