Chapter V: Slavic Testimony
Analysis Outline (Chart Va p. 618)
1) Information sources- Who wrote it (is there a bias?), How collected or written, Why published, What is the genre (folklore, newspaper, memoir etc.), When published or written, In what language?
2) Country and Region- Where does the group believing in vampires live?
3) Name – What’s the vamp called in original language? Include etymologies, total definition, and subjective meaning (influenced by social, psychological, and existential factors)
4) Origin – How becomes a vampire. Slavic vampirism is usually endemic, but occasionally it is epidemic
5) Detection – How does one know there is a vampire?
6) Attributes- How is its presence perceived? Look like, sound like.
7) Activity Patterns- What does it do? Suck the blood of victims?
8') Precautions- How to protect yourself from vampire?
9) Cures- How to remove/kill the vampire?
10) Social/Psychological role- What’s the social function of the vampire? Does it regulate behavior, explain unknown phenomenon?
Looked at stories from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech etc.
Example: Bulgaria
There is widespread belief in vampires in Bulgaria. A corpse becomes a vampire when something jumps over the corpse or suffered from violent death. In the village of Rajchilovci, a man tumbled to his death. Villagers knew the man Velin would become a vampire because his corpse was excessively bloated and the body became a drum full of blood and gel. The vampire did evil deeds like freeing the livestock and messed household items. If the vampire wasn’t killed in 40 days by a vampirdzhija (vampire hunter) or devoured by a wolf, then he develops a skeleton and becomes even more frightening. Villagers could protect themselves by placing a sunflower on the door of the house.
Analysis Outline for Bulgarian story
1) Information sources- Bulgarian field report “Kjustendilsko krajsht”- a narrative account written by ethnographer Jordan Zakhariev
2) Country and Region- Village of Rajchilovci in Bulgaria
3) Name – vampir
4) Origin – A corpse becomes a vampire when something jumps over the corpse or suffered from violent death (suicide, murder, drowning, or a fall)
5) Detection – Corpse becomes bloated before burial
6) Attributes- body like a drum filled with blood and gel without skeleton; after 40 days, develops skeleton
7) Activity Patterns- Frees livestock, rides horses from the fields, scatters household items (contamination from poltergeist) and chokes people (contamination from mora).
8') Precautions – Sunflower at the door
9) Cures- devoured by a wolf or killed by a vampirdzhija
10) Social/Psychological role- The vampire functions as a scapegoat for unexplained calamity. It enfranchises the vampirdzhija as a vampire killer. 40 days Biblical allusion to the 40 days Christ spent on Earth after crucifixion.
Generalities
6) Attributes & 7) Activity Patterns : often experience contamination with other daemons
9) Cures- Pierce the corpse (with stake etc.), cremating body, decapitation is common.
10) Social/Psychological role- "Socially acceptable anthropomorphization of fear of sudden, unpredictable adversity"-vampires are often scapegoats used to explain unexplainable calamity. They are also used to regulate behavior.
Themes
-Hunger
-Faustian (pact with Devil)
-Transition - time, place, and means
-Counting
-Christian theme (stakes made from wood that is associated with Christ's cross and crown of thorns
-Cremation (Iranian theme)
Analysis Outline (Chart Va p. 618)
1) Information sources- Who wrote it (is there a bias?), How collected or written, Why published, What is the genre (folklore, newspaper, memoir etc.), When published or written, In what language?
2) Country and Region- Where does the group believing in vampires live?
3) Name – What’s the vamp called in original language? Include etymologies, total definition, and subjective meaning (influenced by social, psychological, and existential factors)
4) Origin – How becomes a vampire. Slavic vampirism is usually endemic, but occasionally it is epidemic
5) Detection – How does one know there is a vampire?
6) Attributes- How is its presence perceived? Look like, sound like.
7) Activity Patterns- What does it do? Suck the blood of victims?
8') Precautions- How to protect yourself from vampire?
9) Cures- How to remove/kill the vampire?
10) Social/Psychological role- What’s the social function of the vampire? Does it regulate behavior, explain unknown phenomenon?
Looked at stories from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech etc.
Example: Bulgaria
There is widespread belief in vampires in Bulgaria. A corpse becomes a vampire when something jumps over the corpse or suffered from violent death. In the village of Rajchilovci, a man tumbled to his death. Villagers knew the man Velin would become a vampire because his corpse was excessively bloated and the body became a drum full of blood and gel. The vampire did evil deeds like freeing the livestock and messed household items. If the vampire wasn’t killed in 40 days by a vampirdzhija (vampire hunter) or devoured by a wolf, then he develops a skeleton and becomes even more frightening. Villagers could protect themselves by placing a sunflower on the door of the house.
Analysis Outline for Bulgarian story
1) Information sources- Bulgarian field report “Kjustendilsko krajsht”- a narrative account written by ethnographer Jordan Zakhariev
2) Country and Region- Village of Rajchilovci in Bulgaria
3) Name – vampir
4) Origin – A corpse becomes a vampire when something jumps over the corpse or suffered from violent death (suicide, murder, drowning, or a fall)
5) Detection – Corpse becomes bloated before burial
6) Attributes- body like a drum filled with blood and gel without skeleton; after 40 days, develops skeleton
7) Activity Patterns- Frees livestock, rides horses from the fields, scatters household items (contamination from poltergeist) and chokes people (contamination from mora).
8') Precautions – Sunflower at the door
9) Cures- devoured by a wolf or killed by a vampirdzhija
10) Social/Psychological role- The vampire functions as a scapegoat for unexplained calamity. It enfranchises the vampirdzhija as a vampire killer. 40 days Biblical allusion to the 40 days Christ spent on Earth after crucifixion.
Generalities
6) Attributes & 7) Activity Patterns : often experience contamination with other daemons
9) Cures- Pierce the corpse (with stake etc.), cremating body, decapitation is common.
10) Social/Psychological role- "Socially acceptable anthropomorphization of fear of sudden, unpredictable adversity"-vampires are often scapegoats used to explain unexplainable calamity. They are also used to regulate behavior.
Themes
-Hunger
-Faustian (pact with Devil)
-Transition - time, place, and means
-Counting
-Christian theme (stakes made from wood that is associated with Christ's cross and crown of thorns
-Cremation (Iranian theme)
