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If you stopped an ordinary person on the street and asked him to name one
and only one characteristic that defines someone as a vampire, chances are,
the answer would be "Blood." Roaming around at night, turning into
bats, having problems with mirrors -- these things are part of the popular image
of the vampire as well, but the primary thing everyone knows about vampires
is that they suck blood. Right?
Wrong. We all know that most of the other silly myths aren't true. Vampires
can and do cast reflections (I don't think the majority of the vampire population
would survive without their mirrors, they're such image-conscious folk). Garlic
doesn't work, and no one's turned into a bat that I've heard of yet. And not
all vampires feed on blood. Not even in the folklore.
For example, in Rumanian myth as catalogued by folklorist Harry Senn, it is
believed that some vampires can suck the life from the grain. These vampires
take their sustenance directly from the land, often leaving it barren and wasted
as a consequence. Others are believed to suck milk from cows and sheep, sucking
blood only when the milk has been exhausted. And the vampires do not need to
go up to the cattle and actually, physically suck the milk from their dugs;
the vampire responsible for feeding in this way may be miles distant from the
herd being attacked. Sometimes cattle attacked in this manner will never produce
milk again.
Other vampires are believed to return to their spouses and sexual partners
after death, exhausting them with night-long marathons of sex. When dawn comes,
the vampire lover flits away, only to return later in the night. The poor victims
of these amorous assaults waste away and die from sheer exhaustion in a matter
of weeks or even days.
The vampires mentioned above do not necessarily feed upon physical blood. Many
do not even require actual, physical contact in order to feed. Yet these diverse
folkloric entities are classified as vampires nevertheless. Although their methods
are different, they all share a common need. They require something to sustain
them, and they must take it from vital things: living grain, mother's milk,
a sexual exchange. It is not the substance which is important, but what it represents:
vitality and life-force. Blood occurs more widely in the folklore of the vampire
simply because it is one of the most potent and universal symbols for these
things.
In the Bible, in the Book of Leviticus, the Israelites are told that if they
are going to eat of the flesh of an animal, they must first kill the animal
and let its blood spill out upon the ground. It is very important that the Israelites
do not eat the blood with the flesh, for the blood of the animal is equated
with its life (ruach). The Hebrew word used here may also be translated as "breath"
or "spirit". Thus, the passage is saying that the Israelites cannot
feed upon the spirit of an animal, only its flesh.
Most of our modern vampire traditions can be traced to Eastern Europe. At the
time that the folkloric tradition was being developed, Eastern Europe was very
devoutly Christian. Every time they attended Mass, the Christians gathered to
drink the blood of Christ. This was a powerful and mysterious ritual to them,
with many psychological ramifications. The Book of Leviticus clearly stated:
The blood is the life. Thus, when these Eastern European villagers reported
that vampires were stealing away blood from their victims, they meant much more
than just physical blood. As they understood the word, bloodsucking vampires
were also feeding upon a subtle substance intricately wound up with the vital,
spiritual force of life itself.
Even in the folklore, it is not just about blood. There is a crucial exchange
between vampire and victim, an intimate sharing of vitality and life-force that
goes far beyond the physical realm. It is this subtle, elusive exchange that
defines the vampire more than any other single thing. The blood is the life,
but it is the life that sustains us. The passion for night-tide, the sun-sensitive
eyes, the fangs -- these things are just trappings when compared to that one
thing. What makes a vampire? A vampire must feed. Blood, sex, life force, chi
- that one distinction connects all the many breeds one may encounter today.
First published in Alternate Perceptions in 1998.
This article is presented as part of an ongoing effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online vampire community. Those of us who consider ourselves vampiric don't always look at things from the same viewpoint due to our life experiences. As such, the views and opinions contained in this article are entirely those of the author(s), and may not necessarily be shared by SphynxCatVP. The webmaster is not under obligation to update or otherwise keep current the contents of this article. Most importantly, only you can decide for yourself whether this article or any of the author(s) other views are useful or applicable to you - you are responsible for using your own reasoning and judgement, so judge wisely.
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