What is a Vampire

Miriam Webster's Dictionary Definition:

Main Entry: vam·pire

Pronunciation: 'vam-"pI(-&)r

Function: noun

Etymology: French, from German Vampir, from Serbian vampire

1 : the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep.

Please use the following link for a first-hand account of a day in the life a "real" vampire:

My interview with a ‘real’ vampire

However, what the general population understands about vampires has been inspired by none other than Bram Stoker's Dracula. Although vampire legends have existed since ancient time, it was not made popular until the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker was published in 1897.

Below is the "stereotyped" vampire we all know very well.

In Legends, the Vampire, is a nocturnal creature that rises at night to feast on the blood of the living, terrorizing the minds of people of every culture around the world for centuries.

Bela Lugosi as Dracula

There are many variations to the appearance of the vampire. Its form is seen to be human, but can so appear grotesquely distorted, with long nails curved like claws, bloodshot eyes, and deathly pallor. The popular, modern depiction of a vampire is a tall, thin, aristocratic man, dressed in a black suit and a long black cape (Bela Lugosi left). He has retractable fangs that are used to the blood from the neck of its victims. He can be a deceiver, luring his young victims through sexual attraction and desire.

Christopher Lee as Dracula Vampires appear undead in their graves, their bodies completely fresh with no traces of decay or rigor mortis (the condition after death which involves the stiffening of the body). There are even signs of rejuvenation like hair, nail, and skin growth. Fresh blood is often seen around the mouth area (Christopher Lee right).

They come out at night from their graves between nightfall and down, hunting down innocent victims to drain their blood. Some vampires in Poland and Russia appear from moon to midnight. Not all vampires drink blood, but steals things that are perhaps even more valuable to a human, such as youth, hope, and love. They have the ability to fly, as well as to change forms, or shapeshift into a bat, or other animals, and to mist. They are able to control creatures like rats and wolves, and the elements. Some have the ability to turn invisible.

Asleep in his coffin

In most vampire legends, they are required to sleep either in coffins, or return to their graves. They have a need to return to the earth of their homeland each night, or carry their native soil around with them. They cannot cross running water, see their reflection in a mirror, or enter a place uninvited.

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