Though it may be rather difficult to picture at times due to their current connotations and associations, the beginnings of vampirism were rather humble in comparison to the sultry, creature of the night that we are all rather familiar with. Though various cultures of antiquity had folklore relating to vampirism, they were not typically deemed a vampire, as specific folklore surrounding them was yet to become collectively prevalent, but rather demons who fed upon flesh and blood instead. To illustrate, within Buddhist mythologies exist the pishachas, Hebrew cultures had estries and the birth of the figure of Lilith/Lilitu, and Greco-Roman and Mediterranean cultures existed striges and upiór, and nameless other cultures have had similar figures as well. Further along in time, vampire myths were increasingly prevalent within Eastern European myth, with Albania, Greece, Turkey, and Slavic Europe having myths relating to vampirism. However, the most significant of which when comparing how the folklore has evolved over time is the strigoi, a Romanian distressed spirit characterized by being undead, or risen from the grave, as well as feeding upon human’s blood in order to gain power or stay ‘alive’. All of these creatures are nearly identical in function and nature as well, despite the various ranges in geography and time.
Despite these similarities however, the true creation of the being in which we associate with the term “vampire” truly did not exist until the 18th and 19th centuries, with both the mass hysteria of supposed vampire sightings across Europe, and the rise of literature and poetry relating to the creatures, such as Lenore by Gottfried August Bürger, “The Vampyre” by John Stagg, Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, and perhaps the most significant and known of all, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. From these pieces of work, the modern vampire has officially been brought to life; a sultry, typically beautiful, nocturnal, immortal being that preys upon humankind in order to both sustain their immortality and for hedonistic pleasure. Weak to the sun, garlic, silver, and the imagery of God. Even today, the imagery of the vampire still uses these motifs and characteristics live on within the arts and various forms of media. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night plays upon the dread and horror of immortality, as well as the existence of vampires (and dhampirs, the undead child between a male vampire and female human in this specific case through the main character, Alucard) being an antithesis to God in some cases. True Blood and Twilight continue the imagery of the vampire being a romantic, yet sultry being, as well as the creature’s more human-like traits. Music subcultures have even taken inspiration from the creature itself, namely the Gothic community, and the list truly goes on. As the vampire has become a rather iconic creature within literature and the world alike, from humble beginnings as an explanation of local disease to major importance today, it is quite clear to see how significant this form of folklore has become.
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