Do Vampires Exist?

One of the most recognizable figures in popular horror and science fiction literature is the vampire. Modern-day views have changed the overall image of the vampire from blood-drinking corpse to sexy creature of the night. It is no secret that vampires are popular today. However, there are conflicting views as to whether or not vampires actually exist. Most of us say no, but what if we are wrong? Vampires have always been a big part of many cultures. What if the reason for that is that they exist?

The modern stereotype of the vampire is far different from the original vampire of legend. In Europe, the accepted description of the vampire was a being that was bloated from drinking the blood of others. There were other European versions of this creature, however. Another common description described vampires as being unnaturally pale with long fingernails. Ironically, most European versions of vampires did not have fangs.

Most cultures around the world had vampires or vampire-like creatures. Even ancient civilizations such as the Mesopotamians and the Romans had their versions of the vampire. The physical description of the vampire varied from culture to culture. Mexican vampires have a bare skull instead of a head. Bulgarian vampires only have one nostril, Moravian vampires only attack when completely nude, Brazilian vampires have furry feet and Rocky Mountain vampires suck blood through the nose. Like I said, It varies from culture to culture, although there are some attributes accepted in most versions of the vampire, including red hair and the ability to transform into animals.

Vampires were said to be created through several methods. If a cat or a dog ran over a corpses' body, it was feared that they would come back to plague the living. Bodies with untreated wounds were also suspected. Russians thought that people who rebelled against the church or people who were witches would come back as vampires after their deaths. The idea that people who were bitten by vampires would become vampires themselves is a fairly recent one. In old folklore, if you were killed by a vampire, you often did not come back.

Methods to destroy or protect yourself from a vampire were large in number. Substances such as garlic, wild rose, hawthorn, lemons and mustard seeds were said to ward them off. A crucifix, a rosary, or holy water were the weapons of the church. Vampires were said to be unable to cross running water or walk on consecrated ground. Surprisingly, almost no cultures thought that sunlight would do anything to harm vampires. The most common way of destroying a vampire was with a wooden stake, preferably made of Ash. They could be staked through the heart, through the mouth, or through the stomach. Decapitating or incinerating the body was also a common method. Some cultures even drowned vampires. The church often used an exorcism to destroy the vampire's spirit. I even recall a story of a village that chopped a suspected vampire into many pieces, tied them all into a sack, and threw them into a river. I guess you can be creative with your methods of destruction.

The evolution of vampires throughout history is interesting to know about. I recommend that you do some more reading into the subject seeing as how I have only provided you with a short description. Happy hunting.

Thank you www.wikipedia.org/wiki/vampires and old library books for your help with this information.