Vampires

[LilOne1989]

What do you know about Vampires? I was just reading a book and there are hundreds of them throughout history. It seems like every culture has their own version of vampires and what they do.

[palefrost]

I love vampire stories. I think the major appeal to me is the mystery around them and the immortality aspect. I love reading how authors change the lore depending on who is writing. Anne Rice did a wonderful job of making them sort of romantically tragic and later others made them into sex images. The only identifying trait remaining in all the tales is the immortality. Worth biting a neck or two for. :p

[danrak]

I've seen a few documentaries on them. Like how Dracula was kind of based off of Vlad the Impaler.

Many cultures have stories about vampires. You have the Lilu which are vampire-like spirits of early Babylonion demonology. They were female and said to hunt during the dark going after newborn babies and pregnant women. In India you have the vetalas, which inhabit corpses. In some Roman tales you have a nocturnal bird that fed on human flesh and blood called the Strix.

[vicki2]

Vampires have provided such rich fodder for stories and movies ...all because it's really hard to understand them. Is it legend, are they real, are they still around? It's all up for grabs still!

[Plumley]

I agree, vampires have a sort of mysterious appeal. Frank Langella's Dracula was quite sexy, as was Gary Oldman's. There was even something a little sensuous about Bell Lugosi's. The tales keep changing in the retelling but I find most of them fascinating.

[LyricB]

Isn't it weird how such a tragic figure would be portrayed with a sensuality to them? Must be the neck-biting thing.

[palefrost]

Oo the neck biting is HAwt! I totally agree on frank's Dracula...I would have waited up with the window open for him. :D

[Maggielle]

Then let me tell you the tragedy of this belief modern day. If you ever go to New Orleans visit Jackson Square at night. In the park under the moon the runaway children with sharpened fangs bite each other on the neck and worship all in the name of Lestat. This is the modern day myth born from Anne Rice and fed by her. These children are spreading disease and terror waiting for their dreams to come true. Are you such a child? or would you await the dream alone in your room?

[LilOne1989]

That sounds like more of an issue for the department of social services and the police (I know they stink) but I was looking more for the made up version rather than kids doing whatever they can to pass the time.

[Melos]

I know two people who call themselves vampires. They drink eachother's blood. I've read a great book by Katherine Ramsland (Anne Rices' biographer) about a sociological study of vampires, role-players, and blood fetishists in the world today (or whenever the book was written). These actual 'vampires' have little in common with those of lore.

[Plumley]

There will always be people who contrive to twist a concept, belief or legend for reasons of their own. That doesn't make the original idea wrong or bad. The issue is what causes the need to do this. I'm willing to bet the root of the problem doesn't lie in Anne Rice's books.

[htmlmaster]

To be honest, I have no idea where these came from. I happen to know that there were a few insane monarchs who liked to drink blood, but they were human.

[taiarain]

IIRC, the original concept of vampires developed in response to burying people alive. There was a time when someone in a coma could be mistaken for dead. Imagine the terror instilled in a bystander when the "dead" relative suddenly returned to life.

I'm sure there are some good links with more info, but I'm not up for husking corn tonight.

Taia

[LyricB]

I know two people who call themselves vampires. They drink eachother's blood. I've read a great book by Katherine Ramsland (Anne Rices' biographer) about a sociological study of vampires, role-players, and blood fetishists in the world today (or whenever the book was written). These actual 'vampires' have little in common with those of lore.

I've met some people like that and they seem like they need therapy to me. I used to go to a dance club where it was customary to bite each other's necks as a greeting (don't ask).

[lilyrose]

I was just going to ask about that but since you said not too. :D I had often figured it as a legend that someone made up. I have heard of the strange people who believe that they are vampires and drink blood. Luckily I have never met those people in a club anywhere.

[vicki2]

So was the first vampire really Lillith? That was Adam's first wife, who left him for Lucifer? Anyone believe that one?

[Melos]

Well, I don't believe it, but, from the stories that I have read, Lilith seemed more like a demonish feminist to me.

[LyricB]

Okay guys, someone is going to need to explain the whole Lilith story to me because I have never heard of it.

[fiannawolf]

lilith was a summerian class of demon

[LyricB]

fiannawolf, can you shed a little more light on this topic? Apparently I'm the only one here who isn't familiar with it.

[Slashmire]

Nope, I'll join the "whaaa?" club too. Never read much about Lilith or any stories like that, nor the whole Adam story from above.

[Melos]

Lilith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith)

Lilith is rumored to be the first wife of Adam (ya know the biblical first man), but there is not much support for that theory. The story goes that they were both made from the earth, she refused to be subservient to him and she left Eden. Adam tried to get God to bring her back, but God cursed her somehow, saying she had to kill her children for some reason.

[LyricB]

Thanks Melos. Somebody put up a new thread about Lillith too so now I know a little more. Isn't wikipedia cool? :)

[Slashmire]

Wikipedia is quite the good site; although you have to take everything with a grain of salt, there is so much information that one could spend days on it without getting bored :)

[LyricB]

I agree about wikipedia. I have found all sorts of great and obscure info on that site, and to tell you the truth if someone hadn't explained Lillith to me that's probably where I would have went.

[TinyStar]

There's a very good fiction book on the Cult of Lilith in the White Wolf games called 'Revelations of the Dark Mother'. I don't play many White Wolf games but I just love their lore and stories.

[Laurel Tavington]

I beleve that Bram Stoker did much to romanticise the vampires with Dracula. Much of this romanticism stems from the sexualy represses society in Victorian Europe. Before that most vamires were evil creturs stright from hell. I have heard many diffrent claims for the origan, China being one of them. As far as if they are reall; I don't think the imortal kind are. However, just this past Halloween I saw a vampire specal on the History Channel, which acknowloges the vampiric subculture in today's America. These vampires do not drink blood, because od the health risks involved, and they are by no meins imortal. I'm sure other Cuntries also have vampire subcultuers too.

[Herrresjonny]

Bram stokers vampire came from Vlad the Impaler. He was the ruler of Wallachia (southern Romania) and was renowned as an honest yet exceedingly cruel leader. His hobby was impaling lots of people, with large ash stakes through the anus and out the mouth. Thats where the myth of the wooden stake killing the vampire came from. The list of tortures he is alleged to have employed is extensive: nails in heads, cutting off of limbs, blinding, strangulation, burning, cutting off of noses and ears, mutilation of sexual organs (especially in the case of women), scalping, skinning, exposure to the elements or to animals, and boiling alive. OUCH. Even when he was unseated from his throne and held in captivity for four years, he still was alledged to have lured birds to his window and mutilated them.

[Oziris]

Hmmm well vampires go at night and suck blood :eek: but when they travel they transform into a litle flying thing :p i dont know much about them and not very interested becous they are crazy with blood.