History of Vampires

The myth of vampires have existed since many centuries in almost every part of the world. Vampires were thought to be ghosts, evil spirits, witches or demons that lived on blood of human beings. It was also believed that human beings who die an unnatural death, raise from their tombs at night as vampires, to drink human blood for gaining life and power. This dark and ugly creature, with fangs to suck the blood of people, can be said to have emerged from the underlying fear of the unknown, which exists in the mind of every human being.

Though vampires are present in the legends of almost all cultures, no one knows exactly how did the myth of this terrifying bloodthirsty beast came into being. Vampires can be found in the fable of Persia, China, Aztec, India, Malaysia, Polynesia, etc. Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament mentions a demoness named 'Lilith' who used to drink the blood of little babies. However, it is believed that the myth of vampires originated in Europe. Greek and Roman mythology have stories of Goddesses, who disguised as human to drink blood of living beings. This must have triggered the vampire myth, eventually spreading to other countries and cultures of the world.

Another theory that strengthened people's belief in vampires, began in the 11th century. In those times, it was believed that people who committed suicide, or those who were excommunicated by the church, were likely to become vampires. The myth of vampires never ceased to exist, rather it evolved with every century, thus rising fear in people.

Superstitious stories of human beings also contributed to the irrational belief of people in vampires. One of them was Vlad Tepes Dracula, the Prince of Wallachia, who killed people for his own pleasure and was known as an autocrat. He was later characterized as a bloodthirsty vampire by Bram Stoker in his novel 'Dracula'. Another story that is related to vampires is that of Countess Erzsebet Bathory, who killed young girls to drink their blood, which she believed would make her look young and beautiful forever.

With the advent of industrialization, the superstition of vampires started to fade out. The main source that brought back the myth of vampires was literature. It was the romantics who introduced vampires in their writings. This age gave rise to the 'Gothic' novel, that turned these blood sucking vampires into charming erotic beings, who seduced people to suck their blood. Stoker's Dracula became the most successful vampire novel, and Dracula became synonymous to the vampire. Anne Rice, a 20th century novelist changed the image of the vampire completely. The vampire in her novels are ordinary people who have a vicious side to them.

Literature also gave rise to many more myths and superstitions about the vampire. Stoker in his Dracula, creates the belief that vampires were first found in Transylvania, and that they can be repelled with the smell of garlic and killed with a stake.

Today, there are many movies and television shows which are scripted on vampires. Though people are scared of them, there are some who are really fascinated by these dangerous beasts. This has given rise to many cult organizations, where ordinary people believe themselves to be vampires and drink blood believing the myth that it will give them a long life.

Vampires are definitely fictitious, created by the belief of human beings in superstition and supernatural ideologies. But, these mysterious characters continue to captivate us, even in this era of modern beliefs and rational thinking.