The Attic: Vampires

For over a thousand years humanity in one form or another have been fascinated by Vampires. Even before we called them as such folklore and legend popped up all over the world of the great blood drinking monsters.Demon

The ancient Greek called them Lamia, a twisted blood drinking beast descendant from Hecate, Goddess of Magic and Necromancy. In this form the vampire was not what we know them to be, they were hulking beast that stole children in the night to bring them back to their dark Mistress. While not at all the form we now associate with vampires this is believed to be the genesis of where these legends and folklore began. The Lamia would later be split into a word for two different creatures. The proto vampire you can see here and the far more infamous demon. This is actually why Vampires were considered demonic and why several of their origin stories actually involve a demon curse of rite.

This form of Vampire would remain large unchanged through the years and different cultures telling the story until the 12th century when the Norse lands would put their own spin on the Vampire Myth.

skyrim_draugr_group_by_minnan2-d3eeqwjThus was born the story of the Draugr, Immortal guardians of ancient tombs sucking the life force of any who dare enter. It is said these stories were created to stem the tide of grave robbing that was quite common place, and it worked. However these were still not what we know as Vampires. These beings much like the Lamia were much more hulking that a normal man and they attacked through the mind just as much as the body. They were the inspiration for the game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim though in said game they are more akin to zombies than their legendary counterparts.

Our idea of what a Vampire is didn’t originate until the late 17th century in Eastern Europe. This is when the Vampire became something less monster and more man, and to some became even more terrifying. A lamia or draugr was easy to see as just a myth but now these beings could hide among you. Could blend into society and a shocking amount of people were murdered for the crime of being a vampire over the next two centuries.

However at this point vampires were legends, myths, and no one had ever said what exactly they were. That changed in 1897 with the publication of Bram Stokers novel Dracula. Vampires were now not only legendary creatures but also found their way into pop culture. This would largely remain the way people saw vampires, as immortal stalkers of the night, up until modern day.

So now we know what vampires are, but why are we so drawn to the idea of vampires. Some would tell you it is the immortality, these creatures have bested the greatest enemy to mankind, Death. However I feel that is a little too simple to explain over a century of fascination.

To my mind what draws us to vampires is a combination of their immortality and their power. A vampire can ensnare the mind, dominate the will, and not only enslave a thrall but convince the thrall that he is doing everything of his own will. This is where the fear and love people have toward vampires comes from. The ability to pit your will against another, possible even an immortal and see if you can best them.

That’s my take on it anyway, what’s yours? Comment below and lets keep talking creatures that very much live in our own imagination.

I am your Lord of Shadows saying

Stay Scared

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