Apr
11
The reality of VAMPIRES
April 11, 2010 | 6 Comments
At every lecture I attend, every panel I speak on, every conference and interview I give, I am inevitably asked the question “Do you believe that vampires are real?” And without hesitation or doubt in my mind I consistently answer in an unhesitating and unwavering “No.” Usually that is where the topic ends, the person interviewing me choosing to move onto another question, but from time to time I am asked with the follow-up “Why is that?” I’ll tell you.
There has never, ever been a single shred of evidence discovered that has lent itself toward the existence of vampires. The closest we have ever come to this is finding ancient scripts on how to summon vampires, how to banish vampires, and a corpse that had a brick placed in its mouth to prevent it from returning as a vampire. There are scads and scads of folklore and beliefs that revolve around the vampire, such as hanging garlic over your windows to prevent their entry, but still that is not proof that vampires are real, only proof that some people believe they are.
Not that I believe in Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster either, but at least there is some shaky and circumstantial evidence that comes to light every few years, be it another blurry photograph, mystery scat, casts of over sized prints, or unidentifiable hair samples. Even the lowliest of armature ghost hunters have sound bites of scratchy sounding voices and shadowy masses in video and orbs in still photography.
I do not intentionally set out to rain on anyone’s crypto zoological parade but I feel compelled to point out that no sooner was a serious scientific expedition set out to find the giant octopus, Architeuthis, than it was not only captured on film but in a net, hauled to shore, and dissected. If two guys in a rented boat with little more than a water-proof video camera and fishing net can find an Architeuthis in just under a month of searching, why oh why hasn’t anyone in the last two thousand years ever come up with something to prove that vampires exist?
“Because they don’t want to be found.”
At least, that’s what the true believers say. I beg to differ. Not a week goes by that someone claiming to be a thousand year old vampire e-mails me claiming to exist, laughing at me for not believing, and making some thinly veiled threat like “you’ll see one day.”
I haven’t seen yet. No one has, and no one ever will.
Comments
6 Comments so far
Hi,
I just learned of you and your writing a few hours ago; literally. From what I have seen so far I have a question that it seems no one has asked you, or if they have I haven’t seen it. I figure this would be the best place to ask and hope that you get back to me on it. What do you expect a vampire to be? There are so many variations on the stories from one country or continent to the next that to make a blanket statement that vampires don’t exist would fist need a definitive definition of what exactly the creature is that we are all talking about anyway. Once there is a common definition then I, and others stand a better chance of understanding of what view you are approaching the subject from.
Thanks
Definitively – no matter how you define a vampire, they are not real; they are myths, metaphors, creatures of our imaginations.
In my newest book, “The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology” I define what a vampire is. Since the book is set to be released in another month, I’ll go ahead and paraphrase what I said in it:
Vampires, what they are and how they are defined, are set by the cultures who create them. The reason that there are so many different species of vampires from all over the world and throughout recorded history is because the definition of what a vampire is changes. What the Inuit in Alaska consider a vampire to be is so radically different from what the Ashanti tribes of Africa consider a vampire to be. Some vampires need blood to survive, some need semen, some consume tattoos while other thrives off of meditative thoughts. Most vampires from the Greek isles do not even need to eat.
In my opinion, I feel that a creature such as the vampire cannot have a single definition as it morphs to fill the needs of the culture or society that creates its mythology. However, in light of the 600 plus different species of vampires that have recorded in my book, as far as I know, no one has ever provided proof to their existence.
Well, if that is the case then what about the traditional Chinese version as mentioned in the medical side of a vampire defined as a normal person who because of problems with chi flow in a few different systems finds them self drawn to blood? There is even a valid treatment regimen from what I hear; but that says nothing about the mental status of the person as that is a separate problem.
The other problem that I see with what you have said is that you seem to be applying legend, and superstition to real life. Anyone can tell you that the oral transmission of any story will result in changes to the facts over time as is the case with any legend. What was someone who was drawn to blood after the 50th retelling has become a creature that lives only on blood.
I will say good luck with the book; and at the same time stick to the legends. Reality is different from oral tradition stories as always.
Thanks for getting back to me though.
Indeed- what Demzon said.
My two cents on the matter: What a vampire is or is not has been up to debate for centuries and still remains so. Vampires have become a myth due to peoples’ fears and misunderstanding and especially due to superstition. The fact that science has not caught up to reality does not help matters.
When village folk, however, centuries ago saw that a corpse had become bloated and changed, they had no idea of science and assumed it was a vampire. So, science has helped to an extent.
Hypothetically, there are a group of people- say a small village of people- and one finds he needs blood or even chi and starts to attack people not knowing how to control what is inside of himself. It is a need and not a psychological disorder- a physical need. He is the only one like this in the whole village and the village is very remote. Without others like himself, he has no way to learn but to try on his own. He feels very much in darkness and isolated within.
The people of the village discover what he is doing and they are very superstitious folks. They say he is a monster- a demon- a devil. The tribal shaman tries to purge this evil from him and fails. He is driven from the village and becomes feral. Eventually he finds another village and on it goes.
Now we have Houses such as mine for those of us who need these things physically. We do not turn into bats or sleep in grave dirt. We do not turn into green mist. We do not sparkle in the sun either. However, what we do is make a significant contribution to society when we have support. So many of us are brilliant artists, musicians, etc. To say that we do not exist because of legend and mythological portrayal- let alone vampire fiction- is absurd. And to those who say that we are delusional, I say- wait for a number of years- science will catch up and the unreliable and dubious soft science called “Psychology” and current ideas about us will change.
I am a vampirologist, and that means that I am a mythologist that specializes in cross-cultural vampire studies. The vampires I study and research are all mythological creatures, nursery bogies if you will. Vampires are not real. I do not believe that there are animated corpses walking around. Nor do I believe in the existence of vampiric hybrids.
I did not say that people who drink blood do not exist; I said that vampires do not exist. If you tell me that you drink blood I will share with you this truth: it is not only unhealthy to do so as the human body has no way to digest it in such a fashion that ANY nutritional value can be drawn from it whatsoever, but also, humans do not crave it. People who say that are at best mistaken. There are psychological disorders where some people are compelled to eat strange things, like glass or blood, but that is not vampirism. The consumption of blood does not make a person a vampire; it never has and never will. Many vampires do not even drink blood but feast upon an array of foodstuffs including feces.
Chinese vampires by the way, are not born they are created. There is no mythology of a person being born as a vampire or doing anything to become a vampire while remaining alive. Vampires in the Chinese are either revenants, that is to say, some sort of undead creature – or—some sort of spirit. Traditionally, if a person was to attack someone and drink their blood I find it hard to believe that anyone who holler “vampire.” In more modern times, yes, but that would be due to Western influences.
Hmmm. Wow. This is really pretty absurd. Theresa Bane, I have read your books and find them to be informative. I enjoy your “voice” but these guys who come on and pretend to be vampires because life among the “living” is too hard . . . well. what can i say about that? I probably shouldn’t say anything but that never stops them, so i will say this: some vampires seek blood and some seek chi and others seek all matter of things but apparently some live on pity alone.
If you have something to say, write a book. put your ideas out there for scrutiny. I would personally welcome the opportunity to see your view point. Otherwise, you need to take a deep breath . . . release, realize that you are not undead, stop spending so much energy on avoiding life and spend a little living it.