[2.05] How does one become a vampyre?

Again, there are many different possible routes of becoming a vampire in mythology. Some of the more prevalent routes are:

- Being bitten by a vampire. In some versions, the victim has to die from the bite to become a vampire; in others, three bites are necessary.

- Drinking the blood of a vampire.

- Suicide

- Excommunication, dying unbaptized/apostate, or anything else that puts one "outside of the church"

- Being a wizard/witch

- Having been a werewolf

- Having your parents curse you, as in "May the earth reject you!"

- Being born with teeth or with a caul (sometimes specifically a red caul). In this case, it may be possible to prevent the change by burning the caul and feeding the ashes to the baby.

- Dying and having a cat or other animal jump over the corpse before it gets properly buried.

- Possessing red hair. This is from Greek Mythology and probably has some roots in the belief that Judas Iscariot was a redhead.

- Being a victim of unavenged murder.

- Being a seventh son. This, like many of these other things, was related to the Catholic Church. Anything that was not of it or that posed a threat to it would get you damned, and what was more damning than being a vampire?

- Being sexually promiscuous.

- Being the offspring of a woman and a demon or an incubus.


If it is suspected that someone is likely to become a vampire, it is possible to prevent the occurrence by using one or more of the methods for destroying vampires listed above or by burying the suspect body face downwards. In Eastern Europe, it was common to periodically check suspect bodies to see if they showed any signs of vampirism. Similarly, in China potential vampires were not buried until after they had decayed considerably.

As the concept was refined and developed through the media of Fiction, Roleplaying Games and Cinema, the traditional way to become a Vampire has always been being bitten by another Vampire, and sometimes the transformation into Vampire does not require the Victim to die. This is known as 'Turning', or 'Siring'. Also, in Bram Stokers' famous novel Dracula, the descent into vampirism is only completed by a mutual exchange of blood between the Vampire and Victim, rather than just a single bite.

In the Real Vampire and Psychic Vampire community the general consensus is that Real Vampires are born, not made. They may describe a process of 'Awakening' into the knowledge that they are not as others, or they may always have known. This remains a favourite topic for discussion.

You forgot one:

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Originating as a child who's infantile sexual urges become raised to unnacceptable levels, their ego defenses would reguluarly come into play and prevent the unconscious mind from becoming aware of these dangerous impulses.
When the child cannot experience adequate mirroring (the seeking of self objects that confirm and admire the child thus nourishing their famished self) its infantile grandiosity cannot be transformed into a mature psychological structure identified by its more realistic sense of self esteem.
These Narcissistic wounds lead to repressed wishes, anti-social impulses, morally questionable motives and fantasies of grandiose nature.
The vampire image serves as a scapegoat as it allows us to disown the negative aspects of our personalities. This in turn becomes Narcissistic rage and one seeks the utter destruction of others.
The vampire within ourselves projects its image onto others thereby justifying its own predatory intentions.

. . . . Carl Jung the Mega-Upir

And also if you put Psychic Vampires into consideration than the main myth is that you are born with the power.