[Darkness]

But at it's heart, the vampire legend is about blood -- stolen blood. From prehistoric times, people have known the importance of this mysterious substance. It is at the center of family relationships (related by blood) and religions (blood sacrifices, the Crucifixion). It means life (lifeblood) and death (anemia, leukemia, and AIDS). To steal blood is to steal the soul.

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Two thousand years ago, Lilith was a Hebrew demon said to be Adam's first wife. She disobeyed Adam and was condemned to never have children. Her revenge was to suck blood from children and pregnant women.

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Vampires were officially recognized by the Catholic Church in 1215, and European villagers blamed them for the Black Death that killed 25 million people between 1347 and 1350.

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The earliest known written vampire tale appeared in 1734 -- the British poem, "The Vampyre of the Fens." The first novel is believed to be John Polidori's The Vampyre, published in 1819.

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Bram Stoker's class Dracula was written in 1897.

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Vampires took on a new life with the advent of film. The first was a Hungarian version of Dracula in 1920, which has since been lost. The German classic Nosferatu starred max Schreck as the vampire in 1922. Five years later, Tod Browning made America's first vampire film, London After Midnight, starring Lon Chaney as the vampire. His immortal Dracula, with Bela Lusosi, followed in 1931.

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An interesting 1993 perspective from The Vampire Encyclopedia by Matthew Bunson follows, where the vampire phenomenon had already been raging.

Quote

The late 1980s and early 1990s have witnessed an eruption of interest in the undead greater than any other vampire craze of modern times: larger than epidemics of vampire fascination in America and Europe during the 1970s or in Paris during the 1820s when there were stage plays, comedies, musicals, and translations of John Polidori's influential 1819 short story, "The Vampyre" (and where it was said by one writer that "One can see vampires everywhere!"). In 1992 alone, there were novels, including Anne Rice's The Tale of the Body Thief, and several major films, including Innocent Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and, of course, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Vampire societies and organizations are thriving. Bands, playing so-called Gothic Rock, featuring "vampire" singers and musicians, blast out their throbbing, hypnotic ballads to enthralled vampire wannabes in the dark, moody bowels of clubs in American and European cities. There are vampire books, posters, toys, games, new editions of the novel Dracula, records, and even an Annie Lennox music video called "Love Song for a Vampire."

[DoW]

i thought the first ever vampire movie was The Devil's Manor 1896 which i think was a silent film that was 2-3 minutes long or so read about it first in an encyclopedia last month


The Devil's Manor :darkangel2:
another link :vampiresmiley:

[Darkness]

DoW, on 20 December 2009 - 01:37 AM, said:

i thought the first ever vampire movie was The Devil's Manor 1896 which i think was a silent film that was 2-3 minutes long or so read about it first in an encyclopedia last month


The Devil's Manor :darkangel2:
another link :vampiresmiley:

That's pretty cool. Maybe they considered it to be about a demon or devil instead of a vampire? It says the flying bat changes into Mephistopheles.

[DoW]

i would have thought the bat transforming would have been enough since it is typically associated with dracula. then again different authors different reasoning... we need one book to rule the complete history of vampires or something just my though unless such a book exists already.. just thought it was interesting

[Darkness]

Maybe they were all angels and demons, gods and monsters at first. Not the versions of real people who become the undead. Then at some point that branch of lore split to become the vampire. Elements of the earlier angels, demons, gods, monsters, etc.. some with vampiric traits maybe influenced future traits that the undead would have. Earlier, the undead were mostly like we refer to today as zombies. Not necessarily so immortal or glamorous or endowed with various gifts. Except these are all stories, and not real beliefs. The original monster was believed to be real.

I found this from the Talmud - "the male hyena after seven years becomes a bat; that bat after seven years becomes a vampire; the vampire after seven years becomes a nettle; the nettle after seven years becomes a thorn; the thorn after seven years becomes a demon"
http://www.come-and-...bakamma_16.html

[DoW]

i would have just said the director or writer of the film didnt know what he was talking about or had a different view on things or interpreted Mephistopheles as something like a vampire or whatever
but i do understand how things have changed over many years and become something else at least its still being kept alive and passed on and not forgotten like im sure a lot of lore has

This post has been edited by DoW: 22 December 2009 - 07:12 PM

[CrimsonRoseofPurity]

More vampire trivia:

1. Folklore vampires were red and often fat, not rotten or disfigured monsters - they looked like ordinary humans. They were also sexual and could have children with humans - vampirehunting dhampirs.

2. In folklore and classic literature like Dracula and Carmilla vampires walked happily in sunlight. It was 1922 Nosferatu which added vampires-burn-in-the-sun-nonsense.



3. According to Paul Barber, red skin of the vampire bodies, exposed under dead one, was just dermis. They were swollen by gas. Blood dripping from their mouths was also caused by decomposing process.

This post has been edited by CrimsonRoseofPurity: 22 December 2009 - 11:27 PM

[Tiggy]

There is a book it is called the Vampire book. It goes over every thing dealing with vampires.