Behind the mystical aura surrounding the evil name of vampires are often true stories full of pain and suffering. The terrible crimes committed in the distant past took the form of a legend or a story told around a fire. What are vampires? The story tells us about the various events associated with them. Some events remained unchanged, while others forever lost their former appearance. And therefore it is so difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.
Vampires of Ancient Egypt
What are vampires? The history of Ancient Egypt tells of dead people who returned from the world, whose death was so shameful that they could not get into the Underworld. One of them dated to the 3rd century BC e., tells of a young man named Asenet, who escaped from the battlefield, leaving his post. Enemies overtook him and chopped off his body, leaving him to rot in the sand. After some time, Asenet began to appear to his relatives, demanding that he be allowed into the house. The bride of the traitor, who herself went out to him, became the victim of this spirit. Archaeologists have discovered this story on the walls of the tomb of a poor girl, on whose skull there was no lower jaw.
Daughters of the dark moon
If you look closely at the past, stories of bloodthirsty people can be traced back to ancient Greece itself. In Greek, the word "vampire" sounds like "empusa." Mention of these creatures can be found in the works of some philosophers. For example, Philostratus in his work “The Life of Apollonius of Tiana” describes the story that happened with the Lycian Menippus.
According to this story, during the trip, the young man met a beautiful stranger who had so much mastery of his fantasies that Menippus was ready to marry her. Every night, the philosopher’s student began to spend on the ruins, in which, he claimed, were the rooms of his beloved. Only the intervention of his teacher saved the Lycian. Apollonius expelled the ghost, and described everything that happened in his writings.
The story of vampires could happen in reality.
It is known that from V to ІІІV century BC. e. on the territory of Greece and Rome there was a cult of fans of Hekate. Investigation protocols with blood rituals in which priestesses drank blood have survived to this day. Perhaps these stories have become part of the legends of vampirism.
Legends of ancient europe
Europeans sincerely believed in the existence of vampires. Often this belief was based on the fear of medieval residents of a multitude of diseases that distorted the bodies. The raging epidemics not only claimed thousands of lives, they filled the mind with facts about quickly decomposing remains, tetanus and external deformities.
Probably, for this reason, modern scientists find so many graves with evidence of the ritual burial of those convicted of vampirism. So, at the excavations in the county of Dorset, strange ritual burials were discovered, among them was the corpse of a woman, her body rested on the remains of animals repeating the contours of her body. The cervical vertebrae were broken, and the head was separated from the body, the legs rested on the animal limbs. According to the results of the research, scientists came to the conclusion that the woman was killed during the period when the residents left the village.
Vampirism - Spawn of the Plague
What are vampires? The story tells that in 2009, the Italian archaeologist Matteo Borrini discovered the burial of a vampire in the vicinity of the city of Venice. In the historical period, to which the remains belong, there was an epidemic of plague. The terrible events of that time were reflected in many sources. Because of mass hysteria, faith in otherworldly evil forces pushed people to desperate actions. An elderly woman was buried in a mass grave. A piece of brick was put into her mouth, which, according to legend, did not allow the vampire to attack the living.
One of the legends of that period tells about a wealthy lady who lived in the XVI century. Her name was Beatrice Dandolo, she led her married life in a family estate near Pisa. The woman was famous for beauty, her husband did not spare funds for dresses and jewelry to show off to neighbors. When the plague began to take lives, Beatrice's husband became one of the first victims. A woman, afraid of losing beauty and health, locked herself in one of the wings of the castle. She gave the order to block the entrance. Her voluntary retreat gave rise to many legends that in fact a woman got involved in dark magic and performed rituals on the blood, wanting to save herself.
Subsequently, the story of Beatrice Dandolo was used to create the storyline of the movie The Brothers Grimm. Creating costumes for the image of the Mirror Queen, the costumers partially relied on the portraits of Beatrice.
Vampire from Wurzburg
What are vampires? The history of the legend of the 30s of the XIX century tells that in Bavaria there were also unexplained phenomena associated with vampires. In the city of Würzburg lived Dr. Heinrich Spatz. He was a respected worthy man. As a medical practitioner, he has released several works on medicine that have become part of world practice. But here are some facts of his biography suggest that he was involved in the Nosferatu clan.
According to the data, the doctor had his own medical practice and was responsible for the hospital for the poor. For a long time, the Spatz couple did not attract much attention. But after the doctor curtailed his work and left the city, the police received disturbing news about the missing people. Former doctor assistants said they could prove the doctor’s involvement in the disappearance of Joachim Feber, a former gatekeeper in the hospital. After a search of the former hospital, many bodies were found, one of them had a characteristic feature by which the missing Feber was identified. It was not possible to find a doctor. But, according to the protocols, one of the assistants who reported to him died under mysterious circumstances.
Bloody secrets of Bulgaria
What are vampires? The history of the Bulgarians, their beliefs are also no less interesting. According to popular legends, a very evil person becomes a vampire. Moreover, this superstition concerned exclusively men suspected of witchcraft. After death, such a person was pierced by a heart with a steel rod or an aspen stake.
What are vampires? The history of the origin suggests that they really existed. This is evidenced by excavations conducted by scientists near the church "Sveti Nikolai the Miracle Worker". Skeletons of two men were found in a stone grave, whose chest cells were pierced with steel bars. We found similar strange graves before, but in this case it was possible to more fully restore the whole picture due to the good preservation of the remains.
Myths about vampires of Siberia
What are vampires? The history of the emergence of these creatures is also relevant on Siberian lands. In 1725, the peasant Peter Plogoevitz died suddenly and was buried in his native village of Kizilova. After some time, the villagers of Peter began to die. The local authorities were alarmed by the fact that in their dying confession they all said that the reason for their illness was constant visits to the Siberian vampire.
Due to pressure from the population of the village, it was decided to open the grave of the peasant. What was the surprise of the inspector, who arrived to follow the exhumation procedure, when it turned out that the body of the deceased had hardly changed. These facts were stated in the report of the inspector. The villagers took action by driving a stake into Peter's heart, and putting his body to fire.
Curse of the black continent
The story of vampires is not only a product of European mythology. The inhabitants of Africa also keep in their epos many analogues. In their folklore there is a creature called "feifole". It is a rejected soul that wanders among the world of people, attacking the weak and infants. Many of the tribes of Africa keep the legend of how the witch cursed a man for his misconduct, forcing him to drink the blood of his relatives. They brought these superstitions to America, being slaves.
What are vampires? The history of the appearance speaks of one of the documentary references to such a created vampire, which dates back to 1729. The incident occurred in Virginia at the villa of Gregory Watstock, a wealthy landowner. By order of his wife, one of the young servants was flogged for property damage. Due to the severity of the punishment, the child died. His mother was known as a powerful witch among black slaves. Allegedly, she cursed the entire family of the planter.
Consumption was common at that time, which soon claimed Mrs. Watstock's life. After some time, her eldest daughter mysteriously died. And the youngest son complained to the priest that before their death, their deceased mother had visited her sister. After this statement, relatives visited the cemetery and burned the corpses, which was documented by the reverend father.
What are vampires? The story of creation is very interesting and exciting. But in the modern world, the image of a vampire has changed a lot. He betrayed a note of piquancy and gloss. But do not forget that the whole tinsel hides completely unattractive content.