Vampires in Folklore (original) (raw)
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The theme/folklore related to vampires has a lengthy historical timeline, and remains one of great fascination which continues today. This paper is a brief study of Vampires from a Folkloric Perspective.
The Evolution of the Vampire in Fiction and Popular Culture
The legend of the vampire is one that continues to frighten and fascinate people world-wide. The idea of an undead night-stalker that feeds on human blood has been around for centuries and endures to this day. Numerous countries and cultures across the globe have personal deviations of a similar folkloric entity. No matter the variation, all vampire tales have a key commonality-the lust for human blood. It was not until the late 19th century that an Irish author complied a breadth of knowledge on such folkloric tales and concocted the character that now acts as the template for the vampire myth. Bram Stoker's Dracula was first published in 1897 and from that point forward the novelist's title character set the precedent for all fictional vampires. Vampire fiction, however, continues to evolve and captivate despite the fact that it draws from a vast folkloric and literary past.
"“Although published too late to help Professor Van Helsing defeat Dracula, every modern vampire-hunter needs Summers’s seminal compendium of folklore and mythology. Browning’s critical edition, with commentary by leading vampirologists and rich biographical material, is a treasure-trove for students and scholars alike!” —Leslie S. Klinger, editor, The New Annotated Dracula “Summers’s extensive albeit curious research on vampires has long been a classic in the field, and it’s exciting to see it being rescued from oblivion, as well as framed by such a renowned yet diverse group of scholars.” —Katherine Ramsland, The Science of Vampires “This new edition cannot be recommended too highly to anyone with the faintest interest in Montague Summers or the origin of vampires.” —Nigel Suckling, Book of the Vampire In all the dark pages of the supernatural there is no more terrible tradition than that of the Vampire, a pariah even among demons. Foul are his ravages; gruesome and seemingly barbaric are the ancient and approved methods by which folk rid themselves of this hideous pest. The tradition is world-wide and of the greatest antiquity. How did it arise? How did it spread? Does it indeed contain some vestige of truth, some memory of savage practice, some trace of cannibalism or worse? These and similar problems inevitably suggested by a consideration of Vampirism in its various aspects are fully discussed in this work which may not unfairly claim to be the first serious and fully documented study of a subject that in its details is of absorbing interest, although the circumstances are of necessity macabre and ghastly in the highest degree. Included in this critical edition are the authoritative text, rare contextual and source materials, correspondence, illustrations, as well as Greek and Latin translations. A biographical note and chronology are also included."
Curiosity: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Innovation
Throughout the history of vampire stories-from folklore to literary fiction-the portrayal of these inhuman creatures has metamorphosed from Carl Jung's myth, born of the Shadow archetype, into three distinct vampiric archetypes, none of which have completely left their mythic origins behind. These archetypes present themselves as the monster vampire, the tragic vampire, and the romantic vampire. By examining the etymology of the word vampire, ancient vampire folklore, early to modern vampire literature, and early to contemporary vampire cinema, this paper will show that the vampire is no longer relegated to the role of antagonist to the story's protagonist. The vampire could be the tragic anti-hero or the protagonist of a story. Many early folklores about vampires are represented by stories humankind told to explain evil and misfortune visited upon their family. However, when the vampire entered early literary fiction, authors began to exercise their power to manipulate the vampire narrative, creating new vampire constructs. This shift in vampire characterizations is an allegorical commentary on man's fight to overcome his sinful nature by seeking salvation through redemption. While some researchers note the existence of a vampire archetype, Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, believed that monsters, such as the vampire, are not archetypes themselves, but rather myths, born of archetypes. While Carl Jung's beliefs would classify a vampire as a myth, I intend to show that early to modern stories of vampires show a gradual shift from the monster myth to three separate vampire portrayals/archetypes. One portrayal of vampires remaining that of the terrifying creature of origin, as is characterized by Carl Jung's Shadow archetype; another portrayal being the tragic and tortured Byronic hero-or antihero; and the last progresses through the first two stages into the modern, beguiling, often-romanticized, literary figures of fantasy, the heroic vampire. I intend to show that these three distinct portrayals, though never fully leaving their mythic origins behind, have become their own archetypes, and the development of these archetypes mirrors humankind's path to finding redemption from their own sinful natures, or dark desires, whether based in Judeo-Christian beliefs, other religious beliefs, or a secular moralistic belief system. Carl Jung believes there are four main archetypes: The Self, the Persona, the Shadow, and the Anima/Animus. These archetypes are primordial images-archaic remnants imprinted on the unconscious mind, the part of the mind where automatic processing occurs. These primordial images are passed down from our ancestors. Jung states: