Vampire. Image by Jason Engle
A vampire is an undead endowed with enormous strength and power, who maintains his immortality by drinking the blood of living beings.
The origin of the vampires
Vampires, or Kindred as they like to call themselves, have existed since as long as man can remember. There are two main theories about its origin:
The first points to Lilith, Queen of the Night, Mother of Demons and Adam’s first wife, as the authentic and primal vampire. Created by God at the same time as Adam, she turned out to have too dark and twisted a soul. She bred nothing but evil spirits, for which she was nicknamed «Monster of the Night». They were famous for feasting on her blood night after night, and it is even said that she seduced men while they slept in order to increase her evil offspring, known as succubi.
Lilith. Image by Grigory Lebidko
The second theory points to Cain as the original vampire, which is why vampires are also known as «cainites». When Cain killed his brother Abel he was banished to the lands of Nod and there he was condemned to wander carrying a curse with him. He would fear the sun for life and feel an unquenchable thirst for blood. In exile he met Lilith, who taught him to channel the power of blood to increase his strength as a vampire.
Although the history of vampires goes back thousands of years, its heyday occurred between the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, mainly in Romania and Hungary. In fact, Transylvania, the central region of Romania, is known for being the cradle of vampires and where the most famous of them all spent much of his life; Count Vlad Drakul, better known as Count Dracula or, also, as «the Impaler», a nickname he earned due to the great pleasure he felt eating before the impaled bodies of his enemies. Vlad Drakul was one of the cruelest vampires in history and spread his evil throughout Germany and, later, to the rest of Europe.
vampires and bats
Vampires have always been associated with the figure of the bat. This association may also have its origin in the Transylvanian areas, where bats bit living beings to suck their blood. It is thought that they transmitted rabies and that is why infected humans also began to suck and transmit the disease to other living beings.
Another legend tells of a special type of vampire-bat called an azemán, very common in South America, which has the shape of a woman during the day and at night transforms into a bat. Every night she goes hunting in search of new victims to rip off a toe. When the blood flows, the vampire drinks his fill and, when daylight comes, returns full of life to his female form.
Bat vampire. Image by Jason Chan
The truth is that some vampires are capable of transforming into bats naturally, like a lycanthrope does. This form allows them to quickly escape from an enemy or even enter mortal homes without their consent, which they cannot do when in vampire form unless formally invited.
spot a vampire
There are unequivocal signs to know that we are facing a vampire. Within days of the suspect’s death, the grave is opened and the body is examined. The corpse of a vampire does not decompose and, despite its paleness and haggard face, especially if it has not been fed recently, it presents an almost healthy aspect that persists for more than a few days.
The new vampires always return to their graves during the day, but over the years they can rest in houses and mansions that they set up for this purpose and where they place their coffins.
The Vampire’s Kiss
The way to generate a new vampire is not very complicated if you have enough self-control. Only one vampire can create another through «the vampire’s kiss»; when a victim is in front of a scion it is very easy to be hypnotized and seduced by it, then the vampire seeks the carotid artery of his victim (vampires prefer clean blood), which is easily accessed from the side of the neck, and It sinks its fangs with great precision. In this way he can drink from the victim as many times as he needs without excessive bleeding. This process can last several days or a few minutes, depending on the kiss, but it usually ends in the same way; the victim dies of weakness. Once the mortal’s blood is gone, right in his last breath of life, the creator vampire fills the victim’s body with his own blood. A single drop of vampiric blood on the mouth of the deceased is enough to awaken the Thirst and begin to drink. After a few days, or perhaps even a few hours, the dead man awakens in his grave as a new offspring.
The visit of the vampire. Image by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
Not all «vampire kisses» end with a new offspring. If the mortal is not bled to death, but has drunk a vampire’s blood, he continues to live normally even though he gains new strength and vitality. He is less affected by the passage of time and his aspect is most healthy, but a dependency with the vampire is created in such a way that we could say that he becomes his «slave», also creating a sexual bond, and doing everything the vampire wants. vampire asks for some more of his blood.
New “life” for the vampire
The new vampire retains the same appearance he had when he was alive, although the most observant will notice a different look, more primal, cruel and wild. The gaze of a predator whose senses are now sharper. His body casts no shadow and his reflection in the mirror disappears. They also begin to highlight its elongated incisors, normally contracted until the moment of hunting, the slightly more pointed ears, the bad breath and, in some cases, the abundant hair on the palms of the hands.
The body of the neonate also reaches the death of the organs. The heart does not beat, the lungs do not breathe and the stomach does not digest either. Hence, the only food a vampire needs is the blood of a living being, and he needs it precisely to prevent the rotting process of his mortal body from continuing. This blood no longer passes through veins or arteries, but is distributed evenly throughout the body by osmosis. Blood becomes the only fluid present in the vampire’s body, and for this they cry dark tears of blood.
It is somewhat paradoxical that it is said of vampires that they are immortal, because they really are as long as they find blood that allows their bodies not to decompose. A vampire also has their own internal struggles. He is obsessed with, if not addicted to, blood. The vampire’s Hunger never rests and leads him to always be on the edge, in eternal conflict about feeding or letting himself go completely to quench his Thirst. It’s hard to live with the Beast within who constantly fights to be released and commits the most heinous crimes. Only vampires with great self-control show what little humanity they sometimes seem to have.
How to kill a vampire and other myths
It is mistakenly thought that to kill a vampire it is enough to drive a wooden stake into its heart. This act is necessary but not sufficient, since by driving in the stake we can leave it temporarily blocked but, for it to really die, it is necessary to burn it later in a bonfire or expose its body to the sun for several days. Bullets, knives, and other weapons only cause wounds that heal with astonishing ease on a vampire’s body. There are other theories on how to kill a vampire, such as opening his coffin during the day, driving a stake through his heart, and burying him in a grave dug at a crossroads, but this strategy is not always successful. wanted.
Kill a vampire. Picture of Inna Vjuzhanina
There are other symbols and objects that are also used to hurt or drive away vampires, such as crucifixes, holy water, and garlic. None of this really harms a vampire, at best it temporarily distracts him. The sun weakens and burns them, but not as fast as one might think, although they are very disoriented and become much slower, losing their usual speed (that great speed that makes them seem like a whirlwind when moving). Only powerful vampires can last several days in the sun.
There are also some myths that are simply not true, such as that vampires cannot cross moving water. If this were true, they would not have spread throughout the world, although there are legends that explain that they can do so by carrying soil from their grave in the coffin.
The vampire in society
Vampiric society, far from what it may seem, is perfectly structured and governed according to the rules imposed by the oldest vampires. They are organized in clans, at the head of which there is usually a prince. This prince is in charge of maintaining order in his geographical area. Above the princes is the Council, a group of vampires from the first generations that is in charge of maintaining a certain peace between clans.
Those who support the theory of Cain as the first vampire have defined the generations of existing vampires based on the birth of the first vampire. That is, Cain would be the first and only member of the first generation, and his direct descendants would form the second generation, as well as his descendants would form the third, etc. It is estimated that, in the current era, newborn vampires are part of the 13th generation.
It goes without saying that the power of a vampire is greater the older he is, not only because of the control and learning that he accumulates over the years, but also because the oldest belong to the first generations and have the purest blood, their power being immense. greater than that of a vampire of later generations.
With this in mind, vampires are classified as follows:
neonate
Vampire recently created and presented to the prince of the clan to which it belongs. There are some recent vampires who do not belong to any particular clan. These are called Caitiff.
ancilla
They are young but promising scions for their discipline and control of their power. They are prepared to occupy the position of Ancients with the years.
ancient
They are the offspring that are in power of the vampire society. They are between 200 and 1200 years old. They make sure the rules are followed.
Methuselah
This position is occupied by vampires whose age reaches 1200 years. There is a really palpable change. They come to appear less human, older, and physically thinner. The Beast in them has taken control and they have virtually no humanity. They are enormously strong and fierce.
Antediluvians
The oldest and it is thought that they only exist in Europe. They are the direct descendants of Cain and reach the third generation. They are so strong, wise and powerful that their mere mention generates true terror among their offspring. Fortunately, they are really rare and scarce.
Methuselah vampire. Image by Hinchel Or
hunter supremacy
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