vampires as blood sucking thinking beings more or less is an invention of 18th century English gothic literature. Most of the elements you would recognise as being a vampire were made up wholecloth by Polidori. Like how orcs aren't from folklore and Tolkein made them up
the folk stories they are based on are more similar to zombie myths or ghouls than what we would recognise as vampires and seem to have been morality plays about the importance of properly burying dead family rather than leaving old corpses in your house. Although the detail that a vampires first victim is always the one they loved the most in the folklore is a pretty good dramatic touch
If you really want to dig that far back, vampires were supposed to be ugly. Bloated, discolored, grotesque like the corpses that were accused of being vampires hiding in their coffins.
Turning vampires into a Mary Sue power fantasy of beauty was a later contrivance, and a very annoying and tiresome one.
oh I agree. Like I pointed out elsewhere in the first stories vampires were seductive but by causing terror until their victim gives in. More like a cop using sleep deprivation to get a confession than a charming lover.
vampires as blood sucking thinking beings more or less is an invention of 18th century English gothic literature. Most of the elements you would recognise as being a vampire were made up wholecloth by Polidori. Like how orcs aren't from folklore and Tolkein made them up
the folk stories they are based on are more similar to zombie myths or ghouls than what we would recognise as vampires and seem to have been morality plays about the importance of properly burying dead family rather than leaving old corpses in your house. Although the detail that a vampires first victim is always the one they loved the most in the folklore is a pretty good dramatic touch
If you really want to dig that far back, vampires were supposed to be ugly. Bloated, discolored, grotesque like the corpses that were accused of being vampires hiding in their coffins.
Turning vampires into a Mary Sue power fantasy of beauty was a later contrivance, and a very annoying and tiresome one.
oh I agree. Like I pointed out elsewhere in the first stories vampires were seductive but by causing terror until their victim gives in. More like a cop using sleep deprivation to get a confession than a charming lover.
a pretty good exploration of the themes of dracula