Common Folkloric Traditions When Dealing With a Vampire

The vampire is a fascinating character that steeps long into the history of humanity. From almost every age and culture around the globe, there is vampire folklore. Each vampire renders his own attributes associated within a particular region, but the basic premise of a vampire has remained the same: that of dead “humans” who returned from the grave, sucking the life’s blood of the living by various means to sustain their own physical state of being. The ancient Greeks gave us perhaps our earliest description of a vampire and set the standard image by which many vampires of Europe were based upon. Gypsies also introduced the vampire to Europe; through their Hindu religious background and absorption of certain Christian elements, their nomadic lifestyle helped carry tales of such entities. However, despite distance and location there are certain commonalities associated with vampire folklore from around the world.

One such commonality starts from the moment of birth. Throughout folklore it was believed that those born under unusual circumstances, such as being born on a certain festival day or born breech, were believed to bear mystical powers. It was principally suspicious if a child was born with a caul. Depending on locale, this was either a misfortune or a blessing to the child who could use his paranormal abilities for good or evil, depending upon traditional beliefs. The caul itself was never simply discarded, but was dried and worn as an amulet to ward off evil, or after a set number of years given to the child to eat as protection against malevolence.

The way in which a person dies also determines whether a person becomes a vampire. The most common belief among many cultures deems that suicide, a violent death or any sudden death would lead to vampirism. Those who died by suicide were suspect universally, as there were many reasons why their soul could not rest. Those who died by such a manner were never buried in “consecrated grounds” and were often interred at crossroads. To leave a body unburied was also asking for trouble; and it was customary to suppose it perilous should an individual gaze upon an unburied body.

Proper burial of the dead was of the utmost importance to every ethnicity and there were many methods and techniques that such diverse cultures implemented. However, proper cleansing of the corpse was vital as it assured purification and prevented hostile takeover. Sometimes the dead were exhumed, not only if there were any signs of “foul play,” but also as guarantee that all appropriate burial techniques had been achieved. Often times bones were re-cleansed or examined to affirm suitable coloration. Sundry tradition also accepted as truth that crossing over a gravesite would resurrect the dead; this was not always specific to cats who may commit the act, but to other animals and people, as well.

Garlic is a collective and universal preventative measure against vampirism. Its long history of healing and magical capabilities extends far back into antiquity. To bury the dead with garlic was not unusual and to rub oneself, home or animals was reasoned an effective deterrent to ward off vampires. Another widespread design between various cultures was the placement of seeds, such as poppy, sesame or mustard or other minute particles, such as rice, which were placed either inside, outside or around a coffin. This seed spreading was done in an attempt to daunt a vampire, for many believed a vampire was held captive by the necessity to count all the seeds before exiting its burial place, or entering a home. For some cultures a vampire could only count one seed a year, while for others the vampire’s preoccupation with counting will cause eventual exposure to the sun thereby killing it. Gypsies often placed fishing nets around their homes for they believed a vampire would have to count all the knots before gaining entry.

Other universal essentials are the precious metal Silver, the cross, and the wood of the Aspen tree. Silver was used since times of antiquity as a design against evil forces. Silver nails were driven into a coffin in an effort to keep the vampire from escaping and traditional Transylvanian folklore claim that a silver bullet was a definitive means of assassinating a vampire. The Aspen tree was found to grow ubiquitously and its wood was utilized to construct stakes. These stakes were employed by either keeping a corpse pinned in place or to mutilate a suspected vampire. The cross has long been held a sanctified symbol, eras before Christianity, so there is no surprise in its widespread belief and use as protection against evil vampires.

Lastly, if a corpse was suspected of vampirism and preventative procedures did not work, extreme measures were then taken. Often times this meant maiming the accused vampire either by cutting holes in the corpse or by decapitation. The final alternative was to cut the body in pieces and set them afire.