In popular media, vampires are portrayed more like humans with every passing movie and television show, but that’s not how they were initially intended to be perceived. These facts will show you how these creepy creatures were depicted in their original folklore.
During the time of the Black Death in Europe, it wasn’t uncommon for people to be buried with rocks in their mouths. This was to prevent them from feeding on other bodies, if they were to rise from the dead.
No where in in folklore is it ever stated that vampires have an aversion/allergy to sunlight. Nor does it ever state in folklore that vampires have magical powers.
Modern tales state that a bite from a vampire could cause you to become one. Folklore states that illegitimate children, former werewolves and those with red hair are at risk for becoming vampires.
Legends state that you can avoid becoming a vampire post-bite, if you drink the ashes of a burnt vampire. As for not being able to procreate as in stated in modern vampire stories, in ancient lore, if a man were to be turned into a vampire, the first person he would look for would be his wife. This would often result in a vampire baby.
Not only can you only kill a vampire with a stake, other popular methods, according to folklore include cremation, boiling the head in vinegar and burying the corpse face down.
Folklore states that after turning, vampires are shapeless creatures who don’t develop bones until 40 days after they’ve been created. This makes them harder to kill. Good ways to get rid of a vampire include iron, salt, running water and peppermint.
Although vampires are usually as powerful members of society. They are actually portrayed as peasants in popular folklore. So you see vampires for the most part are just regular folk…..well they were at one time.
