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Human history is filled with unexplained event's and creatures beyond imagination.
From childhood and onward we go through our lives in fear what lurks within the shadow just out of sight, from the monster under the bed, to the boogeyman and every-other monster imaginable whether real or imagined in ancient times this was an advantageous means of survival against very real threats wolves bears ext. This survival mechanism has been deeply ingrained into our psyche
But what may be hiding in the darkness just out of sight waiting for you..
Vampires....The immortal undead with an unsavory taste for human blood.
There have been many famous monsters through out human history, but none so recognizable as the Vampire. Through classic Myth, Legend and folklore to modern TV, Movies, Dramas and more this creature of the night has haunted our imaginations since time immemorial..
Every culture around the world has legends regarding the Vampire in one form or another..
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============ European Vampire =======
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The vampire is a reanimated corpse that feeds on the blood of the living to prevent its body from decomposing.
The slender pale-skinned vampire we know of to today is a relatively new interpretation of this creature that started around the early 19th century with the publication of (The Vampyre ) — a short story by John Polidori in 1819.
In the original vampire legend from Eastern Europe the creature was described as a bloated corpse with dark or ruddy skin as a result from feeding on blood.
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=Somewhat Graphic Description ahead==
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When the body of a suspected vampire was disinterred (dug up), it would sometimes look as if it hadn't decomposed at all, often the hair, teeth and fingernails appear too have grow longer.
Other times the body would look, bloated with blood seeping from the nose and mouth.
Today we know now this is just common decomposition with the rate of decomposition varying slightly depending on number of different factors.
Normally temperature and soil composition; decrease or accelerate the rate dead flesh loses fluids, which in turn causes it to pull back exposing the roots of hair, teeth and nails; and that gases from decomposition build up in the torso, making the body look bloated and forcing blood to ooze from the nose and mouth.
Common beliefs about vampires include that they are most active at night, but not necessarily vulnerable to sunlight. Garlic, crucifixes and holy water were common devices for warding off vampire attacks .
It was believed that driving a wooden stake into the body would somehow release the evil spirit, with decapitation also being a way to hasten the evil soul's departure. in some areas they would piece the heart with a pin before burial others would drive a stake through the heart regardless of vampire sighting in the area as a sort of preventative measure.
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======Russian and East Europe===============================
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The Russian upir and the Greek vrykolakas. In these traditions, sinners, unbaptized babies and other people outside the Christian faith were more likely to be reanimated after death.
Those who practiced witchcraft were particularly susceptible because they had already given their soul to the devil in life. Once the undead corpses rose from the grave, they would terrorize the community, feeding on the living.
Western Europe, has the vampir, or vampyr, Russian upir and Romania the Strigoi.
-`-`-`-`-`-` Strigoi-`-`-`-``-`-
Vampires in Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania (now modern Romania) were called strigoi.
Strigoi were almost always human spirits who had returned from the dead.
Unlike the upir or vrykolakas, the strigoi would pass through different stages after rising from the grave. Initially, a strigo might be a poltergeist like being tormenting its former family members by moving furniture around. After some time, it would eventually become visible, looking just the way it did in life.
After returning to physical form , the strigo would return to its family once more, and torment them in various ways such as stealing cattle, begging for food and bringing disease. Strigoi would feed on humans, first their family members and then anyone else they happened to come across. In some accounts, the strigoi would suck their victims' blood directly from the heart.
Initially, a strigo needed to return to the grave regularly, just like an upir.
If the town people suspected someone of being a strigo, they would exhume the body and burn it, or run spikes through it. But after seven years, if a strigo was still around, it could live wherever it pleased. It was said that strigoi would travel to distant towns to begin new lives as ordinary people, and that these secret vampires would meet with each other in weekly gatherings. similar to a witches gathering....
In the middle-ages people that lost there lives to the Black Plague where thought to be victims of vampire attacks.
Much like the Witch hunts and werewolf hunts that proceeded it Vampire hysteria was running rampant Europe during the 17th and 18th century.
People would often reported seeing their dead relatives walking around and attacking the living. This got so bad that authorities began digging up graves, burning and staking the corpses.
Word of the vampire scare eventually spread to western Europe, leading to academic speculations on the creatures, as well as vampire poems and paintings. These works in turn inspired an Irishman named Bram Stoker to write his vampire novel, "Dracula."
Bela Lugosi as Dracula
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When you mention the word Vampire most people automatically think of Dracula.
Based on Vlad The Impaler , though not actually a vampire was none the less just as feared by his enemies .
Vlad III Dracula, Also known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, He is considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian (Modern Romania) history and a national hero of Romania.
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The Count St Germain was said to possibly be a vampire...
Germain was a European adventurer and traveler, with an interest in alchemy and science.
He associated with several members of European high society in the mid-1700s.
It was said that Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be "one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived".
St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice among royalty and nobility at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy, and Prinz Ragoczy. In order to deflect inquiries
......Germains life across the pond...
Vampires, werewolf's (Loupgaru) witch craft and voodoo can all be found in New Orleans
But was Jacque St. Germain an alchemic genius that discovered the secret too immortality or was he in fact a vampire?
St Germains or at least a man claiming too be him moved into a home located at 1039 Royal Street in New Orleans.
St. Germain was lady’s man, often seen with a beautiful woman on his arm while strolling through the French Quarter, or clubbing in elegant locales late into the night.
He would in throwing dinner parties for the members of the city’s high society .
His parties were highly anticipated due to their lavish cuisine, fine wine, and entertainment. St. Germain fascinated his guests with stories of France, Italy, Africa, and many other places
During dinner he would tell tales his guests tales of his adventures around the world.
However he seemed to have an odd habit of not eating at his own party's, choosing only to drink presumably wine from a chalice instead, this coupled with his uncanny resemblance to the Comte St. Germain portrait that hung in his home, had many in the city suggesting (Jokingly at first) that perhaps the mysterious man was in fact a vampire.
These rumors would soon take dark turn,.
One night the police were called to St. Germain’s home to investigate a woman who had seemingly fallen from his balcony on the second floor.
His guest, that night was a woman who was rumored to have been a prostitute, had in fact leapt from his balcony, rather than fallen, as bystanders had originally recounted .
While she survived the fall, she was terrified. People on the street surrounded her and tended to her needs while help was called .
Hysterical, the woman ranted that she had jumped to escape St. Germain, who had bitten her neck. She screamed and sobbed out her story, claiming she was only able to escape when her assailant was briefly distracted by aloud knocking on his door.
Police at first did not believe her as Germain was a well respected member of the community after all.
However he soon completely vanished from the city..
After witch according too legends The police went too investigate and on the second floor of the house they discovered a series of open but corked wine bottles. filled with a mixture of wine and large quantities of human blood.
Jacque St. Germain was allegedly never seen in New Orleans again...
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;;;;;;;ON A SIDE NOTE;;;;;;;
Saint Germain-Wine bar is located at 3054 St Claude Ave. Opens at 5.00PM :)
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======= Asian Vampire===
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| China |
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| Jiangshi or Hopping Vampire |
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| ................ |
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| Korea -Gangsi |
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| Hangul - 강시 | ||
| Hanja - 殭屍 |
Japan - Kyonshi
Kana キョンシー
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=======Jiangshi== The Hopping Vampire=====
A jiangshi, is also known as a Chinese "hopping vampire" but it's more like a type of zombie.
Jiangshi" is read geung-si in Cantonese, Phi Dip Chin in Thai, cương thi in Vietnamese, gangsi in Korean, kyonshī in Japanese, and "hantu pocong" in Malay and Indonesia.
It is usually described as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the Qing Dynasty and it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi/chi, or "life force", usually at night, during the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places abandon buildings caves etc.
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A Jiangshi's appearance can range from somewhat normal (Someone that was just recently buried to horrifying (rotting flesh and / or full rigor mortise typical of corpses that has been in the ground for an extended piriod of time.
. The Chinese character for "jiang" (僵) in "jiangshi" literally means "hard" or "stiff". It is believed that the jiangshi is so stiff that it cannot bend its limbs and body, so it has to move around by hopping while keeping its arms stretched out for mobility.
Jiangshi are depicted in popular culture to have a paper Talisman (with a sealing spell) attached to and hanging off the forehead in portrait orientation, and wear a coat-like robe and round-top tall rimmed hat characteristic of a mandarin (Chinese official from the Qing dynasty).
Its is often described as having a greenish-white skin; one theory is that this greenish color comes from mold or fungus on the deceased body
It is also said to have long white hair and may behave like an animal.
The influence of western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in more modern times also sometimes combined with the story's of the hungry ghost.
However in traditional versions of the creature they only feed on the qi (Lfe Force) of the living in order to grow more powerful.
Jiangshi are also sad to be terrified d of there own reflections.
Jiangshi in modern media
These creatures though not as prevalent in media as there western counterpart have been in many Anime, games and moves of the years..
Anime Yozakura Quartet and Rosario+ Vampire
==========Rin Azuma from Yozakura Quartet======
and below is LingLing from Rosario+ Vampire
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Vampires like most monsters can be found on every continent so don't stay out too late and maybe cary some garlic just in case lol
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