bloodthirsty, hunger and bloodlust
Time again for another blood drenched trip into the world of vampire mythology! Today’s undead of choice is the vjesci, a species of vampire found in Polish lore. According to the legends a person was doomed to become a vjesci if they were born with caul (a thin, filmy piece of membrane that sticks to …
In nearly every book of vampire folklore I have ever read, each mentions the Irish goblin the Redcap. While the redcap isn’t exactly a vampire, many like to call it the vampire’s “cousin” due to its need for blood in order to survive, like a vampire. A redcap is a sickly thin goblin found in …
The beautiful country of Greece is one of the great vampire countries, the home of many undead. Greece has an abundance of vampire lore and myths, all of which have been well documented throughout time. Greek undead date all the way to the ancient world, with such wicked creatures as the lamia, empusa, ephialtae and …
The tlahuelpuchi is a vampiric witch that hales from Mexico. This vampire may appear normal at first, since it lives with its human family, but looks can be deceiving. The tlahuelpuchi not only sucks blood from infants, but it also has the power to shapeshift into various forms. You can spot this vamp in its …
Slovenian legends tell a tale of two forces – good versus evil, the holy Kresnik battling against the vampiric Kudlak. The kresnik represented all that was good and Christian, while the kudlak symbolized pure evil and darkness – the result was their pure hatred for one another and a mythological battle. According to Slovenian folklore, …
Do you have roses in your garden? If you do it’s most likely because they look pretty and smell fantastic. And do you have any trees in your yard? Chances are they were put there for privacy and to make your yard look nicer. The same goes for those other flowers, shrubs, and bushes surrounding …
Germany is home to many vampire traditions, legends and beliefs each varying throughout cultures and time. With their dark dismal forests and towering ruined castles it’s not hard to imagine how so many vampire myths were born here. Germany is one of the many countries with it own unique vampire species, such as the nachzehrer, …
In modern day vampire tales the women are usually sex symbols or pathetic victims, but if you take a look back into vampire folklore you’ll find that there are many female vampires, and they all kick ass. These vamps are ferocious and bloodthirsty – hell hath no fury like… a female vampire. Here’s just a …
The long canine fangs of a vampire shining in the moonlight right before they sink them into the throat of some poor defenseless human. Sound familiar? Fangs are yet another example of the way in which authors and films have made an otherwise unrelated characteristic one of the most recognized traits of the undead. The …
The heart, one of the most important parts of our being, as well as a vampire’s. Without it, how would that delicious blood pump throughout their entire body? It’s well known to be the source of power for a vampire, and its removal or destruction is usually all that is needed to destroy them. Therefore, …
Cases of vampirism have been recorded all throughout time, especially during the 1500s. It was a time of fear – fear of sin, fear of hell and most importantly, fear of the undead. In 1591 that fear spread like wildfire throughout Breslau, Poland. Recorded by the seventeenth-century writer, Henry More, in his An Antidote to …
It’s been a couple months since I’ve done a “Leech Lover Facts” post, so I’m bringin’ it back! Here’s your bloody dose of random vampire facts. Animal Hides: Various kinds of animal skins were used in some countries, particularly by the Gypsies, to cover the body of a vampire before staking it. You see, they …
We’ve come across a lot of totally crazy and ridiculous vampire myths and stories on this site, but this has to be one of the weirdest, or at least creepiest. I bring you the jenglot, a tiny living doll in Indonesian and Malaysian folklore. A jenglot is described as a living mummy or doll that’s …
Throughout the centuries countless cases of vampirism have been reported and recorded, leaving a massive trail of death, blood and superstition for us to follow. Today’s event, recorded in the book Magia Posthuma, brings us to Kadam, Bohemia in the year 1706. This case begins with a herdsman named Myslata of Blow that continued to …
Something I get asked on a regular basis, whether it’s in an interview or by a reader, is if I believe that vampires exist. After all I do love vampires and write about them everyday, so you would think the obvious answer is that yes, I do. But truth be told, it’s not that simple …
The majority of vampire myths feature a fiendish undead creature that drains every drop of its victim’s blood, but not all vampires are that monstrous, some are a smidge kinder. For example, the Albanian lugat chooses to take only a small amount of blood from their prey, leaving them weakened but alive. While not ideal …
In ancient times, and even now, laying food offerings at shrines to gods or other various higher powers was and is a very common practice. But these contributions weren’t always laid out for unseen forces, sometimes they were to honor the dead, or used as a means of mystical protection from supernatural beings. A common …
I have come across a wide assortment of strange and twisted vampire stories – from vampire cats to floating heads, but today’s tale is a new one even for me. Among the many fascinatingly wicked Japanese myths, the jubokko is for sure my new favorite. According to the myth, on grounds where there has been …
A few months ago I wrote a post about the Malaysian vampire known as the polong. The polong is the magical bottle imp that was created to do wicked things to others. In my post I mentioned that the polong had itself its very own pet called a pelesit. It’s the pelesit that brings us …
Oh vampire lore, how I love thee. If you’re new to the site then let me fill you in, I love vampire folklore, I especially love how nearly every country in the world has its own species of vampire. Today’s myth is another one about witch vampires, but this witch it the Albanian shtriga. The …