The First: Der Vampire

Vampires have been part of literature for ages and ages now. Almost all of today’s popular fiction authors have at least one vampire story out there; the recently released vampire anthology, By Blood We Live, has shown us that. There are many that think that it was the renowned Bram Stoker and his legendary novel, Dracula (1897) that started it all.  While Dracula and Mina’s tale most definitely made vampires and vampire fiction hugely popular, it wasn’t the first vampire story written. Before Dracula there was the quite popular ‘Carmilla’ (1872) by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, ‘Ligeia’ (1838) by sublimely sinister Edgar Allan Poe, ‘Varney the Vampyre’ (1847) by James Malcolm Rymer and on and on, the list is extensive. But what was the very first vampire work of fiction? Who was the one to first write a creative piece of literature involving a vampire?

The answer to that question is a poem by Heinrich August Ossenfelder, titled ‘Der Vampire,’ which came out in 1748. This poem is generally recognized as one of the very first appearances of a vampire in creative literature.

Der Vampire
By Heinrich August Ossenfelder

My dear young maiden clingeth
Unbending fast and firm
To all the long-held teaching
Of a mother ever true;
As in vampires unmortal
Folk on the Theyse's portal
Heyduck-like do believe.
But my Christine thou dost dally,
And wilt my loving parry
Till I myself avenging
To a vampire's health a-drinking
Him toast in pale tockay.

And as softly thou art sleeping
To thee shall I come creeping
And thy life's blood drain away.
And so shalt thou be trembling
For thus shall I be kissing
And death's threshold thou' it be crossing
With fear, in my cold arms.
And last shall I thee question
Compared to such instruction
What are a mother's charms?

- Moonlight