The Life of a Vampire

How long are vampires granted to walk the earth? Most books and movies tell us that a vampire will live forever, wandering the earth for all eternity. But is that the case with all vampires? Actually, it’s not.

If we take a look back and peek into the vast world of vampire folklore we’ll find that the immortal undead aren’t as common as one would think. For example, many Muslim gypsies believed that a vampire will only live for several months – not eternity. Other gypsies claimed that a vamp only walks the earth for forty days. In Albania and Serbia it was believed that that the undead must be killed within thirty days of rising or it will become human once again, traveling the land under a new name.

In spite of the history, immortality is considered to be one of the biggest attributes given to vampires, it’s a big part of their allure. The thought that an ancient being secretly feeding upon mortals, existing among them and observing time as it goes by is one of the things that draws us to vampire stories. So it’s understandable that authors would create immortal vampires, rather than forty-day vampires. Most humans fear that slow lingering death, they fear their painfully short lives, but the undead, they have conquered that. Vampires may live a dark and grim life of blood and loneliness, but the fact that they have avoided that big mortal struggle is the main reason the popularity of vampires has endured for so long.

In most fiction a vampire will live forever as long as they stay out of sunlight and away from weapons that will kill them. They will also grow significantly stronger over the centuries, or so say the authors scribing these beloved tales. It’s a nice thought, one that vampire fans love, and often, believe to be true.

But where did the immortal vampire come from? It’s not universally documented in folklore, but it is well established in fiction. So like so many other “well known” vampire facts, immortality appears to be another creation of the entertainment world, not history.

– Moonlight

By Moonlight

Moonlight (aka Amanda) loves to write about, read about and learn about everything pertaining to vampires. You will most likely find her huddled over a book of vampire folklore with coffee in hand. Touch her coffee and she may bite you (and not in the fun way).

9 comments

  1. Pingback: vampires
  2. And even “immortal” vampires are not really immortal. Earth is eventually destroyed when sun consumes it. Sizzling fact!

  3. i think living for eternity is way cooler then living for just over a month. you never know what you could uncover after looking for it for a couple centuries! ;P

  4. So it means na wala talagang vampires ever since? Maybe its true kasi wala namang historical records right? Pero honestly im a vampire fan, and I even want to be a vampire.. funny diba? Anyway I lked this article coz ive earn a lot of ideas about vamps.. Thanks.. !!!

  5. well i love reading about vampires and watching movies like underworld and blade, interview with a vampire , twilight sagas , the lost boys and queen of the damned and blood rayen. I love to watch true blood and the gates when it was on t.v.

  6. :O Im going to fricken bite you to threads…really..you belive vampires die from sunlight!!! ohhh look at me I “sparkle!!!” ahh oh no i am turning into “dust”, “flames”, im “burnning!! wow retarded!!! peeps dont belive this at all!!! Immortals can stay out in the sun as long as they can…ohhh look im getting a “TAN!!!” >:c not cool man..and yes i would know becasue ____ if you havnt figured it out and some people say…people that say their a vampire on the computer, arnt really vampires becasue we dont show our identy…well did ya ever think that people dont know us and never will meet in life ‘: P Ha if they ever do that will be the wost day of thier ending life!!!

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