The Nightmarish Alp

Germany. A mecca for goth culture, once a land of mystery and intrigue, from the sinister Black Forest to the haunting gothic castles. Once called Das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers), Germany is home to many a myth and legend. Many of the old school folk tales originated from Germany and as you can gather, many vampire tales as well. Today’s vampire myth is that of the German Alp, a malevolent vampire that has long been connected to nightmares and witchcraft.

The Alp is invariably male, sometimes the spirit of a recently deceased man. An Alp can also come to be if a woman commit’s sins whilst pregnant that were never forgiven. She can again create an Alp if she eats something that was unclean or something that a dwarf spit on (I swear I did not just make that up).  Additionally, a woman could give birth to an Alp if she makes inappropriate gestures during pregnancy or if frightened by a dog or horse during pregnancy (wow, a woman had to be careful back in the day, don’t want vampire babies crawling around after all). Also, in this part of the world, a child born with caul could become a member of the undead or a child with hairy hands (although in some places that means the child will instead become a werewolf).

The Alp was known to take many forms, some of which included a cat, pig or a dog. In all of it’s forms it was said to wear a wide-brimmed hat (are you picturing a pig wearing a hat because I am). The Alp normally tormented the dreams of women but occasionally those of men and children.  This vampire would horrifically terrify someone in their sleep, they would also cause sleepwalking, fits and seizures during sleep. Entry to a person would be made through the victim’s mouth, with the Alp either using it’s tongue to enter, becoming mist or turning into a snake. The Alp feeds on blood as well, just like most vampires. What it does is suck the blood from a person’s nipples, it is also said to enjoy women’s milk.

Now to destroy an Alp or protect yourself from one here is what you need to do. First, if you are a woman, sleep with your shoes next to your bed with the toes pointing to the door. The Alp is also very protective of it’s hat for without it it loses a lot of it’s power, so if you can, try to grab it (legend also says that anyone who returns it’s hat is greatly rewarded). Also, drawing blood from above the Alp’s right eye is believed to destroy it’s powers.  Unfortunately, since this is a vampire that resides in dreams, it is difficult to kill.

The Alp has a very vast history and there are many variations to the creature. This vampire was very popular and widely known, many villages having different myths, all varying slightly. But all stories say the Alp is not to be taken lightly, so readers beware (ba ba buuum).

- Moonlight

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