History of the Concept and Image of Vampires

Vampires are known as mythical beings with white pale glittery skin that drain the essence of life known as blood. As unbelievable as it sounds they actually did exist centuries ago. They weren’t anything like the vampires we see in movies, shows, books, and video games today. A vampire or something analogous to it can be found in most culture and folklores going back to the beginning of time, but it is a mistake to think they have familiar attributes of Count Dracula. The term “vampire” appeared in literature since the 18th century. Vampires might be viewed as either blood-sucking creatures or sexy ones, but they represent much more than that. Vampires represent fear and contempt of people with different beliefs.

There exists no clear history of how vampires came to be. However, one of the earliest mentions of vampires is the tale of Lilith, a prominent figure in some Jewish texts. According to most accounts, Lilith was the original woman created by God for Adam. Lilith knew that she came from the same place as Adam and so was not subservient to him. She left the Garden of Eden and began having her own children. God sent his angels in an attempt to bring her back to Eden, but she refused. When Lilith was confronted by the messengers, she yearned to remain independent. At her request, God’s forces agreed to allow her to stay on her own, but only as a monster. The angels nevertheless began killing Lilith’s kids. In turn, she killed human children, seeking revenge (The Science of Vampirism). The creation of this mythical vampire personifies our fear and loathing of death. She served as an explanation to the sudden demise of infants that occurred then and still occurs to this day and though we are no closer to the explanation, we at...

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... crop. Even to be made an employee or subject of the upper echelon is said to be an exclusive and rare state of elation. Just to exist in the thoughts of and graced by one of these lofty members of society is an honor and a privilege and we resent them for that. This ideal is personified in the elusive, swarthy, exceptional package of a vampire. Zrioka says it perfectly, “Whoever they seek out as their victim, even though it’s violent and it’s deadly, there’s a sense of being the elect – vampires don’t just go for anyone. I think this is part of the attraction, the erotic appeal of the vampire.” The rich and famous are the vampires of today. The superiority and respect they carry only makes the rest of us wish to be chosen to join their ranks, but tragically that is all we can do, wish, thus we are left with contempt for this tiny percentage and their queer beliefs.