Vampires in Society and Mass Media
Vampires in Society and Mass Media
Vampires. The living dead. Immortals. They go by many names, but whatever they are called, they are known by people in every culture. They haunt our nightmares and color our dreams, turning the night into a sinister and mysterious place. Whether we see them in movies or books, or hear their stories around the campfire, vampires are all around us, rooted deep in our minds. But what are vampires, exactly, and where did they come from? The unknown has always been a cause for fear in people. The dark, death- we don’t know what they hold, and our imaginations run wild trying to prepare our minds. “... it is not surprising that primitive societies the world over… have created whole pantheons of gods and demons, all supposedly out to gorge themselves on human flesh and blood.” (Frost, 1989) Legends stem back to the beginnings of religious lore, of a female vampire called Empusae by the Greeks, Lamia by the Romans, Lilitu by the Babylonians, and Lilith by the Hebrews, a succubus bent on the ensnarement of young men. So how do people think of vampires today? Until recently, the stereotypical vampire was known to be pale-skinned and soulless; a killer who gorged on blood to survive, who had no reflection and could not bear the presence of any holy object or garlic, could not cross running water, and could be killed with a stake through the heart or from exposure to sunlight, which burned. Today, many different variations of the legend exist, from psychic vampirism, "which is a mysterious process whereby certain persons are able to steal other people 's vitality without even touching them" (Frost, 1989), to vampirism of a scientific nature, existing in a normal human with a soul. While on the subject of vampires, one must also talk about their slayers. The name Van Helsing always comes up when on the topic of vampire slayers, whether it 's Abraham Van Helsing form the original Dracula, or Gabriel Van Helsing from the movie, Van
Vampires. The living dead. Immortals. They go by many names, but whatever they are called, they are known by people in every culture. They haunt our nightmares and color our dreams, turning the night into a sinister and mysterious place. Whether we see them in movies or books, or hear their stories around the campfire, vampires are all around us, rooted deep in our minds. But what are vampires, exactly, and where did they come from? The unknown has always been a cause for fear in people. The dark, death- we don’t know what they hold, and our imaginations run wild trying to prepare our minds. “... it is not surprising that primitive societies the world over… have created whole pantheons of gods and demons, all supposedly out to gorge themselves on human flesh and blood.” (Frost, 1989) Legends stem back to the beginnings of religious lore, of a female vampire called Empusae by the Greeks, Lamia by the Romans, Lilitu by the Babylonians, and Lilith by the Hebrews, a succubus bent on the ensnarement of young men. So how do people think of vampires today? Until recently, the stereotypical vampire was known to be pale-skinned and soulless; a killer who gorged on blood to survive, who had no reflection and could not bear the presence of any holy object or garlic, could not cross running water, and could be killed with a stake through the heart or from exposure to sunlight, which burned. Today, many different variations of the legend exist, from psychic vampirism, "which is a mysterious process whereby certain persons are able to steal other people 's vitality without even touching them" (Frost, 1989), to vampirism of a scientific nature, existing in a normal human with a soul. While on the subject of vampires, one must also talk about their slayers. The name Van Helsing always comes up when on the topic of vampire slayers, whether it 's Abraham Van Helsing form the original Dracula, or Gabriel Van Helsing from the movie, Van
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