Halloween Vampires

Halloween and vampires, like peas and a pod. What would Halloween be without our Dracula movies, without “Interview” and “Lost Boys”. But how about Halloween vampire legends and myth’s?

One very old myth is the placing of millet or poppy seeds at the grave site in order to keep the vampire busy all night long counting seeds rather that preying on relatives.

It was believed that the causes of vampirism were: being born with a caul or tail, excommunication, improper burial rituals, being born out of wedlock, dying before baptism, dying of unnatural causes, and of course, being bitten by a vampire.

Evidence that a vampire was at work in the neighborhood included: death of livestock, death of relatives, exhumed bodies, having growth of fingernails and hair or having blood on the mouth or a ruddy complexion on a corpse. If a vampire was suspect, graves were opened (3 years after the death of a child, 5 years after the death of a young person, and 7 years after the death of an adult).

It was believed that vampires could be destroyed. To kill a vampire, one might drive a stake through the heart followed by decapitation or dismemberment. They would also place garlic in the mouth of the corpse. Other methods included exorcism and throwing holy water on the vampire.

During the 18th century in Eastern Europe, there was a major vampire scare. Even government officials got involved in the hunting and staking of vampires.

One of many famous cases of vampirism occurred when a father died while haying. It was reported that he was attacked by a vampire years before. Shortly after his death, people began dying. It was believed that he had returned to prey on his neighbors.

Vampire Bats
Bats have long been associated with the supernatural, mainly because they are creatures of the night. When the Spanish Conquistadors came the Central and South America, they observed the feeding habits of vampire bats (which do not exist anywhere else in the world). They immediately recognized the similarity between the feeding habits of vampire bats and mythical vampires. It wasn’t long before bats became associated with the vampire legend.