Vampires today really suck. Typically that would be expected, but I’m not talking about blood.
The modern crawl toward the destruction of anything new, interesting, or vibrant continues around us. There was a point when vampires were pretty fucking cool. Unfortunately, that point began and ended with Bram Stoker. Before that, they were nothing but terrifying horrors that lurked in Eastern Europe. After, they were twisted into any number of preposterous scenarios by people looking for a template monster to use so they wouldn’t have to be truly creative. If you enjoy Twilight, that’s fine, you’re entitled, but I will not debate whether those vampires are cooler than Dracula. There is no debate to be had.
Modern Vampires have their cultural origins mostly in Eastern Europe but the concept of vampirism has existed for thousands of years in countries across the globe. Various blood sucking demons, monsters, and walking corpses have been seen in vastly different cultures with seemingly no connection to one another. Vampires could be created in any number of ways according to ancient peoples; whether a corpse was jumped over by an animal (China), the individual was a heathen who rebelled against the Church (Europe), or the body had a wound that was not boiled in hot water before burying, there were plenty of ways to become a vampire. Creation aside, there were also a great many descriptions of Vampires, even just in Eastern Europe. At one point, Werewolves and Vampires were nearly indistinguishable from one another. Eventually the two became distinct monsters (as if Eastern Europe needed more things to be afraid of) and took on imaginary lives and descriptions of their own. Much like monsters seen today, there was just no real consistency in reports from witnesses.
Whatever the origins may be, Vampires are still significant to modern humans. As part of a shared cultural history, they have something to say about the meaning of life and death, the nature of fear, and the experience of immortality. Like most myths from our past, Vampires have entered into our consciousness and become an archetype for us to use in understanding the world around us. It’s actually an interesting thing, to see that absorption of the cultural consciousness happening around us. You don’t have to ask people if they know what a vampire is. Even if they have never read Dracula or have never seen a vampire movie, it’s highly likely that they do. That’s pretty startling and interesting when you think about it.
But this is how monsters work. They become part of our experience as human beings and reflect the darkness and fear that we feel as a species. When the monsters are no longer relevant, they are left out of fiction and enter the subconscious of our cultures. They become shadows of thoughts projected on the walls of our minds but even those shadows impact us in ways that aren’t often immediately apparent.
Because, as I hope these posts have shown before, the experiences of the past help to form the people of today. People of the present are deeply impacted by the people and ideas of the past and that is not about to change any time soon.
I can’t take any comparative discussion of vampires seriously if it doesn’t include some mention of Blacula, but that’s probably a personal problem on my part.
those sparkly bastards D:<
Great stuff, keep it up!
This is really interesting! I’d thought about what vampires represent when they’re not putting on the body glitter (death/life stuff), but it’s true, the idea of them is ridiculously ingrained into us. Crazy!
And Mark, YOU HAVE THE BEST PERSONAL PROBLEMS.
This comic totally speaks the truth. When are they gonna make another vampire series like ‘Salem’s Lot?
I think they’ll make a comeback. I know they have yet to create a good Dracula film, but in literature and comics, I truly think that they will start to treat them like Bram Stoker did, and bring forth something really good, and worthy. None of that romantic or vs. werewolves crap.
Have you seen “Let the Right One In? It is a Swedish vampire movie that is done very well. A little slow, but they handle the vampire brilliantly.
for the love of darwin, thankyou. I HATE THEM SPARKLIN BASTARDS!
Another good myth about vampires i read is that if a werewolf is buried, it becomes a vampire. Can’t remember where i heard it now….
could you please set up a livejournal feed for happle tea? that would be awesome.
Vampires were great when they were metaphors for terrible problems that Western has never had to deal with more than once- STDs and immigrants. But now, they just want have an unhealthy emotional relationship with you and force terrible literature into your eyes.
Hellboy has used some of the better (read: totally weird) vampire stories in its series. There’s a good short where they used a Romanian vampire-type called a Vârcolac that is so massive it eats the sun and the moon.
I hate twilight, but you have to at least give Joss Whedon props for the buffy-verse. Traditional vampires, no. Entertaining and sparkle free, emphatic yes.
See this is why i like the manga Hellsing, it’s violent, sparkle-free, interesting, and just damn awesome.