The idea that undead beings return to feast upon the living has fascinated cultures and generations for centuries, with different parts of the world sharing their own unique tales of folklore, and with theories evolving as science and medicine have advanced. The characteristics of vampires have always differed from country to country, as well as how they are created, how they are identified, and how ordinary folk can protect themselves against vampires and even destroy them – should they be brave enough.
WELCOME TO HISTORY OF VAMPIRES
History of Vampires
The origins of vampires • Vampires were not always characters contained to stories, but horrifying spectres that would terrorise villages and drive people to insanity
The Hunderprest vampire of Melrose Abbey • This zombie priest returned at night to haunt the living
6 signs to spot a true vampire • When a village was terrorised by a suspected vampire, these were the key characteristics they knew to look out for
Undead man’s deadly curse • How one man brought the curse of a vampire with him to a small village
Folklore vs Pop culture • Vampires as we know them today stand in stark contrast to the terrors that plagued real villages and people
Debunking the vampire myth • How science can explain the phenomena that made people believe in the undead
The vampire hunter’s handbook • Identifying a vampire was half the battle, but how would you protect yourself from and even kill these elusive creatures?
The vampire spotter’s guide • Key clues that would indicate whether the person next to you was really a vampire
How to kill a vampire • The undead might not be alive, but they can still be killed
Warding off vampires • Hunting vampires was difficult, lonely work. Here are some things that would protect a vampire hunter when they needed to unwind, eat or sleep
Vampire-hunting kits • Prior preparation was a necessity if you were serious about tracking down these creatures
KILLING A VAMPIRE
Vampire spotting • Discover how vampire folklore differs in various parts of the world
Legendary bloodsuckers and walking corpses • From classical myth to horror-film fiend, how vampire-like creatures of legend became the ghoulish fiends we know today
Vampiric creatures of Greek myth • We see the precursors of modern vampires in Ancient Greek myth, with vampiric traits in three hellish monsters
Vampires or victims of illness? • People suffering from long-term health conditions were burned as monsters, to stop them rising from the grave
Shroud eaters and seduction • Have you heard of the bell-ringing fiends of Germany? How about the Romanian witches who cast out their souls at night to drink the blood of their victims?
The vampiric grandmother of Amărăşti • Releasing a mother’s spirit from her fate as a vampire who murdered her own kin
Nosferatu: fact or fiction? • The nosferat is one of the most famous vampires, but is this reputation justified?
TRANSYLVANIA
Medieval menace or literary fiend? • The rugged UK is filled with chilling accounts of Medieval revenants and terrifying tales of shadowy ghouls that stalk the living through cemeteries at night
The Vampire of Croglin Grange • Whether fact or fiction, the tale of this creature is more than enough to cause nightmares
The infamous Highgate Vampire • A modern menace, this fiend shot to the top of the UK’s undead A-list in 1969
Murderous mothers and infanticide • The vampires of India and the Far East are some of the most shocking creatures on the planet, drinking the blood of newborns and feasting on children
The Chinese jiangshi • This Chinese vampire is famous for being magically...