In European folklore, vampires are undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods which they inhabited while they were alive. Vampire, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood. Vampires have been featured in folklore and fiction of various cultures for hundreds of years, predominantly in Europe, although belief in them has waned in modern times.

Understanding the Context

There are almost as many different characteristics of vampires as there are vampire legends. But the main characteristic of vampires (or vampyres) is they drink human blood. They typically... From Dracula to Twilight, vampires have left a prominent mark on popular media.

Key Insights

What makes vampires so interesting is the fact that they’re always portrayed differently depending on the source material. Between 1725 and the 1750s, villagers in central Europe witnessed a mass hysteria frenzy that would later be known as the Great Vampire Epidemic, the largest vampire epidemic in history: killing several people, terrorizing thousands, and marking the rise of the vampire. A vampire is a being from folklore that subsists by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of Blood) of the living. In folklore vampires could be either undead or a living person. One of history's most famous — and bloodthirsty — legendary creatures, vampires have terrified human beings for centuries.

Final Thoughts

In 1892, a group of frightened villagers in Exeter, Rhode Island gathered at the town’s graveyard with shovels and a grim task. The idea of vampire-like creatures feasting on human blood has been around for thousands of years. According to Joseph Laycock, professor of religious studies at Texas State University, the myth...