The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

I was talking to someone a little while ago and during the conversation I had a small thought. I am hoping that this will put some thoughts into other people's heads and get some good replies. All I can say is PLEASE KEEP IT RESPECTFUL! Just because you do not agree with someone else, remember this is not high school.


I see so many mainstream "vampires" coming onto the site now compared to 8 years ago. Some I think just get on here because it is "cool." With shows and movies out now like "Vampire Diaries", "Supernatural", "Teenwolf," "Twilight" etc that what a lot of those on here call a gift or curse seems to just to be turning into a fun phrase or title for the younger generation.

It seems that a lot of the newer generation take the title to fit in, instead of actually trying to search for whom they really are.


Now, as far as truth goes, this could be put under speculation but (and does not just apply to older people, older members) it seems to me that a lot of people that DO know what they are either resent having to be so or are happy to embrace it.

My questions for you are this:
1. Do you think that vamparism in main stream is causing truth to disappear?
2. Do you know what you are? Are you still searching?

Please help figure out where truth ends and fiction begins because I am truly starting to see a lot of them both getting mixed up.

the point is all depends on what is fiction and what is not.

Most only know to see the supposedly truth. Most can't deal with the reality of what we all have done to each other.

No matter human, vampire or whatever you are; we all have to deal with ourselves at the end of the day.

I think mainstream has caused a lot of people to think they are something they aren't and they want to be cool like the ones they idolize on tv, just like when people wear certain things to look like celebrities and children who grow up to be athletes because they wanted to be like and admired an older one

there is also a difference between practicing vampirism because you like it and think it's cool, ritualistic sex and what not

then there are those who are genetically vampires, it comes built into them just like gender, it's who they are, they need to feed to live a happy, somewhat normal life and have adequate energy.

1. I know I am genetically a vampire, I can trace it in my family line, though I didn't really want to be, it's got perks and bad parts like anything else, just adds another dimension to my life. I'm still learning stuff about myself and what it truly means to be a vampire. I know the basics but still have much to learn about who and what I am.

2. I do think it is, especially twilight and people thinking vampires sparkle in the sunlight. Media and entertainment is just entertainment and fantasy that might loosely be based around our real lives and what we wish could happen but often doesn't. I think there are many that are confused by that and just blindly follow what google and the moving pictures box tells them

yep sometimes there is a third option you weren't born with it; as for me I walked in over 1,022 differents souls in order to redeem those souls

I choose this life because I didn't wish others including the next generation to face a far worse fate.

I became who I am and sacrificed a lot and if anyone doesn't believe me; they can certainly call me out in my face because I know how it feels to many different souls, women, men, demonic, angelic in order to live.

how far are you willing to go to live?

1. Do you think that vamparism in main stream is causing truth to disappear? I think that a lot of people just say they are "vampire" to think to themselves that they are. But there is vampires out there. But nowadays people would love to think they are a vampire. Might because of the tv shows that you posted. But you can't stop them. It's just a phase though. They will grow out of it.


2. Do you know what you are? Are you still searching? What I am? I believe I have been something which I haven't figured it all out but I know for sure that I do not think I am a "vampire" I mean yes I do believe there is some out there but you won't ever find them. They don't want to be found. If they wanted to be found they would come to you. Most likely.

1. Do you think that vamparism in main stream is causing truth to disappear?


Truth will never disappear, though those who just say 'i'm a vampire' are an annoyance in finding it, though most, but not all, are easy to sort out, and those that are not are smart about it and full a niche.


2. Do you know what you are? Are you still searching?


The search is never over, but I know what and who I am

I've actually seen this even 8 years ago too. Back then it was with Queen of the Damned and Buffy and saw the same things with the rest saying, ''you're role playing, we're real.''

What's real I don't know. I know for sure when someone is claiming stuff for shock value and impressing others. I saw it in the past and still continue to see it.

I'd also like to point out the difference between being genetically stuck with it and practicing vampirism. People who practice it drink blood and have ritualistic sex because they enjoy it, genetic ones do it because they have to and it's who they are

not all vampires even drink blood, I'd like to see a popular psy vamp or the more rare storm feeder

if you get sought out by a real one, you'll be able to tell, there is a clear difference, but they have to be willing to show you what it is

I will be as polite as I can about this. Vampirism isn't in the mainstream. What is popular now is fiction about vampires. It doesn't matter how they look or what they believe. All of them have died and have some similar traits in fiction. One group has a reaction to UV light when in full sunshine. Some have fangs and some do not. Some cast no reflection in mirrors and others do and some can shapeshift, those that have entwined werewolf legends. Some can come out in the daylight and others not and that is mostly due to Hollywood. Dracula could go into the sunlight in the book. None of this matters and has nothing to do with the vampire community.

The site itself here has always been an open invitation to those in the actual community and many have been here and some rather prominent but as soon as they see that some here are children and a host of other things they become inactive. It is the same in mainstream society.

There are those that have as they call it come "out of the coffin" which I find funny but many say this. Older vampirics will say usually they were born the way they are and really didn't go through any sort of "awakening" that the young people talk about because there were no support systems. The idea didn't get passed around and many had a knowing but had no name for it exactly. Some believe when one figures that out it is the awakening. Others believe there are also physical changes. I am sort of bah humbug about that end of things. Everything was in the underground and there was no such thing as Goth which is intermixed and some did go into the fetish community but that was never spoken about like it is today. You didn't talk about fetish things in polite company and there weren't publicized gatherings of any type.

When there was the ability to interact with others because of major strides in technology, then people started to compare notes and the idea that it was vampirism came into being. It is just a word and there are hallmark characteristics but there is no cookie cutter version. Who decides what is the truth? There has been a hoax on the internet for years about a vampire virus and the original websites state very clearly it is a hoax yet people still profess it has reality. When does belief become someone else's truth?

We have buzz words that don't mean the same thing to everyone. Some call those that feed from blood and energy to be hybrids...this being the most common. Others call those that say they are say part dragon and vampire hybrids. Some believe that anyone who calls themselves something "other" is Otherkin but vampires don't like being called Otherkin for the most part even though they fit the definition. It is a complex grouping of people with no simple answers. Because of all this disparity I don't think it matters. How does one prove anything about something that at this time can't be proven. Going mainstream only compounds the problem of being accepted and not ridiculed. For some where they live could mean losing a job and being threatened.

The mainstream media is only interested in a story that might attract a lot of interested people and not necessarily in the truth. I have seen profiles here I know are not the truth and wonder why people post them. They are the people that the community calls posers because what they are saying is more than absurd. When I see them I say nothing. One has to know who is who in the community because there are a lot of "wannabe" on TV people around these days. If you are in the actual community you will know who is who for the most part but there are thousands of people world wide. From my experience most don't want to be noticed.

The actual vampire community is not like most who appear on TV or go on interviews. You can find some of them that are real on YouTube but all in all it generally backfires because they are from all over the world and dress and think differently. You don't find those who are older hanging out at balls or goth clubs and not all dress in black or are into anything like Wicca or Vampire Gods and Vampire magick as some profess. Magick is common but magick with no vampire connected because they claim to be one. Most don't want to interact with the media. Some think they are on a quest and others like the attention. It is like anyone else and not because they are or aren't a vampire. They are just people like anyone else that has a difference in their belief system. Most don't think of it having any spiritual ties and some do and the majority consensus will put down the minority even if they have no proof who is right and who is wrong.

Most of what is out there is funny to be perfectly honest. The scariest thing are those that emulate movie characters and commit crimes that have absolutely nothing to do with the communities of any country. Then there are gangs now, nasty ones emulating vampire Houses and committing crimes and that is scary and we don't talk about it much.

It is not so much that it is wrong to be out there in the mainstream of things but that there isn't just one view, one belief and never has been. There are no cookie cutter vampires.

I for one do not expect any positive favours from mainstream media. And, as for those noxious films of the Twilight and Vampire Diaries sagas are hyperbole and pure rubbish.

in those movies they take a mole hill and build it up to a mountain.

Like the way Stephanie Meyers captured the way it feels to run fast. For me it doesn't feel like I'm going nearly as fast as I am.

Though I only run faster than your average person to the point where it becomes kind of noticeable but can't go for more than maybe half a mile at most.

Media turned that into running faster than cars and being able to go cross country in a matter of minutes

i think when u dont know who u are and isnt tryin to figure yourself out then what you hear becomes truth and really need to find out the deeper meaning of what it is that you are so that this mainstream wouldnt affect you

I don't know why people believe fiction to be true or feel offended by it. Fiction is not there to provide information, it is there for entertenment purposes only. It is there for business only. If films were based on what you call reality, it wouldn't be fun and they won't make money. There is nothing to believe true or feel offended by. Do you get offended by fairy tales too? Because it's just the same. I love vampire fiction, this doesn't mean I go around claiming I am a vampire. If someone doesn't distinguish reality from fiction, it's not the media to be blamed but these people. They have something bad with their brains if they believe they are a vampire simply because they saw a movie. I get passionate and involved in the story but I am able to draw the line. Thus I love fiction and don't think I'm stupid because of this.

If your truth can be rattled by the likes of Hollywood then perhaps it's best to keep searching. Fiction is a handy propaganda tool but in this instance I'm thinking the anonymity had in the shade of a truly pervasive media trend is the best cover one could hope for these days. In an age when information spreads at hyperspeed and "truth" lay at one's fingertips, the best defence is a good scapegoat. Let this plastic packaged media beast stand exposed to sun; it's better to sneer at a sparkle from behind a well shaded corner than be laid bare defending a personal truth to sooth a wounded ego.

there are three broad categories of vamps:

hollywood vamps


the undead (these are more in the realm of ghost stories than people you might meet)

the living vampire (or vampyre)

so assuming we are only talking about living vamps, then if you want to find out more you might look into the strigoi vii.

~W~

There is a fourth category, as well: That group of genetically unique individuals originally described in the earliest Slavic accounts as Vampires ("Upyri") of whom the historical, 11th-Century, Christian Priest, Upir Likhyj, was one.

I wrote some thing about this, a while back in a Member page. Too many times have I encountered those who "became vampires" because of these silly and outlandish movies and telly programmes. I encourage them to actually research real vampire sites to understand the vampire philosophy.

However, there are drawbacks to educating people, especially in the media circles. Their only interest is making money, bot historical accuracy. It reminds me when Disney wanted to take over the Renfaire.

one thing that always gets me wondering about media, especially books is what if actual vampires wrote some of them but just exaggerated parts and flipped around details, you know, the creative license kind of stuff

I mean what isn't proven by science has to be published as fiction

what if some of the stories are based on real life stories, they were just edited to appeal to the mass media more

I mean, I did the same thing myself, but it was about ghosts, didn't think vampires were real at the time, but still the same basic concept.

Personally I find it fun, looking back on memories, editing them to the way you would have liked them to go, then publishing them and for some making money off of it

also, with Stephanie Meyer, her books came from dreams and not really in order, I think Edward was originally a girl but a bisexual love story wouldn't appeal to the mass population so she made her a guy

This thread is an interesting one, I keep coming back to it.

As far as truth vs mainstream is concerned, my twopennith would be this.

The line between truth and mainstream has been blurred to the point that it is difficult to distinguish.

I say this because as with anything which becomes popular, the more energy that is given to something the more powerful it becomes, creating a negative truth.

Systems are built on belief and faith, to a certain extent, old systems are eroding over time as new ways of thinking are evolving, causing "old truths" to become false and mainstream ideals to become correct, due to the popular structures they have been built upon.

My observation, that is all.

CEJ... Excellent reasonong and dead-on accurate! Never heard it expressed more succinctly and comprehensively.

We each must ultimately choose whether we seek the original truths behind the modern mainstream reinventions or whether we simply wish to join the crowd and have our "facts" and "truths" chosen for us and force-fed to us by reigning popular opinion.

Imagine a few years hence should that same pop-culture mentality chose to mainstream sparkly skin as the latest unquestioned vampire trait...as today we find fangs to be. How appealing does that sound? Yet, like sparkly skin, fangs were also a purely 20th-Century invention by fiction writers that never existed prior to it (if you doubt this, read Stoker's "Dracula" where fangs are never mentioned... not once!).

If we keep going...further and further distancing ourselves from historical truth, we will eventually find ourselves accepting as fact nothing even closely resembling reality.

CEJ very well put. I wrote this thread just to see people's opinions. I know since I started on VR 8 years ago, there really does seem to be a thin line anymore about who is what and why. It is sad, some days. Like when I was on a therian site, after Avatar came out, we had so many "Navi" therians running around because of the movie.

I feel that mainstream has romanticized it so much that many people now fantasize of being vampires. I have seen programs where people claim to be real life Vampires. However they looked so absolutely ridiculous that it was shameful.

My only real peeve here is exactly what both of you have expressed: all those so vehemently proclaiming themselves to be living vampires...defining themselves by mainstream definitions and pop-culture portrayals that are entirely FICTIONAL!

They have no clue what Slavic Vampirism actually was/is nor how differently even modern-day Slavs define their Vampires compared with Western fictions and Hollywood movies. Yet should anyone dare confront these clueless vampire-wannabees with such facts, they reaction with all the outraged hysteria of rabid Star Wars fanatics should you dare suggest Wookies might not actually exist!

And what is truly saddest of all is how truly fascinating a deep investigation into historical Slavic Vampirism actually is... which journey none of them will ever attempt.

And that's the goal of the Forum, to educate people:)


It could also be that people are role playing. It seems not everyone understands this site and mistake it as a role playing site or dating site.

To be honest I saw some crazy posts in the past. It's allowed to discuss anything vampiric even fiction, it just depends what people really post.

1. Do you think that vamparism in main stream is causing truth to disappear?
No. I think teenagers will be teenagers. When I was "goth", I looked nothing like the "goths" that are around today. Where did all the emo kids go? Hipsters? Scene kids? I don't think that was even a thing when I was going through my stereotype phase. What I'm getting at is, based on media, there will be stereotypes. And people, especially teenagers, will adhere to those stereotypes, and will be able to be weeded out. Those looking for truth, or specific theories, about vampirism, will be able to find it. Anyone with some speck of intelligence will be able to separate stereotype from lifestyle choice :)

2. Do you know what you are? Are you still searching?
I'm a human and I'm focused on continuously working on WHO I am, not WHAT I am. :)

UpirLikhyj: i actually agree with you here. the things that annoy me most are when people claim they are vamps because of their great powers, immorality, etc.

yes, i do claim to be a living vampire (vampyre) but i think of it as more of an internal thing, an outlook etc. i certainly dont claim immortality (at least not in the physical sense). i do make a claim that i cant support empirically...(an uncomfortable situation for me) but it is how i feel. at least im honest enough to just tell people that ask.
be well
~W~

I agree, physically the sun hates me and so does pollen but that's about the only physical claims I have on my part in saying I'm a vampire. I didn't want to be one or thought they really existed, it just makes my life easier and helps me find an understanding as to why some things are the way they are

on the fiction topic:

females get their porn from books, it's the same thing as men but their porn is usually visual and not accepted in public. Women live out their sexual fantasies through book characters

I think the lonely female authors and screen writers just took off on the idea of a hot sex beast and used that basic idea to create their wildest fantasies because the whole Fabio idea ran out of juice and got old. Next it'll probably be werewolves, mermaids, demons, you name it after the idea of the handsome, sexy, athletic, perfect for a woman in every way, vampire gets old writers will move on to something else

The men who write probably saw the idea of a night prowling, blood sucking sex beast and took off with it in the direction of evil, horror, disaster, and maybe even some science fiction and let their imaginations run wild with it to create some form of entertainment. That will eventually get old and they'll create something else to entertain people, probably whatever the female book porn moves to

who knows, maybe next it'll be a sexy big foot that women fantasize about and the killer bigfoot the men turn into some gory, terrifying novel or motion picture

then you'll have teenagers claiming to be big foots, women waiting for their big foot to arrive at their door step, ya know, same type of thing, the way I see what happened with vampires can happen with any mythical being, those who produce the mainstream stuff just need to write about it

I believe that to happen. There those who claim they're lycans just after Underworld came out, when before it no one used the term. I also remember teens in my country who claimed they're goths n wiccans just after some movies came out. As well as that they're rencarnated, when this term we never heard it before it became popular. Certain people are vulnerable but I repeat I don't blame Hollywood but the naive nature of these individuals.

Hollywood never said anything they produce is real or true, they just said it was entertainment and fun, they never said this is real and now you must live your life like this, that's not their job

sometimes it's *based* on true events, which means they took an event that happened and made it happen the way they would have liked it to so it entertains people and they make money. Some are pretty historically accurate but there is usually extra Hollywood fluff stuck in it

people are just dumb enough to think that just because they saw it on TV or the internet or in a movie or book that it must be incredibly true, the people in the book really are like that, and that really happened and that they can be just like them and have the same exact problems

entertainment is a business and they'll say and do what they have to to make money, just like any other business out there

And those with extraordinary beliefs will likewise pick and choose what elements they include in their pitches. It is after all just another example of promotion of self intrest, and evangelism.

Kurly, you practically repeated what I posted before. I myself said it, Hollywood is there for entertainment and business only, and not for information.

And that's why I debate why all the hate towards it. It shouldn't be taken seriously so why the offense. It's other people who have their mind twisted if they believe it to be true. I repeat it, I'm a big fan of the fictional vampire, but I never claimed to be one.

Those who role play ( and I think that it is 99 percent of them) are threatened by entertainment, simply because they themselves have already adopted their roles from a source of fantasy.

I did repeat it but with a bit more detail

roleplaying is awesome for nerds who have no life and are depressed. It's no longer fun and fulfilling if everyone else who has a life and isn't depressed decides to join in

People who adopt grand, fantastical persona do so because they are compensating for a lack of something, be it a lack of self esteem, or social skills etc.

Anyone who balks at presenting resources that substantiate, or simply present material that persuaded them to come to their conclusion, is hiding something. Is it not reasonable to conclude that such a person has no base (other than fiction) and thus hides the origin of their "belief".

i do not believe that the mainstream media movies books and so on do not make much of a impact on what truth or fiction is people have the idea in their own minds to wanna dream on it try to be like some of the charters or creatures they think and obsesses over it till the point one causes them self a mental condition because of it that is my personal opinion based on clinical and physiatric studies

I think these are hard times, people are depressed, so they do just about anything to escape to a happier place, to make some of their fantasies come true

let's face it, life is hard, some people can't afford to go on vacations and buy some happiness every time they want/need it. Drugs and alcohol are bad and in some cases illegal, what else is there besides to escape into some fantasy world on their own like Forks, Washington (even though that's a real place), the Hoenn region (pokemon), or where ever else their fantasy land is?

those who play MORPG's or MMORPG's do the same thing, only they create their own storyline and make their own fantasy character just to escape the troubles of life doing something they won't get arrested for.

I'm a teenage girl, imagine I'm your daughter or little sister. I'm bullied, my life is depressing, I need to and am going to escape some how. Would you honestly rather me have sex with half the people in town, drink, get high, and risk ruining my entire life and getting pregnant OR have me sitting at home, reading books, fantasizing about making love with the hottie from my romance novel and playing pokemon and world of warcraft on the side while my grades stay relatively good and I don't get in much trouble at all

In effect I'm not against it. I too use escapism to distract myself from the crap of the real life.

What scares me is, when people start to believe it all and aren't able to draw the line. Or when you can't do a serious debate because they're role playing, they put you on a difficult position. And just don't let me get started about when I see journal entries stating only real vampires should be here and the silence I get after I say I'm a 'normal' person after I get asked if I'm a vampire in messages.

I agree with your point there

if someone needs to escape their real life 24/7 then they have serious issues and need help

There is no clear definition of a vampire, there has been no proven human subspecies yet. They have act human enough to live in society and therefore interact with other humans on a regular basis in human ways so the fact that this site should only be for real vampires is totally absurd

Maybe some humans want to associate with vampires, maybe vampires like to associate with humans, I've heard being fed off can be quite pleasurable, maybe they are looking for that.

If this site was exclusively for "real vampires" then shortly after that was implemented, and all the "mundanes" were run off . Things would implode, and the factions would turn on each other as to who was the most qualified to determine, and claim to be vampire.

There comes a point when generally skeptic people are driven to cynicism by the sheer illogical allusions people make about being vampires, or any other mystical entity they can imagine.

However believers (divided into factions) are just as apt to scrutinize the claims of others.

It really bothers me that people outside of the vampire community tend to blend fiction into the whole thing. They make comments and include fictional ideas. There is nothing wrong with Twilight in any way shape or form unless you believe, like a religion that the only fictional vampires can be like those in Dracula movies. That is absurd. There is nothing wrong with Meyer's vampires having skin that interacts negatively when in UV light and why they were where they were because of the usual cloudy days. So what, there is no formula for what a fictional vampire can be. I think this constant perseveration on movies and books to be nuts. I am a senior and have read many vampire novels long before it was popular and they did exist. I have seen hundreds of movies and even one made with Mia Sara and Tony Perkins where the vampires had something that came out of their tongues to take the blood. it is all make believe. Why put it down when you are not the author? No one forces anyone to read something or watch a movie. Kids have always emulated things and this isn't the first time. It is something every decade or so. There will always be delusional people in the mix and there is nothing one can do about it.

I don't know anyone in the mainstream vampire community that can run inhumanly fast, read minds or any of the things that one finds in a movie. The difference is subtle. I would say many are sensitives and have interests, since the modern folks came out of the shadows, in darker things. I got involved with spiritualism. It is a sign of the times really. Some are goth but that doesn't mean they are automatically a vampiric. Most are not. Some are into BDSM and that does not define a vampire. It is an interest because due to the nature of most vampirics they want to stretch the bounds of the senses. I don't know how else to say it. They go on (some people) about gifts but ordinary people have gifts too. It is just that some people are better at things than others and it may deal with some form of psychism. I think most are interested in the unknown so that is the attraction to the occult, metaphysics, perhaps new age ideas (although many put that down, it is so much it has become a fad to do that), religious concepts and magick. The thing is, so have other people but there is a subtle different that is almost impossible to explain to others. Some buy into a fictional vampire aesthetic; dressing in black gothic style clothing, steampunk, etc., wearing fangs and the whole nine yards. It isn't everyone that does that.

I see some here make outrageous claims but I am not going to call them out. I have no reason to do so like MasterMel, he does not do that. The person knows they are lying and that is all that matters. This is a very complex topic actually but for most, the media is anathema. Some dwell in countries where speaking out could cause some militia to show up and they would be killed from being hung to set on fire. Therefore it is best that most think of any of this stuff as delusional. It is in the best interest of those who are vampirics. We are blessed in some countries to be able to speak out but it isn't the majority of the world. Cultures vary as well. You won't find Europeans as forth coming except in their own circles. As for the media, they are looking for sensationalism so that is what they go for, the deviant or someone to ridicule. It is all about numbers and money. Maybe, just maybe there is a shred of truth mixed into it all.

Totally agree with you Sinistra. Ridiculing a fictional idea just because an author wanted to be original, I never saw a logical reason, after all the author is the god in that fictional world they create so they have all the right to write whatever they want to.

And yes in this part of Europe where I am if you dared to talk about vampirism, witchcraft, wicca and occult in public, you'll be sent to the mental hospital.

In some ways being a vampire is like another form of cosplay, just as people dress up and act like their favorite cartoon and anime characters, super heroes for the younger kids, they now dress up and act like vampires

If you speak about seriously having blood cravings or seriously believe you are a vampire in America then you’ll be sent to a mental hospital, if you talk about sensitivity to light you are sent to a doctor, if you talk about BDSM in public, well, you’re just weird, that’s the one aspect that’s slightly more accepted in the USA, especially since the Fifty Shades of Grey craze

Excellent questions Arvilin! Those are questions that can make even a shallow souled individual take a step back and reevaluate what they are or are trying to be.

Reality is a matter of Perception, and what we perceive either becomes discarded as non factual, or accepted as the truth. Simple as that, no matter what people believe in it is their belief that is their truth. So unless you have a home lobotomy kit, or an extremely hypnotic persuasion ability it is what it is.

There was a recent episode of "Dateline with Chris Hansen" that did a half-cocked investigation into Vampire. They looked over some Vampire social sites, perused personals of people seeking donors, and did ambush interviews. These people weren't harming anyone, however because Chris Hansen thought it was strange, it became episode fodder for him. Needless to state, it was disgraceful.

Mel,
while that investigation may have been abrasive, it has the right intention. My whole thing regarding people who seek to be accepted/recognized as being vampires are doing nothing themselves about educating the public. With acceptance comes a reasonable expectation of definition. I have asked a few people (via messages) what they based their conclusion on, and they became openly agitated, and defensive. I happen to know for certain that there is infighting among factions of those who wish to be accepted as vampires. So if not even the vampires can settle on anything. what does that hint at for their PR with those they are trying to gain acceptance from. You can't come out with something far reaching and become standoffish when they become inquisitive.

Dabbler,
It could be the producers of the show were simply looking to boost ratings by intentionaly provoking outrage responses. Sometimes a little standoffish behavior is to be expected. I think that episode did as much harm as good.

So how do you address the infighting among factions in the communities? No one (with one exception) has ever offered any resources, or substantiating material supporting their summary of what a vampire is.

Vampires don't exist period...and I'm sick of people thinking they are vampires just because they drink blood...NO...YOU ARE JUST A HUMAN WHO LIKES TO DRINK BLOOD...get it.

it comes down to definitions. I remember a few years ago there were big arguments about what a real vampire is, with pseudo-historians breaking down the etymology to trace the origin of the word in order to back up their arguments, and posers who insisted that its a free world and they can call themselves whatever they want to be.

the general myth / legend and accepted definition is not that far divorced from the mainstream - a Vampire is one of the undead - a dead person that is able to live on by feeding off the life-force (usually blood) of the living.

There are living people who need blood to survive (it is a recognized medical condition) and there are living people who are able to drain the energy of others to vitalize themselves (often they are unaware that they are doing it), and they are sometimes called vampires. these are living people - they have never been declared dead and subsequently buried.

so what is a "real" vampire? the folklore tradition, or one of the many modern cultural definitions?

I do not consider myself a vampire, but like many people in my part of the world I sometimes consume blood (we call it black pudding - its very tasty). this does not make me a vampire. nor does the fact that I'm allergic to garlic.

if you are going to argue that mainstream has it wrong, and that folklore has it wrong, and your personal definition is the only true definition, then you are living purely in your own mind with only the vaguest input from what is considered objective reality.

I have seen many of these threads over the years, and I stick by my original statement. That if vampires truly did exist, that media as it has grown over the centuries would have grown with them. That every thing we read, watch or hear would never contain the entire truth, but each would have a particle of the truth.

has anyone ever thought that maybe vampires don't like garlic because it smells nasty?

would you want to kiss someone with garlic breath?

wouldn't you also be repelled by a house that had a strong stench of garlic?

and being stabbed hard enough with a wooden stick could kill anyone, not just a vampire


I also think that there are many different definitions of a vampire and that people tend to be stubborn and set in their ways as to refuse to accept any other definition

I mean, vampires technically do exist, they are a species of tropical bat with long fangs who tend to bite cattle and unlucky humans if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time but they aren't powerful enough to completely drain humans or cattle, they aren't known to morph into humans, there is scientific research on them, and being nocturnal is part of what makes a bat a bat

according to some folklore, vampires are supposed to be obsessive compulsive. it was said you could keep a vampire occupied until cockcrow by putting a tangled net out for it to untangle, or sprinkling rice on your doorstep (they couldn't go further until they had counted every grain). maybe that is why mainstream fiction often shows them as being fastidious.

The subject line of this thread itself is prejudiced. Looks like the person who posted this thread has already answered his own question!

lordess... were the subject other than that of Vampires, which are historically folkloric beings without almost any actual empirical evidence supporting their existence, I would agree with you.

However as the subject happens to be such mythological creatures, then it is not prejudice but instead common sense and knowledge that presumes that the definition of such creatures has and will continue to change in the mainstream...thus separating that definition further and further away from whatever original historical truths spawned it to begin with.

And where Vampires are concerned, even the slightest degree of study and knowledge reveals that the current mainstream definition has changed drastically in only the past century (e.g., the additional vampire traits of fangs, intolerance of sunlight, no reflection in mirrorsmirrors, sparkly skin in sunlight)...all as the result of their portrayals in fiction... not historical truths. Thus, it is absolutely unavoidable that our current mainstream definition of the vampire is the result of constantly changing fictional definitions and, thus, further and further separated from Truth.

Thank you UpirLikhyj. I am not being biased in posting such a thread, due to the fact it has received interesting answers and shows different sides to every person's idea of what is an isn't. If I were biased, as you say, I would not ask anyone else's ideas for my own would be all I would need. I do not need anyone to tell me what I believe, for that would be needing to be lead, but that does not make me uninterested in such an in-depth conversation, as this has become.

Yes I get your point, Upir. Thank you. There are questions to be answered when one refuses to see the light, the reasoning. We are just merely reluctant to accept and embrace the facts.

However, if Vampires or Vampyres are mythical, then what is the Truth? Is it the Truth that Vampires do not exist? What are we doing here? Massive roleplaying? What would be considered empirical evidence in this context? There are clinical cases, literary cases, scholarly cases of vampirism. Never mind the bloodsuckers, there are various other types, I guess.

To label something as the Truth without reasoning, never mind the empirical evidence, would be an act of prejudice, I'd say.

Oh agreed there, lordess...absolutely. Anytime someone claims to champion "truth," beware...and make sure to check out their evidences very carefully. Thankfully however, in this case no specific "truth" is being claimed or championed. Only that such a truth...whatever it may be... must exist to explain how the term "vampire" was created and to whom it refers.

And we know for a fact that there is an unknown truth here... because at least one actual original vampire existed in history. We know this beyond any doubt because he signed his name as such way back in 1047 CE: "Popa Upir Likhyj" (Father Vampire Insatiable"). Yes...he was an actual bonafide ordained Christian Priest. Thus, the first actual known vampire in recorded history was very different indeed (pretty much the polar opposite!) from what the mainstream considers vampires to be, today.

rocks are real, oceans are real. society is not real, our lives are not real. not in a physical sense. who we are, what we are, how we perceive ourselves - it is all a fantasy, and that is true of everyone on the planet.

The vampire myth is what draws us to this site - historical truth is irrelevant because history is not real anymore - it is just dust, and all that remains are the ripples that it leaves in Time.

of spiritual matters - anything is as real as we want it to be.

"Historical truth is irrelevant", Karnelius? I, for one, could not possibly disagree more.

It is from the past that all our lessons in life originate... both individually and collectively as a species! Everything in life you know, every principle learned, every relationship you've had, every bit of technology you use, every perception of life you have attained comes to you from the past...whether by a few hours, days or years...or centuries... or millennia.

If you wish to delude yourself into thinking all reality is mete perception...that nothing is real or, thus, true...that anything and everything is entirely subjective...that you can hold any belief that appeals to you as real...that is your choice. But you are dead wrong. To do so takes you back to the Age of fear and superstition, the Dark Ages of our past when we understood nothing and life was ruled by imaginary demons, ghouls, and mythological creatures and principles of every imaginable sort.

I, for one, far prefer the Age of Reason in which we actually you or intelligence to understand and explore the world around us, objectively.

And where the term "Vampire" is concerned...that term comes also from the past. Thus, whatever it originally meant and to whom it originally applied holds the key to understanding who and what the actual Vampire was and is.

Today, all we have are constantly changing...fictions. Hence the need...if we seek truth...to uncover those historical origins and strip away the millennia of constantly changing folklore and fiction that have followed.

To my view, the only ones who would oppose such a search for original truth would be those so caught up...so personally invested... in trying to imagine themselves and present themselves to the world as "vampires" in the modern Westernized sense found in modern fiction that they dare NOT have discovered what the real Vampire of history actually was. For if this Truth were discovered and revealed...their perceptions would likewise be revealed as the vainglorious exercise in futility it has always been.

but we cannot see the past. believe me, i am (or was) an archaeologist, and what we find from physical evidence is that much of what is recorded and accepted as "known" history is a distortion at best, and a downright lie much of the time. of course you are absolutely correct that history has formed what we are today - but which history? the history that really happened, or the fantasy that everyone believed? Everyone has their own point of view - there are two sides to every conflict, and all too often generation after generation bitterly remembers some terrible injustice or atrocity that may never even have happened.

books were written by scholars - often scholars who only hear of events second or third hand, frequently recording the event with a subjective mind and being influenced bt the coin of patrons.

the only way we will ever truly know the past is when (or if) we create a time machine and experience it for ourselves.

Having said that, i greatly applaud your quest in finding out the true roots behind the "myth", and respect your work.

mainstream i believe has caused those who practice vampirism to go more underground and making it harder for those who are new to the culture to find a group so that they can learn to develop from their help but it is of course mass medias negativity that causes such.

i am on this vampire site but yet i do not talk in conversations about real vampirism simply because, most tend to fabricate what they want to believe or go straight for the role playing card

there is nothing wrong with role playing as long as those who do are able to stop when needed and remember that it's not real life

when you get to the main page of this site, one of the first things you see is that Vampire Rave is home to real vampires, how can Cancer make such a claim when the members on here clearly haven't agreed on exact definition of what a "real vampire" is and isn't?

Karnelius, I see your point with history being changed and modified by the perspective of the person who wrote it down and what part of the event they experienced, but there are commonalities and you can find physical evidence that what they say holds some truth. I think personal stories of people who lived through certain events are more reputable than what the government says because they only say what they want the public to know and say it so the public perception is what they want it to be.

for a specific example on how history can be modified, lets go with an example that some people on here might have lived through: JFK's assassination; the government officially accepts two different truths as to what happened: that Lee Harvey Oswald did it alone and that it was a conspiracy. Only the ones who were directly involved will ever know the real truth.

he makes that statement i believe purely for advertisement and to entice people to join or as i like to say "to come and see" and there is nothing wrong with that, we all have to find a way to eat our meat and potatoes

maybe i am too old and cynical. i am disillusioned by the way that society is guided more by myth than facts. it's not only history - today we live in a world where information and news is more widely available than ever before - whilst our forefathers relied on tales and songs passed on by travelers to discover what was happening in the next country, we can see what is happening the other side of the world on our televisions, computers, and mobile phones. and yet despite this, we are still being manipulated by misinformation and propaganda.

my contention is not that there is no truth, but that we don't know the truth, and we are influenced not by what really happens, but by what we believe has happened.

i have reached a point in my life where i am prepared to believe anything, but tempted to believe nothing.

If you repeat a lie enough, it becomes indistinguishable from the truth.
That's the basis of brainwashing and propaganda.

absolutely. in the mind of the masses, it becomes the truth, and if everyone believes the lie, then the truth has little or no influence. sad, but true. or is it?

"The great curse of modern philosophy is the almost universally prevailing rebellion against intellectual self-discipline. Where loose thinking obtains, truth cannot possibly be grasped, whence the conclusion naturally follows that there is no truth."

- Etienne Gilson, God and Philosophy

A lie told many times could be believed by loose-thinkers to be true. But is what we see and hear the truth? It all comes down to rational explanations. Which is why the word 'lifeestyel' is used. A way of life and not the only correct way of life.

North Korea builds beautiful structures along it's border to entice South Koreans to go there but really they are empty shells and only those on the other side of the border know this harsh reality

There are many ways to live life, you just have to find the one that's right for you. I mean when it comes down to it the only goal for the entire species is to reproduce and make sure your child will be able to too so we don't go extinct, how ever you get to that point or aide in that process is totally up to you

Whoa I wasn't suspecting a lot of post. I'll go back to it when I am feeling better. Anyway back on the topic! I can seriously go on this forever talking about it. I'm seriously thinking the mainstream has gone way too far! I remember joining into some particular game on Second life which was called Bloodlines (Right now it's just getting extremly worse with idiots romaing, and a lot of stupid spam bitting). It's just funny people thinking they can BE ONE will make them look awesome.. WRONG! Same way outside of Second Life, I knew someone who was total brainwashed idiot claiming to be a real vampire pegan. Fortanily it's a long story with him, and by knowing he's a pure faker. It's a major problem how people like him are so brainwashed by it, but to me this has gotten way out of the fields. I do not see anything spartacular with the twilight, vampire dairies etc. It doesn't interested me at all, completely nothing to me.

They were other accounts I seen on spellsofmagic.com were morons posting fake vampire spells, trying to think this will work! *face palm* To me this is getting completely crazy how folks learning to brainwash themselves by this.

Unfortunatly Hollywood has made vampires "cool" and mainstream. Some are just born vampires. But some just like to call themselves that and unfortunatly for those of us who are really vampires the ones that think its coll to play dress up give us real ones a bad name.

Those vampire movies people watch are someone else's interpretation of what they think of us. We're not immortal we don't sparkle etc. it's an unfortunate truth but there's noting anyone can really do about it

As for the truth aspect. Yes there are true vampires wether anyone wants to believe it. It's no ones place to dictate how someone lives or see's themselves. If you are a vampire then you are. We are just born the way we are