The Science of Vampirism and More...02:14 Jan 13 2014
Times Read: 549
The Science of Vampirism
Vampiric Virology
By Hugo Pecos & Robert Lomax
Note from Dr. Pecos: Here is my original page on the vampirism virus, with some text and format edits by Robert Lomax. To view his extended pages, click here.
In 1616, Italian scientist Ludovico Fatinelli published his Treatise on Vampires, in which he speculated that vampirism was caused by a microscopic pathogen, as opposed to demonic possession and other such myths. Tragically, he was burned at the stake for heresy, but his research lived on to inspire countless dedicated men and women to bring you the information included on this page.
The Virus
HVV carrier:
vampire bat
HVV source:
the bat flea
Ischnopsyllus elongatus
The source of vampirism is the human vampirism virus (HVV). Like rabies, HVV has a distinct bullet shape and belongs to the order Mononegavirales—viruses with a nonsegmented, negative-stranded RNA genome. The virus' natural host is a flea commonly found on cave-dwelling bats—most notably the vampire bat. In the most common scenario, the flea bites a bat, which in-turn passes the virus on to humans and other mammals.
Unlike many other viruses, HVV is not airborne. Airborne viruses can travel from one host to another through the air and quickly cause an outbreak by infecting a significant number of people through the ventilation systems in large public buildings, such as a casino or shopping mall.
While most viruses are highly specific in what tissues they target, HVV is able to infect every living cell in the body, with the exception of red blood cells (which are replaced over time by the infected bone marrow). It's also much less destructive, as it can effectively transform tissues without destroying them.
While in theory HVV infection is possible through any exchange of bodily fluids, transmission occurs through the bite of an infected person or animal in virtually every case.
Stages of the Disease
Electron micrograph of HVV (left).
The virus budding off an infected cell (right).
Stage One: Infection. Within six to twelve hours of exposure, the victim develops a headache, fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms, as well as a drastic increase in metabolism and heart rate as the virus spreads throughout the body. These symptoms can be easily confused with more common infections, although the presence of bite marks is usually enough to confirm the diagnosis. This stage generally lasts another six to twelve hours, during which the vaccine is 99 percent effective. The victim should also be treated with fluids and antibiotics.
In 1800 France, an infected woman is given
a transfusion of goat's blood—
a desperate, futile measure to ward off the disease.
Stage Two: Coma. Within 24 hours of exposure, the victim will slip into a vampiric coma. About 12 hours into this phase, the pulse slows, breathing is shallow and the pupils are dilated. Thousands have been buried alive because of this. While it is commonly thought that anyone infected with HVV turns into a vampire, in fact only a small percentage of people survive vampiric comas. Generally, the young, old and feeble never come out of their comas and eventually die, while the vast majority of survivors are males between the ages of 18 to 35. Vampiric comas last about a day, and usually end the night after their onset. The vaccine is roughly 50 percent effective when administered during Stage Two of the infection: the longer the victim has been in the coma, the less effective the vaccine.
During vampire epidemics,
many victims were buried while
still in a vampiric coma.
Stage Three: Transformation. An HVV victim who survives the coma will awaken fully transformed into a vampire. An acclimation period follows, characterized by confusion, despondency and paranoia, accompanied by the pain of dehydration and malnutrition. Most vampires begin to hunt within 24 hours of transformation. The vaccine is of no use at this point, as all virus activity has gone dormant.
Vampiric Biology
By Hugo Pecos & Robert Lomax
Return to Vampiric Virology
Untreated, a person who comes out of a vampiric coma will have undergone a number of major physiological changes affecting the various systems of the body. The information included below is only a short overview; for a more detailed account, read Robert Lomax's extended pages here.
Brain & Nervous System
A vampire's nervous system is similar to humans and has proven to be their Achilles' heel: injuries to the spinal cord and brain can be devastating for them. While a vampire's spinal cord and nerves work as before transformation, a number of changes take place in the brain, and that altered brain chemistry goes a long way toward understanding vampiric behavior.
The normal brain (left) shows much more serotonin activity
than the vampiric brain (right).
Serotonin: Vampires have much lower levels of this neurotransmitter. Serotonin acts as an inhibitor against violent, aggressive and impulsive behavior, which also explains why criminals such as murderers and rapists have so little of it in their brains.
Dopamine/Endorphins: These neurotransmitters induce feelings of euphoria, and are released in a vampire's brain when it feeds. Neural pathways activated in feeding vampires are much like those found in drug users.
Circadian Rhythms: Chemical changes in the brain that help us "rise and shine" with the morning light are reversed in vampires.
Sense Organs
Powerful sense organs give vampires an advantage in both hunting and eluding capture. Sneaking up on them is virtually impossible, as they are aware of your presence long before you are aware of theirs.
A normal eye compared with a vampire's
Sight: In vampires, the iris in each eye becomes hyperdilated, giving them what appear to be black eyes. In addition, the retina now reflects more light into the rod cells, causing the eyes to shimmer in the dark. While all this gives vampires excellent night vision, it renders them effectively blind in daylight. They also experience extreme vasodilation of the sclera, making the whites of their eyes appear red.
Smell/Hearing: Both senses are extremely acute: thanks to a combination of enlarged brain tissue and additional receptor cells, hearing range is tripled while smell is tenfold.
Hair, Skin, Teeth & Nails
Part of the terror of encountering a vampire stems from dramatic changes to their outer appearance. Some of these changes are functional, while others are simply the result of various chemical imbalances.
As you can see, the upper fangs are quite straight
compared to the curved lower fangs.
Teeth: During the latter half of the vampiric coma, the upper and lower eyeteeth experience rapid growth as additional enamel is deposited on the crown of each tooth, creating sharp fangs. Many vampires will file these fangs to make them sharper for easier feeding—though they'll have to do this about once a week as vampire fangs are capable of regeneration, even when pulled out.
Skin: A newly-transformed vampire has a sickly, pale-yellow skin tone that fades to a ghastly bluish color over the next few days as its circulation slows. Over a matter of years, the skin becomes more and more translucent as its fat and water stores shrink away, revealing a fine network of veins underneath.
Nails: Both fingernails and toenails thicken and grow at a more than doubled rate. To prevent tension on their nail beds, vampires will generally keep their nails within a centimeter in length, and also quite jagged or pointed to help them grab victims and injure opponents.
Hair: Hair growth slows down substantially in order to feed the accelerated nails. Not only that, once a follicle reaches its terminal length and falls out, each regrowth will become smaller and lighter until it's gone for good. Within ten years of transformation, a vampire's entire epidermis will be completely bald, with not even a hint of peach fuzz.
Muscular & Skeletal System
Adaptations in their skeletal and muscular systems give vampires significant advantages over humans.
Muscles/Connective Tissue: About 90% of vampiric muscles are of the fast-twitch variety (compared to 50% for the average human). This brand of musculature enables short bursts of maximal force, ideal when hunting prey. However, unlike typical fast-twitch muscles, vampiric muscles are highly resistant to fatigue, thanks to a drastic increase in myoglobin and mitochondria. Ligaments and tendons thicken in response to the workload imposed upon them by the muscles.
Skeletal System: Osteoblast production causes a vampire's entire skeleton to harden and thicken, both during the coma and after each feeding. As a vampire loses its fat and water stores, its spine will curve into a hunchback, a condition known as kyphosis.
Cardiovascular System
The most profound differences between our species are found in the circulatory system, as they enable vampires to survive injuries that would kill a human being.
A drop of human arterial blood compared
with that of a vampire
Blood: Vampire blood is called ichor (pr. ik-er), and appears black due to an increase in iron levels, allowing it to carry more oxygen and clot faster.
Heart: Vampire blood is pumped via the contraction of skeletal muscle rather than the heart, which eventually atrophies from disuse. At rest, these contractions are mostly involuntary and take place in the limbs, emanating from the furthest extremities inward, like a wave. BPM for each contraction tends to be much lower than the average human heartbeat.
Adrenaline: This "emergency hormone," produced by the adrenal glands, is released in consistently large amounts in vampire blood during "fight-or-flight" situations. This quickly raises a vampire's sluggish metabolism by increasing blood flow, dilating air passages and accelerating the production of clotting factors. Along with changes in muscle, bone and connective tissue, this ability to release adrenaline only adds to a vampire's extraordinary power.
Body Temperature
Like a reptile (or corpse), a vampire's core body temperature depends largely on its surrounding environment. They aren't completely cold-blooded, however, as they'll still shiver and produce heat to keep their temperature at a bare minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (compared to 98 for humans). This proved to be a great help for modern vampire hunters, as it made vampires easily distinguishable from humans when viewed through infrared imagery.
Aging & Life Expectancy
While no vampire on record has ever died of natural causes, vampires do undergo an aging process—just not in the same way as humans. Vampires do not age on a molecular/genetic level, but their life of hunting and eluding capture creates tremendous wear and tear in the form of injuries to bones and tissue.
A 125-year-old vampire
photographed in Spain; 1901.
Note the curved spine, lack of hair
and emaciated frame.
Because they presented such a danger to society, most vampires were destroyed long before the outer limits of their lifespan were determined. Ancient history offers some clues, however. In ancient China, there was said to be one vampire in the Emperor's court through the entire Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which would put his age at 550. More accurate modern records have certified vampires of over 300 years old.
Contrary to the opinions of many theologians, vampiric longevity is not the result of some pact with the Devil, but rather an ability to ward off the DNA damage that occurs during cell division in normal humans. Specifically, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes (known as telomeres) become chewed up over time in humans, but not vampires.
Though their DNA may have the ability to resist aging, mutations that take place during the initial coma cause a vampire's appearance to change dramatically within the span of a decade. It will lose all of its hair as its fat and water stores shrink away, causing its skin to become thinner and more transparent. This gives it a distinctly withered and dried appearance, with smaller muscles and a pronounced curvature of the spine.
Despite their rather feeble appearance, older vampires are still extremely powerful and agile. Many a vampire hunter has made the mistake of underestimating them.
Vampiric Sociology
By Hugo Pecos & Robert Lomax
Return to Vampire Hub
Vampiric behavior resembles our own in more ways than we might imagine. By conducting extensive interviews with vampires, along with observing their behavior in the wild, scientists have been able to arrive at a reasonable understanding of their world.
The Newly-Transformed
FVZA researchers restrain a vampire
being kept under observation in 1932.
The first few days after coming out of a vampiric coma are especially difficult for a vampire. A newly-transformed vampire awakens starved, dehydrated and disoriented, its judgement clouded by competing impulses and memories of its previous life. But all that is soon drowned out by a fierce, intense desire for blood. This urge for blood eventually snaps a vampire into focus, and it sets about finding a way to satisfy that urge.
The Hunting Pack
Though lone vampires are not uncommon, most vampires find it advantageous to either join an existing hunting pack or create one of their own. Each path has its own advantages. Joining an existing pack offers security, access to blood and protection from other packs. However, new members are low in the pecking order and are often forced to put themselves in dangerous positions, such as scouting missions. They're also the last to feed, if they get to feed at all. Vampires possessing natural leadership skills may find it better to hunt on their own and eventually bring some of their victims into the fold.
Since vampires are unable to bear children or have sex, the hunting pack is the only family unit of their life. In a successful pack, each vampire has its role, and there is little dissension. A typical pack is made up of four vampires, with one alpha and three underlings. Four seems to be the ideal number for a hunting pack: any more than that, not everyone always gets a chance to feed; any less and hunting becomes appreciably riskier. Of course, in the distant past when vampire control was in a more primitive state, large vampire armies rose up and spread by overwhelming entire towns like locusts.
Are vampires sentimental? Do they love? In a limited sense, yes. Vampires are capable of developing loyalties and behaving selflessly to protect and serve their fellow pack members. However, the pack is the only area of their lives in which they are not mercenary.
Alpha Vampires: Vampires packs are meritocracies, not democracies. There are no elections, no "show of hands." The most capable hunter and leader runs the show, and the others follow. The alpha vampire coordinates hunting strategy, gives assignments and makes all final decisions. During hunting, the alpha generally hangs back in a less risky position, yet when a victim is seized, the alpha drinks first. But the job has its perils, too. For one, the alpha has the difficult task of choosing replacements for fallen packmates. In this, it must walk a fine line: while the alpha must be stronger than its pack, it cannot afford to carry weak, ineffectual hunters. Contrary-wise, stronger packmates can rise up and become a threat to its position.
"Eventually the alpha succumbs to...
the weapons of vampire hunters."
Like virtually all mammals, vampires assert their dominance through display behavior and fighting. Vampires hiss, bare their fangs and claws and showcase their prodigious leaping ability to intimidate rivals. Physical size and power are important but by no means the only determinant of alpha status; in fact, intellectual capacity is more important in determining success and longevity as a vampire.
While alpha vampires seem to be in an enviable position, they actually have a higher mortality rate than non-alphas. Each new challenge to an alpha from within the pack takes its toll. Injuries pile up, including many of the permanently-disabling variety: they can lose an eye, have flesh torn off and break bones. Older vampires are far from the dashing, handsome types so often seen in movies, as they're likely to be heavily scarred with parts of their face missing. The ultimate fate of the alpha is a grim one: cast out of the safety of the pack, no longer able to fight, the once-powerful vampire is reduced to a solitary existence, subsisting on the blood of whatever cat or dog it can win the confidence of. Eventually, the alpha succumbs to malnourishment or the weapons of vampire hunters.
Fledglings: When a recently-transformed vampire joins a pack, it is usually taken under the wing of an elder, who helps the fledgling learn how to hunt. While some packs have no patience with slow learners, most fledglings are given a little bit of time to get up to speed. However, an unusually-quick learner may be perceived as a threat and destroyed by the alpha. Fledglings with ambition learn to keep a low profile and hide their agenda until the time is right.
A vampire hiding in plain sight
Hunting: Vampires will utilize all at their disposal to hunt while avoiding detection: they will slather themselves with makeup to appear more human, have female pack members pose as prostitutes to lure male victims, and haunt the shadows around nightclubs, sporting and concert venues and all-night diners. Unsurprisingly, prostitutes and homeless always make up a disproportionate number of victims. Vampires have also been known to kill taxi drivers and use their vehicles to pick up additional victims.
A given swath of real estate can only support so many vampires. While an urban area may offer more hunting opportunities for vampires, it also increases their chances of running afoul of another pack. The country is safer, but hunting opportunities may be few and far between. Therefore, vampire packs must be ruthless in defending their territory, making battles between packs almost unimaginably vicious. It is not enough to merely win the confrontation: to have a future, they must show their rivals just how merciless and sadistic they can be.
Treatment of Victims: Treatment of victims can range from indifferent to barbaric. If a pack finds a suitable new member, it will keep that person in their midst until transformation is complete. Of course, it has to make sure not to drain the body too much or the person will die. The more blood that's left in the victim, the more likely he or she will transform and reawaken as a vampire. Vampires have also been known to perform elaborate rituals based around transforming supportive civilians into one of their kind.
Once a pack size is set, vampires will usually tear their victims apart after feeding. Some consider this behavior as proof that vampires are cruel, but in fact it is more a question of pragmatism than cruelty. Left intact, today's bite victim could become tomorrow's rival, however unlikely. Plus, it is much easier to hide body parts than a full corpse.
The Vampire Home
Vampire dwellings of the modern era are the very definition of crude and utilitarian. Since vampires spend most of their waking hours out hunting, there is little need for creature comforts at home. A vampire's priorities are avoiding detection and getting out of the sun, and their abodes reflect this transient nature of their lives. If a pack has found a particularly safe, secluded hiding spot, it may make perfunctory efforts to dress it up with furniture and assorted knick-knacks. Music is one of their preferred indulgences, which they have to curtail in the face of nosy vampire hunters. Knowing that their lair may be discovered at any time, vampires travel light. In the country, they live in caves, mines and old barns; in the city, they inhabit sewers and abandoned buildings and subway stations, or tunnel under piers along the waterfront.
It wasn't always this way. In the Middle Ages, when vampire packs roamed the countryside without fear of extermination, they enjoyed occupying lavish digs. Once set up in these palaces, alpha vampires would conspicuously display symbols of their success with all the windy self-importance of today's ruling classes.
Agents clean up after a battle
with vampires in an abandoned
New York City subway station.
Hygiene: Due to their cat-like aversion to water, vampires are generally uninterested in personal hygiene, as they dislike washing and will wear the same clothes as long as possible. However, because their hunting missions may require them to hide in plain sight, vampires have no choice but to wash themselves and put on new clothes—usually stolen from stores or taken off victims.
Weapons: To prevent wasteful blood loss, vampires will do their best to not wound their victims before feeding. Even so much as bruising them can be detrimental, since the blood becomes trapped under the skin. When it comes to rival packs and lone investigators, vampires have no qualms using melee weapons and silenced firearms—anything that doesn't give away their position. Only during raids on their hideouts do vampires break out the big guns and body armor.
Demographics & Population
The vast majority (about 80 percent) of vampires are males who were between the ages of 18 and 35 upon transformation. Another 10 percent are females between the ages of 15 and 35. The remaining 10 are males and females past 35, with the absolute oldest case being 72. The racial and ethnic makeup of a pack will generally mirror that of the local populace. Alpha vampires are usually, but not always, male.
Despite the fact that they do not age on a cellular level, vampiric mortality rates have always been high. In 1800, a newly-transformed vampire could expect to live 10 years on average. By 1900, that number had dropped to 5. In 1960, only 2 years. The leading causes of death have also changed with the times. In the Middle Ages, vampiricide, or murder by other vampires, was the leading cause. By 1930, vampire hunters had become the number-one killer.
Suicide rates are also much higher among vampires than humans. For much of the 20th century, suicide rates in the United States hovered between 10 and 15 suicides per 100,000 people. Vampires were easily triple that.
Population: As of 2013, the world's vampire population is estimated to be approximately 5000. The vast majority of this estimate (95 to 98 percent) are believed to be in the dormant phase. As the FVZA and other organizations around the world made significant progress in vampire abatement during the 1950s and 60s, many vampires went into hiding, hoping to reawaken at a more hospitable time. Unfortunately, seeing as how the FVZA has been out of commission for almost 40 years, this day and age would be the perfect time for them to emerge.
Global distribution of likely vampire hideouts, marked in red
Vampire population distribution largely mirrors that of humans, so they're most likely found in and around large cities. That does not mean the country is completely safe: in fact, many vampires find areas in the countryside—caves, cemetery crypts, abandoned mines—more suitable for a safe dormancy.
Vampiric Religion
Shiva the Destroyer
It may come as a surprise to many that vampires practice religion. Perhaps because they share with us a desire to make sense of the world, vampires have sought to put their bloodlust into some sort of context. Historically, vampires see themselves as the antithesis of the prevailing religion in the land of their origin. Thus, the worship of Satan, Judas and Lilith was born among vampire packs in Christian countries, while many vampires from Hindu countries believe themselves to be descended from Shiva, the god of destruction.
Vampiric Language
The Black Book
As many movies and books have suggested, vampires do have their own language. It is a variation of Latin known as Bursan, which is thought to have originated in Burs, an area of present-day Romania. Not all vampires bothered to learn Bursan, but the more disciplined groups made it mandatory for any new members. In addition to reinforcing their cultural identity, learning this unique language also had the advantage of allowing vampires to secretly communicate even in the presence of other humans. Unfortunately, this practice started to fall out of favor by the early 20th century, mostly due to increased mortality rates among the vampire population.
The oldest surviving Bursan text was found in the remains of a Viking camp near present-day Wexford, on the southeast coast of Ireland, and is thought to date back to the middle of the 9th century. It is known as the Black Book—not because of its color, but because the Vikings were sometimes referred to by the Irish as the “dark invaders.” However, it is not known how the book came to be in the possession of the Vikings. The Black Book currently resides in Trinity College, Dublin.
Vampiric Mythology
By Hugo Pecos & Robert Lomax
Return to Vampire Hub
Most vampire myths come to us from the Dark Ages, when science was in its infancy and people looked to religion or superstition to explain the world around them. While many vampire myths have their basis in Christian Orthodoxy and Victorian romanticizing, others represent imaginative interpretations of actual vampiric characteristics and behavior.
Vampires sleep in coffins
Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula
Source: This myth likely arose from gravediggers and passersby who observed vampires emerging from coffins and crypts.
Fact: If a vampire did spend the night in a coffin, it probably had nothing to do with sleeping preference. In the old days, many bite victims were interred while still in a vampiric coma. The truth is, vampires will sleep wherever they feel safe.
Garlic repels vampires
Source: Most likely based on observation. To ward off vampires, garlic would be worn, hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.
Fact: Vampires have sensitive noses and can be momentarily driven off by pungent odors. However, this method of deterrence is unreliable and certainly won't work on an experienced vampire.
Crosses repel vampires & burn their flesh
A cross employed in Horror of Dracula
Source: Christian beliefs that vampires are demons and therefore enemies of God. During the Dark Ages, vampires were known to have been tortured by the church using superheated iron crosses to "burn the Holy Spirit into them" before execution.
Fact: Unless heated as a torture device, or used as some kind of melee or throwing weapon, crosses have absolutely no effect on vampires. They have no trouble entering churches either.
Vampires are killed by driving a stake through their heart
Staking in Horror of Dracula
Source: This myth actually started out as a misguided method of keeping suspected vampires in their coffins by driving a long iron stake through the torso and into the coffin floor, effectively pinning it in place. Eventually this evolved into simply stabbing the heart using special kinds of wood such as oak, ash and hawthorn, which were thought poisonous to vampires because of their "purity."
Fact: Because their blood clots quickly and is circulated by skeletal muscles, vampires can easily survive injuries to the heart and torso, and they have little trouble freeing themselves from impalement. They also have no apparent allergy to wood (or silver for that matter).
Vampires burst into flames upon exposure to sunlight
A vampiric patient is set ablaze by sunlight in
Let the Right One In.
Source: Most likely based on observation of a vampire's extreme reaction to sunlight.
Fact: Sunlight renders vampires, with their hyperdilated irises and reflective retinas, blind. It also causes neural pathways to fire randomly in the brain, creating an extreme epileptic reaction. Lastly, vampiric skin is highly sensitive to UV rays, becoming badly burned and blistered within minutes. However, as dramatic as these reactions may appear, not even a hint of smoke will occur.
Holy water burns vampiric flesh
Source: Christianity.
Fact: Holy water, or any water for that matter, has little effect on vampires. They can, however, still be drowned, and they generally hate getting wet as it can lower their body temperature, making them less energetic and able to hunt.
Vampires prey on virginal women
Lugosi whispers sweet
nothings to his next victim.
Source: A reflection of 19th-century fears over the sexual awakening of young women. In Balkan and Bulgarian folklore, male vampires were believed to deflower virgins and even impregnate them with half-human hybrids known as Dhampir.
Fact: While vampires have a stated preference for the taste of young blood, they are not particular as to which gender provides it. Being asexual, sterile and impotent, vampires cannot have intercourse, let alone produce any kind of offspring.
Vampires can fly & move at the speed of sound
Vampiric speed portrayed in True Blood
Source: Observation of vampires running, leaping and using their quick reflexes.
Fact: While they can sprint faster than most humans (25 to 30 miles per hour) and jump higher than any (at least ten feet), vampires cannot fly, levitate, teleport, or move any faster than a world-class athlete.
Vampires can turn into bats
Vampire bats share several characteristics with
vampires, which is why they were thought of as
different forms of the same creature.
Source: Association of vampires with vampire bats, since they're both nocturnal, have fangs, drink blood and are the main vectors of the human vampirism virus.
Fact: Vampires cannot turn into bats, or anything else for that matter. Although vampires can't shapeshift (or retract their fangs), their appearance does change over time, and they can be quite adept at disguising themselves using makeup and other methods.
Vampires do not cast shadows & are not visible in mirrors
Source: Christianity. It was thought that a vampire, or any creature lacking a soul, would not cast a shadow or produce a reflection in a mirror.
Fact: Vampires do cast shadows and are indeed visible in mirrors—although interestingly enough, they are often quite uncomfortable with their own reflections.
Vampires shed bloody tears
Vampiric tears in True Blood (©HBO)
Source: Vampires typically have red, bloodshot scleras—the so-called "whites of their eyes." Because of this, people throughout history have come to believe that vampires have bleeding eyes.
Fact: Because the blood is confined to the eyeball, vampiric tears are just as clear as ours.
Humans become vampires by drinking their blood
Source: 19th-century sexualization of vampires and their victims "exchanging" bodily fluids.
Fact: While it's true that the vampirism virus is carried in both vampire blood and their saliva, transmission almost always occurs through biting. Contrary-wise, ingestion of vampire blood tends to cause a person to throw it back up, while injection can be outright lethal.
Elizabeth Báthory & Vlad the Impaler were vampires
Vlad III, aka Prince Dracula
Source: Their alleged penchant for drinking the blood of the people they killed. This eventually inspired Victorian author Bram Stoker's famous vampire character Count Dracula.
Fact: There exists no verifiable evidence that Countess Báthory and Prince Dracula were biological vampires. Even the notion that they drank blood is dubious at best.
Vampires have psychic, hypnotic & telekinetic powers
Source: Observation of a vampire's ability to read subtle emotions, and their reputation for using their "silver tongue" to get what they want. Telekinesis was simply thrown in later as a baseless supplement, likely due to a common association of vampirism with witchcraft and the occult.
Fact: While vampires do have heightened senses due to their enlarged amygdalae, they cannot read minds or see the future, only physical expressions and mannerisms. This in-turn benefits their powers of persuasion, as they can more easily figure out what to say. However, these abilities depend largely on individual skill and experience.
Vampires look eternally youthful
Source: 19th-century romanticizing of vampiric longevity.
Fact: Older vampires look more like Nosferatu—or, more specifically, anorexic drowning victims with alopecia (and pinkeye).
Vampires can choose to live on only animals and blood bags
Source: Hollywood idealization of vampirism as something that can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.
Fact: Although animals and blood bags can get them by for a while, vampires need to feed on live humans to get all the nutrients they require.
A vampire's wounds can heal within seconds
Source: Likely an exaggeration of vampiric dexterity.
Fact: While it's true that even major injuries can clot within a few minutes, vampiric healing rate is only double that of a human's, and they still form scars. Moreover, although they can regenerate their upper and lower fangs, they cannot regrow lost body parts such as limbs or eyes.
Vampires turn to ash when they are slain
Source: Most likely the practice of cremating slain vampires to prevent the possibility of infection, as well as the selling of vampire ashes in some parts of the world.
Fact: Dead vampires actually decompose at a slower rate than human corpses, thanks to natural antibiotics in their bodily fluids.
Vampires can be distracted by leaving seeds for them to count
Count von Count
Source: Due to chemical changes in the part of the brain that regulates habitual activity, vampires are more susceptible to mental disorders such as arithmomania, or the obsessive counting of objects. Some forms of porphyria, which has often been mistaken for vampirism throughout history, have also been linked with such conditions.
Fact: Regardless of how severe a vampire's OCD might be, counting objects is a low priority when faced with a potential meal or threat.
Famous Vampire Victims
By Hugo Pecos & Robert Lomax
Return to Vampire Hub
Vampires are indiscriminate hunters, and those facing them can expect no quarter, no matter their standing in life.
Giuliano de' Medici & Simonetta Vespucci
Florence's Noblest Couple
1453-1476
See Historical Tales: Guiliano & Simonetta
Lucrezia Borgia
Daughter of Pope Alexander VI
1480-1519
The femme fatale of the murderous, incestuous Borgia clan met her match when brother Cesare, recently transformed into a vampire, cornered her inside the Vatican.
Ivan the Terrible
Russian Tsar
1530-1584
After transformation, Ivan used his family as a personal smorgasbord, drinking the blood of his son and daughter-in-law before being slain by palace guards.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
English Romantic Poet
1792-1822
While vacationing in Italy with wife Mary and friend and fellow poet Lord Byron, Shelley decided to pay a call to the vampiric residents of a Lake Trasimeno castle. The hosts, unimpressed with his reputation, drank his blood and then threw his body over the castle ramparts into the lake. Shelley's drained and battered corpse eventually washed ashore and was later cremated on location.
Nat Turner
American Slave Revolt Leader
1800-1831
Turner turned his bloodlust into a full-scale insurrection by leading other transformed slaves on a hunting spree across the Virginia countryside. The vampiric rebels traveled from home to home, feeding on white residents while turning their slaves. All told, Turner's pack—which ultimately grew to over 70 slaves and free blacks—killed 65 men, women and children before a local militia put an end to them. Turner himself was captured two months later and subsequently stripped and hanged out in the sun before being flayed, disemboweled, beheaded and quartered. Tragically, up to 200 innocent blacks were murdered by militias and mobs in the frenzied aftermath, and civil rights for both slaves and free blacks were stripped by state legislatures.
Edgar Allan Poe
American Author & Poet
1809-1849
The Master of the Fictional Macabre met up with the real thing when he stumbled into a couple of vampires while on a bender along the Baltimore waterfront. Found drained and delirious, he was then taken to the Washington Medical College, where he slipped into a vampiric coma and soon died. Newspapers at the time reported Poe's death as "congestion of the brain" or "cerebral inflammation," so he most likely died as a result of the coma—although some conflicting reports state that he was euthanized to keep him from transforming.
Grigori Rasputin
Russian Mystic & Advisor to the Romanovs
1869-1916
Russian aristocrats, fearful of Rasputin's undue influence over the Tsar and his wife, lured him to a vampire hideout in Saint Petersburg. After transformation, the "Mad Monk" was shot several times (once in the forehead), bludgeoned with a dumbbell, tied up and then thrown into the icy Neva River. Amazingly, he still turned up at the palace the following night, whereupon he was beheaded by the Tsar's guards. Taking no chances, his body was then dismembered and burned.
Warren G. Harding
29th President of the United States
1865-1923
See Famous Cases: Who Killed Warren Harding?
Rudolph Valentino
Italian Movie Star
1895-1926
While in New York City to promote his new movie, the Italian sex symbol was lured into a speakeasy, then set upon by a hunting pack. Wounded but alive, he managed to get back to his hotel, where he fell into a vampiric coma and was eventually euthanized. Although the studio attempted to prevent panic by claiming his death was caused by a bleeding ulcer, the news of his untimely passing resulted in mass hysteria among his female fans, including suicides and a prolonged riot on the day of his funeral.
Vampires Versus Zombies
By Hugo Pecos
Return to Vampire Hub
The above poster may seem fanciful today, but in ancient times zombies and vampires were frequently pitted against each other for the enjoyment of bloodthirsty spectators. So which is more formidable? It's a question I'm commonly asked. In the vernacular of boxing, here is the tale of the tape:
Attribute Vampires Zombies Advantage
Brain Highly Developed Barely Functional Vampires
Eyes Night Vision Extreme Myopia Vampires
Sense of Smell Above Average Exceptional Zombies
Hearing Exceptional Impaired Vampires
Jaws Powerful Vice-Like Zombies
Nervous System Normal Capable of Repair Zombies
Circulatory System Resilient Virtually Indestructible Zombies
Strength Exceptional Powerful Grip Vampires
Speed/Agility Advanced Stiff-Limbed, Slow Vampires
When vampires and zombies were pitted together in one-on-one combat, the vampire's advantage in the areas of speed/agility and brain power would usually be enough to trump the zombie's indestructibility. But the zombic tendency to cluster together in large packs often spelled trouble for vampires when the two met out in the real world.
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