Seeds and Vampires - Vampire Rave Member Article.

Seeds and Vampires

Author:	vampwriter1369
VR Publish Date:	Apr 30 2006

Seeds and Vampires
By J W James (Vampwriter1369)
© April 30, 2006

According to some reports in European Folklore, the use of seeds in an effective method of protection from vampires. The types of seeds varied in different places but mustard seeds were most often mentioned. This small seed was spoken of by Jesus Christ in one of his parables in the Christian New Testament and the use of this seed may have been no more than a religious propaganda to combat superstition. Millet seeds were very popular and seeds of linen, rice, and carrots were also used.

The seeds were placed inside the coffin as a means of entertainment for the vampire but it was more common to spread them along the road that led from the cemetery back to a vampire’s home or village. They were also, commonly spread over the gravesite of a suspected vampire. Sometimes, knotted rope and or fishnet were used in place of seeds.

These practices were employed as a means of diverting a vampire’s attention away from the town or the vampire’s intended victim. The belief was that the vampire would be required to stop, collect all of the seeds, and count them, before it could continue on its journey. This method stopped a vampire in its tracks and prevented it from doing anyone in its former living place any harm. It was also believed that the vampire could only count one seed per year. By this belief, a handful of small seeds could render a vampire harmless for many years, if not for decades.

Information Source:
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Dead
© 1994 pp: 545-546