Garlic and Other Anti-Vampire Plants
GARLIC AND OTHER ANTI-VAMPIRE PLANTS
You’ve all heard the stories of how garlic is said to repel vampires and in some stories/films/television shows, it has even been turned into a weapon to fight vampires. In the Blade movies, garlic or essence of garlic was used to make the serum that kept the main character from becoming a full-fledged vampire. The basis for this comes from the fact that garlic has been used in many medical applications over the centuries and its scent can be quite harsh. In the most extreme cases of garlic use, it is to be placed into the mouth of a decapitated vampire and the head placed back into the coffin. Though most of what is written in this opening paragraph here, my research has also turned up some other plants that have been said to fight or ward off the vampire.
In the 1931, Spanish version of Dracula, the plant Aconite (aconitum napellus) was substituted for garlic. The common names for this plant are wolfsbane or monkshood and it is quite poisonous. The Ancient Greeks believed that this plant grew in the mouths of the mythical three headed dog-beast called Cerberus while it was under the control of Hectate, the Goddess of Magic and the Underworld. It is also said that this plant is one of the main ingredients in a salve or ointment that is used to grant the power of flight to witches. It is this plant that is most commonly said to keep werewolves at bay and not often used against vampires.
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a branch of wild rose is to be placed upon Dracula’s coffin to keep him from moving about while Van Helsing and his associates do the dirty deed of killing the vampire. Some cite the actual placement of the thorny branch to take place during the burial ceremony as a means to keep the corpse from rising. In other instances, it is said that the branches of the wild rose or whole bushes around or near doors and windows will keep a vampire from entering.
Thorns are common in stories that talk of protection from a vampire. The most commonly mentioned thorn in stories from Southern Europe is the Hawthorn. There is a strong connection between this thorn and the story of Jesus Christ’s death, which could easily explain the significance. As vampires were viewed as creatures of the damned and therefore evil, folklore had a tendency to offer remedies that involved items of a religious nature or with ties to religion. Thorns in general were thought to be good, magical barriers against both vampires and witches Wild thorns presented humans with problems, creating barriers and such, but superstitious beliefs granted them an extension into other worlds when properly used. This anti-vampire/anti-witch barrier was not only reported in stories from Europe, but from Asia and from the Americas.
Lastly, the use of seeds was said to deter vampires. For more information on that topic, please see my article Seeds and Vampires
Information Source:
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Dead
© 1994 pp: 3, 487-488
|
| Times Rated: | 820 |
| Rating: | 9.674 |
RECENT MEMBER PAGES
Venerable Sire (135)
Haunt (40)
Venerable Sire (135)
REAL VAMPIRES LOVE VAMPIRE RAVE
Vampire Rave is a member of
Page generated in 0.0508 seconds.
