Outcasts from society in their time, not as the living but as the dead! A different kind of view on the prevailing religious view of rising from the dead perhaps? So much so, that precautions were taken when those believed to be vampires were buried in the past.
Sometimes buried outside of cemeteries in unmarked graves, remains of suspected vampires have been found with restraining precautions taken to their bodies such as iron bars across their neck, torso and legs (meant to keep the dead as dead), stones to weigh the body down including padlocks to prevent their resurfacing. Shockingly, even children's bodies have been found buried with these same precautions taken, some buried face down as per the societal beliefs of the time.
Here is a list of some of the more common burial techniques for suspected vampires in the past centuries:
- Burying the corpse head-first, so that it would have to dig its way out backwards if it tried to rise from the grave.
- Decapitating the corpse and placing a brick, garlic, or other objects in its mouth to prevent it from biting or speaking.
- Driving a wooden stake through the heart or using iron or steel rods to pin down the corpse in its coffin.
- Burning the corpse or its heart, sometimes mixing the ashes with water and drinking it as a cure for vampirism.
- Placing a sickle around the neck or a scythe across the body, so that the corpse would cut itself if it moved.
- Burying the corpse with heavy stones on top of it, or under running water, to prevent it from escaping
Call it what you will, but were the above methods based solely on fear of the unknown, superstitions and/or folklore? Surely some suspected vampires of the past were most likely disease victims whose bodies bloated, bled and decomposed sometimes faster than others. Others could be suffering from various mental diseases causes a social stigma.
But... what about present day?
Well, you may be surprised to know there are people today who identify with the vampire lifestyle. Establishing a culture that drinks blood from willing donors, dressing in unusual clothing or accessories, the extent can even include establishing or following a certain type of philosophy akin to a religion. No longer believed to be harmed by sunlight, crosses, garlic or stakes, the vampire folklore has evolved to include shapeshifting and mind reading abilities. Scariest of all assumed present day vampire traits is the fact they bear no outward appearance differences from you and me.
What is one of the most common signs you have met a vampire? If holding eye contact with them you will begin to feel an odd effect where it is harder than normal to look away as well as an odd pushing or pulling feeling against you. Let me share with you a current day report filed by an individual in a particular store in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana.
"As I was enjoying walking in and out of various shops, in one particular shop I was approached by a meticulously dressed man who was the only person besides me in the store. He had no distinguishable features that seemed out of place that would cause me to have an observable suspicion about him. I had noticed this man when I entered the shop and as each minute went by, he seemed to position himself closer to myself, eventually standing right next to me. He spoke to me simply saying, "hello." In doing so he made deep eye contact with me. Not wishing to engage with this contact, I glanced away and simply replied "hello" in return & moved away continuing to look at various items in the shop. He again appeared by my side and oddly repeated, "hello." Again, I replied "hello" in return but did not glance at him as I did so. The man said, "what is your name" as he again made deep eye contact with me. The feeling was not of a gay man trying to hit on me & for the record I am not gay. It was a different feeling that cannot be described, just felt, as if there was some power behind it. Stupidly I replied to him, "Jason, my name is Jason", immediately wishing I had not revealed my name. The man then asked, "Jason, are you from here or just visiting?" I found myself not being able to pull my eyes away from his stare and the feeling was getting stronger as each minute passed. Something wasn't right here. By luck someone entered the store at that moment and the sound of the bell ringing as the door opened snapped me to my senses. I immediately turned & left the store, never looking back over my shoulder for the stranger's reaction to my leaving. It took several minutes before the heavy feeling that I encountered in that store finally wore off and left me."
So, do you believe in the possibility of the existence of current-day vampires?
Today, there are still many members of the Vampire elite society that find haven in New Orleans. If you ask among the locals, they will tell you so however very little documentation on this can be found and the police do not reveal such reports. The locals simply whisper about current activity only amongst themselves.
Here are some reportings that are known about:
In 1984 nine people were found in and around the French Quarter of New Orleans. They had all been murdered by having their throats torn out. The stories go that paramedics responding to the scenes recorded that there was no blood on or around any of the victims. They were at a loss to explain why this would be. To this day no suspect has been reported to be responsible for any or all of these murders. Peculiar facts about these crimes were they came in a bunch and ended as quickly as they had begun.
There are rumors about the murderer, that it was a rogue vampire who was 'destroyed' by the elder vampires of New Orleans because of the attention being brought to the possibility of a vampire community existing in New Orleans. Stories speak of this troublemaker being captured by the local vampire community and was disposed of by being ripped apart by the elders using an ancient ritual. According to legend, after such a ceremony, the remains of the vampire are placed in a crypt at a nearby cemetery.
Similarly, prior to that, the 1933 Vampire Murders, two different murders on two different nights occurred on Royal Street in New Orleans. Both victims were prostitutes & again both victims were found with their throats torn open and again with no blood found at the scene. There is also an eyewitness report from a local resident claiming a dark figure had been seen bending over the victim at the moment others spotted the body on the ground and people began to scream for police. The witness claimed the dark figure had climbed over a 12-foot wall at the end of the alley and that he had no trouble getting over the 12-foot wall by simply walking up the wall and disappeared over the other side into another yard. These two murders were never solved. There were no more similar murders reported after that time, the fact of which lends itself to the possibility the local vampire community took care of the problem themselves.
So, how is this whole vampire thing supposed to work now in our modern time?
Around the time of puberty, symptoms start to show up in the vampire. They find themselves physically drained but with no reason why. Some discover accidentally that blood offers a remedy, in some cases from an accidental biting of their lip and subsequently realizing the burst of energy they get from it. Others do not have to drink blood but rather gain strength from psychic energy of others obtained by intimate personal touch such as a massage. They cannot control their urge to feed and must satisfy it a few times each week, however contrary to popular folklore, only a small amount satisfies their needs. This can be accomplished from something as inconsequential as a pin prick.
As info, those who self-identify as vampires even have their own organization in New Orleans, known as the New Orleans Vampire Association, or NOVA.
Just as with belief in the paranormal, thinking "out of the box" concerning vampires possibly nudges ones thinking into a rethinking of the old adage, "in all folklore there is a bit of truth." Decide for yourself! Happy Halloween!
- MoonJoey