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Adze - A vampire spirit that dwells in tribal sorcerers among the Ewe, a people inhabiting parts of Southeastern Ghana and Sothern Togo in Africa. The Adze flies around in the form of a firefly but, if caught, changes into a human. It drinks blood, palm, oil, and coconut water and preys on children, especially handsome ones.
Aging - The human process that figures prominently in vampire lore, particularly in the ability of vampires to delay such fleshly deterioration. Which one of the most alluring aspects of vampires is their promise of immortality, albeit at a dreadful price, another recurring theme in the literary, historical, and cinematic treatments of vampires is the maintenance of beauty and the retardation of the aging process through vampiric practices. Historically, the most infamous figures seeking such eternal youth were Elizabeth Bathory and Gilles De Rais. Bathory (1614) was a Hungarian countess who became convinced that blood was a powerful restorative, especially when extracted brutally from young girls. Thus, to preserver her youth and vigor, she bathed in the blood of maidens, hundreds of whom were slain before Bathory was tried in 1610. Similarly, Gilles De Rais (1420-1440), a marshal of France and a supposed dabbler in the black arts, committed horrible crimes against women and children in order to maintain his youth. Numerous works in film and literature have examined this idea; two of the most successful are Mary Elizabeth Braddon's "Good Lady Ducayne" and Whitley Strieber's The hunger. The latter was made into a film, joining similar cinematic projects such as Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, Countess Dracula, Daughters of Darkness, and House of Dark Shadows.
Algul - The name given by Arabic peoples to a kind of vampire, translated from the Arabic to mean a horse-leech, or a bloodsucking jinn, or demon. This form of vampire became known in more common western usage as a ghoul, a traditionally female demon that feasted upon dead babies and inhabited cemeteries. The incarnation and nature of the algul varied, finding expression in literature, most notably in the Thousand and One Nights.
Allatius,Leo - One of the first important seventeeth-century writers on vampires (b.1586), who compiled information on the Greek species, the vrykolakas, in his compendium on Greek superstitions. De Quorundum Graecorum Opinationibus, published in Cologne in 1645. While dealing in a broad sense with the legends of Greece, Allatius focused on the undead, drawing much of his knowledge from his native island of Chios. His work was very useful in preserving both the details of the vrykolakas and the so-called nonocanons (the ordinances of the Greek Orthodox church) against the vampires and vampirism. Allatius' own opinion of the vrykolakas held that it was "the body of a man of evil and immortal life - very often one who has been excommunicated by his bishop . . . . Into such a body the devil enters, and proceeding from the tomb, goes about mainly at night, knocking on doors and calling one of the house. If no one answers, he dies the following day. A vrykolakas never calls twice, however, and thus the people of Chios insure their safety by waiting for a second before replying."
All Souls' Day - One of the most solemn days in the Catholic calendar, a day for commemoration of all the faithful departed, held on November 2, or November 3 if November 2 falls on a Sunday. Dating to the earliest Christian eras, the fest became popular among the Bnedictine monasteries in the sixth century and was decreed officially by St. Odilo, the abbot of Cluny, in 998. A variety of beliefs were found throughout Europe concerning the return of the dead during the night hours of All Souls' Day. In Brittany, the dead supposedly visited the living, and those who in life did not join in the annual procession for the deceased, the Tromenie, did so after death. In Belgium, Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and elsewhere, food offerings were made for the returning dead and left on tables or in churchyards. Particularly common were the "soul-cakes," baked on November 1 and eaten the following day.
Ayrer, Marcus - Author of an early historical source on Vlad the Impaler, dated to 1488. His work is currently in the Landesbibliothek in Weimar.
Babylonia - An ancient Mesopotamian empire centered on Babylon that overshadowed Assyria and flourished during the third millennium B.C. The Babylonians possessed a complex vampire tradition stemming from their multifaceted demonic and spirit hierarchies. The Sumerians, Babylon's earliest inhabitants, believed in three spirit classes: ghosts, semi- or half demons, and devils of the most fearsome nature. The Babylonians added to this gallery several types of vampires, the utukku and ekimmu, which, like their Assyrian counterparts, were intermingled and linked in legend. The ekimmu was greatly to be feared, however, for it was the spirit of an unburied person or someone who had died violently. It hunted mercilessly and was dislodged only by exorcism, usually in the form of threats. Babylonia is also notable for having produced the earliest depiction of vampires, found on a cylinder seal.
Bataks - Known also as Battas, kind of witch doctor found in Sumatra, especially helpful in fighting the local species of vampire. They worked to reclaim the souls of those who had fallen under attack. As the soul departed a body threatened by a vampire, the person fell ill and wasted away. To return the soul to its rightful place, the Batak used garlic, a soul-compelling herb, in certain prescribed supernatural rituals.
Bathory, Elizabeth - Hungarian noblewoman (1560-1614) and member of the powerful Bathory family who became known as the "Bloody Countess" for her multiple murders and obsession with blood. Married to the warrior Ferenz Nadasdy, Bathory spent many nights alone while her husband was fighting the Turks. She developed obsessive interests in her own beauty, in pleasure, in the occult, and in most depraved kinds of sadism, which were normally manifested toward her serving girls, whith whom she engaged in orgies before murdering them with the help of her lieutenants. Bathory became convinced that blood was a useful cosmetic and restorative when she hiit a victim so hard that her blood splashed onto the countess' face and arms; when she washed off the blood she believed that her skin felt smoother and younger. Henceforth she drank, bathed, and showered in the blood of maidens, murdering hunddreds of young girls who were brought into her service. Exact figures number of her victims vary, but some accounts put the number at 610, others as few as 50. Invetably, however the truth became known, and in 1610 the countess and her henchmen were arrested, tried, and convicted. Her accomplices were executed or imprisoned, and Bathory was walled up in her bedroom at Castle Csejthe. Four years later the guards who attended her looked through the tiny slot used to provide her with food and discovered that she was dead. The "living vampire" was no more, although her memory was kept alive by legends and tales. Several films were made about her, including Daughters of Darkness (1970), Countess Dracula (1971), Blood Castle (1972), Ceremonia Sangrienta (1972), and La Noche De Walpurgis (1972).
Baths, Blood - A horrifiying practice involving actual bathing or showering in human blood, tied to the belief tht blood contained definite restorative powers and was especially beneficial for the skin. Bathing in blood found its most fiendish expression through the Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory in the early seventeenth century. She was convinced that virgin's blood kept her young and drank it and sat in vats of it to rejuvenate her complexion. Maidens died horribly to provide her with this magical substance. Some were kept in cages suspended from the ceiling; the countess's henchmen used sharp points to draw blood from these young women so that Bathory could stand under the cages and be showered with the vital fluid.
Bebarlangs - A tribe found in the Philippines that supposedly had members who practiced a king of psychic vampirism. They had the capacity to send out their astral bodies to prey on fellow tribe members or on others. They fed not on blood, but on vitality or life forces of individuals.
Belgrade Vampire - The name given to two different vampire cases that took place in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, nearly two centuries apart. The first inciden was in 1732, recorded initially by Dr. Herbert Mayo in his noted 1851 work, On the Truths Contained in Popular Superstitions. The city and surrounding area of Belgrade were terrorized by a vampire who was responsible for several deaths and the creation of more of its kind. These other undead were destroyed, and when the coffin containing the vampire was uncovered, the body "leaned to one side, its skin was fresh and ruddy, the nails grown long and crooked, the mouth slobbered with blood from its last night's repast." A stake was driven into it, producing blood and screams. It was then burned to ashes. The "facts" of the case were attestted to by three regimental surgeons, a sublieutenant, and a lieutenant colonel. The second case occured in 1923. Residents of the city complained that a certain house on Bosanka Street, number 61, was haunted by a vampire. Damage was done to the house, and a procession was held within it an attempt to expel the evil creautre with holy water and prayers. Despite the intense beliefs of the locals, the haunting has been diagnosed more as a poltergeist infestation than a vampiric one.
Bhandara - Small shrines found in parts of India for the worship of a number of vampiric species, particularly the bhuta, which are revered as virtual gods. The Bhandara are intended to be places where the vampires can dwell and where sacrifices or oblations can be made to keep them placated. While varying markedly in shape, the shrines are designed to allow the creatures to rest without touching the ground, which they are forbidden to do because the earth is sacred. Flowers are placed at the shrine once a month. Some have cradles, perhaps hanging from ropes or chains, many with bell, knife, and a bowl of water placed within them.
Binding a Corpse - The practice of tying the arms or legs of a corpse to prevent it from becomming a revenant and thus wandering. The exact methods of binding vary from place to place, depending upon local customs. The Finns tied the knees together, while others preferred to tie the feet. The practice of tying the mouth shut was also used in some regions. Others used garlic, coins, or cotton to prevent the deceased from biting or chewing. Such binding was not permanent, as knots could hinder the dead person's journey into the afterworld; the ropes were thus cut before burial. In Romania the ropes were buried nearby, and if they were ever used in black magic ceremonies after the burial, the corpse became one of a vampire species called the strigoii.
Black Mass - The blasphemous and generally obscene mimicking of the Roman Catholic mass, performed by satanists or extreme heretics. Following the basic pattern of a regular mass, the black mass reverses or twists the proceedings. A naked woman's back is used as an altar, a renegade priest desecrates an actual consecrated host, and sacrifices of blood are offered. Vampirism has been connected to this ceremony, stemming from assertions made during the middle ages that those who dabbled in the black arts inevitably returned as members of the undead. The black mass was supposedly effective in reviving a vampire, largely through its spells, incantations, and blood offerings. The ceremony was used in the 1969 film Taste the Blood of Dracula and in the 1971 Twins of Evil among others, accentuating the diabolical aspects of vampirism.
Blood - A virtually universal food source for the undead, whether acquired by stealing t from blood banks, taking it from animals, or drawing it from the necks of helpless human victims. Blood has always been held to possess supernatural and mystical qualities, as it is the keeper and giver of life. To lose it, to have it taken away, signifies the irretrievable loss of vitality, essence, and strength. To receive it, through drinking or magical infusions, can restore lost power, heal mortal wounds, and grant eternal life. Little wonder that blood was the vital fluid for vampires. In fact, the association of the vampire with blood presents a complex union of ancient blood myths, death, immortality, and the very nature of human life.
Callicantzaro - A terrible creature found in Greece, linked to vampires and recorded by the sixteenth-century writer Leo Allatius. The Callicantzaro is the child born during the time ofholiness between Christmas and Epiphany, who must leave his or her family to live most of the year in the underworld. From Christmas to New Year's Day, however, the creature comes back to earth to terrorize people, especially hoping to devour its brothers and sisters. Its exact nature varies from region to region, changing according to village lore. It can be large or small, appearing most often with a black face, red eyes, ears like a donkey, and sharp fangs. Little relief is found in death, for it is known to return as a vampire. One method of saving a child from Callicantzaro is to singe the toes and the feet.
Cemetery - The abode of the dead, the name meaning a sleeping place. Along with the dark, dank tombs, castles, and dismal swamps or marshes, cemeteries are considered the most likely habitation of vampires. The vampire in film, curiously unaffected by the cross-shaped tombstones clearly visible, is often dipicted stalking through a deserted burial ground. This image became a virtually required element in the productions of Universal Pictures in the 1930's and 1940's.
Children of Judas - An evil clan of vampires found in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania, distinguished by their red hair. They are known mainly by oral traditions and are considered the worst of the Balkan undead, the spawn of Judas Iscariot, whose hair was supposedly red. The children of Judas possess the awful power of draining a victim with a single kiss or bite, leaving a scar in the shape of XXX, signifying the thirty pieces of silver given to Judas for betraying Christ.
Christianity - The main enemy of all evil, vampires included, which, ironically, helped to give shape to the European understanding of vampirism. As was the case with witchcraft, the Christian church considered vampires to be the creatures of the devil. Chief among the earliest Christian documents concerning vampires was the Malleus Maleficarum, published in 1485, which proclaimed that the devil used corpses to inflict grievous harm on mankind. In this tradition, and derived from the rapidly growing legends or customs of the dead, learned theologians authored pseudoscientific treatises, collecting hearsay, doctrine, and often pure fantasy into lengthy works that came to be accepted as fact. Church leaders, having fostered widespread hysteria, were seemingly the only officials capable of dealing with the crisis of terrified villagers turned to clerics to serve as their vampire hunters.
Churches - Places of Christian worship important to the genre, as they are held to be sanctuaries where any living person is safe from the vampire attack, their boundaries delineating holy ground. These churches are also filled with the most powerful weapons against the undead: the cross, holy water, and the consecrated host, as well as prayer books, the bible, incense, and candles.
Coffin - Known in the funeral business as a casket, the coffin probably came into use among primitive peoples as a means of protecting a corpse from being consumed by wild animals or as part of evolving mortuary practices, as in ancient Egypt. The coffin also accentuated the separation of the deceased from the society. Lavish and ritualized entombment was conducted by the great civilizations of the ancient world, but it was only in the seventeenth-century that coffins became common for all classes of society.
Cross - A traditional weapon against the undead, differentiated from the crucifix by the fact that it does not have upon it the representation of the crucified Christ. It is still deemed generally powerful, however, and is the most common form of protective device, especiallyas improvisation can provide one quickly-in the form of two swords held in the cross insignia, candlesticks, arms, even taped tongue depressors. Crosses have been used in burial practices throughout Europe, hung outside of doorsor at windows to block the entry of evil beings, and worn around the neck as a very personal amulet or shield.
Crow - A partially migratory black bird, similar to ravens, magpies, and jays. Because it is a predatory creature and a carrion eater, the crow is considered a harbinger of death, most notably in India. They are also viewed as opponents of the undead, a belief stemming from their carrion-eating habits. As is true with virtually all animals, however, they can be controlled by vampires or, according to gypsy tradition, can become members of the ranks of the undead.
Crucifix - One of the great symbols of good, a form of a cross but bearing upon it the form of the crucified Christ. While adhering to the basic characteristics of the simple cross, the crucifix is considered more powerful, hence more deadly to the undead, because of its heightened symbolism. The burns received by vampires from a crucifix are more severe.
Curse - A verbal invocation or appeal for an injury, evil, or death to befall a person, place, or thing; also the state of having mistfortunes placed upon an individual. Curses normally involve the intervention of God, the devil, or the casting of magic in intercessions. Curses are considered one of the main ways by which people becaome revenants.
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