The Rise of Vampires Essay Example for Free

The Rise of Vampires Essay Vampires have become prominent protagonists and antagonists in numerous books, poems, movies and television series. As such, their origin and basis have become quite vague. The rise of the concept of vampires is capable of many interpretations in various cultures and localities. However, this scattering of cultural roots only serves to promote the theory that vampires are real. This paper will show that vampirism is nothing more than a misunderstood medical condition manifesting in particular groups of persons. Moreover, vampirism has evolved to become simply a literary tool for creative writers and film makers. At the present time a vampire is typically characterized as a creature that feasts on the blood of humans (Barber, 6). Literature has adorned vampires with several other features other than the typical drinking of blood. From the different interpretations of authors it may be shown that a vampire was believed to have fangs, to be vulnerable to sunlight, and to be immortal (Bunson, 131). During the early descriptions of vampires they were also characterized as having purplish bruises on their skin or as having dark skin. In recent literary descriptions however the vampire has taken on a simple depiction as having pale white skin. The most popular depiction of a vampire is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dracula was portrayed as an antagonist in the story and he became quite feared because of his prowess in victimizing those whose blood he sought. In later years the vampire would also play the role of protagonist either fighting against its own kind, such as in the 1998 movie Blade. The vampire would also be pitted against other folklore creatures such as the werewolf, as in the 2003 movie Underworld or in the Stephenie Meyer saga Twilight. Despite the changes that vampires have undergone the literary creations have to be set aside to understand whether there is factual or historical basis to support the claims propounded. It was found that a Romanian prince, Vlad, had once used unusual methods of executing his enemies by having their heads chopped off and impaled on top of a long pole (Florescu, 148-149). The blood dripping down the pole would then be collected into goblets from which Vlad the Impaler would drink (Florescu, 149). He is said to have partly inspired the creation of the character Count Dracula. The Countess Dracula is far removed from Vlad the Impaler. Elizabeth Bathory was said to have participated in the killing of numerous virgins and women (McNally, 59). The killing of 600 women were imputed upon Bathory although she was only convicted for the killing of 80 (McNally, 59). Rumors as to her purpose for doing so grew and expanded to involve vampire-like attributions. Apart from the imputation of vampire evolution on such historic figures, vampirism has also been theorized to be related to the onset of porphyrias. This is an illness which manifests with purplish bruising on the skin and with heightened sensitivity to sunlight (Warren, Rohl, Hunt, 54). Because these symptoms were closely related and similar to the characterizations of early vampires, patients suffering from this illness were often subjected to suspicion, fear, and stigma. However, the associations between vampirism and porphyrias have been largely disqualified and greatly contested. The symptoms related to vampire characteristics are few and paint a limited picture of what porphyrias truly is. Vlad the Impaler was found to have suffered from this disease, showing why people may have established a connection between vampires and the disease. However, many historical figures were found to have suffered from the disease as well and the only attributable cause was the in-breeding practices of nobles in the old days. Porphyrias is a genetic disorder and so the probability of manifestation is increased when both parents have histories of the disease in their bloodline (McNally, 148). King George III is suspected of having suffered from this disease as evidenced by his actions evidencing delusion and insanity (Warren et al. , 294). This theory finds a stronger foothold in light of the lineage of King George III. Mary Queen of Scots, a direct ascendant of King George III was found to have had well documented attacks attributable to porphyrias, as did her father James V of Scotland (Warren et al. , 285). The above discussions show that vampirism is no more than a series of atrocities conducted by historical figures and related diseases associated with them. The misconstruing of the relations between the atrocities and diseases have led to the evolution of a mythical creature known as the vampire. However, despite the historical bases, there is no evidence to show that the vampire of lore exists or ever existed. The incontrovertible conclusion is that vampires are mere character tools in literature and filmmaking injecting mystery into a setting similar to our own surroundings. Works Cited Barber, Paul. Vampires, Burial and Death: Folklore and Reality. New York: Yale University Press, 1988. Bunson, Matthew. The Vampire Encyclopedia. London: Thames Hudson, 1993. Florescu, Radu R. , and McNally, Raymond T. In Search of Dracula. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. McNally, Raymond T. Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania. New York: McGraw Hill, 1983. Warren, Martin, Rohl, John C. G. , and Hunt, David C. Purple secret: genes, madness and the Royal houses of Europe. London: Bantam, 1998.