Monday, December 30, 2024
vampires

Vampires: Legendary and Mythological Creatures

The Legend Of The Vampires: Overview

The legend of vampires has been with us for hundreds of years. What used to be a terrifying undead monster is now the star of teen romance films. What made the story of the vampire turn from horrifying to a sex symbol? This article will outline the story of the vampire, from their origins, characteristics, and weaknesses, to how they are seen today.

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Origins Of The Vampire Story

There are many origins to the vampire story from all over the world, from medieval Europe to the Mesopotamians. As many people know, vampires are made when another vampire bites them. This raises the question, where did the first vampire come from? There is a Greek story about a man named Ambrogio and a woman named Selene.

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Selene was a maiden of the god Apollo’s temple. Ambrogio went to see Selene often, and they fell in love quickly. He was going to take Selene home with him, but Apollo became jealous and cursed Ambrogio so that the sun would burn him whenever he went out during the day.

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Ambrogio planned to take Selene in the morning, but he knew he couldn’t now. He went to Hades to make a deal so that Selene could be hidden from Apollo in the underworld. He wanted to write to Selene to tell her about the agreement but had nothing to write with, so he used his blood. Later, he used the blood of birds. One day he could not kill a bird and had no way to contact Selene; she became upset because of this.

God Of Artemis

The god Artemis saw that Ambrogio was sad, so she changed him to be a great hunter with fangs and super speed. However, he was no longer allowed to kiss or be with Selene sexually. He agreed, knowing that it was worth it to just be near Selene. Ambrogio left her a note, saying to meet him on a boat. He would be hiding in a coffin that she could only open after the sun went down. She agreed.

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They made it to safety and lived happily, but Ambrogio no longer aged, and Selene still did. Ambrogio didn’t want Selene to die, so he made another deal with Artemis. She told him that if he simply drank Selene’s blood, then she would live forever and be like him. This is the story of the first vampires, at least in Greek culture.

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The Greece story explains the origins of many of the vampire’s powers and some of their weaknesses. However, many other qualities have been added to the vampire lore as time went on and as the culture around the vampire story varied.

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The Belief In Europe

In Europe, it was common to say that the sign of the cross and holy water could deter a vampire. This is because of the purifying power of each of these two things. Hundreds of years ago, Christians believed that vampires were more or less a type of demon-possessed by one or another type of evil being that could be repelled by pure things. This belief was made even more popular in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The purifying nature of garlic is also why it was used to repel vampires.  When Europe was extremely superstitious about vampires, it wasn’t uncommon to see garlic hanging outside people’s houses, around people’s necks, and even on their animals. Many other purifying things, such as burning and running water, can also be used against vampires. The only sure ways to kill a vampire are burning, a stake through the heart, or beheading.

Modern View Of Vampires

Many of the old myths about vampires still stick around today. Luckily, today people are less likely to believe in vampires and be as superstitious about it. Instead, the power and strength of the vampire come out as sexy instead of scary. Many goth groups see themselves as being vampires, worshiping the idea of vampires, or just generally believing in vampires.

Of course, this is a small subculture, but people like that still believe it. Stories about vampires have always been thrilling and famous, and now films about the creatures are alluring as well. The once mysterious and bloodthirsty creature is now a sexy romantic figure. If vampires were real, what do you think they think about all of this?

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