by Del Howison
TRUE OR FALSE? Vampires cast no reflection. False. This is partially based upon the use of silver to destroy another alleged shapeshifter—the werewolf. It has its roots in simple bigotry. Hearthside folkloric belief held that reflections seen in a mirror or other reflective surface were projections of the soul. Rumors perpetuated by the fear that many held for vampires merged with this belief over time and gave birth to this legend.
Vampires tend to be vain creatures, and it would be a travesty if they could not look at themselves in a mirror from time to time.
TRUE OR FALSE? Vampires do not age. True. Once an individual contracts the vampire pathogen, they cease to age. Cellular senescence ceases altogether, and there is no longer any shortening of telomeres after a cell-division cycle. For all intents and purposes, a vampire is immune to natural aging, and will not die unless slain by external means.
TRUE OR FALSE? Becoming a vampire is irreversible. True. Unfortunately, there is no “cure” for the vampiric pathogen. It is akin to a sudden and irreversible leap in an evolutionary chain.
Do All Children of the Night Think Alike?
The fact is that a vampire is not ruled by thinking. When a vampire believes that he thinks, he usually merely feels; and his instincts and feelings are powerful precisely in the proportion that they are irrational and undeniable. Reason reveals the other side, and knowledge of that other side can be absolutely fatal to the driving power of an instinct.
—Del Howison, Dark Delicacies
Consider all of your friends, those from school or work or just around the neighborhood whom you see on a daily basis while conducting your personal business. Now throw in all of your family members and relatives. Let’s say we could toss them all into a big jar and put the lid on it and shake it up. Shake it up well. Now unscrew the top and pour everyone out. Separate them into groups by the way they think. Wait! What? You say that there would only be one person in each group? Well, you are correct. Everyone thinks differently.
The way we think is a product of many things: how and where we were brought up, our experiences in life, the genes we inherited from our parents, etc. Those factors make us all think differently. We can agree on some things but never on everything. Vampires, like humans, are as unique as snowflakes. While there are some common threads among them, their customs, mannerisms, codes of etiquette, and preferences are influenced by their culture and upbringing. Also, like humans, they are influenced by the time or age in which they “lived”; this is simply more pronounced in vampires than in humans due to their prolonged lifespans.
Vampires were once humans. They had families and loved ones, jobs and responsibilities, places in their communities. They were not created out of thin air. But from there, everything else is different. They have had ages of experiences to shape their viewpoints and hone their skills. They have probably had more relationships than you have friends. Nobody ever accuses a vampire of being a virgin. Plus (and this is a big plus) they have hunted and killed many, many humans. They are predators, and even the gentlest of vampires still subsists on the blood of living creatures. You can see how their viewpoint might be a bit skewed from one another, and especially from your own.
Vampires are very strongly affected by the time period in which they were turned. With some exceptions, they have a tendency to cling to the attitudes of the era they were born into, and despite the many millennia that may have passed since they contracted vampirism, well, as they say, old habits die hard: A close friend of ours who was turned in 25 BC still clings to much of Ptahhotep’s moral code, popular among ancient Egyptians, and many of our vampire associates from the Renaissance behave like a page out of Castiglione’s etiquette guide, Il Cortegiano.
It is possible though, after spending enough time with a particular vampire that you may come to figure out how he thinks, or at least how he may act in a given situation. It would be to your advantage to accomplish this task. You know the old saying—forewarned is forearmed. But do vampires think in similar ways or patterns?
Some vampiric behavior may be due to the physical transformations that happen to the human brain upon death. The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA), which has been adopted by most American states, defines “brain death” as the “irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.” The experience of this profound and irreversible biological transformation must have had a profound effect upon the thinking processes of your intended romantic target.
While vampires are certainly very cerebral creatures, they are strongly driven by instinct and impulse, just as predatory animals in the natural world are. Vampires are propelled by animalistic impulses that are generated throughout their bodies as they spend each day of eternity in search of sustenance, food, and pleasure. Their needs are animal needs, but their desires are human desires.
This duality leads to one trait that is prevalent in all vampires, regardless of when they were turned. In essence, they all have had to develop a coping mechanism so that they are able to reconcile their humanlike consciences with their animal needs that must be met in order for survival. This ability is more pronounced in some vampires, while others seem to have little regard for their morality, but the same can be said to some degree about humans. There is good and bad in both types of creature. Throughout time there have been many humans whose taste for cruelty and wanton viciousness clearly outshone even the most depraved of vampires.
Nosferatu, Lord Ruthven, or Carmilla: What Sort of Vamp Are You Looking For?
A man’s character is his fate.
—Heraclitus, On the Universe
As we’ve mentioned, there are as many different types of vampire personalities as there are human ones. After all, except for those few vampires who were born into their fate, all vampires were humans prior to becoming creatures of the night. In fact, were you to have met the vampire you are drawn to when he was in his human form, you may have been just as attracted to him then as you are now.
There have been quite a few scholars and historians among the vampire population, and over the centuries, repositories of their collective knowledge have been established all over the globe, the most notable libraries being in Vienna, Baghdad, Madrid, Kiev, Venice, Kyoto, Santo Domingo, Damascus, Thebes, and Detroit, though their specific locations remain shrouded in secrecy. Even in the twenty-first century, there is still very little trust between Homo sapiens and Homo striga, and vampires generally feel safer keeping their information among their own kind, so it is almost impossible for non-vampires to access the historical records. From time to time, however, information does leak out, and the following is partially based on Valentina Luzio’s doctoral dissertation (Universita di Bologna, 1935) on intercultural vampire stereotypes, but it has also been pieced together through information we have gleaned through conversations with our vampire associates.
Over the centuries, vampires have classified their own kind, and in the past, these classifications became the root of a rough caste system that some vampires still adhere to today. For the most part, though, the terms are now used as loose slang, similar to the way that humans have coined phrases to describe those who share related predilections, tastes, and behaviors, such as geek, goth, hippy, or tree-hugger, although the vampiric terms encompass much more than tastes in music and clothing or sociological worldview. The terms of vampire classification that we have come across are Cicuta, Interfector, Tombeur, Silenti, Transeo, Philologi, Misericordia (also called Tristus), Vespillo, and Sanctus.
The Cicuta, also called the Rictus, are least likely to be accepted by human society, and are, sadly, also the least likely to be accepted by other vampires in general. Some vampires have a peculiar adverse reaction to the transference of the vampiric pathogen whereby their physical appearance is drastically altered: They lose their hair, their features become elongated, their eyes protrude, and a permanent and irreversible inflammation of their joints causes stiff movement and a clawlike rigidity in the hands and feet. Ci
cuta minds function as any other vampire’s, but their appearance is so startlingly different that they find it almost impossible to find any acceptance whatsoever among humans or vampires. Usually these afflicted vampires choose to live in isolation, either on secluded estates or literally underground. Occasionally, small groups of Cicutas can be found cohabitating, finding comfort and companionship with those that share their condition. The Cicuta were parodied somewhat in F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu.
There are two types of vampires that humans, and often other vampires, need to be wary of: the Interfectors and the Tombeur. The Interfectors are ruthless killers, ultimate hunters who view humans as livestock. They are brutal, but not necessarily cruel, and rarely toy with their prey. Universally, Interfectors perceive their transition into the vampiric state to be an initiation into a higher state of being, not transcendent or spiritual in nature, but rather a promotion to the top of the food chain.
Interfectors’ cousins in savagery, the Tombeur, are much more complex in their hunting habits and their perceptions. In “The Vampire Maid,” Hume Nisbet aptly describes a Tombeur’s charged relationship with a human:
It was a rapid, distracting, and devouring infatuation that possessed me; all day long I followed her about like a dog, every night I dreamed of that white glowing face, those steadfast black eyes, those moist scarlet lips, and each morning I rose more languid than I had been the day before. Sometimes I dreamt that she was kissing me with those red lips, while I shivered at the contact of her silky black tresses as they covered my throat; sometimes that we were floating in the air, her arms about me and her long hair enveloping us both like an inky cloud, while I lay supine and helpless.
Like the Interfectors, Tombeurs perceive their vampirism to be an initiation into a higher state of being and relegate humans to base foodstuffs. Unlike the Interfectors, however, the Tombeur are not straightforward predators, and there is a secondary purpose to their hunt: sexual gratification. They take full advantage of their saliva’s hypnotic and psychotropic effects on humans, the mystique that surrounds vampires, the seemingly unnatural attraction some humans have toward vampires, and the potency of the Tombeurs’ own sexual drive to lure humans into complex carnal relationships that culminate in feeding. They are consummate seducers, and some Tombeur feed, completely and terminally, on their conquests, while others create henchmen that are little more than sex slaves. Neither fate is something we would recommend to any of our readers.
The Silenti reject human society completely, and are, quite literally, the living dead. Either due to trauma, sociopathic psychological conditions they possessed while human, or through a desire to embrace this peculiar aesthetic, they adopt many of the stereotypes and trappings of the vampire-as-undead. Some act as monstrous killers, akin to the murderous ways of Interfectors, while others are more peaceable, but no less strange. E. F. Benson vividly describes a Silenti, in “The Room in the Tower” as:
Mrs. Stone as I had seen her last in my dreams: old and withered and white-haired. But in spite of the evident feebleness of body, a dreadful exuberance and vitality shone through the envelope of flesh, an exuberance wholly malign, a vitality that foamed and frothed with unimaginable evil. Evil beamed from the narrow, leering eyes; it laughed in the demon-like mouth. The whole face was instinct with some secret and appalling mirth; the hands, clasped together on the knee, seemed shaking with suppressed and nameless glee.
Most of these demonic vampires choose to live in crypts, haunting graveyards like proverbial ghouls. Many vampire death cults have sprung from the philosophies and writings of Silenti, including the House of Azrael, whose members venerate death itself as the supreme deity and oblivion as heaven.
Not all vampires are inherently dangerous, and in our experience, we have found that in this day and age, the Interfectors, Silenti, and Tombeur are blessedly rare. Most vampires that are encountered nowadays are Transeo, Misericordia, and occasionally Vespillo.
The Transeo are vampires that have assimilated into human society, often reaching positions of power. Among the Transeo there are many celebrated politicians, scientists, businessmen, philosophers, artists, writers, and musicians, and, surprisingly, a large number of influential clergy and militarists. Not every Transeo is an illustrious public figure; many simply desire the comforts associated with reentering society. In the past, most Transeo posed as humans as best they could, concealing their true natures. In the twenty-first century, more and more Transeo are coming out in the open, and they form the backbone of most vampire-acceptance movements.
The Misericordia, or Tristis, are vampires that are consumed with a longing to regain their lost humanity, some to the point of being driven mad by the desire to be human once more. The shock of their transition into vampirism and the rejection they faced from friends and loved ones was devastating, and it compromises their ability to find solace and comfort. Unlike the Transeo, Misericordia cannot merge into human society, but are relegated by their own grief to the position of outsiders. Their inherent melancholy and morose temperaments make it difficult for them to cultivate relationships with either humans or vampires. Most vampires treat the Misericordia with a fair amount of derision, and they are sometimes hunted by Interfectors who see the perspective of the Misericordia as an affront to their way of thinking.
The Philologi are scholars and philosophers that have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge, utilizing their extended lifespan to further their research. They are usually reclusive, and some were once Transeo that have rejected the bustle of human society in favor of solitude.
The Vespillo are dedicated to assisting newly infected vampires in understanding and accepting their condition and learning to live with the challenges that vampires face. Vespillo, like the Transeo, tend to become members of vampire-acceptance movements, pushing for a wider understanding of vampires among the human population.
The Sanctus are considered by some pious vampires to be the saints of their kind, and from what we have gleaned, they are very likely the stuff of myth. These vampires are paragons that possess impossible, phenomenal powers that defy known physics, including the ability to shift shape, turn into a gaseous form, and command other vampires through will alone. The mythological Sanctus are venerated by some, but we have no evidence whatsoever that they truly exist.
The point is this: You should not under any circumstances believe that you understand your vampire after knowing them for only a short period of time. The personality and monstrous types that he or she could possibly be are way beyond your understanding. Take your time and tread very, very carefully.
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Other Types of Vampires as Represented in Myth & Legend
Asasabonsam: With metal teeth and hooked feet, these vampires are well suited to being James Bond movie villains. Hanging from trees in the African forests, they grab their victims with their feet and bring them up to “bite them on the thumb”!
Baital: Somewhat like the folklore of Carmilla, who transformed into a cat, or Dracula, able to become a dog, these Indian vampires are short and half-man/half-bat.
Bajang: These were beings in the form of weasels who were enslaved by Malaysian sorcerers and forced to kill many members of single families.
Baobhan: These vampires are similar to succubus in that they take the form of Scottish women who force men to dance with them unto exhaustion and then feed from them.
Ch’ing Shih: Similar to a will-o’-the-wisp, these Chinese demons’ nonmaterial forms are that of glowing orbs of light. They kill with their deadly breath (much like an old math teacher I once had) and also suck the blood from their victims.
Civateteo: These Mexican witches attack young children and mate with their fathers to produce vampire children.
Dearg-Due: These Irish vampires can be killed by building a pile of stones over their grave. They cannot shape shift to escape.
Empusa: An ancient offshoot of the Incubus and Succubus (see below), these Grecian female demo
ns are either young women or old hags.
Ekimmu: Erroneously referred to by Montague Summers as Assyrian vampires, these are ghosts looking for peace.
Incubus or Succubus: These are two different forms of European sexual vampires.
Jararaca: These are Brazilian snake vampires who drink the blood of sleeping women.
Kallikantzaros: Actually closer to werewolves than to humans, these vampires are born between Christmas and New Year’s Day. When they are older, the Greeks believe, they will assume a half-man/half-animal shape between those same calendar periods and stalk their victims only to retreat down to Hell until the next year-end holiday.
Some other vampires in myth and legend from around the world include: Avarcolac, Brucolacas, Dracul, Kalika, Kattakhanes, Khadro, Krvopijac, Kwakiytl, Lamia, Lobishomen, Loogaro, Mulo, Nachzerer, Ogolgen, Otgiruru, Owenga, Rakshasa, Sharabisu, Shtriga, Strigoi, Strigoi Vii, Strigoi Morti, Stryx, Vampir, Veshtitza, Vrykolakas, and Wampir.
Makers & Minions: Other Relationships You Need to Understand
Some people have so much respect for their superiors that have none left for themselves.
—Peter McArthur
What do you gain by dating a vampire and what does the vampire gain by having a relationship with you? Why is it that most master-mistress or master-slave relationships end after relatively short periods of time? Are there longer-term commitments that need to be made and acted upon that usually get ignored? Or are we merely driven into these relationships for sexual reasons, and once those are taken care of the longer-term emotional commitments fall by the wayside?
You need to think these points through at the outset of your relationship with your vampire, as it is important that you know what he needs to get out of your dating commitment and that you make sure he understands what you need. Without these points being settled upon relatively early you may find your status changing from squeeze to supper! In order to determine what you both want out of your relationship, it is important to understand the ways in which vampires interact with their “kin.”