Vampires Throughout The Ages

What, exactly, is a vampire? (Thompson: Motif E 251. Vampire- Corpse which comes from grave at night and sucks blood). Does a vampire require a long black cape, fangs, and a mansion in Transylvania? Or can a vampire be any undead person roaming around somewhere between the grave and the netherworld? Is a vampire a possessing spirit out of the graveyards of Ancient Greece, or a leather-clad biker with fangs that appears on nearly every episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"? The origin and concept of vampires has puzzled historians and folklorists alike for ages. Many are not even sure as to the origin of the word “vampire”. One would believe that the origin, like the mythical creature, emerged from the dark woods of the Greek and Rumanian countryside. However, according to Katharina Wilson, “Both linguistic studies concerning the etymology of the term “vampire” and the first recorded occurrences of the word in major European languages indicate that the word is neither Hungarian nor Rumanian” (577). Wilson goes on to note that the word “vampire” seems to have originated either from the Turkish word for “witch”, the Greek word which means “to drink”, or is possibly a c

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Jaffe DiCataldo, Vampyre” Included, Origin Vampire, Burton Abbey, Orthodox Church, Bram Stoker, Katharina Wilson, Michelle Gellar, Interview Vampire, Western Asia, vampire folklore, buffy vampire slayer, vampire slayer, modern vampire, blood vampire, buffy vampire, suck blood, vampires transylvania, vampire lore, lestat lifts, rhett butler, europe western asia,