The Mystery Of Vampires Cultural Connections - 2293 Words

Vampires: Cultural Connections The actual definition of the word vampire and it origin is still mysterious as the creature it is used to described but one thing is certain that there are debates as to where the word came from. From the earliest mention of the creatures being present in early Mesopotamian texts, to Eastern Europe, the creatures that are revenants or beings that have returned from the dead and that feed off the living. In folklore this creature is prevalent in stories from Eastern Europe as well as lands to the north as well as Africa and Mesoamerica. 1. Early Beginnings In order to explain things around them, early civilizations would often create stories on things that could not be explained. This had been seen in the creation of the world as well as why people die and what happens after. The vampire can reasonably be seen in this category, where an explanation would be needed to explain the spread of a disease or why a village would be suffering constant death. In folklore, the vampire in most cultures especially ones that were Slavic, would have been the undead and mostly looking grotesque as well as appearing as having just returned from the grave. (Orlomoski 5)(Barber 40) One of the major points in the case of the vampire, in most of the stories from Eastern Europe, the creature will have returned from the dead to feast on the living with only certain methods that would repulse or kill the creature. There are several distinctions between the vampires ofShow MoreRelatedThe Origins of the Species by Charles Darwin Essay examples2012 Words   |  9 PagesGothic fiction emerged in the late eighteenth century and it was an extension of Romanticism. The principal characteristic of Gothic is the account of terrifying situations with elements like the sublime, madness, mystery, death, supernatural and horror. But as all the literary genres it underwent a transition. 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