Vampyre Characteristics and their potential origin

Vampyres are undead creatures that survive by drinking the blood of the living. They are said to have fangs and pale skin. According to many stories vampyres are said to hate garlic and the sun. They are often said to have the power to transform into Bats.

Many of the Vampyre characteristics we have today can be identified as symptoms of diseases that plagued the people in 18th century Europe. There are other characteristics which emerged due to popular vampyre medias.

Sensitivity to sunlight: Extreme sensitivity, leading to facial disfigurement, blackened skin and hair growth.

Fangs: In addition to facial disfigurement, repeated attacks of the disease causes the gums to recede, exposing the teeth, which then look like fangs.

Blood drinking: Because the urine of persons with porphyria is dark red, folklore surmised that they were drinking blood. In fact, some physicians had recommended that these patients drink blood to compensate for the defect in their red blood cells — but this recommendation was for animal blood. It is more likely that these patients, who only went out after dark, were judged to be looking for blood, and their fangs led to folk tales about vampires.

Aversion to garlic: The sulfur content of garlic could lead to an attack of porphyria, leading to very acute pain. Thus, the aversion to garlic.

Reflections not seen in mirrors: In the mythology, a vampire is not able to look in a mirror, or cannot see its reflection. The facial disfigurement caused by porphyria becomes worse with time. Poor oxygenation leads to destruction of facial tissues, and collapse of the facial structure. Patients understandably avoided mirrors.

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Linguist, explorer and secret agent Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, in his VIKRAM AND THE VAMPIRE, an adapted Hindu folktale, presented to his readers a vampire that appeared chiefly as a large, batlike creature. But Burton was not the first to make the connection, either. In fact it would be difficult to say who did, or even when, but it is known that vampires have had an association with bats for centuries or longer.  Partially the vampire bat is responsible. It really does drink blood (mostly animals’, but still), and stories of the furry little monsters reached Europe by way of the narratives of Renaissance explorers. And the medieval tendency to depict demons with bats’ wings, as opposed to those cute little cherubs, who sported eagles’ or doves’ wings. Probably this is the origin of the correlation between vampires and bats. And since bats only come out at night, it stands to reason.

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