Process Analysis of Vampires

Process Analysis Essay

One of the strongest symbols associated with Halloween, are vampires. From one of the most popular costumes to the basis of some of the best horror movies, vampires fully encompass Halloween. The ideas and perceptions that most people know about vampires, they learned from movies or literature, namely Bram Stoker and Anne Rice. The problem with this is, authors sometimes embellish the truth to make the story more interesting. Thus, the problem is not only do vampires exist, but also if they do exist how has folklore misrepresented them. I researched the early myths of how vampires came to be in folklore, and how their identity changed over the centuries. In addition, I researched modern day vampires, to see how literature has altered these modern day vampires, from their ancestors. Due to my research, I believe that vampires did exist, but not in the over embellished fashion of literature.

The most regarded myth of where vampires originated deals with Lilith, the first wife of Adam, and Cain, Adam and Eve's son who killed his brother Abel. Lilith, according to Hebrew/Jewish texts was the first wife created for Adam.

So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Gen 1:27-28 KJV).

As can be seen, there is a definite reference of two humans, a male and a female, being present at this time, but what Christians believe to be the creation of Eve does not appear until much later in Genesis.

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Gen 2:21-23 KJV).

Many believe that Lilith, who was made in the same manner as Adam, would not submit to Adam domination. "When Adam would not relent in his domination of her, she grew so angry that she uttered the holy name of God and vanished. God then had to make Eve for Adam, making her of his rib bone, rather than wholly dust, so that she would be attached to him and not leave as Lilith had done" (Peardon 3). Upon being banished from the area, she went to reside by the Red Sea. There she made a deal with the angels sent to bring her back to Adam. "Lilith went out to the Red Sea, where she made a bargain with the angels who had been sent to fetch her back to Adam. She was allowed to stay out on her own, as a witch, mother of all demons" (Peardon 3). Thus, the mother of vampires was in place, now all she needed was a husband.

Anyone familiar with the Bible knows the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous of Abel, thus he murdered him. It is perceived as the first murder of all time. God then banished him from the land.

According to vampire legend, Cain wandered until he found Lilith by the Red Sea. She took him in and showed him the power of blood. From Cain and Lilith came a host of demons and vampires in the vague myths. Cain is mentioned in the Bible as having a number of legitimate children, with an unnamed woman (Peardon 3).

Thus, this myth is complete; Lilith and Cain parented the first vampires. This myth is easy for many people to disregard, because most people do not believe in Lilith. If you analyze the myth, and allow yourself to believe in Lilith, it is not hard to see that there could be some truth to the myth. The first vampires were saw as outcasts who where evil. The offspring of the outcasts, Lilith and Cain, would represent, to people of that day, pure evil. Disregarding the modern day version of vampires, this myth is very logical in explaining the origins of vampires.

Although the myth of Lilith and Cain happens at the beginning of human

existence, the actual appearance of vampires in history does not occur until the ninth

century in Eastern Europe. The mechanism is as simple as good versus evil.

The Slavic people including most east Europeans from Russia to Bulgaria, Serbia to Poland, have the richest vampire folklore and legends in the world. The origin of Slavic vampire myths developed during the 9th century because of conflict between pre-Christian paganism and Christianity. Christianity won out with the vampires and other pagan beliefs surviving in folklore (Mistress).

Pagan beliefs are seen as evil according to the church, thus evil again is the underlying cause of vampirism. Vampirism was seen as a scapegoat for anything that went wrong in a village. "Evidence that a vampire was at work in the neighborhood included: death of cattle, sheep, relatives, neighbors, exhumed bodies being in a lifelike state with new growth of the fingernails or hair, or if the body was swelled up like a drum" (Richardson). The village could blame a series of unrelated events on a vampire, and then there would be a hunt for the culprit. One can see how this type of activity is very reminiscent of the Salem Witch Trials; innocent people would be killed to appease this evil. What is also evident is what is missing from these early encounters: back capes, fear of sunlight, turning into bats, fear of Holy symbols, immortality, and the other fabricated associations. In the beginning, vampires were evil outcasts who liked to drink blood. Beyond this, they were still humans.

How did these evil outcasts transform from mere humans to the immortal Dracula of modern times? The answer is Bram Stoker. "Vlad Dracula was not really a vampire, but thanks to Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, the once great prince is now eternally connected to the legend. Vlad Dracula, Dracul meaning "Son of the Devil" or more acutely "Son of a Dragon" & Dracul "a" meaning son of Dracul, was a proud diligent man whose deeds, honor, and sadism were legendary" (Vampires). Dracula