Vampires

Amaranthine · **on:** June 26, 2009, 11:57:09 PM

Hey. Because I have become addicted to Dark Shadows, I researched quite a bit of things about Vampires. I even found a Vampire temple here: http://www.vampiretemple.com/

It claims that it can prove with all its sources that IT IS INDEED a Temple for REAL Vampires.

There was even another site that actually tries to PROVE that Vampires excist: http://vampirewebsite.net/

Then I clicked something that made me wonder: http://vampirewebsite.net/howknowifavampire.html
^
Many of those questions that were asked, I could relate A LOT to. Granted, I couldn't relate to ALL of them, but quite a few I could.

I tried to make sure these were reliable. By the looks of the sites, I think they are giving proof. I'm still not sure if I really want to believe vampires are real, though they are real not in the context of Dracula, Twilight, and all of those myths.

Here's a few links to some vids I saw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=539xWgHhatM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lnZWd4GJxI&feature=related

So, if you don't believe it, you don't have to believe it. If you do, that's okay too. Everyone has different opinions and thoughts about this. Until I search otherwise, I will still have this question in my mind for awhile: Are Vampires real?

Kor · **Reply #1 on:** June 27, 2009, 12:11:29 AM

There are some folks who drink blood and claim to be vampires.

Many folks love vampires, so your not alone there. I'm sure there are very many websites devoted to such things.

Cancerian Tiger · **Reply #2 on:** June 27, 2009, 12:23:37 AM

I don't believe vampires like Dracula actually exist, but that's just me.

Nick22 · **Reply #3 on:** June 27, 2009, 12:53:11 AM

No, there are no such thing as Vampires. I believe that ghosts exist, but not vampires...

raga · **Reply #4 on:** June 27, 2009, 01:37:35 AM

I don't believe there are any vampires, they are just not possible biologically. Even if they are real I would never want to be one of them, despite the fact that those websites seem to think everyone would. It actually goes to my hatred of one of the main ideas of religion. Living for an eternity, even in a heaven, is the worst form of torture I can think of. I actually take comfort in the fact that one day I will die and that (probably) there is nothing after (hopefully that death wont come for a long time though, I have a dream of seeing the year 2100, living to be 109 won't be easy though). This fact gives my existence meaning and purpose, it stops me from wasting my life and makes me go out and experience the world while I can.

Nick22 · **Reply #5 on:** June 27, 2009, 01:39:33 AM

vampires per se, are not immortal. immortal means you cannot die under any circumstances..

Amaranthine · **Reply #6 on:** June 27, 2009, 12:37:41 PM

There is also a another type of vampire. Psychic vampires. These vampires literally suck out energy from another person. Most likely, these vampires don't even know they are doing it to another human being.

Quote

No, there are no such thing as Vampires. I believe that ghosts exist, but not vampires...

I have an argument against this. Think of parasites and the relationship between the host and the parasite. I think of vampires as parasites. I know the word "parasite" can have a negative meaning to most people, but honestly, vampires basically feed on other humans, the host, so they can still live.

I'm not saying vampires exist either, I'm just thinking up ideas here.

Just as in a "maybe" they do exist. Just maybe.

DarkHououmon · **Reply #7 on:** June 27, 2009, 01:50:05 PM

Not possible biologically? I'm not entirely sure if that is correct. Yes, there's some aspects that wouldn't really fit, such as living for an eternity and living off of blood only (not very healthy). But some attributes to a vampire does make sense. Here's a list of some of them that I can think of:

1. Sunlight can kill them-there is such thing as being allergic to light, although it is rare, and if memory serves right, in extreme cases, this allergy can kill the victim if they stay out in light too long, forcing them to come out only at night

2. Becoming a vampire after being bit-I have read that some people associate vampires with rabies, which transfers itself through a bite, so it is logical that a vampire is really caused by a virus and is transfered through a bite

3. Developing fangs-there are surgical methods to getting fangs artificially implanted as well as a disorder that does cause development of fangs, called NEMO, although this disease is fatal and sufferers never live to be more than a few years old, however it doesn't seem farfetched for there to be other diseases that cause malformation of the teeth

4. Sensitivity to garlic-another rabies trait, sufferers of this disease are very sensitive to smell and garlic would drive them crazy

5. No reflection-Again a rabies trait, if memory serves right, those suffering from rabies cannot look at themselves in the mirror, so, in a sense, they "have no reflection".

6. Consumption of blood-while it is not possible for humans to have a diet made entirely of blood, blood consumption by humans is nothing new, sucking a cut finger, for example, is instinct that both humans and animals have (wound licking), and there are cultures who mix blood with their food and others who do drink blood as part of a ritual.

If I made a mistake with any of my explainations, I apologize. This is all from memory.

As far as whether or not I believe vampires exist, I'd have to say yes I do, but they are not the monstrous near-immortal vampires of legend or of the undead. Just people either suffering from a disease or are self-proclaimed vampires who drink blood for the sake of rituals.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #8 on:** June 27, 2009, 02:13:26 PM

There's always some truth to the things that the ancient people's "thought up". I'm sure vampires did exist at some time. Were they the blood sucking, bat-transforming, evil, allergic to garlic creatures that we think of today? Of course not. That's blockbuster stuff. My guess is that long ago there was a group of people that were shunned by society due to physical deformities and they wore all black in order to help hide their conditions. Naturally these people frightened the "normal" people. Some kids/teens got together and made up horrible stories about these people to increase fear of them. This ensured that those "messed up" people never got back into society. Gradually when we saw such deformities as something that needed help, vampires disappeared...but their legacy still goes on.

Or they could have just been a crazy murdering cult and tales were made up about them to make them seem more frightening. You have to realize that people back then were much more gullible than they are today. There wasn't any science or anything. All there was was what they saw and the Bible. The Bible talks about evil so it's naturally assumed that evil can exist in many forms. The first real science was Alchemy and it didn't really address things like this. It was more like chemistry. It's only been in the last few hundred years that science has really evolved.

Amaranthine · **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2009, 11:46:32 PM

^Bump!

Since Halloween is coming near, maybe we can discuss vampires here.

F-14 Ace · **Reply #10 on:** October 24, 2009, 12:16:03 AM

I'm just gonna say this. No offence to people who like them, but I'm sick of all these vampire movies and vampire books that have been coming out lately. I fail to see why something that basically cannibalizes people is cool. The same goes for werewolves. They're both highly overrated.

Kor · **Reply #11 on:** October 24, 2009, 12:24:20 AM

& zombies. Another overdone thing in my opinion.

With the many myths of vampires there is a lot of conflict.

F-14 Ace · **Reply #12 on:** October 24, 2009, 01:50:31 AM

Yes, zombies are overdone as well. If one more zombie game comes out, I thnk I'm gonna be sick. But it was pretty cool fighting Nazi zombies in Call of Duty: World at War.

Kor · **Reply #13 on:** October 24, 2009, 03:45:40 AM

I don't watch zombie movies but hearing of the ones coming out I can see they are way overdone. It may sound odd but I burned out on zombie movies way way way back in the 70's.

Zombie video games are overdone too. For a while that was about all 2 of the podcasts I listened to talked about.

--

As for sunlight and vampires, in the myths different things would destroy them. Sunlight was invented by Hollywood, I expect for a quick way to end a movie. As I recall the book Dracula could walk about in sunlight with little to no problems.

Then there are some odd myths & legends like 1 is one way to escape from a vampire is drop some seeds of (I forgot the plant) since then the vampire will have to stop and count each seed before they can proceed.

I expect the biting thing may have been made by Hollywood. I'm not sure though. There are various legends on how a person can become a vampire. 1 is when a werewolf dies it'll become a vampire. Another is a bad person will. If a dog jumps over a corpse before it is buried, if a crow flies over a corpse before it is buried. if a person dies without getting final absolution of their sins (I guess a Catholic thing.)

Some ways to destroy vampires I recall from when I read from various legends is silver, if a priest writes a note and puts it in their coffin saying they are forgiven of their sins. If holly wafers is into the vampire's mouth. A certain bush (forgot which one).

F-14 Ace · **Reply #14 on:** October 24, 2009, 08:26:59 AM

^
It actually isn't the sunlight itself that kills vampires. It is the ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Amaranthine · **Reply #15 on:** October 24, 2009, 07:43:41 PM

Now I don't mind vampire stories...I just don't care for Twilight and the like...lol

Kor · **Reply #16 on:** October 24, 2009, 08:43:27 PM

Quote from: F-14 Ace,Oct 24 2009 on 07:26 AM

^
It actually isn't the sunlight itself that kills vampires. It is the ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

In some myths perhaps, and in others they can walk around in sunlight. Depends which myths the person is going with when they make the vampire. Especially taking into account all the various myths & legends around the world.

Almaron · **Reply #17 on:** October 24, 2009, 10:12:43 PM

Quote

Now I don't mind vampire stories...I just don't care for Twilight and the like...lol

Ditto. I never understood the allure of "becoming" a vampire. I always preferred werewolves out of the two because you'd get to become an animal, which would be cool, instead of becoming a near immortal undead thing that has to suck blood every night. Whee. Sounds like a fun way to spend your life.

I don't really like the idea of "Good" vampires as much, probably because I'm used to the generic vampire stories (Although the Little Vampire had good vampires, who were actually trying to remove their curse. And it was done well, in my opinion). Especially when the vampires in those stories (coughTwilightcough) seem to be vampires in only that they suck blood. Never mind all the rules such as a vampire not being able to enter without invitation, or hating sun, or garlic (Just replace all that with no research and "Sparkles!" and you have a story apparently. Honestly).

Kor · **Reply #18 on:** October 24, 2009, 11:41:43 PM

I remember watching a lot of vampire movies as a kid. I'd guess some of the hammer ones and some others.

Never quite understood how a vampire could be good really. Though some sorta made more sense then others. Though to me a vampire seems more like another race or a type of partial demon then undead since the way I think about it being undead one should not need to eat.

Nick22 · **Reply #19 on:** October 24, 2009, 11:49:17 PM

Many doiifferent cultures have stories about vampires, inc;luding the chinese, which has a story about a Giant vampire. Would I want to become a vampire? not really, even if oit extended my life for hundreds or thousands of year.