vampire
Sign in to savethumb|The Vampire, by Philip Burne-Jones, 1897|alt=A black and white painting of a man lying on a table, while a woman is kneeling over him.
AI overview
A vampire is a legendary creature from folklore and fiction that is typically depicted as a supernatural being that feeds on human blood. The concept has fascinated artists and storytellers for centuries, inspiring countless works of literature and art that explore themes of danger, seduction, and the supernatural.
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Article
34 sectionsContents
- Etymology and word distribution
- Folk beliefs
- Description and common attributes
- Creating vampires
- Prevention
- Identifying vampires
- Protection
- Methods of destruction
- Ancient beliefs
- Medieval and later European folklore
- 18th-century vampire controversy
- Non-European beliefs
- Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Modern beliefs
- Origins of vampire beliefs
- Pathology
- Decomposition
- Premature burial
- Disease
- Psychodynamic theories
- Political interpretations
- Psychopathology
- Vampire bats
- In modern culture
- Literature
- Film and television
- Tabletop and video games
- Modern vampire subcultures
- Notes
- References
- Cited texts
- External links
thumb|The Vampire, by Philip Burne-Jones, 1897|alt=A black and white painting of a man lying on a table, while a woman is kneeling over him.
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods which they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century.