Vampire Survival Kit
Now that we've gotten a better idea of what powers a vampire is capable of possessing, it is time to move on to the task of learning how to defeat them. Folklore has taught us a number of ways in which these seemingly unstoppable creatures can indeed be brought to heel; should one be brave-or foolish--enough to take up the challenge.
Before we get into all of that, however, let us take a step back and briefly examine the life of perhaps the most famous vampire hunter of all:
Before we get into all of that, however, let us take a step back and briefly examine the life of perhaps the most famous vampire hunter of all:
The legend of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing was brought to life by Bram Stoker in perhaps the quintessential vampire novel, "Dracula". Dr. Helsing, as we learn, is a man well-versed in the areas of philosophy and metaphysics, and is counted among the most well advanced scientists of the day. In temperament, he is considered to be kindly, true of heart, sympathetic, and possessing nerves of steel. Merlin, he sounds a bit like the Victorian equivalent of Superman! It was Dr. Van Helsing's theory on vampires that led to the eventual demise of Count Dracula, which we will discuss at greater length in a future lesson.
Poor Dr. Helsing! His life was filled with tragedy, well before the whole 'vampire mess' even started. A devout Catholic, he was stuck in a marriage with a wife suffering from insanity due to the loss of their son. In his own words:
Poor Dr. Helsing! His life was filled with tragedy, well before the whole 'vampire mess' even started. A devout Catholic, he was stuck in a marriage with a wife suffering from insanity due to the loss of their son. In his own words:
"With my poor wife dead to me, but alive by Church's law, though no wits, all gone, even I, who am faithful husband to this now-no-wife "
This literary character is the main protagonist throughout Stoker's novel, and it has even been theorized that he is the Christian counterpart to the Count, meant to showcase the power of faith and belief in God. Whether that was Stoker's intent or not is up to speculation; I merely offer a popular theory. Stoker, himself, was of the Protestant faith, so I suppose it is plausible.
There is reason to believe that Stoker based the character of Van Helsing (in part, at least), on various aspects of his own personal life. "Abraham" is the common name shared by both author and character (Bram being short for Abraham), though it may also quite possibly be based on the character of Doctor Hesselius, fromSheridan Le Fanu’s famous vampire tale “Carmilla” . Another theory is given Stoker's previous work as manager of the Lyceum Theatre, the name possibly derives from Helsingor, the Danish town in which Hamlet's castle is located. Lastly, and the one I tend to personally ascribe to, is the basing of the good Doctor Van Helsing on Van Helmont, an ancient alchemist mentioned briefly in T J Pettigrew’s On Superstitions Connected with the History and Nature of Medicine and Surgery , one of Stokers known source-texts for Dracula. As for Van Helsing's personality, there is speculation that it was either based on Stoker himself or another camp of belief which has it modeled loosely on Arminius Vambery, a learned Hungarian professor that Stoker met in London.
VAMPIRE HUNTING 101
Now it is time to get to the matter at hand. You will notice on your desks, a kit. Open it-carefully. Now before you get all excited about the identification card certifying you as a "vampire hunter", perhaps we should take a brief moment to examine the contents of the kit. Van Helsing would be so proud!
There is reason to believe that Stoker based the character of Van Helsing (in part, at least), on various aspects of his own personal life. "Abraham" is the common name shared by both author and character (Bram being short for Abraham), though it may also quite possibly be based on the character of Doctor Hesselius, fromSheridan Le Fanu’s famous vampire tale “Carmilla” . Another theory is given Stoker's previous work as manager of the Lyceum Theatre, the name possibly derives from Helsingor, the Danish town in which Hamlet's castle is located. Lastly, and the one I tend to personally ascribe to, is the basing of the good Doctor Van Helsing on Van Helmont, an ancient alchemist mentioned briefly in T J Pettigrew’s On Superstitions Connected with the History and Nature of Medicine and Surgery , one of Stokers known source-texts for Dracula. As for Van Helsing's personality, there is speculation that it was either based on Stoker himself or another camp of belief which has it modeled loosely on Arminius Vambery, a learned Hungarian professor that Stoker met in London.
VAMPIRE HUNTING 101
Now it is time to get to the matter at hand. You will notice on your desks, a kit. Open it-carefully. Now before you get all excited about the identification card certifying you as a "vampire hunter", perhaps we should take a brief moment to examine the contents of the kit. Van Helsing would be so proud!
The box is made of hawthorn wood, as well as the stakes inside of it. Prized by the Slavs for its anti-vampire powers, this quick growing tree (or thorny shrub) is a member of the rose family, and is thought to symbolize 'good hope'. If you notice a variety among the wooden stakes, however, do not despair. Other woods commonly used are ash, juniper, wild rose, whitethorn, and buckthorn, though really, any local hardwood will do. Speaking of stakes, although the most well-known method is the tried-and-true stake through the heart, that is far from the only method. In Russia and Northern Germany, the mouth was the target, and in north-east Serbia, it was the stomach that took the hit.
Holy relics such as crosses, crucifixes, vials of holy water, and the Bible are a must to carry in this line of work. Creatures of darkness, vampires (especially in older legends where they are often cast in a very negative light) cannot abide anything remotely having to do with their natural nemesis, namely the Supreme Deity of Goodness, or anything representative of that particular aspect of light. In fact, a vampire's aversion to sunlight, which burns them to ashes, can be seen as a symbolic reaction to the destruction of their mortal soul when in contact with anything light or 'good'.
Vampires, according to lore, hate fire. If I were to offer up a theory, other than the obvious burn-the-corpse-to-cinders one, I would say that it is probably for the same reason they hate sunlight. Fire is warm and light, vampires are cold and dark. See the problem? At any rate, your kit should contain such items as matches, candles, torches, butane lighters, and maybe a blow torch, if you want to get really snazzy about it.
Garlic is another 'given'. Garlic cloves work best, but even garlic powder could work in a pinch, that is how much they hate it. Garlic is well known for its curative medicinal properties, the direct antithesis for death and illness. Another theory I found of particular interest is that garlic is a natural mosquito repellant. What does this have to do with vampires, you say? Think on this a minute. Mosquitoes-suck-blood; vampires-- Well, you get the point.
I notice many of you are looking at me curiously as you hold up the jar or seeds in your kit. I can almost hear the wheels turning in your minds..
"Ari, what are we supposed to do? Bake it some bread? Give it a birdfeeder as a hobby?"
Neither actually (though if you want to bake me some bread I will not be adverse to it). Those jars of mustard or poppy seeds (or possibly rice), may actually save your life if you find yourself confronted with a vampire. According to the myths of various cultures (China, Macedonia, India, and South America, to name a few), a vampire has the natural inclination to become obsessed with the counting of these objects when faced with them, the point of blocking out thoughts of all else--including his prey. Pretty nifty thing to keep in mind for aspiring vampire hunters. For those of you who may be familiar with him, "The Count" on Sesame Street shared this 'counting obsession' with his scarier kinfolk, and we have these ancient myths to thank for it.
So you are all set, right? Well, in the event, Merlin forbid, that you should ever find yourself without your kit; maybe we should take a brief look at some alternative methods of vampire extermination. Decapitation is another good one, but remember to bury the head between the feet, behind the buttocks or away from the body in order to hasten the departure of the soul. If you are vampire hunting with a band of gypsies, you might find that they use the method of driving steel or iron needles into the head of the corpse, or placing bits of steel in the mouth, over the eyes, ears and between the fingers at the time of burial (as an added precaution, I suppose).
Pouring boiling water over the grave or burning the body to cinders is another good one, and in Venice, females received the "special" treatment of having a brick placed in their mouths. If you follow the example set forth by the Balkans, you could shoot or drown the vampire, repeat the funeral rites, or attempt to perform an exorcism (though I personally would caution against this last; those can be very tricky if you do not know what you are doing). I rather like the Saxon method of placing a lemon in the mouth of the suspected vampire, which is probably one of the more unique ones I have personally encountered.
Now it is time to put your knowledge to the test. Before I can send you into the field; you must exhibit proof of the basics shown. I would NOT want to be responsible for turning you loose and then have you become Vampire Fang's midnight snack simply because you did not know what you were doing. Van Helsing would never forgive me.
Holy relics such as crosses, crucifixes, vials of holy water, and the Bible are a must to carry in this line of work. Creatures of darkness, vampires (especially in older legends where they are often cast in a very negative light) cannot abide anything remotely having to do with their natural nemesis, namely the Supreme Deity of Goodness, or anything representative of that particular aspect of light. In fact, a vampire's aversion to sunlight, which burns them to ashes, can be seen as a symbolic reaction to the destruction of their mortal soul when in contact with anything light or 'good'.
Vampires, according to lore, hate fire. If I were to offer up a theory, other than the obvious burn-the-corpse-to-cinders one, I would say that it is probably for the same reason they hate sunlight. Fire is warm and light, vampires are cold and dark. See the problem? At any rate, your kit should contain such items as matches, candles, torches, butane lighters, and maybe a blow torch, if you want to get really snazzy about it.
Garlic is another 'given'. Garlic cloves work best, but even garlic powder could work in a pinch, that is how much they hate it. Garlic is well known for its curative medicinal properties, the direct antithesis for death and illness. Another theory I found of particular interest is that garlic is a natural mosquito repellant. What does this have to do with vampires, you say? Think on this a minute. Mosquitoes-suck-blood; vampires-- Well, you get the point.
I notice many of you are looking at me curiously as you hold up the jar or seeds in your kit. I can almost hear the wheels turning in your minds..
"Ari, what are we supposed to do? Bake it some bread? Give it a birdfeeder as a hobby?"
Neither actually (though if you want to bake me some bread I will not be adverse to it). Those jars of mustard or poppy seeds (or possibly rice), may actually save your life if you find yourself confronted with a vampire. According to the myths of various cultures (China, Macedonia, India, and South America, to name a few), a vampire has the natural inclination to become obsessed with the counting of these objects when faced with them, the point of blocking out thoughts of all else--including his prey. Pretty nifty thing to keep in mind for aspiring vampire hunters. For those of you who may be familiar with him, "The Count" on Sesame Street shared this 'counting obsession' with his scarier kinfolk, and we have these ancient myths to thank for it.
So you are all set, right? Well, in the event, Merlin forbid, that you should ever find yourself without your kit; maybe we should take a brief look at some alternative methods of vampire extermination. Decapitation is another good one, but remember to bury the head between the feet, behind the buttocks or away from the body in order to hasten the departure of the soul. If you are vampire hunting with a band of gypsies, you might find that they use the method of driving steel or iron needles into the head of the corpse, or placing bits of steel in the mouth, over the eyes, ears and between the fingers at the time of burial (as an added precaution, I suppose).
Pouring boiling water over the grave or burning the body to cinders is another good one, and in Venice, females received the "special" treatment of having a brick placed in their mouths. If you follow the example set forth by the Balkans, you could shoot or drown the vampire, repeat the funeral rites, or attempt to perform an exorcism (though I personally would caution against this last; those can be very tricky if you do not know what you are doing). I rather like the Saxon method of placing a lemon in the mouth of the suspected vampire, which is probably one of the more unique ones I have personally encountered.
Now it is time to put your knowledge to the test. Before I can send you into the field; you must exhibit proof of the basics shown. I would NOT want to be responsible for turning you loose and then have you become Vampire Fang's midnight snack simply because you did not know what you were doing. Van Helsing would never forgive me.
Please proceed to Assignment 2 for your homework.