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Nat'l Geo....Vampires

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  • Adam West
    Museum CPA
    • Apr 14, 2003
    • 6822

    Nat'l Geo....Vampires

    I don't know if this was mentioned here but just watched a DVD on Vampires from National Geographic exploring the myths, legends, and whether or not vampires really exist.

    No great sensational ending but they pretty much debunked the vampire myth. Most of the folklore apparently was related to an outbreak of a disease that fortunately we don't have to experience thanks to modern science.

    The biggest surprise to me was that Count Vlad of Romania who seems to be considered the original Dracula wasn't even known until around 1990. Apparently Bram Stoker based his novel on a deceased female along with agrarian folklore.

    It was interesting that they looked at "modern vampires" or those that claim to be vampires today. The hypothesis was that maybe there was a rational explanation. Maybe an Iron deficiency or anemia. They did some bloodwork on someone who had his teeth modified to look like a vampire and claims that he needs to drink human blood to find an scientific explanation and the blood work came back normal.

    No explicit conclusions but the implicit conclusion is that vampirism of old was a way to explain diseases that were then unknown and modern vampirism is basically a social phenomena without any reasonable explanation.
    "The farther we go, the more the ultimate explanation recedes from us, and all we have left is faith."
    ~Vaclav Hlavaty
  • Meule
    Verbose Member
    • Nov 14, 2004
    • 28720

    #2
    Originally posted by Adam West
    No explicit conclusions but the implicit conclusion is that vampirism of old was a way to explain diseases that were then unknown and modern vampirism is basically a social phenomena without any reasonable explanation.
    Just like witches were blamed for deaths and diseases back then too. Superstition mixed with fear is a dangerous combination.
    Modern "vampires" are just Goth kids with too much free time on their hands, most likely lashing out against their catholic upbringing and wanting to shock their parents.
    There is a disease called Porphyria where the diseased is extremely sensitive to sunlight, but that has nothing to do with vampires of course.
    "...The agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair..." - Edgar Allan Poe

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    • Werewolf
      Inhuman
      • Jul 14, 2003
      • 14616

      #3
      Originally posted by Adam West
      The biggest surprise to me was that Count Vlad of Romania who seems to be considered the original Dracula wasn't even known until around 1990. Apparently Bram Stoker based his novel on a deceased female along with agrarian folklore.
      1990? That date sounds a little off.
      You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

      Comment

      • Lonestarhobbies
        Museum Patron
        • Jul 8, 2010
        • 137

        #4
        I've watched that documentary, and I felt it was pretty good. Definately worth watching for those interested with the darker side of life IMHO

        PS: I think some Goth chicks are hot

        Comment

        • kryptosmaster
          Removed.
          • Jun 14, 2008
          • 0

          #5
          Originally posted by Werewolf
          1990? That date sounds a little off.
          Yeah I was thinking the same thing since I KNOW I learned about Vlad the Impaler as a kid and that was WAY before 1990.
          Plus I've see/read many other sources that link Stoker's Dracula to Vlad if i am remembering correctly.

          Rich

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          • Meule
            Verbose Member
            • Nov 14, 2004
            • 28720

            #6
            Originally posted by Lonestarhobbies

            PS: I think some Goth chicks are hot
            On that I agree with you
            "...The agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair..." - Edgar Allan Poe

            Comment

            • toys2cool
              Ultimate Mego Warrior
              • Nov 27, 2006
              • 28605

              #7
              dam i gotta watch that
              "Time to nut up or shut up" -Tallahassee

              http://ultimatewarriorcollection.webs.com/
              My stuff on facebook Incompatible Browser | Facebook

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              • Adam West
                Museum CPA
                • Apr 14, 2003
                • 6822

                #8
                I should have qualified by saying that I think they said in the documentary that there was no connection between Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula until 1990 among Romanians.

                The documentary linked Bram Stoker's dracula to a female (I don't remember the name) who was thought to be a vampire.

                They also mentioned Porphyria and other potential scientific explanations to the vampire myth as well as any explanation to current people who claim to be vampires....possibly iron or other mineral deficiencies that might give some explanation as to why they would want to drink human blood. There was a self-proclaimed vampire who did claim he needed to drink so much of it every so often but would only take it with a hypodermic needle from a willing donor. He allowed scientists to do some bloodwork on him and other tests to determine if this supposed blood craving had any explanation. Everything came back normal so they concluded that his desire for human blood was all in his head.
                "The farther we go, the more the ultimate explanation recedes from us, and all we have left is faith."
                ~Vaclav Hlavaty

                Comment

                • Werewolf
                  Inhuman
                  • Jul 14, 2003
                  • 14616

                  #9
                  Romanians were well aware of the link between the fictional Dracula and the historic one prior to 1990. They were just offended by it. Prince Vlad was a bit folk hero to them. In recent years they have embraced the fictional Dracula. It's good for tourism.

                  I have the 1979 edition of the essential Dracula which is a annotated edition of Stoker's novel with additional background facts on Prince Vlad and Stoker's creation of the novel. It is written by Raymond McNally (a professor of Russian and East European History) and Radu Florescu (A Romanian academic who wrote many non fiction books on the history of Romania and biographies of Prince Vlad). They point out Stoker was aware of the historic Dracula when he wrote his novel. Many of his original notes do reference him.

                  There are many different theories about the basis of the folklore of Vampires. One of the more commonly accepted, I believe, was the misunderstanding of the decomposition process.

                  Warning: This is a little gross.

                  When bodies decay they fill up with gas that can cause blood to poor out of the eyes and mouth. Also bodies don't visibly decay right away. So a would be Vampire hunter digging up a grave would find a fresh looking slightly bloated corpse with blood running out of it's mouth. So they would assume it must be a Vampire.

                  Modern people who claim they are Vampires have a psychological issue not physical one. There is a huge difference between the Vampires of Folklore and the Hollywood version that most modern "Vampires" are probably aware of. Vampires of folklore were not glamorous or sparkly. They were retched animated corpses that stunk of the grave.
                  Last edited by Werewolf; Jul 20, '10, 6:29 PM. Reason: Typos
                  You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

                  Comment

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