PSA on the Wampyr

Okay, so have you read Rick Moore's posts about vampires (and here) and werewolves (and here)?

Like I said, I agree with most of what he has to say, although I think he's coming at it from inside a western culture/christian viewpoint. I've done a lot of thinking about how these things work without those constructs and viewpoints.

Okay, so, we should have example of Western Culture viewpoint. Okay, ask the person next to you to name four countries in Africa. How well did they do? And do they know that Indonesia is the largest country in the world (surface area)? Example of Christian worldview? Okay do you see the basic Christ plot line in stories (Lord of the Rings, etc?)? And I'm just going to say it here, Satanists, yeah, they pick the Christian milieu, and then choose the wrong side. Seriously locked into Christian worldview. Dudes, time to re-evaluate that strategy.

So, most of the cannon we read about in the West is seriously locked into these viewpoints, sort of like Grimms' Fairy Tales. Now, if you work hard enough, you can see the echoes of the older versions of the stories, especially if you compare european tellings with other world (and isn't that a "locked into the West" phrase) tellings. It's sort of like the comparative mythology thing Joseph Campbell did with religions.

So, here are some things I disagree with Rick on (because, he really does a good job of summing everything else up, you should read his posts).

Vampires are not exactly dead, they are un-dead. It's sort of like Abdul Alhazred's (created by Lovecraft) "That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange æons even death may die." Not being dead, the vampyr does not rot. Although with longevity comes other decrepitudes. Older vampyrs carry ages of diseases with them, and while they heal from most wounds (which is how you know they're not rotting, there must be cellular processes for this healing to occur), the healing point is not as strong as the original, and those build up as well. Also, not having life within them (which is why they must drink blood, consume souls, steal breath, etc), they basically exist on a starvation diet. Which eventually leads to them becoming wraith like if they are slightly less successful at finding food.

Now, the biggie, crosses. Matheson (at least he's the earliest I've seen of this) is wrong we he makes the claim that crosses (and other religious symbols) only work on those vampires that in their living life ascribed to those religious tenants. Matheson continues to explain the psychology of this (if you want to know the full reasoning, read I am Legend, which I do recommend) is that the vampire is ashamed and fearful of the afterlife judgement (which fails because not all religions have such things). This is all wrong. (Also, see Barbara Hambly's take on them, of course Ann Rice's works, and if I go on I could list many more)

Crosses (and here I'm specifically excluding crucifixes which are a different/combined symbol) work on all vampires because the cross is a very old symbol for the quartering of the universe into it's active and passive components (and here, universe means physical space and spiritual space). Christianity appropriated the cross from the Romans (who knew what it meant, actually the early Christians also knew what it meant which is why they came up with the combined symbol of the crucifix which appears in the 5th century, earlier symbols include the fish, cup, and lamb, which are still used by the Church). The cross (and many symbols we still use/revere/abhore, most of which no longer portray their original meanings because of appropriation) appears in art (jewelry, textiles, litho paintings, architecture, etc) long before even Judaism came on the scene. What vampires are responding to is the original symbol which is a curse to them (as they represent only the far passive qualities, and hate being reminded of the active universe). The christian mumblings of devotees has no effect, it's the symbol itself which repels them. Strangely enough, the crucifix, being a combined symbol of the God sacrificed on the wheel of the Universe to redeem it, and free you from it if you believe.

Holy water does work, but only because it is "blessed/purified" water. Water is the gift of life (you can go without food longer than you can without water), and "spiritually purified" water is the exact opposite of what a vampire is. Think matter meeting anti-matter. This is also why running water affects them so much, as the water is alive (unlike contained water, which is dead). Most religions (except modern Christianity) have many taboos and legends concerning running waters (rivers, drainage, flood waters, shoreline waves, etc). Most ascribe "spirits" to these waters, but fewer do this to contained waters, although there are many beings which dwell in stilled waters. To show the difference in these, consider the naiads of the Greek Mythology, or the washer-women of Celtic origin. Both contain the powers of the waters they inhabit, they're closer to elementals and command the energy and flow of those waters. Now consider the Lady of the Lake or the rusalka of Slavic mythology. These are beings that merely dwell in waters, but don't wield it's powers. Most religions have rituals to purify water (it is the spring of life), and all of these would be effective on the vampire. This is also how Dracula could traverse the seas to arrive in England with his full powers during the journey (as oceans and seas are considered contained).

So here I take another exception to Rick. Vampires don't stink as they are able to bath (but not shower). Also, the running/flowing water must be open to the sky. Flowing water that isn't is exposed to the sky is considered dark magic (such as rivers in caves), and isn't harmful to the vampire. Water has it's own whole universe of issues considering the paranormal from dark water giving power to magics/sorcery and ghosts. Open water, and crossing such water, has extreme power on the paranormal in almost all mythos. In Japan, for example, most ghosts and demons can only cross water in straight lines (and then only some can cross water at all, the exceptions to these concern ghost and demons created by the water, and then they are mostly tied directly to the local). In Hindi, running waters are considered aspects of Vishnu, the Ganges being the River of the Universe (Vishnu sleeps in the headwaters of the river, from his navel grows the lotus that the Brahmin sits in, the Brahmin opens his eye and the world exists).

And here comes the fun thought experiment. Much of our modern landscape is crisscrossed by covered water (water feed lines, sewer lines, covered ditches and storm water drainage, and covered streams, in Orwell we have several streams which go through pipe for much of their journey though our village). Now, if only running water were an anathema to the vampire, they would be trapped and unable to move. This is where dark water comes into play. Dark water is dead, and gives power to the vampire. So our modern life has emboldened the wampyr. Ain't that just kick in the pants.

And then we come to the stake. As Rick points out the stake through the heart does not kill the vampire (and here is where most modern media portrayals of the vampire fail, and in doing so threaten all our lives), it merely immobilizes them. And, I'll say it here before getting to far away, the wood of the stake is very important. Not any wood will do, it must be Holly or Ash (I think it's different in Asian folklore, but I can't remember what they use, I think it's silver). The reason for this again predates Christianity. There are the Holy Woods of the World (at least in Europe) which recognize twelve trees as the living embodiment of the Universe. Holly is the only evergreen, the tree that doesn't die. It is the representative of life everlasting and it's wood, again, is the direct opposite of what the vampire represents. Ash is the king of trees, and therefore embodies properties of all trees. Also, it's good to be the king (and Ash is a much stronger wood than Holly, which helps when you find an exceptionally tough vampire and have to pound harder).

As a PSA, to repeat the stake does not kill the vampire, only holds it in stasis. If the stake is removed, the vampire will recover. A vampire will drown in running water, so throwing one into a river works. Sunlight also works (as after humans made the switch from following the cycles of the moon to the cycles of the Sun) as sunlight is life (things grow in it, it's warm, you feel much more invigorated) and again is the exact opposite of the vampire. However, being short of running water or a handy sun, cutting off the head and stuffing the mouth with garlic will work, but not immediately, and both needs to happen as cutting off the head keeps the vampire from feeding, and the garlic keeps the vampire from healing (garlic heals the living). Garlic was also considered to be a symbol of life for the slavic peoples (which is why we use so much and bulbs will repeal a vampire). So the vampire eventually starves into real death.

Okay, so, having written almost 1600 words on the subject without getting any fiction written, it's time to start writing fiction. I'll leave the effects of night bane, silver (which does work, as silver can be purified, where as other metals can't), salt (spice of life), etc, for a later date, if I get back to it. Also, Dr. Van Helsing reminds us that the vampire is a creature, a wild animal. They are not human (at least not anymore). Also, we could discuss the origins of the embodiment of the ancient fear of that which feeds on us, but that would be another few thousand words.

In conclusion, vampires don't exist solely in the western world, yet they embody the same principle throughout the world (a living death, feeding on the living). The weapons we use, and their behaviors, then need to be explained without the underlying western culture/christian mythologies.

Hope that helps you all. Remember, eat goulash and good italian food as we approach the cross-quarter day of Halloween, where the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead becomes permeable. Carry some holly stakes around with you. And don't forget your symbols of the active universe. (insert music here) The more you know.