Predominant Themes

Let us take a break from the novels and movies and examine some of the prevailing themes within Vampire literature.

There are many to choose from the two of the most predominant are: Blood and Mortality.

Blood

I'm sure we all know that blood is the essence of life and a cherished substance. Within Vampire literature, it is no different. Blood is what keeps the Vampire alive and human, despite the fact that they have no soul and that they're you know....dead.

Vampire have always drank the blood of pure and virtuous women. By why? What is it about these pure women that appeals so much to these vampires? The answer is simple: their innocence. Once the vampire sucks her blood, not only has she lost blood, but in the figurative sense, she has fallen from innocence.

Mortality

Mortality is a major issue in vampire literature and movies. It is known that a vampire cannot be killed by any ordinary means. They must get a stake to the heart and their head's cut off. However, one Vampire, thus far has yet to receive punishment. This character is none other than John Polidori's Lord Ruthven. Bram Stoker's Dracula, on the other hand, does meet his end. It is said that the soul of the Vampire cannot be freed unless they are killed and given a chance to 'redeem' their sins.

Presenting Countess Carmilla, the Vampiress

Yay for another female vampire! If you remember a few posts ago, I talked about Countess Bathory, this week it's Carmilla. Written by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, it was published in 1972 and was one of the pieces that inspired Bram Stoker.

The Vampiress within this novel is a younger vampire by the name of Countess Mircalla Karnstein. The young Countess seems to 'lure' her victims all in a similar way. Her signature bite, however, is different. Unlike the male vampire who goes straight for the throat, this female vampire goes a few inches above the breast. Despite her undead nature, Mircalla, or Carmilla, if you will, looks quite stunning:

Carmilla has the ability to change into another shape and pass through locked doors, but has no ability to control the elements or mist. She is discovered at the end of the novel, in the coffin lying in several inches of blood. Killing this creature is similar to the way Dracula needs to be killed. Short of stuffing garlic in the creatures mouth, everything else bears a familiar note. A sharp stake is to be driven into the heart of the vampire and its head is chopped off. Next, the head and body are to be placed next to a pile of wood, lit on fire and reduced to dust. The ashes are then scattered into a river and that's that. Yucky...that's still a nasty way to die, not a pretty picture at all. Tune in next week for Sherlock Holmes versus the Vampire!  

The Mysterious Stranger

The Mysterious Stranger was first published in 1860 by an unknown German author. Today it's found within a collection of other Vampire stories.You can take a look at a review on Dead Letter Press's blog.

  The story takes place in the Carpathian mountains but specifically Castle Kaltka. The Vampire within this novel takes on the form of a knight by the name of Azzo Von Kaltka. Instead of pale skin like Dracula, Von Katlka's “complexion was neither pale nor yellow, sort of grey or dirty white, with an intense black beard and short cropped hair” (pg 94).

Although he does still have the power to control the wolves, Azzo can't change shapes. He must also be invited in by the owners of the house. But once he's in...he's a hard one to shake. Even his bite marks are different. Instead of the traditional pin pricks, the wound on the victim's neck looks like they nicked themselves with a razor or sharp object.

And how do you to kill such a thing? Traditionally, one method would be to drive a stake into the vampire's heart, cut off its head and stuff garlic into its mouth. But with Von Kaltka, he's different. In order to kill him, one must drive three long iron nails into the coffin. Did I mention there was a catch? Only the person who has been bitten can accomplish this, because in order to save themselves, they must also smear the blood leaking from the coffin onto the 'wound'. Pretty nasty task, isn't it? Even though he's a part of the Undead, Von Kaltka is pretty darn cool.

Let me know your thoughts and I'll see you next week!

The first of the bunch

Let us go back in time to the year 1819. This was when John Polidori created The Vampyre, a twist on the modern bloodsucker. Among one of the first vampire novels, it certainly isn't the work of a classical literature piece. Polidori's vampire takes the form of Lord Ruthven, an anti-social fellow.

Not much is really known about this Vampire figure since Polidori doesn't fleshes out his characters. However, the 'vampyre' still has superhuman strength and the ability to call on the elements. Despite Lord Ruthven rather fearful demeanor, he is still quite popular with everyone, the ladies especially. Women flock to him like a moth to a flame, regardless of social class. His power of seduction and his 'winning tongue' are a lethal combination. For some reason, I'm picturing this image for Ruthven:

Photo Credit: David R

According to this story, the vampyre is known to have nightly orgies and release his wrath on anyone who dares cross his path. Talk about creepy. One notable difference is that there is no real detail on 'The Brides'. The only mention of a bride is the main character's sister, at the end, when the novella finishes on a chilling note. Spoiler Alert: She gets changed into a Vampyre.

Sadly, Ruthven's victims die quite the brutal death. “Upon her neck and breast was blood, and upon her throat were the marks of teeth having opened the vein”. For those times, if that doesn't say 'yuk', I don't know what does.

Give this novella a read and share with me your thoughts. See you next week!