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!