Vampire

Sham S. Misri

Night time brought fear  to the countryside’s of Hungary, Romania, and other parts of Balkans. It was well known there that during the hours of darkness the terrible creatures known as vampires came forth to seek the blood of humans. A Vampire was a dead person whose body had been taken over by an evil spirit. By day, the body lay in a hidden place as if dead, resting upon earth. With the setting of the sun , the Vampire arose. Keeping its human form , or perhaps taking the form of a bat , it went in search of blood it needed .   It attacked sleeping people, sucking their blood without awakening them, but causing them to have dreadful  nightmares and to grow weak  and listless. Unfortunately people bitten by Vampire often became Vampires themselves.

There were a number of ways in which people could protect themselves against a Vampires attack. Sprays of fresh garlic or bulbs of dried garlic , bells, or objects made  of iron placed at a door or a window would prevent Vampires from entering a house. After the Balkans became Christianized , a cross of crucifix  would also protect against Vampires.  If a Vampire’s body could be found , the creature could be destroyed by driving a wooden stake through its heart  and burning the corpse to ashes.