Chapters:

Related Material

• Lydia's Diary
• Buffy's Diary
• Questionnaire
• In Pursuit of William

Feedback Us!

CHAPTER THREE: An Alternate Theory of Vampirism

This chapter will group the existing literature into different subsets:

1. the vampire is a predator, solely motivated by hunger.
2. the vampire is motivated by (sexual) power, like rapists. These theories then attempt to explain why (original material included).
3. the vampire is a victim of ordinary demonic possession.

I wish to expostulate a fourth theory

4. the vampire is a complex, sentient being, whose motivations lie partly in (1) and (2) but also in experiences accrued in earlier life (i.e., comparable to homo sapiens).

Vampire as Predator

In much of recent scientific material, in keeping with academic fashions of the past two decades, vampirism is treated as a physical infestation of a dead body, comparable to a viral infection. It states that the host (i.e. the corpse) is the vehicle of the demonic infestation, and that the demon, or virus, is a completely new entity. From this starting point, the demon is viewed as a sub-sentient, animalistic entity, which has feeding, breeding and surviving as its only motivators.

As Le Cochon states, (Le Cochon et al., Le Vampirisme explique comme le Loup-Garou, le Yeti et les Pieds-Large, Sorbonne 1974), he expostulates 'demonic infestation' as akin to a hitherto unknown virus, albeit one that propagates, by magic and not by reproduction, in the classic viral sense. Le Cochon's background is medical, and he tries to show in his famous 1974 study that, like a viral infection, a vampiric infection can be cured. Unfortunately, due to his mysterious disappearance (no body was ever found), his experiments were dismantled and the evidence (i.e., corpses) destroyed. My enquiries at the Sorbonne elicited no other response than polite disbelief and later, ridicule. In the present day, there are no well-known universities that have research in this field.

The University of Transylvania, however, offered a course in 'How to survive in human society; make like a virus', as late as 1996. Unfortunately, due to the unstable peace condition in that region, I was unable to contact UTR.

Vampire as Sexually Motivated

The only known theory on the vampire as a metaphor of sexual power is from N. McBeight, 'Vampirism as a male chauvinist' 1988, NYU. She states that it is a delusional state, entered into by males powered by the classis rapist syndromes: (real or perceived) lack of power, lack of social skills, lack of education, excess of testosterone. Ms. McBeight is a theorist, and offers no case studies or interview to support her case. I will take her lack of citation as exposition of her academic weakness, and will disregard her theory.

Vampire as Demonically Possessed

The viewpoint of earlier scholarship on the demonic infestation derives from Judeo-Christian views; i.e. the demon is an existing entity, originating from [a] Hell that inhabits the deceased human host. In this body of material, vampirism is viewed as aberrant demonic behavior, insofar as it is the only occurrence of demonic inhabitance in dead hosts. No exorcism is advised, as the human host cannot be reclaimed, and easier methods of killing the animated corpse exist.

In the excellent Die Daemonen MittelEuropas (part vi, Schickelgrueber et al. Heidelberg 1856) we find the following passage:

"(We) then visited said young Person in the Insanity Ward of the Hospital in D. Kathe S., a young Person, formerly gainfully employed as a Milkmaid, now appeared wholly without the robust Health one expected from one in such an Occupation. Her Visage was Blanched, her Eyes Red-rimmed, and she continued to moan in a most uncouth Manner, forcing us to leave our Wives outside. She had refused Sustenance this fortnight, yet still appeared alive. Her Eyeteeth appeared elongated, and she spoke to us using language no Milkmaid might be expected to know, leading us to the Suspicion she was not a Virtuous Creature, and may have called her unhappy Lot on herself. Dr. Heine tested the Crucifix on her, causing serious Burning on her forehead. We diagnosed Demonic Infestation, and proceeded with the Exorcism. However, our efforts appeared to be in Vain. The Demon howled and writhed most shockingly, exposing Herself to us, but did not leave Kathe S. We then proceeded with our second Solution, that of Burning. It is my opinion that in these types of Possession, namely with Vampiric Demons (those exhibiting the physical signs as described) destruction is the only and Final Solution." End of citation (ch. 5, . . . Endlosung.)

In this and other cited cases before the 1880's, we see that the scientists believe in ordinary demonic possession, the only difference being distinct physical characteristics. Herr Heine does not seem to realize his Kathe S. is already dead, and we see that notion dawn only gradually. (15)

"Salem, 1951. R. was found by her parents, after an absence of several months. She is described as animalistic, foul-mouthed, promiscuous, diseased, unnatural. Only after the parish priest is called in, does the family realize demonic inhabitance may be the case. Exorcism is attempted and fails. When her parents see R. burn up in the sunlight, after they have set her forcibly to hoeing potatoes, the word vampire falls. Researchers from Harvard University tried to reconstruct the history of this case, but failed."

Transcript of Transmission on Police Radio, Trenton P.D, 11-02- 1994: ". . . (static) get out the stakes, man, and the holy water. This is no gang, they're vampires! Morelli? You stay with the radio, this is not for rookies. OK, the drill is this; put the pointy end in their hearts. Don't get bitten, throw the holy water at them, wear your cross, and pray! Let's go guys!. . . (static) . . . Request reinforcements, officer down, I repeat, officer down. . . (static) ..."

Standard methods of vampire destruction and defense seemed accepted by the Trenton P.D. as late as 1994.

Vampire as Complex Sentient Being

My claim, supported by the following original research, is that none of the above theories is tenable. All three contribute important insights into the demonic nature of the vampire, and the way the demon manages to inhabit the body, but do not take into account the following facts:

1. the host memory remains intact;

2. [parts of] the host personality remain intact;

3. it is possible (see: Angelus/Angel) to reinsert the (original!) soul (or superego) into the host;

4. [remnants of] host (i.e. human) emotion may be experienced by a vampire.

I postulate therefore, that a vampire is a complex sentient being, a symbiotic relationship between dead body, memory and personality of the human host, and the demonic invader, who contributes a means to continued existence (remember, the host is dead); and who seems to disable Ueberich (Superego), leaving a 'personality' that is motivated by Ich (Ego) and Es (Id) drives.