Vampirism

Vampirism is a common phenomenon in folklore and mythology, especially in Europe. The region of Transylvania is often designated as being the home of Count Dracula, the most famous Vampire we know. Dracula surely is and has been an inspiration for many artists, filmmakers and writers in the 20th and 21st Century, causing an impressive amount of film material and books about vampires and vampirism.  The original novel Dracula was written in 1897 by the Irish writer Bram Stoker.

Vampirism is generally understood as the practice of drinking blood from a human being or animal. Vampires are mythological beings that live on blood from other beings. Usually a vampire is a dead person that died through committing suicide, or a dead person that in some other way became doomed.

The legend of the vampire is most often related to Eastern European mythology and folklore, although nowadays vampirism is widely known in the United States as well. This is mainly thanks to the annual celebration of Halloween. Halloween triggers people to search for information on scary stories and ghostly beings. The vampire is perfectly suited for the purpose of scaring people. Dressed as a vampire with blood running down your mouth and chin you and your friends will certainly have a scary Halloween.

The television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer made the Vampire even more famous in the United States, as millions of people watch these series on television every week. Buffy constantly runs into all sorts of Vampires, which makes the Buffy the Vampire Slayer both funny and scary at the same time.

Vampirism speaks much to the imagination of people. Vampirism is not just scary or repelling, there is also a certain eroticism in the practice of drinking blood from a fellow human being. Certainly, if you have seen the movie Dracula, you cannot deny that the movie is erotic in a way. A man drinking a virgin’s blood expresses passion, even if it was just for the deep red colour of the blood and the wild fights between man and woman. Dracula is a must, rent the movie on a cold winter day when the storm rages outside and you will instantly start to believe in vampirism and the tragic fate of the vampire.

Many people are actually so much drawn into the legend of Dracula, that they decide to follow his footsteps and visit the region where Dracula was born, Transylvania. Transylvania, an Eastern European region always subject to political tension but with woods so wild and stretched out that you can easily forget about all that, certainly whispers with magic and mystery.

Read the report of a journalist who visited medieval Transylvania castles and prepare yourself for a journey to the lands of Dracula, homeland of the vampires.