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Vampires : More Than A Modern Fantasy

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Emily Fischer
5/26/16
AP World History
Period 2
Vampires: More Than a Modern Fantasy

When you think of vampires, do you think of Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Vampire Diaries? Or, do you think of ancient vampiric legends such as Lamastu, empusai, and even Vlad the Impaler? What if both modern vampire culture and the origins of vampirism were connected, not only by topic, but by relevance? Vampiric myths allow us to understand the history and those involved, as well as to relate to the present and view how current culture evolved into what it is. Although something usually thought as irrelevant and unusual, vampiric legends explain the continuity of humans to use scapegoats to explain the unknown, whether due to a lack of …show more content…

She spread terror through villages, but was actually the cause of lack of medical knowledge. When miscarriages or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) occurred, ancient peoples did not understand, and therefore drew their own conclusions, conclusions that would help satisfy not only their lack of technology but also their misunderstanding of the world. Similarly, in ancient Greece, a myth of a demoness named Lamia was widespread. This legend originated from Greek gods and goddesses, for it was said that Lamia was originally a mistress of Zeus. Motivated by jealousy, Hera drove the poor lover insane, causing her to eat all of her 5 children. Once awoken from her daze, Lamia soon realized what she had done and transformed into a half-snake monster, cursed to eat human children and fetuses due to the jealousy she felt for their mothers. Additionally, a related myth sprouted among ancient Hebrew texts about a demoness named Lilith. According to the texts, Lilith, not Eve, was the wife of Adam, but left the Garden of Eden due to her disagreeance of God’s will for woman to be inferior to man. God sent angels after her, but she refused to enter Eden again, so the angels said they would kill 100 of Lilith’s children every single day until she came back to Eden. Lilith therefore swore to forever kidnap and devour human children, turning into a hideous monster. All three of these legends described the

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