Where did the idea of Vampires originate? When was this myth first cultivated? These are the questions that many historians have asked when researching into the history and mythology of vampires. What they have discovered is that the exact date of origin unknown. Evidence does suggest that the vampire tale was born sometime in Mesopotamia during the age of Abraham. From that point on merchants, soldiers and traders travelling on trade caravans spread the vampire mythology from Asia and the Middle East to the western shores of England and Ireland. It wasn’t until the outbreak of the Bubonic Plague that the vampire mythology would be brought to the forefront of people’s greatest fears.
The Ancient Vampire Lilith
The vampire mythology, according to evidence, originated back in the ancient days near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Assyrian writings on stone suggest the possibility of the existence of a vampire woman, who bore the name Lilith. According to modern historians, Lilith is mentioned in the book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible.
According to tradition Lilith was the wife of Adam before Eve was created. However, she was demonized because she refused to obey Adam and demanded to have equal rights as her husband. Her desires were considered evil and so, her thirst for revenge is what turned her into a vampire.
Lilith roamed around during the night hours, seeking to kill new born babies and pregnant women. She eventually attacked the children of Adam and Eve.
The Spread of the Vampire Mythology to Foreign Lands
Eventually the vampire mythology spread throughout the Middle East and all of Asia. This of course, resulted from the trade that took place between the various empires. Much later, during the middle ages, the vampire mythology would be introduced to the Slavic Empires and the Western world. The story of vampires was developed differently in each land and not passed on from one to the other. Every empire created a series of physical attributes of vampires that were relevant to their religion, culture and history. All empires alike used the legend of vampires to explain catastrophic events
Vampires and the Bubonic Plague
By the high Middle Ages the vampire mythology had gained a strong hold in all of Western Europe. The outbreak of the Bubonic plague in the fourteenth century brought vampires to the forefront of people’s problems. People needed a scapegoat to blame for the suffering and the death. Many people actually believed that vampires caused the Black Plague.
It's now known that fleas and rats from merchant ships carrying trade goods from the East spread the Bubonic plague throughout Europe. This plague was extremely devastating. It killed at least one third of Europe’s population.
While many blamed the Jews for the outbreak of the plague, many others believed that it was vampires who were responsible for the multitudes of deaths. Perhaps it was the vampires who spread this devastating disease. Some people even thought that a deceased loved one returned as a vampire and preyed on its next victim. It was soon in the belief that many deceased family members could return and turn several more victims into vampires. To prevent this from happening, family members dug up the graves of suspected vampires and mutilated their bodies.
While it is extremely irrational to think that these people would actually believe that vampires caused the Bubonic Plague, one must take the historic period into consideration. Most people in the fourteenth century had no education of any sort. Also, there was not any scientific knowledge or experimentation that explained the real cause of the outbreak of the Bubonic plague. That would not come about until the eighteenth century.
Sources:
Richardson, Beverley. ‘Vampires In Myth And History.’ (accessed 8 June 2009).
Sandello, Don. ‘What Is A Vampire: Historical Vampires.’ (accessed 8 June 2009).
