Blog Post 8

Podcast 1:

“Vampires: The Origin of the Myth.” Stephanie Hoover has that story from stefhoover.com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://www.stefhoover.com/origin-of-the-vampire-myth.html.

This podcast follows vampires back to the origins of the church, briefly. Lists some of the common characteristics found with vampires, such as the lack of control vampires had when it came to blood, or the habit of sleeping in their coffin. This podcast also touched on how vampires were discovered in the graveyards, and how the church utilized the myth of the vampire to control their populations.

Hoover discusses how it is largely with Dracula that we see a transition in how vampires are viewed within society. Rather than bloodsucking demons that possessed a corpse, they have become a creature of cultural and sexual fascination. In my research, I’ve also made Dracula the transition point for vampires within culture from evil and terrifying creatures, into the modern creatures tortured by their long lives and past decisions.

I think the most interesting contribution to my topic is the discussion of how it is/was largely in Romania that the legends of old vampires still persist. While most other places have since moved on and adapted their understanding of vampires, Romania was one of the last holdouts in christian Europe.

There is actually very little from this podcast that I didn’t already know. A few specifics about how vampires were “found” in graveyards, but everything else is knowledge I have held onto for years.

Podcast 2:

“Vampires: From Myth to Murder.” The Dark Histories Podcast from The Dark Histories Podcast, 8 Oct. 2017.

Mostly discusses how vampirism was also seen outside of myth within cultural folklore. People who had died walking around in the night, and had to be staked to the ground, or locked in a reinforced coffin. There is some mention of the role of vampiric creatures throughout different cultures and consistent similarities despite a lack of interaction between some cultures (Mayans and Chinese)

I can use this as a reference to how myth has impacted culture, and vice versa. Some of the concepts that we see in the actual practices are have bled into more common stories. Also references the vampiric creatures present in other cultures that I can reference and do further research on/invest more time on looking into different representations of vampiric creatures across the world.

I think the most interesting contributions will be the burial habits, and how common they were. I will also be using this as a reference to how the church tried to control the narrative and use vampirism for sinners as a way to control the masses.

I learned more specifics, mostly in regards to how people who were suspected of being vampires were treated/buried. This can tie into how folklore and myths impacted the cultures around them, leading to some interesting burial practices.