The Gothic Homeros
"Bleh!!!!!!!!"
Dark, mythical, morally spoiled, sophisticated, and rich, vampires “live” to be my favorite chimeric creatures. The first fantasy book I ever read was about vampires. I remember crafting vampire fangs from the two outer teeth of a white plastic fork, dipping their tips in red nail polish. I think I was 11. To this day, I’m still drawn to their content; films, books, shows... And since it’s October (the only time of the year when gloomy skies suit the horror theme of the impending 31st day of the month), I’ve been consuming some vampire content (heh), hence why I’m writing about them.
I could drone about their romanticism forever. I mean… their intelligence, beauty, and charm work as some serious human magnet, drawing you ever so closer for more than just a touch… their rosy lips nearing your ears for a whisper, contacting the sensitive skin of your jaw… then neck… and suddenly! Their teeth sink into your jugular, your life running through their cold dead veins, rejuvenating them as they leave you begging for more… It’s a very erotic scene each time. Besides their complete infatuation with having a “bride” (could be a man or woman!), which is basically a puppy they can snack on, or surviving eons in hopes of finding their person *again*... It’s safe to say that no one knows to yearn and pine like a Vampyre!
Put aside their irresistible and sexualized existence, I think vampires represent more than that. The nosferatu was first popularized by Bram Stoker’s highly acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller Dracula in 1897, highlighting a morbid history of a particular national hero and former voivod of Wallachia. Vlad the Impaler, the muse of Stoker’s Count Dracula, was a very respected man in 15th-century Romania. He had a hobby of torturing his enemies and killing more than 80 thousand people in his lifetime, which probably earned him that respect.
We would imagine him with a heavy Eastern European accent and the aura of a rich aristocrat, thanks to the many Hollywood adaptations. Apart from his savagery, the son of Dracul has no real or substantial connection to vampirism. Stoker concocted the book from his imagination based on little historical crumbs and the tiny fact that some Germans hated the guy. Shocking, I know. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that vampires weren’t even real.
So how did they come about? Technically, vampires were born from bad word of mouth. It even ruined the reputation of Dracul, eventually the name meaning “the devil” in modern-day Romanian. The etymology of nosferatu comes from the Romanian term nesuferit, which means "offensive" or "troublesome". The term first appeared in the 1885 magazine article “Transylvanian Superstitions”, written by Emily Gerard. Given the name, it’s just a bunch of lies for the sake of entertainment.
Now, aside from this historical drivel, I want to get to talking about the good stuff. Vampires, in all their shapes and sizes, possess a godly characteristic: immortality. It makes sense, for a continent to suffer from so many plagues, be unable to outlive the flu, and have a life expectancy of 40. Alas, immortality is certainly not the cure for these disasters. Vampires live as woes in damnation. It’s funny because their hell is just every day for us… They have to think about what to eat every day, doing the same routines, watching people younger than them become successful…
At least they can outlive civilizations by snoozing in a coffin for a couple of centuries, bending the laws of time, and leaving hunger as their only sand clock. Does that mean they do not undergo the simple happenings of the human condition?
More than mere monsters, vampires are potent creatures with humane weaknesses, love being the biggest dilemma. It’s what makes them so interesting a myth… Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and The Twilight Saga are examples of their sexuality being the biggest obstacle in their life. In these stories, love becomes their salvation, a company in their eternal loneliness, and an amiable vessel for their passion. Like any human, they’re driven by desire, only they get there faster than any human being could.
Have you ever heard of a stupid vampire? Forget about What We Do in the Shadows, vampires are always described as well-educated. Dracula was a Count! They have that old money to afford themselves one hell of a library. Yet, they still do some stupid things in the name of love, hunger, or both. Either way, they’re creatures of great knowledge largely due to the fact that they live forever. Once they’re undead, they’re immediately endowed with the responsibility of documentation. To me, this creates their sole purpose.
A fixed aspect in every single vampire content is a narrative. The vampyre is a natural storyteller. A gothic Homer, only more self-absorbed. Their memory is their strongest asset. If they never document their life, they’ll be lost amidst the endless channels of history. It’s a survival tool. If we revisit Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the first thing that starts to cripple Jonathan Harker is his inability to remember anything. As he starts to lose his life and large pints of his blood, he begins to lose the grip on reality and his own identity. But most importantly, he begins to forget Mina, the love of his life.
The novel is initiated with Jonathan’s letters that document his travels to Dracula. Through this, we can note the significance of documentation, as Dracula advises: “ Remember, my friend, that knowledge is stronger than memory, and we should not trust the weaker.” Quite a clever statement, if you ask me. He asks him to remember, even though memory is his weakest function. Dracula’s cunning idea of sending Jonathan’s false letters is what almost delivers Mr. Harker to death’s door. But vampires don’t need to write things down to remember them, because they do not possess this human physical debility. They almost resemble an ancient text tucked away on a dusty shelf. Perhaps this is why their violent deaths are tied to fires.
Book burning and death by fire are also religious symbols. Controlled by their gluttony and lust, vampires are natural sinners. The fear of the cross is a controversial symbol, as adaptations vary, however, vampires are above all that is human, thus they find no need for religion to “cope” with their humanity. They have all the knowledge of the world, and they self-preserve their baroque etiquette and decadence, sustained by two main genuine ingredients; good art and good blood.
Overall, most ancient great myths are passed down through oral traditions, and vampires are no different. As gothic figurines of that period, vampires are unique symbols of reiteration. They are a reaction and reactionaries of history. Political, damned, and bloody erotic, vampires stand right outside the door of our modern world in a stygian setting. Just like a banned book, they’re forbidden tokens for their threatening secularism and knowledge, which makes them equally as tempting…
delicious read !!!