Supernatural urban legends: Vampire lore explained
Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW/ Image Acquired from CW TV PR
Supernatural vampires are very different from Dracula, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and many others that came before.
When you think of vampires, you likely think of the bloodsucking fiends that are killed by sunlight or a stake to the heart. Crosses and holy water burn them, while garlic repels them. Well get those thoughts of vampires out of your head, because Supernatural definitely didn’t go that route.
The vampire lore was different from the majority of other lore ever seen. It took the original Dracula story and adapted it to something unique and powerful. Here’s the lore explained and how it connects to real lore of the vampires.
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Supernatural vampire lore
Vampire lore in the show did show the creatures as bloodsucking fiends but that was about as close to the original lore and other shows it got. The vamps in Supernatural were powerful creatures that could walk in the sun (without sparkling or daylight rings) and couldn’t be killed with a stake to the heart. The only option to kill (without the Colt and presumably the demon knife) is to decapitate. Sunlight is just like a bad sunburn, so they can go out but they choose not to.
In the lore, vamps can live off both human and animal blood, but they prefer humans. They can live off blood bags, but their blood needs to be from someone living. Dead man’s blood is poisonous (something that is used in Anne Rice’s An Interview with a Vampire) and vampires will mate for life.
They were created from the Alpha Vampire. While the race of creatures is becoming extinct, only one needs to remain alive to create more. The vampires create more through forcing victims to drink their blood and the transformation is complete once the human then drinks the blood of another; before that a cure can be used to turn the vampire back to human.
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Real folklore of the vampires
Vampire folklore is in almost every culture and religion. There are various stories of vampires having no reflection (because they have no soul), be burned by crosses and holy water (because they’re demons and against God), and drinking blood to survive. This vampire that we know of mostly today originates from the 18th century and stories of Dracula (and even Elizabeth Bathory). The stories developed due to grave diggings and strange sightings in the 18th century, and locals around Eastern Europe blamed it on superstition and these legendary creatures, developing the lore of today.
Some of the lore of vampires in Supernatural could come from Ancient Greek or Hebrew lore. One lore says that Lilith (the first demon) was a vampire. While Ancient Greek lore says that Empusa, the striges, and Lamia were vampires. They weren’t undead, but had become blood-drinking creatures due to acts of revenge. While all the lore says the creatures would attack at night, nothing specifically said that they couldn’t go out in the day.
The night makes sense, as it’s linked to darkness and evil. It’s supposed to be the most dangerous time to travel and when most people will be safe in their beds. So vampires hunt when they have more time to attack.
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Linking to the Shtriga lore
The vampires of Supernatural link to previous lore used on the show. Shtrigas were introduced in “Something Wicked,” as vampiric witches. They could move around in the day and would usually attack at night. It’s easy to see how the vampire and the shtriga legends could connected and lead to the vampires the show chose.
Next: Sueprnatural urban legends: Violent spirit lore explained
Did you know the various lore surrounding vampires? Were you surprised with Supernatural choosing a non-traditional legend of the creatures? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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