Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches

Vampire lore has been the subject of discussion in many countries during the past few centuries. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) was modeled on the 15th-century Wallachian nobleman Vlad Tepes, also known as “Vlad the Impaler” and “Drakul” (Dragon). He was particularly known to be a “vicious and depraved sadist” who enjoyed torturing and murdering peasants who lived within his jurisdiction. Stories circulated about the secret horror chambers in the depths of his castle and how he was believed to be the devil or at least one of his emissaries. Tales evolved suggesting that some vampires could also transform themselves into werewolves. However, vampires usually had but one goal—to drink human blood—whereas werewolves mutilated and cannibalized. Vampires were also believed to be sexually involved with their victims, albeit discreetly, because of the erotic nature of sucking human blood. In his book Man Into Wolf (1951), Robert Eisler described a British “vampire” that in 1949 murdered nine victims and drank blood from each of them. By 1995, any erotic subtleties in vampirism had been replaced with direct expressions of sexual arousal, gratification, and their fusion with violence and death. In the film Interview with a Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, vampires dine on the blood of female victims, who experience orgasmic arousal and, immediately following, terror and death.

Some people believe that evil spirits can inhabit the bodies of animals, causing them to act wildly. Just as many cultures have long entertained the notion that criminals can be possessed by demons, they have identified particular animals that are most likely to be possessed. In legends and folklore, wolves are often said to have dealings with the devil. The natural enmity between wolf and man has existed for centuries, and wolves have been hunted relentlessly. Given the belief that humans and animals can be demonically possessed, it is not surprising that the belief also exists that a possessed human could become a wolf. A person able to command such a metamorphosis became known as a werewolf (were was an Old English term for man). The belief in lycanthropy, or the transformation of persons into wolves, can be traced back to at least 600 B.C., when King Nebuchadnezzar believed he suffered from such an affliction. Jean Fernal (1497–1558) of France, a physician, believed lycanthropy to be a valid medical phenomenon. Many societies around the world have a term for werewolf: France, loup-garou; Germany, Werwolf; Portugal, lob omen; and Italy, lupo mannaro. In Africa, stories abound of “were-leopards” and “were-jackals,” and “were-tigers” tales are common in India.

Lycanthropy was also viewed as a form of madness in which a person believed himself or herself to be an animal, usually a wolf, and expressed a desire to eat raw meat, experienced a change in voice, and had a desire to run on all fours. To ensure the perpetuation of werewolf lore, stories of those possessed usually included reminders of how difficult it was to destroy such monsters. The werewolves were believed to be extraordinarily powerful creatures who could change back to human form at will or at the break of day. Belief in these terrifying creatures was often fueled by the occasional discovery of a [Page 484]mutilated corpse along a highway or brought in with the tide.

...