The Western world is filled with stories of blood-sucking vampires that they say came from Slavic lands. In fact, the original Slavic vampire was not a Dracula-clone. This blood-sucking behavior was transferred to Slavic vampires only after the graves of supposed vampires were dug up. It was then that people noticed the deceased bloated body and a residue around the mouths that was taken for blood. Obviously, good ole Freddie (may he rest in peace) has been out having the time of his life (or death, as it were) drinking the blood from anyone he chose.
And why were these graves desecrated in the first place? Because of a rash of deaths, illnesses, crop failures, you know it. Anything that went wrong had to have been the fault of those pesky vampires.
“The Vampire”, lithograph by R. de Moraine (1864). From: Féval, Paul-Henri-Corentin. (1864) “Les Tribunaux Secrets.” Paris: Boulanger et LeGrand. Vol. 2, p. 112. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
That being said, in folklore, blood did play a part in some of the vampiric traits. When the decease first made its way out of the grave, it would have a rather odd form: a shapeless, jelly-like bag of blood. Inside, it lacked bones. This shape allowed it to escape from the grave through any tiny crack or opening.
These kinds of vampires cause mostly harmless mischief around the community, although he did drink blood for sustenance, but for the most part, these vampiric troublemakers, in death, got payback on those who were their enemies in life. The undead haunted homes like a poltergeist. They made noises in the attic, broke dishes, created a mess in the kitchen and pantry, tormented livestock, and other such misadventures. This all lasted until the first rooster crowed. Then back to the grave the vampire went.
If you wanted to get rid of the vampire or recognize him as one, you’d have to do so within the first 40 days after the deceased was buried. As he continued to drink blood, he gradually took on human form again, even though he still lacks bones. Stronger, he can even go about life as he did before and not have to creep back when daylight arrives. To avoid being recognized, he’ll travel to another village to life his new undead life. He may marry again and become either a butcher or a barber. However, a single cut to himself, or you can prick him with a hawthorn thorn, and boom, he bursts to become a pool of blood and that jelly-like substance he after is still remains.
But the title implies he eats dung, you say. Yes, this is true. This is how the vampire survives when not drinking blood. He consumes animal refuse.
How Vampires Come into Existence
Vampires were among the spirits, or undead, affected by this. The Slavs held many beliefs about how a person could become a vampire: a cat or other animal leaping over the corpse or its grave, a bird flying above the body, or even a shadow falling onto the body or grave could trigger the curse. One major factor determining this was improper burial procedures. If the prescribed customs and rites were not performed or were done so incorrectly or not completely (such as a body that was not washed properly), lock the doors. Good ole Freddie was coming back after you.
If you’re not sure if you did all the rites correctly, one method of protecting a deceased loved one from becoming a vampire is to make his coffin from maple or pine. On top of that, you can lay inside the coffin grasses and herbs blessed on the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Graphics by Maciej Sieńczyk for Oskar Kolberg’s text on the physical confrontation of Polish peasants with ghosts (Lubelskie, Part 2). Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute – Project: Phantom, via Wikimedia Commons.
Some people never even had a chance. Those who died a violent death (murdered, struck by lightning, falling to their death, for example), or committed suicide, were more than likely to come back as some kind of monster or evil spirit, vampire included. Not only them, but people who led what were considered “evil” lives could come back as vampires, even if they lived to a ripe old age: thieves, murderers, drunkards, lechers, whores, sorcerers, and so on. These people were not even allowed to be buried in consecrated ground. Outside the churchyard they went.
One suggested reason for so many dead becoming the undead among the Slavs was that in pre-Christian times, the dead were cremated, separating their spirits or souls from the body and allowing them to fly free to the otherworld. Orthodoxy, however, demanded that the body be put into the ground because of the spiritual belief in the bodily resurrection. Therefore, in order to prevent poor ole Freddie from making his way out of the grave, precautions were put into place, such as stones in the deceased’s mouth or a sickle across his throat.
Not only people can turn into vampires after they die, but so can objects. Any object left outside under a full moon will become a vampire. Specifically, this applies to pumpkins. If you leave it outside for ten nights, full moon or not, it will become a vampire. The vampiric pumpkin begins to shake and make a “brrrr” sound (I guess it got cold being left outside for so long). Then it will make its way inside your home and do you harm. Fortunately, being as they are still pumpkins, the damage the do is minimal. If you’re unsure whether your pumpkin has turned into a vampire or not, check for a drop of blood somewhere on it.
Protecting Yourself from a Vampire
If you’re out and about at night and you sense you’re being stalked by a vampire, you can protect yourself by swallowing some of the earth from the creature’s grave. However, this also results in you yourself becoming a vampire when you die. And what is the likelihood you’d have some of that special dirt on your person at the time?
A better protective method is to leap across a stream if you can, as these kinds of creatures cannot cross water (unless carried over). Salt is something the creature fears, and this is more readily available than coffin dirt. Other objects the vampire fears (at least in more modern folklore) are a piece of iron that’s been broken up, hawthorn, wild rose, garlic, and tar. He also cowers in thunder. If his grave is struck, there goes the vampire as well. If it’s the first storm of the season, the mere sound of the thunder itself can vanquish your undead foe.
This just touches the tip of the iceberg that is the Slavic vampire. And much of this has been influenced by the western world and the whole blood-drinking monster belief. A future book in our “Sprits & Creatures” series will take a deeper dive into the who and what of the Slavic vampire of folklore.