With the recent vampire obsession, I suppose it’s expected that I receive this question sooner or later from friends and others who are wondering how they can become vampires. Most of them ask me in jest, others are confused by the different and conflicting methods on how to turn offered in folklore and film, and still some others actually want to become real life vampires. The most interesting conversations have been spurred by this initial question.

In European folklore, when demons possess a person’s body then that individual becomes a vampire. It seems that the transformation process has become more elaborate than those days. I’d like to clarify and go over different myths by which vampires come to “life”:

1. Via a vampire’s kiss (otherwise knows as the bite)… this is the method that the Twilight family adopts. Some other popular vampire fiction also cites this method for turning (like Blade, Dracula, From Dusk ‘Till Dawn). The basic idea is that any individual who is bitten by a vampire will ultimately become a vampire – they don’t even necessarily have to be drained of all their blood. The rationale is once you’re bitten, you’re infected with the vampire virus and eventually it will take over your body and turn you. And then the thirst begins. I’ve always found this theory for turning into a vampire too outlandish since all vampires have to feed and if just one bite will do the trick, then the world would experience a rapid exponential growth of the vampire population. Since this never happens, this biting business can’t be right. Plus vampires would have to be really picky with choosing their meals… which just doesn’t seem practical.

2. Via a blood transfusion… which basically means an exchange of blood between the vampire “sire” and the human “childe”. This is how vampires are made in Buffy, True Blood, the Anne Rice ‘verse, etc. This is what I live by as the “official” method of becoming a vampire. Vampires can then feed on a regular basis and not worry about producing all kinds of strange and non-worthy offspring. The vampire chooses which human they would like to sire. (Understandably it’s a big decision considering this person might be with you for all eternity.) After draining the human of almost all their blood, the vampire can make a cut on their own body (usually the neck, chest or wrist) so that the near-death human can drink some of the vampire blood. In doing so, said individual will wake up next as an immortal vampire childe. This method of siring also provides a hierarchy to the vampire community since all members would have a sire and mentor. Bonds between a sire and childe are also the strongest since they share a blood line; you can share thoughts and emotions with each other beyond words.

3. Via awakening… for those who believe they are real life vampires. This process requires that the human wake up and realize that they are of another kind. You can awaken during any stage of your life. The two primary types of real vampires are sanguinarian (blood-drinking) or psychic (energy-drinking) vampires. This explanation is most intriguing. The awakening process will naturally come for those destined to be vampires. It’s impossible to resist the change even if you don’t want to become one. Read more about real vampires here.  

P.S. For a morbid take on how to become a vampire, follow this link. But let’s be clear that these methods don’t work. So please don’t try them.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I’ve noticed a major factor in the post-Twilight craze over vampires is the idea presented that all vampires are beautiful… handsome… super sexy and just so darn alluring. Which makes them perfect addictions for mainstream culture. I find this Twilight-era of pushing “pretty” vamps is a bit overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I agree one hundred percent that vampires intrinsically possess a haunting and hypnotic quality. It’s an aura humans find irresistible… a sort of carnal call to our blood and bodies. But what I LOVE about this concept… what is so intriguing about it is that vampires are so addicting even though they aren’t stunningly good-looking. They’re supposed to look average. Or even lesser than if they’re letting their demon side show.

Think back in the day to European folklore and Nosferatu. Both pretty well summed up as 1)  pale and 2) hideous. Vampires were something that villagers didn’t understand so it was necessary to describe their appearances as such ugly ducklings to warn people not to walk alone very late at night. Or else you might end up torn apart. Or pale and hideous.

Luckily with Bram Stoker’s Dracula there came a shift in vampiric appeal – vampires that were pretty decent looking, but primarily they just knew how to work it. It was the air about them that was oh-so-enticing: the confidence (you would have it too if you were immortal), the silkiness, the power, the seductive attitude. And maybe most important – the hypnotic eyes. Irresistible.

But I’m not naive. I know that such depictions of only decent-looking vampires would never survive in Hollywood. (It would be difficult to fool the mind without fooling the eyes on screen.) BUT then I think about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Blade films and I think, well kudos to them for keeping the “pretty vamp” thing under control. In Blade, the vampires pretty much looked like everyone else except they had fangs. But you couldn’t help but be dazzled by their power – coolness – and ease with which they could rip your arm off.

And just look at Buffy where many of the vampires are supposed to look like your average human before they were turned. Not only that, the most important idea is that their human face is always masking their true vampire face… an appearance that is completely demonic since it represents their true evil nature. (Because let’s not forget that what makes a vampire such is the lack of a human soul. The idea is that they have no moral inhibitions and are therefore more free than any of us will ever know how to be is what results in their evil deeds.)

Below are pictures of my eternal undead love, Spike (aka William the Bloody from Buffy):

In his angel face…

And his real one when he’s not so happy…

Not very pretty in the above. But even in his demon face, everything that Spike did still had such a strong magnetic quality. I was always hypnotized by him.

Vampires are supposed to be raw, and sometimes it’s refreshing to see the ugly. It’s fun.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.