Vampires
Many many moons ago I remember my mother telling me about a legacy involving vampires.It stemed from a handed down through the family format. Originally I think it came from my mother's paternal father's side. It was my first introduction in a way, to the vampire stories. This "Legacy" is not that of a vampire in the traditional movie or book sense.For one thing it was not associated with transformation into a bat, but of transformation into a wolf.
The drinking of blood was not described to me as it is written into movies either.My mother told me that it has been misrepresented for so long that the origin has been lost.It actually involved the eating of human or animal parts, usually the heart or other vital organs.No other consumption of food for sustence was needed. The myth that vampires don't consume food but that they drink blood comes into play in relation to the ingesting of the bloody organs.
I was also instructed that vampires do not die in the traditional sense of the word, however, they themselves are not immortal, but the Legacy is.The "shape-shifter" quality is part of the legacy that lives through the last descendant.My mother told me that it is possible to " make" another vampire thereby creating a new legacy. Unfortunately she did not share with me how that happens.Perhaps she herself did not know.
The legend of the wolf-man and the vampire seperated somewhere in history. Yet they were actually connected according to what my mother explained.The ability to fly and to transfirm into a wolf were original qualities of the vampire.This trait has been associated with witchcraft also. The American Indians and other aboriginal tribes accepted transformation on a spiritual level not viewing it as a black-art or a bad thing.Many legends tend to get all wrapped up together over time and it is unclear where one stops and the other starts.One day perhaps I will take the time to do a little more research and tie up some of the loose ends of my mothers story.I often wish that she was still here to share her stories with her grandchildren. They are a part of her legacy as well.
The drinking of blood was not described to me as it is written into movies either.My mother told me that it has been misrepresented for so long that the origin has been lost.It actually involved the eating of human or animal parts, usually the heart or other vital organs.No other consumption of food for sustence was needed. The myth that vampires don't consume food but that they drink blood comes into play in relation to the ingesting of the bloody organs.
I was also instructed that vampires do not die in the traditional sense of the word, however, they themselves are not immortal, but the Legacy is.The "shape-shifter" quality is part of the legacy that lives through the last descendant.My mother told me that it is possible to " make" another vampire thereby creating a new legacy. Unfortunately she did not share with me how that happens.Perhaps she herself did not know.
The legend of the wolf-man and the vampire seperated somewhere in history. Yet they were actually connected according to what my mother explained.The ability to fly and to transfirm into a wolf were original qualities of the vampire.This trait has been associated with witchcraft also. The American Indians and other aboriginal tribes accepted transformation on a spiritual level not viewing it as a black-art or a bad thing.Many legends tend to get all wrapped up together over time and it is unclear where one stops and the other starts.One day perhaps I will take the time to do a little more research and tie up some of the loose ends of my mothers story.I often wish that she was still here to share her stories with her grandchildren. They are a part of her legacy as well.