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La historia y folclor de los vampiros: Las historias y leyendas detrás de estos seres míticos
La gente siempre ha tenido miedo de los muertos. Desde los albores de la humanidad, las personas se han preocupado por aquellos que han fallecido, y también han tratado de mantenerlos alejados. Hay una miríada de leyendas y creencias acerca de muertos que regresan, y una de las más persistentes, es la del vampiro. Todo el mundo ha oído hablar de vampiros, pero pocas personas están realmente familiarizadas con la historia y el folclor que han hecho tan populares a estos seres míticos. De hecho, hay tantas leyendas de tantas culturas que se hace difícil establecer una definición concluyente, y el folclor es, por su propia naturaleza, no científico, pero la mayoría de la gente en el mundo Occidental considera que vampiros son los que regresan de la tumba para chupar la esencia de vida o la sangre de los vivos. Esta concepción común de los vampiros de hecho oculta a muchas tradiciones europeas, y casi todas las no europeas, de monstruos chupasangre. Por ejemplo, en China, Japón y el Medio Oriente, hay espíritus que drenan la fuerza vital de las personas incautas, pero estas criaturas mágicas nunca fueron humanos mortales. En las tradiciones africanas y nativas americanas, hay monstruos que hacen lo mismo pero, si bien se supone que provienen de esta Tierra, tampoco son seres humanos. Además, el folclor cambia con el tiempo, por lo que los vampiros que son familiares para la gente de hoy en día (y los que algunas personas afirman encontrarse) guardan poco parecido con los vampiros europeos de principios de la Edad Moderna. Las historias cambian, la ficción se hace reaidad y viceversa, y las creencias se reinventan constantemente. Por ejemplo, hay un emocionante relato de la edición del Middlesex Illustrated Times del 20 de octubre de 1855, titulado “Una historia sobre un vampiro”: Un periódico alemán relata un curioso ejemplo de esta superstición popular que ocurrió recientemente en Spalato, en "Una joven hermosa, hija de campesinos pudientes, tenía numerosos pretendientes, y de entre ellos seleccionó a uno de su misma condición social. El compromiso de la joven pareja se celebró con un gran banquete, ofrecido por el padre de la chica. Hacia la medianoche, la joven y su madre se retiraron a sus aposentos, dejando a su padre y a los invitados en la mesa. De repente, se escuchó a las mujeres gritar terriblemente, y un momento después la madre, pálida y demacrada entró tambaleándose al salón, llevando en brazos a su hija sin sentido, y gritando en una voz de agonía ‘¡Un vampiro! ¡Un vampiro! ¡Mi hija está muerta!’" La joven cayó gravemente enferma, y continuó empeorando durante dos semanas, hasta que murió. Constantemente había insistido en que la había mordido un vampiro en la garganta, pero de ninguna manera permitió que el doctor examinara la herida. Sin embargo, después de su muerte, él le quitó las vendas del cuello, y encontró una pequeña herida en la garganta que tenía la apariencia de haber sido hecha por el punzón de un fabricante de arneses, que había sido envenenado. El médico luego supo que uno de los pretendientes rechazados de la joven era un fabricante de arneses de una aldea adyacente, y no le quedó duda de que fue él quien apuñaló a la muchacha. Dio esta información a las autoridades, pero el joven, al enterarse de que estaba a punto de ser arrestado, huyó a las montañas y se suicidó lanzándose al torrente.
44 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2014
24 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 9, 2017
Good general overview. Nice.
June 28, 2015
In this informational book, Charles River Editors looks at the history of vampiric folklore world wide, with a strong focus on Europe. The vampires of modern literature and cinema are not the vampires of the ancient past. Indeed, those beings that have been called ‘vampire’ often bear little resemblance to Bran Stoker’s version. This book explores the folklore, the history to the modern version of vampires, historic figures, and a biological explanation of why some corpses may be accused of being vampires.
Charles River Editors has given us another informative book. I have listened to several of these short histories and each one has been quite impressive in the depth of information that can be imparted in just over an hour. I have read a little on vampiric folklore and history and yet, there was more for me to learn from this book. I especially like that there is an emphasis on the original meaning of the vampire and the powers of vampires in ancient folklore. In many tales the vampire would be the spirit of a dead person who was determined to feed on the life force of a living being. There are a variety of world folklore shared in this book, including those about the chupacabra. Many of these tales have evolved over time, especially since the popularity of Bram Stoker’s Dracula hit Europe.
A chapter is devoted to historic figures that became wrapped up in the vampire folklore. Of course, this included Vlad ‘The Impaler’ Dracula. Vampire hunters are also discussed. Indeed, plenty of detail is provided about historic events where people dug up bodies, believing them to be vampires slumbering away the day, and the various ways the vampires were dispatched. This was a fascinating topic and I can only imagine that contagion was sometimes spread by those hell-bent on destroying vampires. Everyone today knows it is unsanitary to play with corpses.
I think this would be useful to those wanting a primer on vampire folklore as it definitely gives you a list of places, events, and people to research further, should you be inclined. I found it fascinating because it demonstrates how human behavior and beliefs have kept this myth alive for centuries.
I received a copy of this audiobook at no charge via the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
The Narration: Jack Chekijian has given another worthy performance. There were several hard to pronounce proper nouns in this book, mostly places, and Chekijian did a great job not stumbling over them. I am sure there are a few myths (goat sucker?!?) that must have made the narrator giggle a little the first time he read them. However, none of that came through in the final product. He treated each myth with seriousness.
Charles River Editors has given us another informative book. I have listened to several of these short histories and each one has been quite impressive in the depth of information that can be imparted in just over an hour. I have read a little on vampiric folklore and history and yet, there was more for me to learn from this book. I especially like that there is an emphasis on the original meaning of the vampire and the powers of vampires in ancient folklore. In many tales the vampire would be the spirit of a dead person who was determined to feed on the life force of a living being. There are a variety of world folklore shared in this book, including those about the chupacabra. Many of these tales have evolved over time, especially since the popularity of Bram Stoker’s Dracula hit Europe.
A chapter is devoted to historic figures that became wrapped up in the vampire folklore. Of course, this included Vlad ‘The Impaler’ Dracula. Vampire hunters are also discussed. Indeed, plenty of detail is provided about historic events where people dug up bodies, believing them to be vampires slumbering away the day, and the various ways the vampires were dispatched. This was a fascinating topic and I can only imagine that contagion was sometimes spread by those hell-bent on destroying vampires. Everyone today knows it is unsanitary to play with corpses.
I think this would be useful to those wanting a primer on vampire folklore as it definitely gives you a list of places, events, and people to research further, should you be inclined. I found it fascinating because it demonstrates how human behavior and beliefs have kept this myth alive for centuries.
I received a copy of this audiobook at no charge via the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
The Narration: Jack Chekijian has given another worthy performance. There were several hard to pronounce proper nouns in this book, mostly places, and Chekijian did a great job not stumbling over them. I am sure there are a few myths (goat sucker?!?) that must have made the narrator giggle a little the first time he read them. However, none of that came through in the final product. He treated each myth with seriousness.
July 16, 2017
Quick read on vampires
This was a quick read on vampires. Although it is short. There is some interesting information to be found. Most of it I knew about already, but that is to be excepted with a book of this sort. There was a nice touch on the chupacabra and UFOs, but to me the chupacabra ain't no vampire just a boat sucking fiend. This book does touch on the vampire in pop culture so if you want more on the pop culture such as movies then this book doesn't do it. There are two brief sketches on the real Dracula and Elizabeth Bathory, models for later fictional vampires. Want to spend an maybe an hour on vampires then this will do just don't plan on sinking your teeth in too deep.
This was a quick read on vampires. Although it is short. There is some interesting information to be found. Most of it I knew about already, but that is to be excepted with a book of this sort. There was a nice touch on the chupacabra and UFOs, but to me the chupacabra ain't no vampire just a boat sucking fiend. This book does touch on the vampire in pop culture so if you want more on the pop culture such as movies then this book doesn't do it. There are two brief sketches on the real Dracula and Elizabeth Bathory, models for later fictional vampires. Want to spend an maybe an hour on vampires then this will do just don't plan on sinking your teeth in too deep.
June 9, 2015
"A Comprehensive Overview of Vampires"
What did you love best about The History and Folklore of Vampires?
I really enjoyed the in depth look at vampires from medieval times to the present. The history of the name origins, the rituals of the ridding of vampires, and vampires in pop culture.
What did you like best about this story?
What I liked best about the story was how through the ages, the folklore has changed. For instance, the way the Eastern Europeans, other European countries and Americans have viewed vampires. I also liked the part of the story where the seventh son of a seventh son would either be a vampire or vampire killer.
Have you listened to any of Jack Chekijian’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes I have listened to other work by Jack Chekijian and found his performance excellent. He has a nice flowing voice and always speaks clearly with perfect pronunciation.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes I listened to this book all in one sitting.
Any additional comments?
I received this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 16, 2025
I've read several books on vampire folklore over the years, and of the short ones, this is definitely one of the more detailed and wide-ranging. There were even a couple of incidents cited with which i was not previously familiar. I'd recommend it as a great primer for anyone interested in a brief, well-written introduction to the subject.
March 11, 2018
More like a dissertation than a book
Some interesting folklore and explanations as to why the myth of the vampire exists. Reads more like a school paper or bad dissertation at times than anything else. Still had some facts and stories of interest, would have liked it more had it been longer and the author used primary resources.
Some interesting folklore and explanations as to why the myth of the vampire exists. Reads more like a school paper or bad dissertation at times than anything else. Still had some facts and stories of interest, would have liked it more had it been longer and the author used primary resources.
January 15, 2024
The concept of vampires and creatures like vampires is spread pretty much over the entire world according to this book. The book also notes that the folklore of these can change over time.
The book goes into ancient stories about vampires so it's obvious that the concept of vampires has been around for a very long time. It also notes that there are variations on the vampire theme as some of the creatures are said too drink blood, others eat souls and some have no problem with daylight.
It goes into methods of defeating vampires and then goes into vampire stories in popular culture such as the Dracula books and movies (and I would definite add Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
It also discusses a couple of real historical figures who have been associated with vampirism including Vlad the Impaler and Lady Bathory. Then it notes that the legends might come from a time when people did not know anything about the normal stages involved in human decomposition.
The book ends with a bibliography.
I think the vampires in modern culture could have been expanded but overall I think the book does a good, concise portrait of vampires and vampire-like creatures.
The book goes into ancient stories about vampires so it's obvious that the concept of vampires has been around for a very long time. It also notes that there are variations on the vampire theme as some of the creatures are said too drink blood, others eat souls and some have no problem with daylight.
It goes into methods of defeating vampires and then goes into vampire stories in popular culture such as the Dracula books and movies (and I would definite add Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
It also discusses a couple of real historical figures who have been associated with vampirism including Vlad the Impaler and Lady Bathory. Then it notes that the legends might come from a time when people did not know anything about the normal stages involved in human decomposition.
The book ends with a bibliography.
I think the vampires in modern culture could have been expanded but overall I think the book does a good, concise portrait of vampires and vampire-like creatures.
September 10, 2022
Very cool to learn the various beliefs of people around the world in regards to the fabled vampire monster. Fascinating how much of what we currently believe is based on more recent interpretations of the monster that have been put to film. It seems that when something goes bad for a community, having a scapegoat is a useful way to unite the group against a common evil. I believe the vampire and to an extent, the witch also fulfilled this role.
February 15, 2023
In all honesty, I think I'm being rather generous with giving the book two stars. There wasn't a ton of research done, which was rather annoying. Some stories got blended together, whether intentional or not I have no clue. I'm not entirely sure if I just know too much about folkloric vampires or what, but a lot of the content was either incorrect or only partially correct. I'm rather thankful that I'm finally done with this book.
October 20, 2025
Not a bad overview however it does suffer from the CRE curse of having parts of the text being cut and paste. There are parts of the book dealing with general vampire lore that are also in the book about Mercy Brown. Unlike other books with this problem though, the information was integrated in a cohesive way in both books and I didn’t notice any weird formatting issues or typos.
December 4, 2018
A fun and informative quick read
A pretty interesting summary of various vampire myths and legends, as well as modern cultural depictions and suggestions on why the myths developed. All I'm all a fun and informative - and quick! - read.
A pretty interesting summary of various vampire myths and legends, as well as modern cultural depictions and suggestions on why the myths developed. All I'm all a fun and informative - and quick! - read.
July 31, 2020
The History and Folklore of Vampires, is a very brief overview of the folklore of vampirism. It sort of read like a thesis, though, not quite thorough enough. There's a lot of general information and some of it was very interesting but it doesn't go into too much detail so if you want to get more in depth knowledge you'll have to do additional research/reading.
I listened to the audiobook. Jack Chekijian was the narrator. I found his voice robotic but not annoying enough to keep me from listening to the whole booklet.
I listened to the audiobook. Jack Chekijian was the narrator. I found his voice robotic but not annoying enough to keep me from listening to the whole booklet.
April 12, 2021
A brief yet very comprehensive account of the various roots of vampire lore. Good resource to begin research on the subject. Leaves you wanting to learn more and a lot to think about.
February 25, 2024
This was a very interesting non-fiction book. I enjoyed how it went into the different folklore that has taken place as well as media influences. A lot of the original folklore tales I hadn’t heard of before so it was refreshing to learn. I enjoyed how this book was set out and found it easy to read. I would recommend.
June 24, 2015
I received this audio book as a gift in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.
Wow, this book is so informative! I recently started reading paranormal romances about vampires in the last year. Before that, I wouldn't read or watch anything about vampires because they scared me. I still won't watch any vampire movies. I never knew there was so much background info about vampires. I especially never knew it went back centuries. I always thought it was something made up in the last 100 years er so.
While this is a short read, it is packed with information on beliefs by different countries and throughout many, many centuries, how alleged vampires were handled. I was floored to hear how many times they dug up bodies and mutilated them because of illnesses.
The author, Charles River Editors did a great job in his research on this book. While it is non fiction, I really feel I learned a lot from it. The narrator, Jack Chekijian once again does a great job delivering this book flawlessly as always!
Wow, this book is so informative! I recently started reading paranormal romances about vampires in the last year. Before that, I wouldn't read or watch anything about vampires because they scared me. I still won't watch any vampire movies. I never knew there was so much background info about vampires. I especially never knew it went back centuries. I always thought it was something made up in the last 100 years er so.
While this is a short read, it is packed with information on beliefs by different countries and throughout many, many centuries, how alleged vampires were handled. I was floored to hear how many times they dug up bodies and mutilated them because of illnesses.
The author, Charles River Editors did a great job in his research on this book. While it is non fiction, I really feel I learned a lot from it. The narrator, Jack Chekijian once again does a great job delivering this book flawlessly as always!
June 30, 2015
In less than an hour and a half we reap the benefits of someone else's hard work of digging through historical accounts and assembling into a comprehensible text. Information presented not only of the standard European fare, but of similar undead from around the globe. European depictions evolve from the oral folklore to 20th century movies, to a 2012 publicity venture.
JC has the voice quality, intonation, and fluidity to keep it entertaining as well as instructional. Much better in his narration than the scholarly thesis that it is.
JC has the voice quality, intonation, and fluidity to keep it entertaining as well as instructional. Much better in his narration than the scholarly thesis that it is.
June 26, 2015
Jack Chekijan does a wonderful job of narrating this history of the vampire.I found this a most interesting book.I thought I knew nearly all the lore of the vampire but I did learn quite a bit.The fact that every culture seems to have a vampire type figure to frighten them is interesting. The difference in beliefs around the world are myriad.None seems to have been based on a real person until we get to Vlad the Impaler.
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."
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December 13, 2014Does a fair, not a comprehensive job - especially as far as reasons for the myth are concerned, especially the historic ones
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews