Vampires.

Vampires. Creatures of the dark. Undead. Immortal. Sharp-teethed blood suckers. Threat for warm-blooded humans.

What do we know about them? Well... They are cold-blooded killers hunting for their victims at night, deeping their teeth into human flesh looking for arteries, to satisfy their thirst for blood. After their hunting they look for dark places, preferably a nice cosy coffin, and they lock themselves there before the first sun rays welcome the earth in the morning. It is commonly known that they are afraid of silver bullets, garlic and crosses. What ends up their life is, as we believe, a stake thrusted into their heart, fire or sunlight.

These are the things we hear all the time. But the issue here is - do vampires really exist? Aren't they only a part of a cultural myth, stories passed from generations to generations? People created these accounts trying to explain things that they didn't understand. Misterious diseases, people's strange behaviour, or other unexplained events. The stories grew more and more, with lots of interesting details attached to them. Changed into what we have today - our well known vampire myth.

Let`s have a look at Dracula. Vlad Tepes - Romanian prince. This name, in translation from Turkish means "impaling prince, was used because of Vlad's fondness for impalement as a means of execution. It was only one if his cruel dids. But according to some, he was a national hero who stood up against the Ottoman Empire. However cruel Vlad might have been, nowhere is it stated that he was a vampire. It was actually Bram Stoker who created that legend in 1897.

Another famous person, believed to be a vampire, was Elizabeth Bathory. A countess who was known for her exceptional beauty as much as for her cruelty. It was she who invented a famous tool of torture - Iron Maiden. Elizabeth at almost fifty started getting desperate to keep her beauty. Once, a maid who was combing her hair hurt her unintentionally and the countess in one of her fits of anger hit the maid so strongly that poor woman started bleeding and drop of her blood fell on Elizabeth`s hand. Cruel woman thought her skin looked fresher where it fell and since then she was kidnapping young beautiful virgins to draw their blood and use it to have a bath to regain her youth and radiance. Nobody mentioned that she actually drank blood of her victims.

Just one more fact, turned into vampire myth, for you to know - Gilles de Rais. Gilles was the richest noble in Europe, and in 1420 his fortune increased by his marriage to an extremely wealthy heiress, Catherine de Thouars. He was a gay who found a taste in killing his young victims. He was raping them first and then slitting their throats and doing afterwards even worse things, not to be mentioned.
He was also obsessed with learning how to make gold. Employing magicians to help him in it, and even wanting to sell his soul to Devil were the desperate means of achieveing it. He commited so many crimes, but none of them was drinking blood.

Real or not, there were different attitudes towards vampires. Some people hated them, some worshiped, some feared, some were trying to become one looking for the "dark gift giver" all their life. So many movies and vampire stories were created. Some of them showing vampires in a negative light, some of them almost defending their dangerous nature.

But - do they exist??? This question bugs you a lot, doesn`t it? Does God exist? Most of people believe so, even though they have never seen Him. Well, you`ll never find out until you meet one, I guess.

And now, my dear reader, let me go. It got dark, and I`m... hungry...