guest article: vampire accounts in mass-media – a methodological approach to the study of vampirism.

On my quest for more research about the subject, because of some readers accusing me (well, not accusing, but condemning the fact that I’ve only posted two or three stories like the ones below and then saying there are hundreds) that I’m exaggerating, I have come while scanning for sources across a very good blog which focuses less on the “imaginative” side of the myths like I’ve been pointed to be, and more on the “research” side.

I have started talking with the author of this blog who is more interested in just historical accounts, facts, books, manuscripts, sources that can be confirmed.

I invited the author of the blog ( http://thevampiresrealm.com/ ) to be a guest author for one article on my blog. The author accepted and below you have the result, a list compiled by the author.

This is a list of the most well-known vampire accounts, with a focus on the ones that can be actually verified through mass-media (they have been present in newspapers and magazines).

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The Alnwick Vampire was a man with a score to settle.
The Melrose Abbey Vampire kept trying to return to his village and enter his former church.
The shoemaker of Silesia was the first vampire case reported in Europe and was the “result” of a suicide.
Johannes Cuntius was believed to have made a pact with the devil and suspected of being the undead after death.
Peter Plogojwitz had a lot of people claim that he was visiting them during the night even after his death.
Arnold Paole stood at the very core of the vampire hysteria that swept across the continent in the 18th century and that was based on a very poor understanding of the decay process.
Visum et Repertum [english version of the document that tells the story of A. Paole]
The Eywanschitz Vampire account is based on a text by Erasmus Franci.
The Varna Vampires are known as a “pack” and even vampire hunters are involved.
Michael Caspareck may seam more of a rumor to some.
The Wollschläger vampire remained an enigma for those that covered his story…
The vampire of Ivanovka was considered a vampire after rumors of his suicide started to surface.
The Radojevo Vampire was also inspected by authorities and dealt with accordingly.
The Sarbanovac vampire was accused by a priest and the locals proceeded to the “extermination” of the undead.
Sarah Tillinghast was the first of the Rhode Island Vampires.
Mercy Brown – the sad story of a supposed vampire.
Nancy Young was the eldest daughter of Capt Levi Young.
Abigail Staples was exhumed “in order to try an experiment” to save the life of another daughter, Livina Chase.
Lemuel and Elisha Ray – truly a strange story indeed; read and try to understand.
J.B. – the only corpse that presents signs of rearrangement in the New England area.
Ruth Ellen Rose [or Phebe Rose] – Records on this matter are not very clear.
Rachel Harris was  a healthy, beautiful girl when she married but after less than a year she weathered away. Her husband remarried. and she was suspected of coming back to torment the new bride.
Petre Toma was for a time the most recent “vampire” of Romania but he remains the most famous to this day.
The vampire of Afumati was covered in mystery until the locals started to give a couple of hints to a Romanian interviewer.
The vampire of Amarasesti was supposed to have survived an anti-vampire ritual so more drastic measures were taken.
The cripple of Cujmir is one of the few cases where the judgement was based on a distinct sign from during the lifetime of the suspect.
The vampire of Cujmir Perhaps the most interesting thing about this case is the fact that the vampire isn`t immobile during the vanquishing ritual.
The vampire of Vaguilesti – “They got together brushwood, shavings, and bits of old crosses, they poured wine on her, they put in straw, and set fire to the whole.”

Below I list a couple of cases that happened recently and were considered a media sensations… (later debunked or solved).

The Highgate Vampire [A media sensation in London from the late 1960s, if focused around a famous Victorian cemetery].
The Cesky Krumlow incident drew a lot of attention and a lot of speculations were made about the identity of the skeletons uncovered.
Eleonore von Schwarzenberg as presented in many documentary-type movies.
Irina Ciorobea – assumed vampire from modern-day Romania; she was actually exhumed 3 times and the family was never tried for it.
Ghiulten Memedali – the supposed vampire of Medgidia turned out to be an innocent since it was later discovered that the manifestations were invented by  her family members.

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Now keep in mind: I, under no circumstance, adhere to any of the articles above. I do not condemn or agree with them. It is simply reading that you might want to do. I have no connection with them, I do not have an opinion on any of them.

They are not related to my blog or my story. It is a list because I’ve been asked for one, and I’m now delivering.

If you want to know more and read more in this direction, including lists of nearly all vampire movies made, books written and poetry plus literature about vampires, and many more such documents pertaining to the research, science approach to the matter, the please visit the author’s of this blog website, http://www.thevampiresrealm.com/ where you can do just that.

I’d like to thank the author of the blog for taking the time in compiling this list and being a guest on this blog.