Vampires

Are Vampires Real?

Do Vampires Exist?  Real human vampires are communities of people in many places around the world who feed on human or animal blood.  They are found worldwide and they have many different names like Filipino/Bampira, German/Vampir (Vampyr, Vampyer, Vampyres, Wampler en), Danish/Swedish vampyr, Dutch vampir, French vampire, Italian/Spanish/Portuguese vampiro.  

While they do not possess supernatural powers as exhibited by the popular movie and TV culture characters (Actors) like Twilight saga, True Blood or more historic characters like Count Dracula or Countess Elizabeth Bathory, these individuals claim that it is a medical condition that requires them to consume blood in order to sustain themselves.

John Edgar Browning, a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology who studied the depiction of vampires in film and literature, spoke to The Washington Post about his study and interaction with such a vampire community known as New Orleans Vampire Association .

“Until 2009, the only area of vampire studies that I hadn’t approached was real vampires,” Browning added, “I think I subconsciously saved it for last because I just thought what a lot of people think: that they must be crazy and have read too much fictional work about vampires.”

Atlanta Vampire Alliance, a house for ‘real vampires’, conducted surveys that found there are at least 5,000 people in the United States who identify as vampires. Browning said about 50 of them live in New Orleans alone.

These communities have largely kept to themselves, knowing enough about public perception to not want to attract prying eyes. Browning, aware of the visceral disgust that his research is likely to provoke, seldom brings it up in everyday conversation. But his own initial belief that there was something wrong with these people faded after he started getting to know them.

“After a short period of time,” he said, “I realized that they weren’t crazy. At least, they weren’t any crazier than your Average Joe.”

According to Browning, symptoms of vampirism start to manifest around puberty, when those who later become reliant on ingesting blood find themselves physically “drained” for no discernible reason. They usually discover accidentally that blood offers a remedy: they might bite their lip, for instance, and realize that swallowing the metallic liquid between their teeth gives them an instant burst of energy.

The community has adopted terms to describe their unorthodox habits. To “feed” is to drink blood, while those who give their blood are called “donors.” Being “awakened” and “coming out of the coffin” are ways to talk about becoming aware of one’s vampiric identity. “Elder vampires,” then, are those who have been awakened for some time and can in turn advise others on how to cope.

The vampires that Browning spoke with claim they can’t control their urges, which amount to a need for around two or three feedings a week. If ample blood is on offer, they might refrigerate it and later combine it with other ingredients, like tea.

Kinesia, a woman who identifies as a blood drinker, told the BBC that she isn’t a vampire by choice. “Many of us would rather not go through the cyclic symptoms and just be happy to live life like a normal person,” she said.

A real vampire in the U.K., Alexia, echoed the sentiment: “If the cause could be identified, I would most certainly take a pharmaceutical pill.”

Most vampires have kept their condition from their doctors because they are wary of stigma. But those who are known to have disclosed their habits haven’t been given a medical explanation.

There are more than just blood thirsty types of Vampires and all three are real!

“This could very well be in our heads,” a vampire who calls herself “CJ!” admitted to the BBC. Yet, those vampires who have tried to stop drinking blood have met scary consequences.

When Kinesia went four months without feeding, she found herself in the emergency room with a low heart rate that would shoot up to 160 when she stood up or walked around. This would be followed by a massive migraine, and sometimes a loss of consciousness.

Browning said he knows of a woman who found herself unable to go to work or even walk after a period of not ingesting blood. When her husband came to see her in the hospital, she fed from him in her room and immediately felt better.

Though the habits of modern vampires may seem frightening to most, Browning insisted that the ones he met in New Orleans were incredibly friendly.

Energy Vampires

Not every vampire must drink blood to survive (those who do are called “sanguinarians”). Some simply derive strength from taking the “psychic energy” of others. This can be accomplished through intimate human touch, like giving someone a massage.