Vampires Around the World
© Wayne Kreger
The vampire, in our Western culture, has become a stock horror film or gothic novel character, mostly stripped of all its air of mystery. There are few among us who are not familiar with the ways to exterminate the undead - sunlight or a wooden stake through the heart. We know garlic keeps them at bay. We also know they crave human blood and search for it at night. However, we may not know that the vampire has a life outside Western entertainment. Though the word "vampire" is derived from the Slavic language, the idea of an animated corpse that feeds on blood is surprisingly common throughout the world, though the nature and appearance of the vampire changes dramatically from region to region.
In China there exists a creature in folklore known as the chiang-shih. Though not identical to North American and European ideas of vampires, similarities do exist. Chiang-shih are re-animated corpses, who due an improper burial or unsettled business begin to lurk about in the world of the living. Armed with fangs and claws they stalk their prey, though more interested in attacking in a beast-like manner than simply biting and draining blood. They take on a much more animal-like persona than do our Bela Lugosi film inspired vampires - rather than dressing elegantly and hypnotically luring their victims to their castles, they much more resemble the corpses they are.
The ancient Mayans and Aztecs of what is now Central America had their own myths relating to vampire like creatures, which is not surprising considering they shared their land with vampire bats. The lord of the underworld in Aztec mythology had vampiric aspects, though rather than feeding on the blood of the living he ate the spirits of the recently deceased. The Mayans told of the god of the caves, a part-bat part-human creature, called Camazotz. He was a particularly unsavoury character, and feared by the Mayan people - though not feared enough that he was not a popular subject for art, easily identified by his claws and rodent nose.
India, with its rich collection of mythic lore, certainly hosts a variety of terrible beings which can be thought of as vampires. Popular in Hindu literature are the rakshasas, who were nocturnal demons bent on disrupting human affairs. They participated in the standard vampire affair of drinking blood, and were blamed for the deaths of infants. Rama and Hanuman battled rakshasas in their struggle to free Sita from Ravenna's clutches as recorded in the Ramayana. The Hindu deity Kali has often been, perhaps unfairly, described as having vampire traits.
In China there exists a creature in folklore known as the chiang-shih. Though not identical to North American and European ideas of vampires, similarities do exist. Chiang-shih are re-animated corpses, who due an improper burial or unsettled business begin to lurk about in the world of the living. Armed with fangs and claws they stalk their prey, though more interested in attacking in a beast-like manner than simply biting and draining blood. They take on a much more animal-like persona than do our Bela Lugosi film inspired vampires - rather than dressing elegantly and hypnotically luring their victims to their castles, they much more resemble the corpses they are.
The ancient Mayans and Aztecs of what is now Central America had their own myths relating to vampire like creatures, which is not surprising considering they shared their land with vampire bats. The lord of the underworld in Aztec mythology had vampiric aspects, though rather than feeding on the blood of the living he ate the spirits of the recently deceased. The Mayans told of the god of the caves, a part-bat part-human creature, called Camazotz. He was a particularly unsavoury character, and feared by the Mayan people - though not feared enough that he was not a popular subject for art, easily identified by his claws and rodent nose.
India, with its rich collection of mythic lore, certainly hosts a variety of terrible beings which can be thought of as vampires. Popular in Hindu literature are the rakshasas, who were nocturnal demons bent on disrupting human affairs. They participated in the standard vampire affair of drinking blood, and were blamed for the deaths of infants. Rama and Hanuman battled rakshasas in their struggle to free Sita from Ravenna's clutches as recorded in the Ramayana. The Hindu deity Kali has often been, perhaps unfairly, described as having vampire traits.
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The copyright of the article Vampires Around the World in Mythology is owned by Wayne Kreger. Permission to republish Vampires Around the World in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
