The Vampyre: His Kith and Kin

"Would you consider putting that mad lamp with the naked man in the corner?" David Mlinaric, the doyen of interior decorators, has come to Transylvania. Jessica Douglas-Home, champion of Romanian culture, shuffles a 19th-century ambassador's uniform to the appointed position.

In Search of Dracula

All countries have their heroes. Romania's most celebrated are the two princes of Wallachia who battled the Ottoman empire. The first is Michael the Brave who reigned from 1558 until his assassination in 1601.

Dhampir (Slovakia)

A Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother, with vampire powers but none of the weaknesses. A dhampir is believed to have the unique ability to see vampires, even when these are invisible, and is unusually adept at killing them.

The Soucoyan (Caribbean)

On Dominica there exists a creature known as the soucoyan. The "official" explanation of this creature's origin is that it is a curious combination of West African spiritualism and 18th Century Catholicism.

Shtriga (Albania)

The Shtriga, in Albanian folklore, was a vampiric witch that would suck the blood of infants at night while they slept, and would then turn into a flying insect (traditionally a moth, fly or bee). Only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained (often by spitting in their mouths), and those who were not cured inevitably sickened and died.

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Forever

Deep within the woods
out on the moon lit lake
water rippling to your rowing
you stop in the middle, turning,
I take your hands in mine
looking deep within each others eyes
I whisper to you-
"forever mine"
leaning closer
I kiss your lips
moving to your chest,
shivering in exquisite rush,
opening my eyes
and kiss once again,
my blood soaked teeth
you whisper in my ear
"forever mine"

Ghost Fog
November 11, 2001

Chapter 07

The two boys had bathed their souls in the sea-breeze, and their eyes in light.

Vampire Enthusiast Drives Her Daughter to School in a Hearse

December 2, 2002 (ananova.com) - A vampire enthusiast drives her daughter to school in a hearse. Rachel Ellam-Lloyd uses the 23-year-old 19ft-long hearse to take daughter Georgina to school in Northolt, West London.

Understanding porphyria: no vampires here

Many of the world's myths and legends have some basis in fact, which is why they are perpetuated through the centuries. In one case, the idea of a race of nefarious monsters-specifically, vampires-may actually have sprung from a very real and potentially deadly disease that affects thousands of people worldwide.

We are the Children of the Night

Halloween is associated with strange creatures, but none more so than the vampire. To most, the vampire is a myth, an image popularized in movies, television and books. Yet the vampire is no mere Hollywood creation. It is a universal legend.

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