2006-08-02 06:28:49 · 22 answers · asked by darkchild 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
Closest thing would be a vampire bat.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0110/vampirebats.html
2006-08-02 06:35:46 · answer #1 · answered by Dude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a few different ways to answer your question. The "Animal Planet" variety include vampire bats, leeches, and mosquitoes.
There are a few sickos out there today who are infatuated with the Anne Rice type of vampire and actually drink blood.
But since you asked this question in the mythology/folklore section, I'll answer in that (ahem) vein.
No, there are no such things as vampires. However, every culture's folklore contains some sort of creature that dies but not completely, then feeds on the living. These include werewolves and zombie-like creatures as well.
Interestingly, most traditional folkloric vampires are childless women who prey on infants. This is a folkloric way of explaining unexplainable infant mortality, I suppose.
It wasn't until the Hollywood era that vampires became these seductive, ultra-sophisticated males that we're familiar with these days.
2006-08-02 06:43:50 · answer #2 · answered by mistersato 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vampirism originally came from a disease that made your gums recede and made you crave raw meat, something to do with not enough iron in their body. Consequently they werent healthy enough to be in the sun light because it really did burn their skin. While the disease is rare today, back before people had an understanding of disease and medicine these people spurred the vampire myth. Modern day people can claim to be vampires but this is most likely a psychological disorder and to them its more sexual than a disease. It has been said that one of these "vampires" if exposed to enough blood, are actually immune to any blood diseases, such as HIV or AIDS. You might want to check out the book The Science of Vampires by Katherine Ramsland.
2006-08-02 06:38:39 · answer #3 · answered by Rae 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although I've never heard about any people actually being vampires, i have heard of people behaving like them. Elizebeth Bathory, had an odd fondness of torturing people to death. One day, a drop of young maiden's blood fell on her hand. Later, Elizebeth looked at that spot and thought it appeared younger and healthier than the rest of her skin. She wanted to stay young, so she drank young maidens blood and bathed in it. Unfortunately for her, and all those girls, she aged just as fast as everyone else. Dracula, is only rumored to be a vampire because he was very malicious. He, like Elizebeth, had a fondness for causing untimely death. He became so widely feared that he became rumored of being a vampire. If either of these people were vampires, i wouldn't really know.
2006-08-04 06:28:40 · answer #4 · answered by Alysse 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vampire bats exist.
2006-08-02 06:33:32 · answer #5 · answered by jurydoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes...
the kinds of people who latch on to you and suck you dry...Leaving you emotionally and mentally weak from all of their inane babbling and clingy neediness. I stake those vampires all the time!
Hemophilia
Photo sensitivity or photophobia
keratosis follicularis
All of the above and more (I can't think of right now) can all be somewhat compared to the symptoms of classic literary vampires
2006-08-02 06:37:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it's called the vampire bat and it lives in South America. As far as humans go, no.
2006-08-02 06:33:02 · answer #7 · answered by KATYA 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, but they aren't like what you read about or see in the movies! They are people who DRAIN others of their energy by invading your personal space & touching you without your permission or knowledge. Many of these "beings" are in the bodies of mentally ill people who travel in groups or alone. They rarely have close friends because they don't like people. You can see it in their eyes if you know how to look for it! You can also see it in their "shadows" that tend to have a different movement pattern than their bodies!
2006-08-02 07:05:00 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a group of people that drink human blood for fun, and there is a disease that you need to drink human blood, or you will get sick, with the symptoms being that you will burn easily in the sun and your gums recede. It was featured on a CSI show once, i believe.
2006-08-02 07:05:03 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Supposedly there is a bat in South America that does drink blood, mainly from animals.
2006-08-02 06:33:19 · answer #10 · answered by jxt299 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋