Where did the myth of vampires and werewolfs actually come from?

Question

For my debate class the topic was mythical creatures to be more specific vampires, if they ever existed or they do exist and what the word vampire actually means. My debate I really didn't think things through and didn't do any research on the topic. I had said that vampires didn't exist that it was all made up for advertisement well since I didn't give a good argument I lost the debate but the other person carefully researched their part and some of the things that he said really got me thinking more about this topic.

Answer 1

The tales of vampires and werewolves have many possible sources. Some of which are weirder than others. The scientific explanations for werewolves are that werewolves were really people hallucinating, farmers trying to find an explanation for why thier animals were killed, so on. It could also have originated from misunderstandings of certain diseases. The less "scientific" explanations are that werewolves really do exist, or, as you may find with some internet communities, shifters (such as in the therianthrope community) were the culprits.

First of all, hallucinations could have been caused by many factors, however, there are two main ones that seem plausable. A. It was caused by lycanthropy, a form of psychosis in which the person actually believes that they have changed into a wolf, or B. a hallucinagenic moss called Ergot. Ergot moss is an ingredient often used in LSD. In the 60's and 70's it caused most of the people who took it to have vivid hallucinations. They could be good or bad. Ergot may have done very much the same, and given how much focus there was on werewolves, the people may have felt that they had "transformed".

But how would ergot have gotten into their systems back then? Simple. It was in the bread that the poor grew, as they did not have the advances of the rich, which explains why there was rumor that the rich were "immune" to being werewolves.

It could also have easily been that farmers were trying to find a way to explain dissappearence of animals.

As for medical conditions that could have caused this, there is a very rare condition called hypertrichosis. This causes excessive hairgrowth, and can make the people who are afflicted appear to be "werewolves".


Less scientific reasons for werewolves are shifters, who are people who often go into the mental state of a an animal, called a shift. There are also therians, who experience shifts. Therians (those who experience therianthropy) they identify either spiritually or mentally as animals.


As for vampires:


There are a few different theories on this as well. Vampires may have been caused by the idea of when the corpse seems to be "alive". Not long after death, the corpse will swell up, and even "flush" a bit. The hair and nails may grow, and so on, giving the appearence that the corpse is "alive", and has just fed. This is actually a normal part of the decomposing process. When people saw this, especially if there was murders or inexplicable dissapearences occuring, they would instantly blame the corpse, believing it was a vampire. When vampires were said to "groan" after a steak was stuck through the heart, that was actually a normal sound of gasses being released.

In these days, vampires were not like how many see them today. They were grusome "living" corpses. Bram Stoker created the first "handsome" vampire.

The other theory is a less scientific theory. That is that vampires DO exist. However, these vampires are not like the vampires of myth. Instead they are more like people who do not produce enough life force. Instead of drinking blood, they "drink" energy. This condition is named vampirism due to the similarity of taking life force.

Vampirism also may be mistaken for a blood fetish, or a rare type of (I think) anemia that causes one to crave blood.

Answer 2

First I want to say that i do not Disbelieve in them. But if you take a sec a think, why are there no stories about serial killers and mass murders from 1000 years back. Imagine yourself a medieval farmer who comes upon the mutilated corpse of your neighbor. Not since your life is probably ruled by superstition and religion your not gonna automatically think that a human could possibly do something like that. This was the time before schizophrenia and psychosis. Not that it did not exist back then, its just that there were no shrinks, sooo A VAMPIRE DID IT!! or werewolf. Or whatever monster ppl used to explain the chaos of their lives. The is nothing new under the sun.
But that's not to say I don't believe in VAMPIRES or WEREWOLF'S

Answer 3

The idea of the vampire emerged (in Slavic countries) because people observed that after a person had been dead for a while, blood would form around the mouth. Also the skin would shrink around the mouth, baring the teeth.

People superstitiously thought that a dead person might revive in the night as an evil creature and go out and wreck havoc. If they thought mischief was afoot, they would go dig up someone who had recently died, notice that the corpse had certain signs (as described) and conclude that the person was a vampire. Then they would drive a stake through the corpse to "pin it" to the ground.

The idea of the werewolf may have been related to certain rare diseases that cause excessive hair growth and light sensitivity.

Answer 4

both ot these races exist.
I know many vampires.
and I myself am a werewolf.
there is no living being that truly knows of our origins, however there is a common tale told in our packs and in their covens.
unfortunatly there are small differences in the two versions of this story.
the story begins long before the evolution of man.
we "Creatures of the Night" were chosen by the gods to protect this earth.
at one time the werewolves and the vampires held each other's council in high regard, and all was good in the world.
then as man began to form the evils that come with Human Nature began to manifest.
the council of elders consisting to eight Vampires and eight Werewolves recognised this threat, and called a meating to discuss the matter.
this is where the story splits.
I was told by my elders that the vampires felt it would be best to destroy all of mankind before the evil spread.
however my close friend arathguard(a vampire) was told by his elders that the werewolves felt it best to enslave the humans and raise as food.
therefore the truth is forever lost.
I do know that we Werewolves do not believe that this is fair or just, for every living creature has the right to freedom.
and I also know that the vampires do not believe mass geonocide. While there have been evil Werewolves and Vampires alike I do know that the two councils that now exist both value the human race as a part of this world, even if some resent them for the destruction the have brought.
this however is believed can be fixed by a shift in awareness.

Answer 5

The idea of a werewolf probably arose from a coupla different areas. One is where the victim suffers from a genetic condition called hypertrichosis, that causes their body to sprout hair on every bit of surface skin. They often resemble Michael J. Fox (sp?) in teen wolf. The other possibility is lore that has risen up around so called "ferel children." Most often recorded in India, it is the phenomina where a child is abandoned by a parent, adopted by a she-wolf (although other animals have been known to adopt a human child as well, the wolf is most common), and spends their youth in the wild, adopting the habits and hunting style of the pack. As for vampires, the most likely answer are those suffering from Photosensitivity (allergy to the sun). On a side note, there is a reliable historical record of a female noble (her name escapes me at the moment, and no I'm not thinking of Vlad the Impaler) who bathed in the blood of young women (along with bedding them). Since she was a noble, the number of deaths attributed to her were around 300. It wasn't until she began killing the daughters of other nobles that wrath was brought down upon her, and she was killed.

Answer 6

Werewolf and vampires are two completely different things.Just because they hate each other, doesn't mean that they deserve to be in the same sentence.
Vampire means fanged bat of ire emotion, not werebat, just bat.
Vamp means fanged bat, the suffix 'ir' or 'ire' means a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance.
I suppose that's how death comes into it.

Werewolf means wer-wulf from German, wer meaning man and wulf meaning wolf.
Half-man, half-wolf = werewolf.

Answer 7

The notion of vampirism has been in use for millennia. Cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks, and Romans had tales of demons and spirits including the Empusa, Lamia, and Lilitu, who would eat flesh and drink blood; even the devil was considered synonymous with the vampire in earlier times. However, despite the occurrence of vampire-like creatures in these ancient civilizations, the mythology for the entity we know today as the vampire comes almost exclusively from Southeastern Europe. It is in these regions, such as the Balkans, Transylvania, Wallachia and Greece, that it is believed the folklore about vampires had its origins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire

In Greek mythology, the story of Lycaon provides one of the earliest examples of a werewolf legend. According to one version, Lycaon was transformed into a wolf as a result of eating human flesh; one of those who were present at periodical sacrifice on Mount Lycæon was said to suffer a similar fate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

Answer 8

Where Did Vampires Originate

Answer 9

The werewolf lore is much much older than that of the vampire. It daters back to ancient Greece, where the God of Gods, Zeus turned his nephew God Lyconan into a wolf for eating human flesh. (Hence the term Lycanthorpy...Werewolf). Vampiric legends only date back to Slavic and Hungarian legends from the 15th and 16 century to current times

Answer 10

You should ask the Goths about Vampires. In Atlanta the Goths are vampire keepers. Goths guard their covens during daylight and lure the homeless to them at night. Then the Goths celebrate as the vampires devour the blood of the homeless victims leaving just a shell for the street cleaners to dispose of in the morning. We are running short of homeless in Atlanta. The Vampires will probably start attacking prostitutes and street walkers soon.
Good luck.