The Kiss of a Vampire

Many people fear the bite of a Vampire. Why? Because they think that a single bite will either turn them into a vampire or the vampire will kill them by draining them completely of their blood.

This is simply not true. First of all it takes much more than a single bite to turn someone into a vampire. Second a vampire has to stop drinking before their victim’s heart stops or they can become seriously ill. You see a vampire cannot drink the blood from a dead person. Once the heart stops, the uncirculated blood becomes toxic and therefore the vampire can become poisoned by the very thing they sought after to sustain their life.

Now it is true that on occasion a vampire has killed their victim, but these vampires were probably young and have either not yet learned to control their urges, or the attack was one with the full intent to kill.

Vampires are nothing like what people perceive them to be.  In fact they are very special creatures with unique abilities. Each of these abilities a vampire uses when feeding. Once a person gets over their superstitious fears about vampires, the experience of a vampire bite can be very pleasurable to those the vampire has bonded with.

In general most vampires know the person, or at least know of the person they plan to feed upon. They study them and learn of their habits, their likes and dislikes, as well as their daily routine. Often an actual relationship or bonding will develop between the vampire and its victim. You see vampires have feelings just like any human. The only difference is that a vampire is not looking for love, but rather the quenching of their unending thirst for blood. At times the act of feeding for a vampire can almost be as exciting as sex is to a human.

A young vampire motivated by their hunger might simply hide in the shadows and attack the first person that comes along.  However, an older more experienced vampire understands the art of a vampire’s bite. To them, feeding is a discipline, as well as a game of seduction and foreplay, very much like the Kama Sutra is to humans.

Experienced vampires will drink just enough blood from their victims that they will become lightheaded, and on the verge of passing out.  The lack of blood to the brain causes a short term loss of memory.  So when the victim awakens or regain their senses, they do not remember the attack.  To them everything is a blur, much like a bad hangover.  By using this technique, the secret of the vampire’s attack will remain a secret.

Now male and female vampires feed in very different ways. Female vampire’s have a distinct advantage over males because the female vampire usually does not get emotionally attached to the people they feed upon. Their feeding habits are also much different.  They prefer short quick bites. This is useful in places like a nightclub or at a party.  When their victim has had too much to drink, a simple embrace gives the female vampire plenty of time to partake in a quick drink without their victim even knowing anything has happened.

The female vampire sees the world mainly as a feeding ground which gives them the freedom to seduce their victims without getting emotionally involved. They basically prey on the primal urges of their victims by using the art of seduction.

On the other hand, a male vampire feeds completely different than the female.  A male vampire will take their time and enjoy the courtship of getting to know their victim before feeding upon them. They will first try to gain their victim’s trust.  When their victim is a female, they will court them in the same manner as any human but with much more grace and style.  For they have had many centuries of practice.

When they feel that the time is right, a male vampire might start off by playfully running his fingers through his victim’s hair tilting her head just enough to expose her neck a little. Then the male might give a slight kiss on the cheek followed by other soft kisses to the neck.

This kissing to the neck in preparation for the bite increases the anticipation not only to the vampire, but to their victim as well. It evokes the deep rooted primal urge and appetite of the vampire, at the same time it excites his female partner. The intension here is to excite the female to such a heighten state of passion that she willingly will give herself to the vampire. You see a male vampire has the ability to be very persuasive and after centuries of practice, can awaken the passion within almost any human woman.

Once the male sinks his teeth into his partner, they are now both lost in their emotions and are no longer vampire and victim. They are bonding just like in a human relationship. The female, now having given herself over to the vampire, is now helpless to the desires of the vampire.  If the male is emotionally attracted to the female they might have sex. Even a relationship can be formed.  If not, then after feeding he will discard her somewhere and be done with her.

Female vampires can also form relationships with humans if they choose to.  In fact, it is not unusual for an elder female to have many relationships at one time.

So the next time you encounter a vampire, think twice before you look upon them as creatures that only kill to feed. If you understand them for what they are, then you no longer have to fear ‘The Vampire’s Kiss’.

The truth how a vampire can become human again.

(Sophia after becoming a human again)

If you have been watching the Vampire Diaries lately, you know that all you need to become human again is to find an ancient elixir, which there is only one by the way, drink it and hope it will magically turn you from a vampire back into a human.  Yawn!!!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I watch the Vampire Diaries every week.  I like the show but I’m beginning to wonder just how many times a vampire can get their neck broken before they stay dead.

However, I digress.  So how does a vampire become human again?  Well you first start off with a really sharp knife and cut the wrist of a vampire, allowing them to bleed to the point where they go into a bloodlust.  Oh yes, I forgot to mention that you should probably chain up the vampire securely before you cut their wrist or else you will be their next meal.

Some of you might ask, “How does putting a vampire into a bloodlust help them become human again?”  That is an excellent question.  And the answer is that it is not so much the issue that you are putting the vampire into a bloodlust, it is however how the vampire reacts while in a bloodlust.

In my book, ‘Faith of a Vampire’, we find out that some vampires would like to become human again. Most believe it is not possible, but that is a lie. There is a process called ‘the path of kohinoor’, where a vampire can become human again. This is a series of trials, specific to each vampire that they must face and overcome.  Only after mastering each of these trials can a vampire have a chance to becoming human again. One of these trials is for the vampire to control their instincts to feed while in a bloodlust.

So you see putting a vampire in a bloodlust is not what is important.  What is important is that they learn to control their thirst for blood while in a bloodlust opposed to letting thirst control them. The time it takes to achieve this goal can vary from vampire to vampire.  For some it can literally take hundreds of times going in and out of a bloodlust before they even begin to control it.

This is just one of many trials a vampire must face when they chooses to go down the path of kohinoor in their attempt to become human again.

For a vampire, becoming human again is no walk in the park. There are many factors involved as to whether or not they can successfully complete each trial necessary to actually becomes human again. For example; the older the vampire is the harder it will be for them to complete each trial. You see older vampires usually have come to embraced their darker side, making it much harder to bring them back to the light to the point where they can become human again.

In my book, Sophia has only been a vampire a short time when she searches for a way to become human again. So naturally you would think it would be easy for her to pass the trials of kohinoor.  But unfortunately Sophia has a secret that even she did not know until she became a vampire.  This secret compelled her to do some—questionable things as a vampire which she ultimately has to face during her trials.

I must tell you that most vampires believe that the path of kohinoor is just a myth.  The vampire council have gone to great lengths to keep it a secret in fear that a civil war might break out among the vampire community. They fear that the vampires that oppose becoming human might try to kill the vampires that want to become human again. Therefore it is has been kept a secret since the first vampire council was formed, and it was decreed that any vampire that is found out seeking the path of kohinoor will be put to death.

Even if a vampire discovers the path of kohinoor without being found out, there are no guarantees that they will be successful.  Many have died during the trials while others have gone mad.

So you see, becoming human again, once you are a vampire, is not as simple as drinking a magical potion.  There is so much more to it.  Find out for yourself in ‘Faith of a Vampire’ where it describes in detail the only way a vampire can actually become human again, or at least try to.

May your days be filled with joy and light,

Mark

Are there any more scary vampires left?

Nosferatu 1922 Film

Whatever has happened to the really scary vampires?  You remember.  The ones that made you afraid to walk home alone at night after a vampire movie.  It seems those days are over.  Instead of being afraid of vampires, we are in love with them.

I’m not talking about vampires that tear people apart.  The movies and TV are full of those.  I’m talking about the mysterious, dark creatures that even the servants are afraid of.

Have we been bombarded with so many stories about vampires that we no longer fear them?  Do we simply know too much about them to be afraid?  As they say, you fear what you don’t understand, and unless you live under a rock, you have at least heard about all the vampire hit movies and TV shows that have come out over the past years.

Where is my suspense, my edge of the seat drama waiting to see the mysterious evil creature?  Now day’s vampires come off as the good guys, not as creatures that used to haunt our dreams.  Have we become so desensitized that vampires not longer scare us?  I can’t think of a single modern vampire, good or bad that really comes to mind that I think is scary.

Now if you saw the movie ‘Signs’, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, you saw the aliens at the most 4 times in the entire movie. The scene at a children’s birthday party where the alien simply walked past the screen was hailed by many critics as one of the most thrilling and scariest scenes that year.  The timing was perfect as we looked out the window, down an ally, yet all the alien did was walk past the screen and people jumped out of their seats.

Now with regards to vampires, it seems that Hollywood has run out of ideas.  In the movie Underworld, Rise of the Lycans, you see a vampire and a Lycan fall in love.  And the Twilight Saga is basically nothing but a love story between a vampire and a human.

And don’t get me started about ‘True Blood’.  Nothing but campy stories where all the woman talk like truck drivers.  Its sex, blood, without the rock and roll.  No fun at all.  Indeed it seems we have lost our fear of vampires.

So when did we stop fearing vampires and start loving them?  Some would say it started with the 1931 movie, ‘Dracula’.  Personally I think it really started with the 1994 classic, ‘Interview with the Vampire’, and in 1998 I think men started to like vampires because of the movie, ‘Blade’, with Wesley Snipes.  The half vampire, half human that could really kick butt.

However the 1992 remake of ‘Dracula’ that starred Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves, still portrayed Dracula as the bad guy, but we also saw someone who was in pain due to losing the love of his life.  I’m sure there were many that felt sorry for him in the end.

Each of these movies showed vampires with human emotions.  Not as bloodthirsty evil creatures that haunted our dreams so many years ago.

So unless Hollywood can come up with a new type of vampire that can somehow put the fear back into us, I’m afraid the scary vampire is gone for good.  However, if you want to read a story with a different twist on the vampire story, I invite you to read my book, ‘Faith of a Vampire’.  It won’t give you nightmares, but I promise you will enjoy the ride.

(You know I had to plug my book in here somewhere)

Cheers all,

Mark

Do vampires have a soul? (Updated)

The Ankh Cross – Sometimes used by Vampires

Do vampires have a soul or not?

This is a question that I thought a lot about before I began my book, ‘Faith of a Vampire’.  I did quite a bit of research and found out many stories and myths about vampires and whether or not they have a soul.

There are many stories of have people dealt with the dead once they believed someone was a vampire.  But I found that most people believe that the idea of vampires not having a soul first came from Bram’s Stokers famous book, ‘Dracula’.  As I searched throughout the historic classic, there was a lot of talk about one’s soul, but I could not find a specific entry about Dracula, or any other vampire not having a soul.

There were plenty of references that the soul of those bitten by Dracula was affected in some way, but I found nothing specific about his victim’s losing their soul.  The closest I found was in chapter sixteen when Arthur Holmwood looked at Lucy’s body, lying in her coffin after she had already become, and thought to himself;

“But there was no love in my own heart, nothing but loathing for the foul Thing which had taken Lucy’s shape without her soul.”

In this scene Van Helsing believed that Lucy was a vampire and he was there, with Arthur to kill her by driving a stake through her heart. The way it is written it seems to me that this is only an assumption by Arthur Holmwood, not a fact of him knowing whether or not Lucy still had a soul. Later, in the same scene, Van Helsing said about Lucy;

“When this now Un-Dead be made to rest as true dead, then the soul of the poor lady whom we love shall again be free.

This sounds more like he was saying that her soul was perhaps bound by darkness, or corrupted by evil, not that is was gone. Never was it mentioned that even Dracula had no soul. At least not in the original version, written in 1897.

Now there is evidence that Bram Stoker did get some inspiration from the real Vlad Dracula, better known as, Vlad the Impaler who lived in the 1400’s.  I mention this because there is a story that says that Vlad the Impaler, while dying on the battlefield, fused with a Leech that came out of the dark abyss.  The Leech consumed his soul in exchange for powers stronger than any mortal man. From that point on his blood was tainted and he had to consume the blood of others to survive, and anyone he shared blood with, would inherit his powers and must also feed on the blood of others.

Was it the merging of these two stories the first assumption that vampires have no souls?

As I looked back at other cultures that fed off of human blood, they all were said to be demons or ghouls with the exception of the Slavic people.

Now the Slavic people during the 9^th and 12^th century believed that souls of murders, sorcerers, and those that has not been baptized and had died were unclean spirits.  If proper burial rites were not done to ensure the souls purity once a person died, they believed that the soul could re-enter the corpse and needed blood to sustain its body’s existence.  From these deep beliefs pertaining to death and the soul I believe lies the first invention of the concept of a vampire.

In The Vampire Bible, there is a story in the ‘Scriptures of Delphi’ that explain the first vampire.  In short, a man named Ambrogio, due to his love for a woman named Selene, was cursed by Apollo, Hades, and Apollo’s sister Artemis.  He was also forbidden to ever touch Selene again.  But Artemis took pity on the man and gave him immortality, and the abilities that vampires have today.  She also allowed him to once again touch Selene but by only drinking her blood.

Part of this story tells that when Ambrogio made a deal with Hades, he had to leave his soul with Hades.  So was born the first vampire according to the Vampire Bible.

Some say that if a vampire did not have a soul, they would act like zombies. They would feel nothing and live only to feed. However in almost every vampire story, the vampire is depicted as a brooding, tormented person.  They usually tell stories of lost loves or other unfortunate events that have taking place during their time as a vampire.  Therefore they can love, feel pain as well as loss. Sounds like someone who has a soul to me.

With all that said, that is why in my book Sophia has to face one of her worst fears.  When she becomes a vampire, she fears she no longer has a soul.  As she looks to her clan leader and father figure for answers, his wisdom guides Sophia to find the answer simply by asking her to look at the world as she is now, a vampire.

Since there is no way to prove that souls even exist for humans, each person that believes that they have a soul must do so by having faith. So if Sophia decides that all vampires do have a soul, it will change her perception about all vampires.

Does it not say within the Bible that even the worst of sinners still have a soul?  Why would vampires be any different?  After all they are only infected with a virus.  Or is there more to being a vampire that just a virus?  Sophia finds out the truth over time.

As for me, I found my answer.  I wrote a book about it.  I would love to hear your comments on this subject.

Cheers everyone,

Mark