AmStramGram
Devoted Cultist
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2022
- Messages
- 237
I remember having read the 17th century investigation report of an Austrian doctor on vampiric cases in the Balkans, and the "vampires" then, were described simply as dangerous undead and not especially as blood suckers. This aspect got developed later in Western litterature.Agreed ... I think the label "vampire" is being thrown around out of proportion to the actual involvement of blood-drinking folklore in these practices. The overlay of 19th / 20th century fictional tropes has distorted our view of historical beliefs and motivations.
So I do not think it is abusive to call the polish corpse as a "vampire". It is our modern association of blood sucking with vampires which is abusive.
From the Austrian report I mention above, I remember the case of a family who saw the recently dead father coming back home for dinner. The son told the others to go to bed, and stayed with his undead father, and the following morning, he was dead. There was no mention of blood sucking. This case was nonetheless described as vampiric by the locals.
It is very similar to the Norse belief in "draugr".