[UA] The Outsider: miscellaneous observations

[rowan at media.mit.edu]

> Actually, the Cain(e) --> Vampire connection is, I *think*, mostly a
> White
> Wolf confabulation.  The actual vampire myth is probably more related
> to
> Christ than to any Old Testament figure.  (Repelled by crosses, steals
> the
> blood of life instead of giving it, has terrestrial immortality instead
> of
> celestial.) 

You're right. I definitely lost perspective on the popularity of that 
particular mythology. I have to admit, though, that I find the association
very compelling myself.

Actually, the Jew/Wandering Jew/Vampire connection is sort of interesting.
Since the Jews were often associated with drinking Christian blood and with
the Anti-Christ, there's probably something going on here.

> Vampire as sex figure didn't show up until Bram Stoker,
> who
> really reinvented the trope.  Before Bram, vampires were more like a
> George
> Romero zombie, I think.  (Though the sexual vs. celibate thing certain
> adds
> another point of contrast with Christ.)

Sure, the shambling blood-sucking ghoul of the Carpathians is just a 
precursor of the archetype that we know as "Vampire", which finds its
origins almost completely in Polidori/Stoker. Stoker uses the Carpathian
creature as a symbol of sinister sexuality to tell his story, and we've
pretty much adopted his reinvention of the vampire wholesale.

-Matt Norwood

_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua