Vampire Religion - Writers Forum

babylily · 01-29-2005, 08:26 AM

I was wondering, does anyone know if there is a vampire religion? I once saw on CSI that their is but that could have been made up. Any clues or sites relating to that would be helpful. Thank you.

stereomuse · 01-29-2005, 08:36 AM

I'm pretty sure there isn't but I'm not your run of the mill vampire expert.
From what I know they're just cults that hide in secret shrines underground. Go watch some Bladem read some dracula.

Delight · 01-29-2005, 08:41 AM

The self-serving aspect of the vampire would lead me to believe they are Christians.

/me grins

mammamaia · 01-29-2005, 09:13 AM

good call, delight!... going a bit further, the focus on blood in the mass ritual would pinpoint the catholic religion... after all, the priest celebrates drinking the blood of christ with the symbolic imbibing of wine, right?... as do all who 'take communion'... same goes for high episcopal and greek/russian orthodox...

zaoshang · 01-29-2005, 09:38 AM

There’s certainly no such thing as a vampire religion. A religion is a set of beliefs and practices specific to a particular community. Vampires themselves (whether mythical characters or real things) don’t live in communities. Of course, if you want to write a fiction about a community of vampires and their beliefs and rituals, nobody stops you (actually, I think I saw a movie about such a community – a sort of secret society).

The belief in vampires originated and spread among Christian peoples in Europe (although similar myths can be found in many other cultures). But this belief has nothing to do with the official Christian dogma. And there is no “cult of vampires,” or worship of their figures. Most rituals related to vampires are meant to give protection or healing against them or their evil deeds.

You gotta believe me. I’m from Transylvania.

*grins and shows sharp teeth*

mammamaia · 01-29-2005, 09:40 AM

funny, zao!... come near my neck, and i'll lay you out with a crucifix, holy water, garlic, and whatever else i've got handy for such emergencies...

zaoshang · 01-29-2005, 09:45 AM

take it easy Maia.

take it easy. keep that garlic away!

mammamaia · 01-29-2005, 09:48 AM

ok... then i guess i can't invite you over for dinner if i'm serving my incredibly delicious cappelini marinara, huh?

zaoshang · 01-29-2005, 09:52 AM

hm.

maybe a hint of garlic won't hurt.

and for drink?

mammamaia · 01-29-2005, 09:59 AM

sorry, no vino!... i'm against all harmful stuff, so had to swear off much of my favorite ingestibles years ago, when i took a vow to not aid and abet...

so, after over a half-century of indulging in all manner of enjoyable vices, i'm now a tee-totalling vegetarian...

zaoshang · 01-29-2005, 10:13 AM

It's not wine I was thinking of...

But now that you've mentioned it, I remember I heard once that wine is the most healthy of all alcohol beverages. When not taken in excess, of course.

mammamaia · 01-29-2005, 10:15 AM

duh!... blood, of course... i had a dense moment there... actually, i'm in the middle of doing the boards and just replying to this in between, so am not giving it my full attention...

guess we should let this thread go back to its main intent now, right?... later... m

CrimsonMoon · 01-31-2005, 01:50 PM

There isn't necessarily a religion well, there is but there isn't. If you want information on the religion feel free to pm me. It's quite a bit of information and if you're interested I'd be happy to share all of it with you.

river-wind · 02-01-2005, 10:56 AM

it sounds like Crimson Moon knows what he/she is talking about, but for the sake of everyone else, this is my understanding. I have two friends who consider themselves vampires, and from what I can tell, its more of a philosophy/fashion than a religion, per say.

For them, at least, Vapirism is a way of living which follows two ideals, fatalism and a sort of "here an now" mentality. For them, everything will die, so they want to enjoy this avaialable moment. For my two friends, "enjoying this moment" involves sex, violence, drugs, alcohol...they are into the idea of fully expiriencing every aspect of life that has an emotional or sensual component.
The "vampire" part came into their lives in two ways - they both began as goths, and alot of the fasion of the vampire way of life seems to have stemmed from that. A sort of stylised 1700's fancy dress + leather dominatrix thing.
The other part was in pain during the act of sex, and in particular the act of cutting and drinking the blood of your partner. I personally don't recommend this whatsoever, given the risks associated.
So they dress like the classic fictional vision of a Vampire from the late European stories, and drink blood as part of the act of "consuming life" in all its forms.

I have not seen any real sort of religion, as in a pantheon of gods, etc. Neither are into the Church of Satan, etc, though the ideals appear to be similar to me.

Keep in mind, this is the interp. of the lifestyle from an outsider, I could be way off base. Please disagree with me if you know better.

Clockwork · 02-01-2005, 12:09 PM

A few years ago I think i saw a documentary
type-Thing about people who claim to be vampires and drink blood. I am reading Anne Rice at the moment but I'm still no expert so that's about as much info that I have for you.