| The Kinds of Vampires |
| Vampires are usually put into the catagory of myth and folklore, and so it may suprise some that anyone outside of RP players would be interested. This site is not, however, aimed at RPG. The sorts of vampires I will be discussing within these pages have little to do with White Wolf's game The Masquared or any other similar game. I am familar with these games, and I can't say for sure if White Wolf started something or folklore and sincere practices were the inspiration for some practices. The vampires I will be discussing are not the Poppy Z. Brite or Anne Rice variety either, although, again there may be some simiarlities. Names such as Lestate, Armand, Louis, and Claudia won't be found here. Nor will "clans" like Torander. This is about people who call themselves vampires with a reason to call themselves vampires. Just as there are many kinds of faeries, witches, and there are different kinds of vampires we can encounter in this world. There are classicaly, four types of vampires. These four will be covered first and have their own, in-depth sections. Along with the classic four sorts of vampires there are other "vampires" I will include here. The reason I am including groups of people outside the four classic kinds of vampires is because while they do not fit this definition they have caused the term "vampire" to exand and include them also. Like the term "witchcraft" vampire has many meanings. The Four Classics The dictionary definition of "vampirism" is the practice of preying on others. In most, it does not mention blood, this is important in the four classic types of vampirism. The four classic classifcations of vampires rely on this definiton. They are creatures which prey on others to survive. How this need is met and sustinence obtained is what makes them different. Immortal Blood Drinkers These are the most similar to the creatures most people think of when they hear the word "vampire." Unlike our fantasies, these kinds of vampires don't have half the powers that we attribute to them in popular fiction. In my opinion and the opinion of many others, immortal vampires are the type of vampire that is least likely to exist. There is evidence, but like the evidece for aliens and big foot, much of it is sketchy at best. It's up to you to make up your own mind about these creatures. Mortal Blood Drinkers Another of the classic types of vampires are the mortal blood drinkers. For all of history there have been certain people who were compelled to drink blood. They have had different reasons from religious beliefes about blood to beliefes that blood is the fountain of youth, or some kind of power in blood. Unintentional Psychic Vampires Unintention psychic vampires are the hardest sort of vampire to pick out and often do not realise or know it themselves. These people unconsciously feed on the energy of other people. Genrally, they "feed" because they need this energy to survive really. Usually they are older people and the energy goes to helping them survive an illness they may have. Intentional Psychic Vampires Intentional psychic vampres are people who feed off other people's energy conciously. Usually they can "attack" by picking a person and draining them of energy. They cannot be destroyed by physical means. Once they have learned to drain people of their energy, often in group settings, they will begin astrally projecting and feeding off energy of sleeping victims. Other Types of Vampires The four kinds of vampires listed above are the four classic occult groupings of vampires. I have extended the definition of vampire to include all people who chose to call themselves vampires. I do not believe these four groupings are truely accurate anymore. There are other facets of vampirism being explored into todays society and I think they shouldn't be ignored. Some of these have more to do with the occult than others but they are listed here regardless to make this as near a complete list as possible. People Who Hold Vampiric Spiritual Belifes There are many belife systems I would consider "vampiric." By "vampiric" I mean any belife that places a great importance on blood, uses blood rituals, and/or endorses vampiric practices in some ways. There are many beliefe systems out there that would fit this criteria and people who follow some of these beliefe systems do consider themselves vampires. Blood Fetishists These people are people who while do not place a religious meaning on blood, but do find great pleasure in the drinking of blood or engaging in other blood rites. Often these fetishes are a sort of sexual fetish and these people include the vampiric practices in lovemaking. Those Who Use Blood for Health/Beauty Purposes These people are in the vein of Elizabeth Bathory. Many of these people use blood-infused hair, skin, and nail treatments for beautification. Others belive the blood keeps them healthy. There are also diseases that while treatable now with modern medicine where in the past treated by drinking of blood. Thow Who Lead a "Vampire" Lifestyle (of Hollywood Vampires) These people may or may not be involved in any role playing games however lead a life like that of the fictious vampires or their vampire characters of role playing games. Either those of groups do call themselves vampires and perhaps feel they are in fact one. Usually they will call themselves the "undead" and use other melodramatic efforts to prove to you they are in fact a vampire. Most people look down on these indivduals, ecspecially those go to such extremes as sleeping in coffins, wearing fangs or filing their own teeth into fangs, and driving herses. These people usually read Anne Rice, Poppy Z. Brite and similar authors and model their lives after their characters or that of the classic Duracula. Occassionally you will find a Hollywood Vampire who models their life after a famous historical vampire like Vlad the Implaer or Countess Bathory (though these people usally fall into the catagory above). As you can see from the above list, there are many kinds of vampires. There are multiple ways in which people interpreate vampirism also. And for as many different people who call themselves vampires there are that many reasons and types of vamprisim. Also you may have realised that occassionally the types of vampires will overlap. You may find a Hollywood Vampire who is also an Intentional Psychic Vampire, etc. These catagories are only here to give you an idea of how varied vamprism is. |