Vampire

Vampires are blood-drinking creatures based on monsters described in Slavic mythology.

Traits

Vampires are classically undead creatures with a need to feed on the blood (or sometimes life force) of other living creatures (generally Humans). In modern depictions, vampires resemble human beings enough to easily pass for human, with the exception of having extended canine teeth for skin puncturing. Other common traits of vampires include vulnerability to sunlight, holy icons, and garlic; high levels of durability (often a vampire can only be destroyed by decapitation or putting a stake through its heart); superhuman strength and agility; inability to enter a house that they have not been invited into; a lack of a reflection; and shape-shifting. Specific attributes vary from depiction to depiction. Those who are killed by vampiric feeding activities often become vampires themselves. In some more recent depictions, vampires are the result of a mutagenic virus rather than supernatural forces.

In modern depictions, the primary means of vampire predation is as a sort of ambush predator, using charm, sex appeal and social graces to lure human prey into an appropriate setting before striking.

Examples of Vampires in fiction

• Dracula (Supernatural Vampires)
• Various Vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Supernatural Vampires)
• Various Vampires in the 2010 film Daybreakers (Virus Vampires)
• Various Vampires in Blade (Virus Vampires)
• Otto Chriek, lady Margolotta and Cecilia von Humpeding from Discworld (Supernatural Vampires)

See also

• Wraith: The Wraith have many vampiric traits.