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, although they normally have some factor to prevent exponential growth of the vampire population. 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

• Supernatural Vampires
  • Dracula
  • Vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • Otto Chriek, lady Margolotta and Salicia von Humpeding from Discworld
• Virus Vampires
  • Vampires in the 2010 film Daybreakers
  • Vampires in Blade
• Alien Variants
  • The ardat-yakshi in Mass Effect are asari with genetic abnormality that causes them to kill anyone with whom they mate. While painful for the victim, the process is intoxicating for the ardat-yakshi and also increases their biotic abilities.

See also

• Wraith: The Wraith have many vampiric traits.