Topic: Probible cause of Vampire legends

[X]

I had no idea about the existence of this disease until it was brought to my attention just earlier today.

Porphyria

Apparently it is a non-contagious but hereditary disease belonging to those of families infected. All I can say is I'm glad I don't have it. Do an image search and you just might be surprised. I was.

[crisis]

i've known about this disease for a long time (and probly everyone else has).. it's funny that you've never heard of it until now lol

[X]

Yeah that's the funny thing about my life. One moment I'm a step ahead of everyone else, the next I'm far behind. I can't find even ground lol!

[A-Yty]

There was also the fact that some people got buried alive in the ye olde days. When, for whatever reason, the coffins were reopened (probably because of the noise), they would see fresh looking corpses with blood stains on them and scratches on the coffin lid (because they tried to get out) and/or the fingernails and the hair looking like they had grown (it appeared so because the skin starts to tighten after death).

[PFG9000]

I must be behind too then, because this is the first I've heard of this disease.

[Aridale]

yuup and along with the buried alive... there was an invention of a bell above the grave with a string into the coffin so if you were buried alive you could ring the bell when you woke up and they could come get ya out

[crisis]

[Mooning Freddy]

I think that albinism might have also been a reason. You know, the part about albinos being very pale-skinned and because of the lack of melanin, also unable to get tanned, resulting in constant sunburns when exposed to direct sunlight.

[Nagumo]

Wasn't the sunlight thing made up by the Nosferatu film?

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

yuup and along with the buried alive... there was an invention of a bell above the grave with a string into the coffin so if you were buried alive you could ring the bell when you woke up and they could come get ya out

That's actually where the term "Saved by the Bell" comes from.  Many people think it's a boxing term... they are wrong.

[A-Yty]

Wasn't the sunlight thing made up by the Nosferatu film?

I'm fairly sure they got the idea from the folk tales instead of just coming up with it.

[Nagumo]

I don't know. I'm pretty sure it originated from the movies. Same with the fangs.     

[Flame]

I think Fangs came from Dracula first. Sunlight however, did come from Nosferatu.

[KaZudra]

Orlock Did have long sharp teeth though, still not fangs


i wonder what started the whole Vampires not casting reflections?

[Nagumo]

I think Fangs came from Dracula first. Sunlight however, did come from Nosferatu.

Just to be clear, when I was talking about the fang thing I meant vampires only having two sharp cacine teeth. I believe the novel only mentions Dracula has sharp teeth. It doesn't say if he had only two fangs or if all his teeth were like that. The two cacine teeth are definitely something from the movies, because it was otherwise too difficult for the actors to speak. It originated in a pretty obscure Mexican vampire movie.   

i wonder what started the whole Vampires not casting reflections?

I think that is from folk tales. In the past they used to believe your image in the mirror was a reflection of the soul, and because vampire are dead, they have no soul. Hence, they cast no image in a mirror.