Castlevania Dungeon Forums

Off Topic => Off Topic => Topic started by: X on August 31, 2011, 06:08:08 PM

Title: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: X on August 31, 2011, 06:08:08 PM
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.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: crisis on August 31, 2011, 06:26:43 PM
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
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: X on August 31, 2011, 06:58:46 PM
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!
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: A-Yty on September 01, 2011, 03:19:02 PM
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).
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: PFG9000 on September 01, 2011, 07:23:22 PM
I must be behind too then, because this is the first I've heard of this disease.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Aridale on September 01, 2011, 08:08:53 PM
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
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: crisis on September 01, 2011, 08:17:39 PM
(http://nerdmeltla.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/the-more-you-know1.jpg)
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Mooning Freddy on September 01, 2011, 10:59:53 PM
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.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Nagumo on September 02, 2011, 08:14:37 AM
Wasn't the sunlight thing made up by the Nosferatu film?
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on September 02, 2011, 09:54:37 AM
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.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: A-Yty on September 02, 2011, 10:13:53 AM
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.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Nagumo on September 02, 2011, 02:44:20 PM
I don't know. I'm pretty sure it originated from the movies. Same with the fangs.     
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: K.G. Morder on September 11, 2011, 12:01:51 AM
I think Fangs came from Dracula first. Sunlight however, did come from Nosferatu.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: KaZudra on September 11, 2011, 12:08:34 AM
Orlock Did have long sharp teeth though, still not fangs


i wonder what started the whole Vampires not casting reflections?
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Nagumo on September 11, 2011, 06:33:29 AM
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.   
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: X on September 11, 2011, 03:15:44 PM
Quote
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.   

I've thought about this reflection theory myself but I can't agree that Vampires have no reflection. From a logical standpoint it's just not possible since the body of a vampire is like that of any other organism; made up of substance. Any physical object made visible by light will be seen in a mirror. Vampires obviously have mass and are obviously visible due to light. Even a ghost's reflection can be seen in a mirror though it is mostly transparent. I'm also confused about those folk tales regarding the absence of a soul. Vampires, zombies, etc, have souls. They just never left the body after it died so to speak which is why imo they are known as the Un-dead.
Title: Re: Probible cause of Vampire legends
Post by: Nagumo on September 12, 2011, 03:33:16 AM
Vampires, zombies, etc, have souls. They just never left the body after it died so to speak which is why imo they are known as the Un-dead.

It depends on your point of view, really. Vampires and other undead were believed to be animated corpses with no real mind of their own, at least in the past.       

It also depends on how you define "the soul".