(Liste) Eastern European Vampire Folklore

European vampires are quite popular and ancient.

Eastern european vampire folklore. There are stories about the draugr dhampir lamashtu incubus volkodlak upyr upier and shtriga. The dearg due and baobhan sith. Despite the occurrence of vampiric creatures in these ancient civilizations the folklore for the entity known today as the vampire originates almost exclusively from early 18th century southeastern europe when verbal traditions of many ethnic groups of the region were recorded and published. Legends of vampires have existed for millennia. Cultures such as the mesopotamians hebrews ancient greeks and romans had tales of demonic entities and blood drinking spirits which are considered precursors to modern vampires. Vampires properly originating in folklore were widely reported from eastern europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries. First it was popular to blame any mysterious deaths illnesses or physical deformities on this unknown.

Ireland and scotland have specific names to vampire creatures in their mythology. First the dearg due comes from irish folklore and its name means red blood sucker. The european vampire lilith is even considered the mother of vampires being one of the earliest vampires in hebraic writing. Vampires are everything we will never understand. These tales formed the basis of the vampire legend that later entered germany and england where they were subsequently embellished and popularized.