home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: sparky!uunet!walter!qualcom.qualcomm.com!network.ucsd.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!uicvm.uic.edu!u16244
- Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
- Date: Monday, 16 Nov 1992 13:21:15 CST
- From: <U16244@uicvm.uic.edu>
- Message-ID: <92321.132115U16244@uicvm.uic.edu>
- Newsgroups: alt.vampyres
- Subject: Species of vampires
- Lines: 53
-
- Over the past few months, I've been taking a new look at vampires as I have
- started to revive a vampiric character (a "hero" more or less) for the
- purposes of publishing. However, the more different legends I look at
- (especially the different movies and books) I see that there seem to be
- several species of vampires, each with different powers and weaknesses.
-
- I've already classified a couple, but I'd like to know if there are
- others, and I'd especially like to have someone recall the abilities of a
- Saberhagen Vampire...
-
- Hammer Vampire: Great strength, hypnotic ability, all victims bitten become
- vampires. Look almost absolutely normal unless pissed (blood red eyes) or
- smiling (obviously). Sunlight and a wooden stake make the creature crumble
- into dust, clear running water is more poisonous than acidic. Extremely
- vulnerable to silver and holy symbols.
-
- Chinese Hammer Vampire: Subspecies. Can be killed by silver, wood and fire.
- Also, not very strong, can be dealt with in hand-to-hand combat by skilled
- martial artist. All victims also rise as vampires.
-
- Anne Rice Vampire: Great strength, ability to plunge into earth like water.
- Photographic memory, great psionic skill, and older vampires are nigh
- invulnerable. Exchange of blood necessary for transformation to vampire. Only
- sunlight and fire can harm a vampire, although weapons do make colorful
- cosmetic injuries.
-
- Stoker Vampire: Great strength, invulnerability, hypnotism, ability to
- transform between bat, mist, wolf and human form. Transforms through
- slow "kills." Vulnerable to sunlight (unless well clad), can be found by
- a white horse over grave, vulnerable to wood and silver, garlic and
- cannot willingly cross bodies of water, and is perhaps killed by water,
- also killed by decapitation (one vampire killed by a bowie knife).
-
- And here's my version of the vampiric legend that I've created.
- Wojtowicz Vampire: Great strength, immortality and reincarnation (like the
- Hammer vampire- if you kill it, it will return somehow, eventually.) Vulnerable
- to weapons of wood, silver, and sunlight (puts it into regenerative coma).
- Absolute fatal exposure to running water, or salt water. Also, salt crystals
- are like tacks. Walking on it, even wearing thick shoes, will cause
- crippling pain. Being buried in a salt marsh or a salt flat will prevent
- regeneration until someone actually comes along and dig it up.
- Also has the classic Stoker/mythological abilities of mist, bat and wolf
- transformation, and control over vermin and canines. Can operate in daytime,
- and is protected from sunlight by glass.
-
- Sources of above mythology come from Polish/Germanic mythology of vampires
- (salt is dangerous and poisonous to Vampires, and lines of salt can halt
- them), as well as a blend of Stoker/Hammer vampires. I would like to know
- about as many "species" as possible, because I intend to include the various
- forms of the undead, each with a different origin, but each almost filling the
- same predatorial niche over mankind.
-
- Douglas P. Wojtowicz.
-