Vampire

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

Vampires are monsters in legends and stories. The first vampire legends were told in Eastern Europe, but much of how modern people see vampires was created by Bram Stoker in the famous novel, Dracula. Few people believe that vampires are real, but they are still very popular in movies, television, and books.

Vampires were once people but have a supernatural curse. Vampires must drink human blood to survive. They do this by biting people on the neck with their two long fangs. People who are killed by having all of their blood drank by vampires also become vampires. In many stories, vampires can change into other animals, usually bats, though also wolves or rats.

Depending on the story, vampires may have some or all of these characteristics:

  • They cannot go out in sunlight, so they sleep during the day.
  • They can only be killed in certain ways:
    • being beheaded
    • having a stake driven through their heart
    • being set on fire
  • They can be weakened by crosses, garlic, holy water, and silver.
  • They cannot cross the ocean unless they are in a coffin surrounded by soil from their homeland.
  • They cannot enter a house unless they have been invited in.
  • If a bag of rice or other similar substance is spilled on the ground, a vampire will have to count every grain.
  • They have no reflection in glass, mirrors, or other things.

[edit] Vampires in fiction

Dracula is the most famous vampire in fiction, and several movies have been made about him. There is also a popular series of books by Anne Rice about vampires. The television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured a young girl who fought vampires, but also befriended good ones.