vampires

Here is an interesting twist on the literary of vampires and Bram Stoker's creation.

http://www.thatsweird.net/facts12.shtml


nightowl

You'll find that this will most likely not be something that is directly related to what you are interested in.

But for all i know it might be useful to you. *Shrugs*

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7432

In the past unless you lived on a farm, the idea of a balanced diet was often unrealistic....

Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff

Initially, iron deficiency anemia can be so mild that it goes unnoticed. But as the body becomes more deficient in iron and anemia worsens, the signs and symptoms intensify.

Iron deficiency anemia symptoms may include:

■Extreme fatigue
■Pale skin
■Weakness
■Shortness of breath
■Headache
■Dizziness or lightheadedness
■Cold hands and feet
■Irritability
■Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
■Increased likelihood of infections
■Brittle nails
■Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
■Unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as ice, dirt or pure starch
■Poor appetite, especially in infants and children with iron deficiency anemia
■Restless legs syndrome — an uncomfortable tingling or crawling feeling in your legs
When to see a doctor
If you or your child develops signs and symptoms that suggest iron deficiency anemia, see your doctor. Iron deficiency anemia isn't something to self-diagnose or treat. Take iron supplements only with a doctor's supervision. Overloading the body with iron can be dangerous because excess iron accumulation can damage your liver and cause other complications.

See if you drank blood these symptoms would go away if you did not have enough iron in your diet...stop drinking it and the symptoms would reappear...start again and you would feel much better, even perhaps empowered by the blood.


Werewolves as I understand are about Shamans and Animism...the idea that rather than simply travel with an animal..they could join and take direct control of an animal to do its bidding...

Problems with Vitamin deficiencies and diet were a big deal in the past...

Originally Posted by orli_the_owl

Hey Shgoyal

I presume you mean the blood drinking, can’t go out in the sun kind of vampire?
There is a theory (much disputed) about where vampire and werewolf legends come from, and, it may disappoint you to find, it’s all quite scientific and logical.
I’m no expert on this stuff so Google it to find out more but this is my understanding...
There is a set of medical disorders known as porphyrias which effect the way heam, part of haemoglobin in red blood cells, is made.
Symptoms of the various manifestations of the disease include pain, seizures, vomiting, hallucinations, and most prominently for this discussion, photosensitivity, photophobia and excessive hair growth.
Many porphyrias are genetic, and thus run in family. Way back, in the ages of medieval witch burnings imagine how a family of pale, slightly crazy people who can’t (or wont) go out in sunlight, would be received. And when they find that drinking blood (containing correctly formed heam) relieves their symptoms... it doesn’t look good.
Other members of the family have a slightly different gene type and are excessively hairy rather than photosensitive... thus where there are vampires, there are werewolves.
public fear naturally turns the family into a coven or a pack and Chinese whispers gives them powers, a reason to be feared... add a touch of immortality, a necessity for the moon for dramatic effect and a legend is born.
hope that answeres your question, or if not, at least gives you something to discuss, it was one of the most interesting lectures i had, i can tell you :-)
if you want to know more there are a few papers on it, listed on wikipedia.
xx Orli

Never heard this theory but it makes a lot of sense.

I stumbled across a site a while ago that connected the vampire (blood drinking) legend to a salt famine that occurred in Europe in the Middle Ages. You can die from lack of salt. People were dying and the ones still living would drain the blood for the salt. Now, I dunno how true that is. I never found any corroborating site. I'm just throwin' it out there.

There were also a couple of famous psychopaths: Vlad the Impaler and Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed who historians think the vampire legend rose from.

I did a report a few years ago in school that connected vampire myths to Vlad the Impaler and The countess of Bath. Supposedly they had a near-insatiable blood lust and Vlad was known for taking prisoners to his castle where they were never heard from again.. There were also suggestions that he made some of those prisoners into slaves for his army.. probably where the "vampires can make minions and turn them into vampires themselves" rumor sprang from.

The Countess of Bath would supposedly bathe in the blood of her enemies which to me was Ironic since she was from Bath lol... I've read about diseases that make people need the intake of blood, but for Iron or other minerals I don't know... But they have all the signs of the legendary vampires..

Another example that comes to mind was in yahoo articles a few weeks ago.. I wish I could find the link... A baby was born with absolutely no blood in her body(I think it was a girl..). They gave her a transfusion and she was fine, but she was pale and her heart beat but nothing happened.. I'm not sure how that's possible, but if that happened back in the middle ages, you can imagine the hysteria that could have broken out...

As for energy vampires, I completely believe they exist.. My husband is one. It's only logical if you think about it.. If we can take energy from everything else, why can't people take it from other people?