Vampires, Burial, and Death : Folklore and Reality

[Abhi]

Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality
Author: Paul Barber
Language: English  |  File type: PDF | 250 pages  | 4.47 mb

Forget everything you ever heard about Count Dracula and Lestat, we are dealing with the real thing here. You won't find any pale and sophisticated lounge lizards in this book, just foul smelling revenants lumbering about in uninhabited forests - and they are much more interesting than the Hollywood vampires we know so well.

This book deals with the origins of the vampire myth and is full of information on the scientific facts and superstitions that lead people to believe that the dead weren't really dead. Paul Barber quotes many contemporary sources and first hand experiences, including a fascinating report from a doctor who supervised the exhumation of about 20 suspected vampires in Serbia. Several scientific aspects of decomposition are described in painstaking detail and the author convincingly explains why peasants, who had no knowledge of forensic medicine, believed that these corpses weren't completely dead - and it makes perfect sense. Small wonder people thought that the dead were no really dead considering the astonishing changes they sometimes go through.

This is a very interesting book, well organised and easy to read, and not as gruesome as it could have been considering the subject matter. If you're interested in knowing how the vampire myth originated this is a great place to start.