vampire

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vampire

1. (in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living

3. Theatre a trapdoor on a stage

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

What does it mean when you dream about a vampire?

As important figures in folklore, vampires can simply be representations of our generic fears and anxieties. As creatures of darkness, vampires can particularly represent fears and anxieties arising out of our unconscious. Symbolically, a vampire is someone or something that sucks the life blood out of us. Alternatively, vampires can embody anxieties about our sexuality.

vampire

[′vam‚pīr]

(vertebrate zoology)

The common name for bats making up the family Desmodontidae which have teeth specialized for cutting and which subsist on a blood diet.

Vampire

(dreams)

Vampires, for most people, represent powerful and evil creatures. Dreaming about vampires suggests that the dreamer may be feeling overwhelmed in some areas of his or her life and is struggling with negative thoughts, feelings, and actions. You may be currently concerned about ethical or moral issues and be experiencing anxiety as a result. The vampire represents personal attributes or negative habits that drain energy and resources or cause emotional exhaustion. If you are being attacked by a vampire, you may perceive yourself as a powerless victim. Interpreting this dream’s message may help you to identify the source of your negative feelings and helplessness.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Vampire

in Slavic folk beliefs, a corpse that comes out of the grave to harm people—to suck their blood.

The vampire is known in the superstitions of the Russians (upyr’), Ukrainians (upyr vampir), Byelorussians (vupar), Poles (upiór, upierzica), Czechs (upir), Serbs (in the 15—16th centuries, upir; later, vampir), and Bulgarians (vapir, vupir). A cult that offered sacrifices to vampires (to oupir) existed among the ancient Slavs. In a figurative sense, “vampire” is also used to refer to an extortionist, a cruel person, or an exploiter.

References in periodicals archive ?

The vampirism, at least with respect to its promotion through various literary trends, can be divided into distinct periods.

VAMPIRISM: A SECULAR, VISCERAL RELIGION OF PARADOXICAL AESTHETICS

Ironically, as pointed out in the section below, while the occupiers of Nigeria's democratic space daily reap the gain of democracy far in excess of their fair share; the common man is daily subjected to the pain of a thoroughly inefficient system ranging from herdemenism and terrorism to corruption and vampirism. The Nigeria Police and the Army are poorly equipped.

Nigeria's Democracy: The Trilemma of Herdsmenism, Terrorism and Vampirism

This association between vampirism and success, both in identity and in relationships, corresponds with the major reversal through which vampirism actually supports rather than critiques heteronormative institutions like marriage.

Twilight's Heteronormative Reversal of the Monstrous: Utopia and the Gothic Design

Covering both real-life cases, and works of fiction through books, films and television, Adams aims to bring together a wealth of information concerning the history of vampirism in Britain.

REVIEWS

Should the allegorical domain of vampirism be limited to humans or can it be extended to include nonhuman subjects as well?

(M)eating Dracula: food and death in Stoker's novel

Holly Black's take on a vampire story presents a world where vampirism is caught and spread like an infectious disease and where vampires and infected, or 'cold', humans are forced to live in walled cities called Coldtowns.

Black, Holly: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The graphic format allow readers to see the havoc that Pierre has caused in his lifetime of vampirism, but doesn't overdo the horror element.

The Night Wanderer: A Graphic Novel

This semantic peccadillo takes on greater seriousness when Airey uses vampirism to explain the following passage from Lee's Lucius Junius Brutus:

Jennifer L. Airey. The Politics of Rape: Sexual Atrocity, Propaganda Wars, and the Restoration Stage

Jacek Pierzak, one of the archaeologists, said the skeletons found at a construction site near the town of Gliwice had their heads removed and placed atop their legs, a practice common in Slavic regions when the deceased were accused of vampirism, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Archaeologists find vampire grave site in Poland

Other features include the Decorate Your House or Garden in a Surreal Way Competition; a 'Suck the Living Labour' exhibition exploring geriatric vampirism; a seminar on Marxist demonology, and advice on how to grow mushrooms.

A SHED FULL OF TOURIST TIPS... New lease of life for office used to combat vice underworld

There's a lot of moving parts in this story, with attempts to weave myths about vampirism into this contemporary tale, with varied levels of success.