The legend of Vampires has been a part of European folklore for many centuries such as Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Ancient India, Albania, Hungary, Greece, and Iceland. It was believed that the first vampire was Vlad (otherwise known as Dracula) who was born in 1431, Transylvania in a noble family. The name ‘Dracula’ means devil in Wallachian which is why Bram Stoker (the author of the prominent Gothic Novel ‘Dracula’) may have chosen that name. However, around the world, the myths of vampires significantly differ, from their appearance to their personalities. Although Dracula is given much recognition when the topic of Vampires is explored; Dracula wasn’t the first vampire in English Literature. The first Vampire novel was ‘The Vampyre’ which was written in 1819 by John William Polidori, although was not as successful as Dracula. A common belief was that Vampires would hunt at night since the sunlight weakened their powers, therefore making them vulnerable by forcing them to reveal their true identity. They are typically said to have extremely pale skin and be preternaturally beautiful; they are unable to be captured through the use of technology due to their inability to cast a reflection or shadow. The most well-known feature is their fangs, (canine teeth that are extremely pointy and exceptionally honed.)

It has been stated that people accused of being a vampire in the past may have suffered from Haematodipsia (an intense thirst for blood-usually human blood) and Hemeralopia (blindness in daylight). Despite medical records, some people refuse to believe that vampires are a myth, rather they believe that vampires lurk within us however are overly cunning to be perceived by the human eye. At the death of a suspected vampire, the corpse was buried with a stake through the heart, to prevent the creature from resurrecting after its burial. This is due to the fact that Vampires cannot be killed easily like humans, only through beheading, having a stake driven through their heart or by burning them with vervain contact. Although many people consider the topic of Vampires extremely interesting; it is important to remember that TV shows such as ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘Twilight’ portray Vampires as more prepossessing and charming than legend remembers. Fans of these TV shows often become interested in the history of vampires, performing dangerous acts such as drinking human blood in the belief that such behaviour will transform them, which is inaccurate.