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Originally posted by bubble boy
because of movies like van helsing and others, to some it seems as if vampires come from london (just like every other mythical beast, it seems). but i feel like ive heard (not in a movie, more like a website) that vampires originate from germany. im not saying i believe in vampires, but i was just wondering. what do you think?
Ethymology
The word 'vampire' derives from the Slavic word 'vampir' or 'vampyr', first appearing in the 1600s in the Eastern European region in the Balkans.
'vampir' is derived from 'upir', which first appeared in print in an Old Russian manuscript from 1047 AC in which a Novgorodian prince is referred to as 'Upir Lichyj' (Wicked Vampire).
But the origin of 'upir' is even more controversial. Franz Miklosich suggested that 'upir' is derived from 'uber', a Turkish word for 'witch' whereas Andre Vaillant suggests just the opposite. Kazimierz Moszynski suggests that 'u-pir' is from a Serbo-Croatian word 'pirati' (to blow). Aleksandr Afanasev points to the Slavic 'pij' (to drink), which may have entered the Slavic language from the Greek, via Old Church Slavonic. A. Bruckner proposes Russian 'netopyr' (bat).
vampires.monstrous.com...
Actually, there are MANY different cultures with their own version of the origin of vampires folklore.
Gaki: Walining corpses who thirst for blood. They have the traditional pale skin, hollow features and lack of body temperature. They have spectacular shapeshifting abilities and can change into not only animals, but also look like other humans. They can even impersonate a living person.
from watcherszone.deadtime.net...
Originally posted by iori_komei
Maybe vampires, atleast what we percieve them to be, were origonaly a creature that inhabited most of the world.