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The Vampire in 19th Century Literature: Before Count Dracula

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When many people think of the vampire in literature, they immediately think of Bram Stoker's Dracula. However, vampires have been in English and World literature for many years before that. The vampire figure has been a part of mythology and from around the world. Almost every culture has had stories about the undead or supernatural entities that live off consuming the blood and/or the flesh of the living. From the lilitu of Ancient Babylonia to the lamia of Ancient Greece to the vetala of India or the wendigo of the Algonquins of North America, the vampire is an archetypal figure that is as prevalent as the hero. Therefore, it might be surprising to know that the vampire is not mentioned by name as such until the 18th century in a short German poem. It is argued that it wasn't folklore or myth that begat this text, but historical events. There was a rash of supposed vampire attacks in the Austrian-Hungarian empire in the 1720s and 1730s that lead to the widely publicized official exhumation and destruction of two accused vampires in Serbia. This led to several German writers composing works about the vampire or revenant figure in the 18th century.