Vampires are a mythical creature of the undead who feed on the blood of humans and animals. The word vampire originates from the Slavic word obyri which later was adapted into the Bulgarian word vampir. Other sources state that the etymology of the word vampire comes from the Greek word nosophoros meaning plague-carrier - which later became the Slavic word nosufur-atu which is a synonym to the word vampire. Thus, we use the words vampire and nosferatu synonymously in our language today.
The legend of vampires is believed to originate among the Slavic people, although there are also myths about vampires in Africa, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and many other countries throughout the world. The myth of vampires is most prominent among the Slavic people probably because of the high concentration of gypsies who migrated from northern India which has a cast of hundreds of gods, a few of which are bloodthirsty deities. As these beliefs came across the continent with the gypsies to the Slavic countries, they were altered into the familiar stories and legends we have today.
According to these legends, vampire victims either die or become vampires themselves. Some other legends claim that vampires can be created by committing suicide, witchcraft, a cat jumping over a dead body, or through a child being born under certain omens. Oddly enough, even some inanimate objects can become vampires such as fruits being left out past a certain time or latches which have been left unlatched for too long.
Vampires have a wide array of mystical powers to entice mortals and overpower their enemies. They have traditionally been able to take the form of a bat (as well as other types of animals) and mist. Vampires have preternatural senses and are much stronger and faster than mortals. They are able to control other animals such as wolves and rats as well as the elements. On the other hand, vampires face many limitations as well. According to tradition, vampires must sleep in the earth of their homeland each day, they can not cross running water, they cannot be touched by the light of the sun, they are repelled by crucifixes and garlic, and they must be invited into a persons house before entering. There are also a variety of ways a vampire may be killed. A few of these methods include cremation, decapitation, driving a stake through its heart, or exposing it to sunlight. Some less known methods include touching it with a crucifix, filling it with stones and dumping it in a river, drenching it in holy water mixed with garlic, by a dhampir (a vampire's child), or even by stealing its left sock.
