This time of year is about celebrating the spooky, the scary and embracing the fears that make us all human.
Of course, I might be a touch excited, because I’m about to go to New Orleans, and everyone knows that city is awash with vampires – revenants, Nosferatu, the undead. Never sparkly; never vegetarian. These Ricean beasts characterize NOLA, and I can’t wait to reconnect with them in my 16 year old imagination, and mentally run a little wild in the heat of the swampy south.
But, of course, I’ve also learned a few things about where these creatures came from, and why they so haunt us, even after their reworkings and mainstreaming at the hands of certain authors. Also, it’s Wednesday. So, science!
Following are links describing various musings on why vampires are with us. Some suggest they only exist in the mind, while others proclaim they walk among us for real. All are entertaining:
The Science Behind the Myths: Are There Clinical Explanations for Vampires, Zombies or Werewolves?
Rabies: A Possible Explanation for the Vampire Legend
Vampire Science: Young Blood Recharges Old Brains
New Orleans Vampire Association
So much more is out there on this stuff. You will quickly see that vampires are a lot more than monsters born of superstitious mentality.
Now, for something a little more romantic, or at least completely scientifically unhinged, check out my own attempt at vampire fiction.