The first mentions of blood-sucking monsters appeared at the dawn of mankind. However, the possibility of the existence of vampires has not been proven by science. Scientists for the most part believe that the emergence of legends of this kind is associated with attacks of rage, occult sciences, burial of people falling into a lethargic sleep, or just some kind of speculation of charlatans. But not everyone has this opinion …
Inanimate but sucking blood
Everyone has seen a vampire in the cinema, it is not difficult to describe him artistically. The creature is pale in appearance, a face twisted with fierce hatred, an ugly bloody mouth, sharp fangs, protruding unnaturally. Lacking a rich imagination, it is difficult to imagine a dead entity that comes to life in the dark and makes its way out of the ground in order to drink someone's blood.
Legends tell that all these terrible creatures are afraid of crucifixes, consecrated water, garlic "scent" and daylight like fire. They are not reflected in mirrored surfaces and can turn into bats.
The novel "Dracula", written by the Irishman B. Stoker at the end of the 19th century, gained worldwide fame. But the vampire legends gained the greatest popularity in Romania. The myths say that fighting such evil spirits is not an easy task. This requires a sharpened aspen stake, which should pierce the heart of the monster. It happened that the head of the corpse was cut off, and his body was set on fire. This was done as a safety net.
Burials of the so-called ghouls are most often found in Europe. At the end of the last century, one of such burials was excavated in the Czech Republic near the town of Chelyakovitsa. Its age dates back to the beginning of the 11th century; the grave contained the remains of 15 men, who were mistaken for ghouls in those distant times.
All corpses were tied tightly with belts, their hearts were pierced with stakes made of aspen. The limbs and heads of some of the unfortunates were severed.
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Abuse of graves?
In Europe in the Middle Ages there was a mass hysteria based on the war against vampirism. Part of the population rushed to the territory of cemeteries, where people dug up graves and removed the corpses of those who were mistaken for ghouls.
Their hearts were pierced with aspen stakes, their heads were cut off, and the bodies themselves were set on fire. This "flash mob" began in Greece, and then the hunt for vampires became widespread almost throughout Europe.
The story of a Serbian soldier named Arnold Paole is a prime example of this. After serving in the army, the young man returned home. Arnold's fiancee learned from his story that during the service he was attacked by a ghoul. The young man killed the bloodthirsty monster, but he still managed to bite him. In order to avoid dangerous infection, the soldier washed his wound with the blood of a monster, but at the same time preferred to tell the whole truth to his beloved girlfriend.
It took very little time, and Arnold died in an accident. A month after his burial, some people began to claim that they saw Arnold. Several people who witnessed his appearance died within a very short period of time. His story of an encounter with a blood-sucking monster received widespread publicity.
Panic began among the population, and they decided to open the grave of the former soldier. This event took place in the presence of two experienced military surgeons - people for that time extremely enlightened.
Doctors testified that the corpse had no signs of decomposition. Not surprisingly, many of those present immediately considered the deceased to be a ghoul. His heart was pierced with an aspen stake, the dead man groaned, blood flowed. The body was then beheaded and burned. However, the troubles did not stop there.
One after another, people who had close contact with the deceased began to die, there were about two dozen of them. The inhabitants of the town dealt with those who, in their opinion, could become infected from Paole's bite and become a vampire. In the end, everything was quiet.
Return of the ghoul
Panic resumed when a girl told her parents that at night a dead man appeared to her, who called himself Milo. The townspeople demanded the immediate opening of his dangerous grave.
The news reached the Austrian emperor, and a military surgeon named Johannes Flackinger was sent to the town to conduct a thorough investigation. In his presence, the unfortunate grave was opened, and, to the surgeon's amazement, no traces of decomposition were found on the body. Milo's body was pierced with an aspen stake, his head was cut off, and the grave was razed to the ground.
The inhabitants of the town made a decision - to extract the bodies of all those buried in the period after Paole's death. In a subsequent report by Flackinger, it was noted that more than two dozen corpses did not have the slightest trace of decomposition. Naturally, all these bodies were pierced with stakes, beheaded and burned.
Vampire rumor disease
The surgeon's report to his superiors caused a heated scientific dispute. Some scientists insisted on the existence of vampires, others argued that they were dealing with a disease unknown to science. There were also those who accused the local population of ignorant superstition.
And so, on behalf of Queen Theresa, Dr. Gerhard van Schwetten went to the infamous town. As a result of research, he concluded that there are no ghouls in nature. A law was immediately passed prohibiting the opening of graves and desecrating bodies. This was the end of the "hunt for vampires".
However, rumors of ghoul attacks continue today. In the African Republic of Malawi, a man who was considered a vampire was stoned to death. The same fate awaited four more unfortunates, and only a miracle saved them from a terrible death. By the way, one of this number was the governor, who supposedly negotiated something with the ghouls.
In 2004, Romania attracted the attention of the world community. There, the relatives of the deceased took him for a ghoul. They dug up the body and cut out the dead man's heart. Then the heart was burned, the ash was mixed with water, and only the police rushed to call the neighbors and prevented him from drinking the "miracle drink".
Porphyria ("vampire disease") was described in the 20th century. This disease could be the reason for the emergence of numerous legends about ghouls. In small villages in Transylvania, where love affairs between relatives were not uncommon, porphyria was most common.
In the case of porphyria disease, the human body does not produce red blood cells, pigment metabolism fails, which, under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, leads to the breakdown of hemoglobin. Human skin darkens, cracks, numerous ulcers and scars begin to cover it. Gradually, the patient's nose and ears are deformed, and teeth bared to the very gums resemble an animal grin.
Patients with porphyria suffer terribly from daylight and transfer all their activities to the dark. Sulfonic acid, which is rich in garlic, causes an increase in the negative effects on the human body. Therefore, it is only natural that porphyria patients refuse to take garlic. Previously, these unfortunate people were considered ghouls and ghouls.