How To Become A Vampire

Predispositions
Born at certain times of the year (new moon, holy days).Born with a red caul, with teeth, or with an extra nipple.Born with excess hair, with a red birthmark, or with two hearts.Conceived on a holy dayWeaned too early.Suckled after weaning.Born the seventh son of a seventh son.Death without baptism.Received a curse.Mother did not eat enough salt during pregnancy.Mother stared at by a vampire while pregnant.
Actions in Life Leading to a Vampire Transformation

Committing suicide.
Practicing sorcery or witchcraft. Eating sheep killed by a wolf. Leading an immoral life. Saying a mass while in a state of mortal sin (only applies to priests). Being a werewolf.

Death or After-Death Causes
Death at the hands of a vampire. Wind from the Russian Steppe blowing on the corpse. Having a cat or other animal jump or fly over the corpse. Having a shadow fall on the corpse. No burial or improper burial rites. Death by violence or murder. Murder that is unrevenged. Having a candle passed over the corpse. Having one’s brother sleepwalk. Death by drowning. Stealing the ropes used to bury a corpse. Being buried face up in a grave (in parts of Romania).

How To Kill A Vampire

Decapitation.
Though it would be assumed that this indeed was a sure way of destroying a vampire, some would believe that this is not the definitive. The very idea that the brain is the location of the consciousness is highly unlikely and that the heart was the true key to the vampire’s existence. In fact the head, when it was removed was in some cases placed at the feet of the vampire, because it was believed that putting the head near the shoulders would cause the vampire to heal it back on. Other cases had the head turned to the face the opposite direction, so that when it healed the vampire would be too disorientated to be able to do any harm to anyone.
Another reason for removing the head is that for a large number of vampire species the head was the source of smell and sight, and also the end that bit, so by its removal if the vampire were to rise, headless, then it would do no harm anyway.
In some villages the head would also be stuffed with garlic and other items harmful to vampire. In other communities it was necessary to destroy the head altogether by burning it to ash.

Fire.
Consuming the body in fire to ash was believed to be a purification process rather than a means of destruction. This theory was from those who burned many a witch during the pagan times, believing that the all-consuming fire would only destroy that that was evil and that the good would then find its way to heaven. The burning was seen as a release for the soul of a vampire. The burning was not always enough, it was usual for the vampire to be burned until ash and scattered, this making sure that it would not rise again.
Drenching in holy water and garlic
Well, we have already told you of the aversions of these two and for a better demonstration of the effects of holy water against a vampire, I strongly advise you to watch The Lost Boys to see the effects of a vampire bathing in holy water.

Injecting with holy water (this include every religious & races belief)
The only negative thing about this is you need to be awfully close to your assailant, but it is a sure way of terminating a vampire, assuming that the holy water actually affects the creature.

Extracting the heart
Though most of the organs in a vampire's body are no longer required the heart continues to function. It sole purpose is to pump the consumed blood around the undead body. The Serbs believe that the heart, once removed should be boiled in wine and then placed back into the undead creature's body. The Greeks would order the local butcher to remove the heart, from the stomach of an incapacitated vampire. The butcher would seek the heart from inside and when found would rip the organ right out.

Piercing with a sword
This can only be achieved with a blessed sword. Beware though there are some swords in literature that have vampiric tendencies, some beserker blades and Japanese Uesugi swords could not be slipped into the scabbard without drawing blood, else it would turn on its wielder.
Using Silver
Granted this could be said to be confused with the werewolf, however silver is said to be a pure metal and purity best describes God, so silver is an effective, natural and holy weapon against a vampire

Stake through the heart.
Basically take your piece of timber, sharpen a point at one end and drive the point through the vampire's heart. Simple and cost effective and the availability of wood can be found in most places, and can be left in the heart, without the cost of a blade.
Driving a stake through the heart is still to this day a sure way of ensuring the death of a vampire, it has been adopted in many movies and even in the Buffy television series, but what is its origin? Well the origin is believed that the stake through the heart was not necessary means of destroying a vampire, but to pin the vampire in its location by hammering the stake through the body and coffin into the earth. This connection to the earth was believed to paralyse the vampire to the spot, which would then be destroyed when the sun rose, or it would die of starvation if left for a long period.
An interesting fact found during the vampirism period through the middle-ages spoke of believed victims of vampires who were staked bleeding from bodies glutted in blood, even after long periods of being buried.
Some traditions have mentioned that this is not so, for example in Russia the stake must be driven through the vampire's body in a single blow, a second blow would revive the foul beast. Once the stake has taken effect the vampire is destroyed, however it doesn't stop there, as some vampires, though seemingly destroyed by the stake may be revived once the stake is removed. So sometimes a simple staking is not enough.

Sunlight
This subject is more debatable as some would argue that vampires are destroyed and others would dictate that the vampire is simply powerless. The reason behind the sun is a religious one, it is believed the light of the sun is the light of God and at God's hands the vampire will fall. Let's take a look at the options.

Destruction
Some would say that a vampire in direct sunlight will burn to ash and that is final. Right, that is a fair statement, however what if sunlight is reflected, and if the reflection of sunlight can harm a vampire then a vampire will not venture during the night of a full moon.

Powerless
If a vampire is rendered powerless during sunlight, loosing all the benefits what does it become, human? If this is the case the wanting to be a vampire is not such a bad thing after all. By night you are a powerful creature that feeds on the blood of animals and by day you are a normal person, where's the disadvantages. Where's the monster in that? In fact going back to the powerless in sunlight, there is one disadvantage that I have discovered. The first rays of sunlight can still burn a vampire, as this is when the power of God is at the zenith and not a mid-day when the sun is at the zenith.
1922 Nosferatu was the first movie to introduce the idea of killing a vampire using the sun and this idea has been adopted by movies the world over.
Touching with a crucifix
We have already mentioned the effects of a crucifix against a vampire, so it really needs little more to be said. Of course touching a vampire with any holy item will have the same effect, in Bram Stoker's Dracula Van Helsing uses a circle of blessed bread to hinder Mina. The symbol is not what is important but the faith that is behind it, though in some beliefs the symbol is all that is needed, whether you are faithless or other.

Detecting A Vampire

At the grave or cemetery
Finger-sized holes in the earth, Disturbed earth, Constant mists, Disturbed coffins, Move or fallen tombstones, Broken or fallen crosses, Foots leading from the grave, No birds singing, Dogs barking (or refusing to enter the cemetery), Geese screaming when near a suspected grave, Horses shying from the grave, Groaning sounds heard from under the earth

Signs on a corpse or in a coffin or tomb
Open eyes, Ruddy complexion, Fangs, Bloated body, New nails or long hair; Long, talon-like nails, Flexible limbs, Lack of decomposition, Blood around the mouth or in the coffin or tomb, Overly protective caretaker, Sense of impending doom about the corpse, Other similar corpses nearbyWhite liver (when removed) & Open mouth

Signs in possible victims following an attack
Sleeplessness, Nightmares, Anemia, Bite marks usually on neck, though some victims are not bitten on the neck, as some vampires feed from the feet, between the toes, between the breast, over the heart, from the nipple, or between the eyes. Also not all vampires need blood. Exhaustion, Nervousness and irritability, Sleep walking, Difficulty in breathing, No appetite, Weight loss, Aversion to garlic, Strange dental growths & Photosensitivity

Suspected vampire's appearance or habits
FangsRed eyes, Long nails, Paleness, Reluctance to enter house without invitation, Hairy palms, Aversion to bright lights, No appetite, Never seen during day hours (not also true with some species), Possesses remarkable strength and dexterity, Has quiet footstep, Possesses knowledge about botany, with a large collection of soil in house or in vicinity, Resides in abode deemed evil by others, Strange clothing habits, Evidences of enormous sexual appeal, People who know him/her die, Rarely, if ever, discusses religion & Really bad breath

Powers Of A Vampire

Causing blights and crop failures
It is said in some Hungary material that the vampire can cause whole crops to ruin. The Hungarians employed the talbos, a kresnik who sole purpose was to protect crops from the vampires.
The kresnik were a mid-European vampire fighter group.
Causing impotence
This only applies to the Nosferatu

Control of animals
It is said that vampires can also control the actions of wild animals. I say wild animals, because in most literature domesticated animals tend to demonstrate fear towards the vampire, or a need to protect their owner.

Create other vampires
Depending on which book you read determines on the creation of the vampire. Some publications will have you believe that the vampire will rise from a person being drained on three occasions (Dracula), other books will say that if you survive an attack from a vampire (Near Dark, Blade), but have been bitten then you are more than likely to become a vampire. One of the most popular is that the person is willing to become a vampire, and must drink the blood of a vampire to become one (Anne Rice).
The process of becoming a vampire in all case has one common denominator; the subject will die before becoming a vampire. Or as Lestat said to Louis, "It happens to everyone."

Eternal life
As I have already pointed out, the vampire is undead. Once undead, the creature can not die through natural means. They do not ail from illness, but they are not invulnerable. They can still die from misadventure; at the hands of another, daylight, fire and others, which I will cover later on.

Flight
It is said that some vampires have harnessed the ability of flight. This activity is normally associated with witches, who would ride their broomsticks, but similarly the civipipiltin of Mexico could also be seen astride a broomstick. The West Indies loogaroo would explode from their skin as a fireball, flying. Some vampires simply defy the laws of gravity, by flying in the humanoid form and others transform into flying animals, such as bats, birds or insects.

Mesmerism
To mesmerise is to control by hypnotism. This apparent feature has been widely used by Count Dracula in both the books and the variety of hammer movies. The vampire is able to control a human by the power of seduction and suggestion, breaking their will, to command to do whatever the vampire requests.

Misting or vaporising
The misting or vaporising of a vampire can be associated with the beliefs that when the soul leaves the body in a grave, that the soul becomes a mist. The vampire is said to be able to exit an underground coffin in this fashion, changing to mist and seeping out through the ground.

Scale walls
Vampires are able to climb vertical surfaces with falling. When seen they move up the sides of buildings like spiders, hugging onto the stone-work, gracefully approaching an open window to meet their prey.

Senses
It is widely believed that the vampire has heightened senses. Because the creature spends so much time in the dark it must have a night-like vision, probably infrared. Due to its animal associations with creatures like bats and birds it is easy to assume that vampires have excellent hearing. As for touch in some literature it is believed a vampire can feel the throbbing of a heartbeat on the wall surrounding its prey.

Speed
A vampire is said to be able to move with great speed. The vampire's body is so well-tuned when it has fed that it can demonstrate a number of complex movements in a single heartbeat. It is so natural for a vampire to do this that on occasion they forget the normal time a human performs the same actions and reveal themselves as what they truly are.

Stealing organs
The jigarkhwar of India would take the liver and the upier of Poland would feast on the heart.

Strength
A vampire's strength is several times more potent than that of the average man. The blood a vampire consumes contributes heavily to its strength, an unfed vampire is weaker and vulnerable. As time goes by, the vampire becomes stronger, therefore an older vampire demonstrates a superior physical strength than its younger vampires.

Transformation
One of the vampires' greatest defences is to take on another form. Commonly the form of a bat or a large hellish wolf, but it is believed that the creature of the night can adopt other visages. These different shapes also include birds, rats, fleas, locusts, mice, dogs and even fleas.

Bat
Fact: The term vampire bat followed the description and not the other way around. The real vampire bat is a name given to specie of bat known as desmontidae found in Central and South America. They do indeed feed on blood, and when discovered by the Europeans during the great explorations, they were given the name, 'Vampire Bat.' It was the Spanish explorers that first discovered this unusual breed of bat during the 16th century and gave them the name from the folklore creature, because of the creatures unusual feeding habits.
The transformation into a bat gave the vampire the ability of flight, and even today the term vampire does conjure the image of a humanoid who has the ability to change into a bat.

Wolf
It is believed that a tribe in Montenegro believed that every vampire must spend some time in wolf form. The wolf form has a great deal of contradictions through the history of vampires. In Slavic and Gypsy folklore the wolf was a fierce enemy of the vampire. In some villages in Romania white wolves were used to protect the people from the vampires. Even today gypsies of Kosovo believe that all vampires are doomed to wander the earth until a meeting with a wolf, which would tear them apart.

Birds
The aswang and bruxsa vampires often transformed into large birds.

Rats
The rat and the vampire share so much, both are carriers of disease, nocturnal and shunned by the human populace. They also represent death and destruction. In some literature a vampire is said to be able to change into a rat, others claim that the vampire can turn into a whole family of rats.

Fleas
The Slavs and the Russians agreed that the vampire has the ability to change into a flea. This derives from the flea's thirst for blood.

Preventing A Vampire

Preburial or corpse preparation
Adhere to proper ritualsDestroy the vampire who caused the person's death, Close all windows (in some areas, open the windows), Prevent animals from jumping over the corpse, Prevent moonlight from falling on the corpse, Prevent shadows from falling on the corpse, Cover all mirrors, Place coins in mouth, Place garlic in mouth, Cover all standing water, Close the eyes of the corpse, Remove the copse through a hole cut into wall of house, Mutilate the corpse by hamstringing, removing heart, piercing them with thorns, placing in the mouth, pounding a stake into the chest, pounding nails into various body parts, sticking a sickle into the heart, Pour incense into the eyes, ears and nose, Place a songbook (hymns only), a cross and a brick under the chin, Bind the corpse by tying the mouth shut, tying legs or feet together, welding the toes together, wrapping in a carpet, or wrapping in nets, Decapitate the corpse and place the head under the arm or between the legs or more commonly bury in a separate grave, Cremate the corpse, Stretch a dead cat or dog across the threshold.

Burial
Inter in prone position, Place candles, towels, fishnets, sickles, knives, thorns, daggers, and nails within the coffin, and/or stakes to pierce the corpse should it attempt to rise; also millet, oats, garlic, incense, food, crosses, and/or wild roses, Place seeds, sand, thorns, roses, millet, garlic and/or stones on or near the grave, Bury at a crossroads, Place long poles, stakes or thorns in the dirt of the grave.

Protections

Bells
The constant ringing of bells is said to drive out the undead.

Candles
As you will discover a great deal of items used to protect from vampires holds a religious meaning and the candle is no different. The light from the candle represents the rays of the sun, which is said to be the representation of God. Though the candle will not destroy a vampire, it should keep one at harms way.

Crosses and crucifixes
The cross, a religious item demonstrating the power of God against the servants of evil. The cross or crucifix is probably one of the most popular protection amulets to defeat vampires. Amusingly, in the film Love at First Bite, made to be a spoof vampire movie, the Jewish sign of David should have had the same effect, as the representation of a god is what drives a vampire away, not its shape.

Garlic
Garlic is a good source of curing ailments including the blood. This is the basis of the vampire's dislike to this root. The application differs from one part of the world to another; some rub the essence into the skin, others openly wear cloves. In parts of Eastern Europe cloves are forced into the mouth, ears and nostrils, and rubbed over the eyes of the deceased to ward off any evil spirits. Following the decapitation of a vampire cloves of garlic were squeezed into the mouth.
For these reasons garlic has become quite the natural arsenal against the vampire population.

Holy water
Only water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy can be described as being holy water. Holy water has many functions against the vampire. Firstly, if thrown onto the vampire it burns into the flesh like acid and if used in a large quantity can kill a vampire (bathroom scene in Lost Boys). Secondly, it can be used to protect a grave or coffin, the sprinkling holy water over either will prevent a vampire from disturbing the area. Thirdly, it can be used to detect the presence of a vampire, sprinkling the water onto the ground will cause the water to boil and steam on a vampire-influenced area. If used in a small vial will cause the water to glow a light blue in the immediate area of a vampire (Salem's Lot).

Knots/Fishnets
Vampires are a compulsive race and will spend hours untying knots. Romanians actually buried their dead with knotted ropes laid nearby, to hinder any undead activity. In Greece they abolished the idea of using knotted ropes because they believed that the knotted ropes slowed down the rate of decomposing, trapping the soul longer in the body.

Mirrors
Vampires have a certain dislike towards mirrors. Naturally vampires are vane and will preen themselves, where fancy clothes and general feel good about their appearance. Unfortunately, mirrors do not cast a reflection of them. This is believed to be because it was once the opinion that a mirror reflects the image of the soul of the person looking at it, and as vampires do not have souls they can not have a reflection.
An interesting argument was raised recently, if it is accepted that vampires do not have a reflection because if they have no soul, then neither why do animals cast a reflection. The reason behind the argument is that during the time the 'soul reflection' was mentioned, it was also general belief that animals do not have souls either (this was to remove the guilt caused by killing them for food or sport). So either animals do have souls or there is another deeper reason why vampires are not reflected.

Seeds/Grain
As we have mentioned before with the knots and fishnets the seeds and grains have a similar effect. If scattered around the vampire is compelled to pick them up or count the displaced seeds.

The Vampires of Romania and the Eclipse.

Now I do not doubt that you have heard a great deal about the big eclipse happening on 11th August 1999, I do because I live on the line of totality. Anyway though many of us may marvel at the wonders of such a natural phenomenon there will be those who fear it.
In the past people of Romania used to believe that the disappearance of the sun was caused by the creatures of the dead, and that when such an event would happen the vampires would walk the earth.
The truth behind this I do not know but one thing I do know is that when the full solar eclipse happened in other parts of the world, in a time when such cosmic occurrences was not understood, people would believe that the sun was eaten and as such, would either see this event as the end of the world or interpret it as a bad omen.