Sanguinarian Bloodline Study

We recently conducted a study within the community to gather information about the possible bloodline roots of those who suffer with the Vampiric condition. We were not all that surprised at what we found and in fact expected to receive such a result.

When the study was conducted, the participants were asked the following:

"Vampire & Donor Hub | Next part of the study
Ok, you all remember the poll last week, looking at biological similarities in Sanguinarians. Now I'm looking at roots. Please select the one which applies to you. This is not your current location, but your birth location:

* North America
* Europe
* Africa
* Asia
* Australia / Oceania
* South America"

## So what were the results?

* USA: 57.14%
* Europe: 38.09%
* Africa 4.76%
* Asia: 0.0%
* Australia / Oceania: 0.0%
* South America: 0.0%

So the highest number of Sanguinarian Vampires is in the **North America**, Seconded by **Europe**. this is interesting as Europe is the mother of the roots of most of America's modern society which was founded by various European factions in history such as **Britain**, **Spain**, and **France**.

## Conclusion

This would appear to indicate that the vampiric condition primarily dominates a bloodline that extends from early Europe into modern Europe and all societies that Europe colonised over time in history.

It is difficult to determine however where it started before it dominated the European bloodlines without access to more materials on the subject pre-dating these time periods.

One of the first well known tribes to settle in Europe were the Minoans. The Minoans descended from Neolithic populations that migrated to **Europe** from the Middle East and Turkey. Archaeological excavations suggest that early farmers were living in **Crete** by around 9,000 years ago, so these could be the ancestors of the Minoans. So this takes us back as far as the Bronze age. Unfortunately there is lack of scientific record to determine the presence of a vampiric condition going back this far. This time was dominated by religion. However, taking note of where the Minoans came from, we can look around in other related areas. Going back as far as ancient Rome we can still see evidence of Humans fearing Vampires.

Examples of Vampire lore that comes from Ancient Rome, Greece, and the Middle East are as follows:

* Strigoi (Romanian Origin)
* Vrykolatios (Greek Origin)
* Roman Vampires (Variation of Slavic Vampire Mythology)
* Mormon (Greek Origin)
* Eretica (Greek & Russian Origin)

## Ancient Beliefs

Tales of the undead consuming the blood or flesh of living beings have been found in nearly every culture around the world for many centuries.[3] Today we know these entities predominantly as vampires, but in ancient times, the term *vampire* did not exist; blood drinking and similar activities were attributed to demons or spirits who would eat flesh and drink blood; even the devil was considered synonymous with the vampire.[4] Almost every nation has associated blood drinking with some kind of revenant or demon, from the ghouls of Arabia to the goddess Sekhmet of Egypt. Indeed, some of these legends could have given rise to the European folklore, though they are not strictly considered vampires by historians when using today's definitions.[5][6]

## Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia was an area rampant with superstition of blood-drinking demons.[*neutrality is disputed*][*improper synthesis?*] The Persians were one of the first civilizations thought to have tales of blood-drinking demons: creatures attempting to drink blood from men were depicted on excavated pottery shards.[5] Ancient Babylonia had tales of the mythical Lilitu,[7] synonymous with and giving rise to Lilith (Hebrew לילית) and her daughters the Lilu from Hebrew demonology. Lilith was considered a demon and was often depicted as subsisting on the blood of babies. The legend of Lilith was originally included in some traditional Jewish texts: according to the medieval folk traditions, she was considered to be Adam's first wife before Eve.[8][9] In these texts, Lilith left Adam to become the queen of the demons (she actually refused to be Adam's subordinate and thus was banished from Eden by God himself) and, much like the Greek striges, would prey on young babies and their mothers at night, as well as males. Because Hebrew law absolutely forbade the eating of human flesh or the drinking of any type of blood, Lilith's blood drinking was described as exceptionally evil. To ward off attacks from Lilith, parents used to hang amulets around their child's cradle.[9]

An alternate version states the legend of Lilith/Lilitu (and a type of spirit of the same name) originally arose from Sumer, where she was described as an infertile "beautiful maiden" and was believed to be a harlot and vampire who, after having chosen a lover, would never let him go.[10] Lilitu (or the Lilitu spirits) was considered to be an anthropomorphic bird-footed, wind or night demon and was often described as a sexual predator who subsisted on the blood of babies and their mothers.[9] Other Mesopotamian demons such as the Babylonian goddess Lamashtu, (Sumer's Dimme) and Gallu of the Uttuke group are mentioned as having vampiric natures.[11][12]

Lamashtu is a historically older image that left a mark on the figure of Lilith.[13] Many incantations invoke her as a malicious "Daughter of Heaven" or of Anu, and she is often depicted as a terrifying blood-sucking creature with a lion's head and the body of a donkey.[14] Akin to Lilitu, Lamashtu primarily preyed on newborns and their mothers.[15] She was said to watch pregnant women vigilantly, particularly when they went into labor. Afterwards, she would snatch the newborn from the mother to drink its blood and eat its flesh. In the *Labartu* texts she is described; "Wherever she comes, wherever she appears, she brings evil and destruction. Men, beasts, trees, rivers, roads, buildings, she brings harm to them all. A flesh-eating, bloodsucking monster is she."[14] Gallu was a demon closely associated with Lilith, though the word (like "Utukku") is also used as a general term for demons, and these are "evil Uttuke" or "evil Galli".[11] One incantation tells of them as spirits that threaten every house, rage at people, eat their flesh, and as they let their blood flow like rain, they never stop drinking blood. Lamashtu, Lilitu, and Gallu are invoked in different amulet texts, with Gallu showing up in Graeco-Byzantine myth as Gello, Gylo, or Gyllo. There she appears as a child-stealing and child-killing female demon,[11] in the manner of Lamia and Lilith.

## Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek mythology contains several precursors to modern vampires, though none were considered undead; these included the Empusa,[16] Lamia,[17] and striges (the strix of Ancient Roman mythology). Over time the first two terms became general words to describe witches and demons respectively. Empusa was the daughter of the goddess Hecate and was described as a demonic, bronze-footed creature. She feasted on blood by transforming into a young woman and seduced men as they slept before drinking their blood.[16] Lamia was the daughter of King Belus and a secret lover of Zeus. However Zeus' wife Hera discovered this infidelity and killed all Lamia's offspring; Lamia swore vengeance and preyed on young children in their beds at night, sucking their blood.[17] Like Lamia, the *striges* feasted on children, but also preyed on young men. They were described as having the bodies of crows or birds in general, and were later incorporated into Roman mythology as *strix*, a kind of nocturnal bird that fed on human flesh and blood.[18]The Romanian vampire breed named *Strigoï* has no direct relation to the Greek *striges*, but was derived from the Roman term *strix*, as is the name of the Albanian *Shtriga* and the Slavic *Strzyga*, though myths about these creatures are more similar to their Slavic equivalents.[6][19] Greek vampiric entities are seen once again in Homer's epic *Odyssey*. In Homer's tale, the undead are too insubstantial to be heard by the living and cannot communicate with them without drinking blood first. In the epic, when Odysseus journeyed into Hades, he was made to sacrifice a black ram and a black ewe so that the shades there could drink its blood and communicate.[2]

## Ancient India

In India, tales of vetalas, ghoul-like beings that inhabit corpses, are found in old Sanskrit folklore. Although most vetala legends have been compiled in the *Baital Pachisi*, a prominent story in the *Kathasaritsagara* tells of King Vikramāditya and his nightly quests to capture an elusive one. The vetala is described as an undead creature who, like the bat associated with modern-day vampirism, hangs upside down on trees found on cremation grounds and cemeteries.[20] *Pishacha*, the returned spirits of evil-doers or those who died insane, also bear vampiric attributes.[21]

I could go on, but the most ancient Vampire myths I can find written evidence of go back to ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and Slavic.This indicates that Vampire mythology goes back as far a written history, and may even pre-date written history. If we were to assume that most of these vampiric myths related around Sanguinarian Vampires who's condition was blown way out of proportion by those who fear them, and religious context, spread from areas such as Rome, Turkey and Greece, into Europe and then across to the United States when Europe began to colonise.

Unfortunately, I can find any reliable real life mythology going back much further so it's difficult to say how far back this truly goes. This is at least my interpretation. Please bear in mind that none of this can be claimed as facts, as this is taken mainly from what remains of information related to folkelore and myth and may not indicate any kind of fact at all. From what I can find out there, it is my interpretation.

Please comment your thoughts, would make an interesting debate if anyone has any sources that date back further.

Sources:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigoi
* http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/deities-or-vampires-hecate-and-other-blood-drinking-spirits-ancient-times-020865
* http://vampireunderworld.com/greek-and-roman-vampires/strix/
* http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=22-08-024-f
* http://www.vampires.com/the-russian-eretica/
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire\_folklore\_by\_region#Mesopotamia