Interesting Results

Lindsay's blog entry, "Friday Giveaway Take 3", asks a prurient question:

There were 18 responses to her request and this is where it gets interesting.

Even though Lindsay's blog primarily concentrates on vampire fiction, 14 of the respondents said they'd like more coverage given to vampire myth!

One of the commentators, joder, even suggested the following:

I like the inclusion of myths, maybe you could get a professor to blog about the topic on a regular basis (we can have our own Dr. Sanguinary).

With all the coverage currently given to Twilight, True Blood and, to a lesser extent, The Vampire Diaries, I was starting to think that the Vampire Fad's been driven by characterisations, not vampires themselves.

That is, it's not that we've become enamoured of bloodsuckers, but of characters (like Edward Cullen) who just happen to be vampires. Vampire Celebrities, if you will. Flavours of the Month.

Thus, the results from Lindsay's blog entry do give me some inspiration. After all, there's much more to the rich fabric of the Vampire Universe than what Stephenie Meyer, Anne Rice or even Bram Stoker have contributed to it.

Of course, I should admit to a personal bias here.

I'm much more interested in vampire folklore; the "myths" most likely referred to by Lindsay and her respondents. However, the late Alan Dundes criticised using the term "myth" in reference to vampires. Here's what he wrote in The Vampire: A Casebook (Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1998):

The use of the word myth to refer to stories of the vampire is anathema to the professional folklorist. For the folklorist, myth is a technical term referring to sacred narratives explaining how the world or humankind came to be in their present form. Because encounters with vampires, real or imagined, having nothing whatever to do with the creation of the world or humankind, they do not qualify as bona fide myths. Nor are such stories "folktales," which are fictional, as indicated by an opening formula (e.g., "Once upon a time"), signalling that what follows is not to be taken as literal, historical truth. Vampire accounts are what folklorists call legends, that is, stories told as true and set in the postcreation world (159).

In terms of fictional literary tastes, you'll have to scour through "Hi Angela!" to see the type that appeals to me.

Contributing Elsewhere

My first contribution to another blog was published yesterday.

It's called "Vampires Converge on Halloween". I wrote it as part of Reading with a Bite's "31 Days of Halloween" series, which features contributions by other bloggers somehow involved in the vampire genre. I was invited to participate by Lindsay, herself.

Why didn't I mention it on this blog? Surprise!

Heh heh.

However, I do notice that a few formatting errors crept it. Minor ones, mind you. Also, I guess the intro Linsay provided should have been italicised to distinguish it from the main text, which begins with "Truth be told..."

Anyway, now I'll discuss the formatting errors (you'll see how pedantic I can be).

"Agnes Murgoci's 'The Vampire in Romania'" should have read "Agnes Murgoci's 'The Vampire in Roumania'", as I provided by e-mail. "Roumania" is the spelling variant given in the original article, even if it's antiquated.

Spot the problem in this one:

Rosemary Ellen Guiley mentions two separate, modern-day events baring the name "Vampire Day" in The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters (New York: Checkmark, 2005), p. 293.

The italicisation of the title (The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters) seems to have gone askew. Same thing happened with this:

You can get some helpful suggestions on throwing your own "Vampires Ball" from Halloween Costume Party.

Should read Halloween Costume Party, as it's the title of the website.

And lastly, the link in this:

For instance, the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C. predicts that the second most popular costume on Halloween, among adults, will be the vampire.

Should have only been placed on "predicts", as per original article.

Other than that, all good.

I'm certainly flattered that I was asked to contribute. Glad that Lindsay dug the blog entry, too! Had to rush for the deadline, there.

I'll also mention that Rebeca Ramirez-Haskell invited me (Sept. 24) to attend a viewing of her husband's Haunted House in New York City, and to write about it.

As to the House itself, we're not talking about a few fake cobwebs and dusty sheets scattered about, with spooky noises playing in the background. We're talking something akin to a full-blown stage production. Check out its website, for more. You'll see what I mean.

The reason I was invited this year becomes more apparent, when I reveal its theme:

Now in its sixth year and at a new location, NIGHTMARE’S fully immersive haunted house takes haunting to a whole new level. Get ready to play your part in NIGHTMARE: VAMPIRES, a unique haunted attraction that unfolds as an original horror story! Set in the Museum of Vampyric Artifacts (MoVa), the world's first vampire museum features antiquities related to vampires from the headlines, in the media and from around the world. However, when MoVa and everyone in it are attacked by blood-lusting maniacs, you won’t just be viewing the exhibits on display…you’ll be running from them! Witness the birth of a new vampire legend!

I wrote back, explaining that I would love to have made a visit to the Haunted House, but there was just the niggle about me being on a completely different continent, getting in the way. I wished her the best with it.

Fortunately, the attraction has been viewed and written about, elsewhere. Brian Solomon gives his opinion on it in "Vampires Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple".

Another Shout-Out

I've been given a shout-out (here's another), courtesy of Ms. LuluBelle's blog, Reading with a Bite.

In "More Than Fiction", she writes:

In case you haven't come across them yet, there are a some awesome blogs dedicated to the scientific and historical facts, myths, and rumors. Check them out! There is some interesting stuff out there.

She goes on to commend both my blog and Niels K. Petersen's Magia Posthuma.

It's a very flattering description. One I certainly hope to higher attain.

Cheers, Ms. LuluBelle!