290 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1936 



TRADITION 



The term "vampire" originated long before civilized man's knowl- 

 edge of a so-called blood-sucking bat. In later years tlie discovery 

 of a sanguineous bat appears to have inspired elaboration of the tra- 

 dition. This history has been traced by the junior author through 

 approximately 200 titles, a partial bibliography of which appears 

 at the end of the article. Surmise, theories, and observations of vari- 

 ous naturalists in building up the history of the vampire bat have 

 also been searched, as well as scientific nomenclature. 



The term "vampire" is apparently of Slavonic origin and was first 

 applied in eastern Europe to alleged blood-sucking, supernatural 

 beings and persons abnormally endowed with hematoposia. The 

 preternatural vampire was supposed to be the soul of a dead person 

 which left the interred body at night, in one of many forms, to suck 

 the blood of sleeping persons and sometimes animals. Of the numer- 

 ous shapes thought to be assumed by the vampire, it is of interest to 

 note that in early history the bat form was not mentioned. It later 

 found its way into the legends, as brought out in Bram Stoker's 

 Dracula. The preferred form seems to have been the werewolf, 

 dog, cat, horse, birds of various kinds, snakes, and even inanimate 

 things such as straw and white flame. 



Superstition about blood-sucking forms has been widespread and 

 of dateless origin. It was known in many ancient cultures of the 

 Old World. The tendency of blood-sucking creatures to produce 

 legends is to be noted among the Mayans even before the arrival of 

 Cortez in the early sixteenth century brought contact with Old 

 World superstitions. In this case of New World exaggeration, there 

 Avas a basis for it — the actual presence of sanguineous bats. Here 

 was reverence of a blood-sucking bat god (MacCulloch, 1932), un- 

 doubtedly founded on the existence of a sanguineous bat common in 

 most of the Mayan areas of habitation. Then again, the return of 

 Cortez's followers to Europe with tales of blood-sucking bats, 

 founded on acquired knowledge of an actual blood-drinking creature, 

 appears to have strengthened the superstitions of Europe. From 

 chronological examination of the old literature, it seems that it was 

 not long after the return of the Spaniards that allegations appeared 

 about blood-sucking habits of the bats of Europe, where no sangui- 

 vorous bats have ever occurred. 



After the return of the early explorers from the New World 

 tropics, a "vampire" epidemic broke out in Europe about 1730 (En- 

 cyclopaedia Britannica, 1910), especially in the Slavonic countries. 

 All sorts of works, scientific and philosophical, related incidents and 

 cases of those unfortunate people who became afflicted with vampir- 

 ism and sucked the blood of men and animals. Up to this time. 



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