Overview
A look at the forgotten ancestors of the modern-day vampire, many of which have very different characteristics • Looks at the many ancestoral forms of the modern vampire, including shroud eaters, appesarts, and stafi • Presents evidence for the reality of this phenomenon from pre-19th-century newspaper articles and judicial records Of all forms taken by the undead, the vampire wields the most powerful pull on the modern imagination. But the countless movies and books inspired by this child of the night who has a predilection for human blood are based on incidents recorded as fact in newspapers and judicial archives in the centuries preceding the works of Bram Stoker and other writers. Digging through these forgotten records, Claude Lecouteux unearths a very different figure of the vampire in the many accounts of individuals who reportedly would return from their graves to attack the living. These ancestors of the modern vampire were not all blood suckers; they included shroud eaters, appesarts, nightmares, and the curious figure of the stafia, whose origin is a result of masons secretly interring the shadow of a living human being in the wall of a building under construction. As Lecouteux shows, the belief in vampires predates ancient Roman times, which abounded with lamia, stirges, and ghouls. Discarding the tacked together explanations of modern science for these inexplicable phenomena, the author looks back to another folk belief that has come down through the centuries like that of the undead: the existence of multiple souls in every individual, not all of which are able to move on to the next world after death.
Full Product Details
Author: Claude Lecouteux
Publisher: Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Imprint: Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.50cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.254kg
ISBN: 9781594773259
ISBN 10: 1594773254
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 01 February 2010
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: No Longer Our Product
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
The book is excellent for any library, be the owner vampire or vampire hunter or simply the paranormal enthusiast or admirer from afar, wishing for a bite. --Examiner.com
The book is excellent for any library, be the owner vampire or vampire hunter or simply the paranormal enthusiast or admirer from afar, wishing for a bite.
The book is excellent for any library, be the owner vampire or vampire hunter or simply the paranormal enthusiast or admirer from afar, wishing for a bite. -- Examiner.com
Author Information
Claude Lecouteux is a former professor of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne. He is the author of numerous books on medieval and pagan afterlife beliefs, including The Return of the Dead and Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies. He lives in Paris.
