Originally posted by return_to_hades
Interesting topic.
Anyway, the biggest caveat in separating real vampires from the mythical vampires is that we assume the myths about vampires to be the real truths about vampire. A fundamental error of assumption when preparing for any apocalyptic times be it the rapture, a zombie plague or an outburst of hematophagy.
Assumption: Sunlight is fatal to vampires.
Fact: The actual effect of sunlight on vampires is unknown. At best we know vampires are just pale skinned people overtly sensitive to sunlight, get sunburned easily etc. At worst they sparkle.
Assumption: Vampires venture out only at night.
Fact: Even nocturnal creatures are known to venture during the day. They are merely preferential nocturnal. There are also several humans that are preferentially nocturnal like party animals or third shifters.
Assumption: Vampires are the undead.
Fact: Barring Christ there is no known resurrection of the dead. Even that is controversial. Vampires might as well be the living suffering from disease.
Assumption: Vampirism spreads from biting
Fact: Vampirism could be any viral or bacterial infection that could spread through any means.
Assumption: Vampires depend on only blood, namely human blood.
Fact: Perhaps vampires prefer the consumption of blood, but that does not mean that it is necessary for their survival. Moreover, they could survive on all different forms of animals for their cravings, not human blood. It is just like the case of zombies who prefer human brains, but are known to make do with eyeballs, gizzards, and other such lesser treats
So are vampires for real or not? We honestly don't know, there are way too many assumptions and pretty ambiguous facts in the hypothesis to discover vampires in our world. At best we can start is what we know. Urban legends and myths do not start just like that, there is a root cause.
Our vampire mythology has the root cause. Vladislav Tepes III or Count Vladislav Dracula the Voivode of Wallachia. Born in Transylvania, he is popularly known as Vlad the Impaler for his uncanny fetish towards impaling people. It is he who inspired the Dracula legacy and consequently the vampire universe.
Secondly we have the modern vampires - the real people who suffer from vampirism. Yes, these people exist. Humans who suffer extreme iron deficiency that causes pale skin, bluish blood, and blood shot eyes. They are sensitive to sunlight, it irritates their pale skin and burns it as their skin does not produce enough melanin to offer sunscreen protection. They usually wear dark clothes that block sunlight or venture at night (not to be mistaken with emo or goth who just hate sunlight for no good reason). The iron deficiency also causes them to crave iron rich blood rare meats, and some actually do enjoy blood straight up. The constant consumption of rare meats has also adapted their canines to be sharp and fang like. This is an extremely rare and very uncommon disorder - but it does exist - and they are our real vampires.
We need to study more and determine the exact nature of a real vampire. But the question is - are they really lethal? Should we prepare for a vampire attack. I think not. We are more likely to die in a zombie apocalypse. We should focus our efforts on learning to identify and kill zombies. There even is a zombie survival book, if vampires were that lethal there would have been a book to survive them.
Speaking of books, have people read - Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or Android Karrenina. I've read only the first, but plan to read them all.
