This page will contain wikis about Toy, as they become available.ToyA toy is something to play with, for children, adults or both. They may either be the sole device used in an enjoyable activity or one of many. Toys have existed for thousands of years; dolls either of infants, animals, or soldiers, and miniature representations of the tools of adults are readily found at archaeological sites. The origin of the word is unknown but is believed to have been first used in the 14th century. [1] Two comparatively recent developments of toys have been their mass production, technological sophistication and copyrighting. A number of these copyrighted, mass-produced toys are associated with particular decades in the twentieth century. Many successful films, television programs, books and sport teams have official merchandise, quite often toys will be made and sold. Some notable examples are Star Wars and Manchester United. The haulage company owned by Eddie Stobart produced model lorries, which now subsidise the business. Medieval ship model as toy for children, c. 1465Some things usually thought to be games are actually toys, such as the computer game SimCity and its spinoffs, which are called software toys. As a rule, if something game-like lacks an explicit end state, it is a toy, not a game. Early toysA display of Roman toys, including several that would be familiar to children today: a doll, dice, rattles, and toy dishes for playing house.The history of toys closely follows the development of human society. People constructed the earliest toys from materials they had on hand, such as rocks, sticks, or clay. Arguably the oldest toy is the doll. Thousands of years ago, Egyptian children played dolls with wigs and movable limbs, made in stone, pottery, and wood.[2] The yo-yo is considered the second oldest toy, believed to have originated in China over 2,500 years ago. Chinese yo-yos were traditionally made of wood. The first verified mention of the yo-yo comes from Ancient Greece in the year 500 B.C. [3] The toy was made of wood, stone, or terra cotta. The Greeks decorated the two halves of the yo-yo with pictures of their gods and were given up when they entered adulthood. In Ancient Rome, girls played with dolls made of wax or terra cotta, while boys played with sticks and bows and arrows. In 1000 B.C., kites were popular in China. [4] The Inca, for example, had a rolling toy even though their adult culture did not employ the wheel. The Hopi kachina doll is a spiritual doll given to women and children. Medieval periodSince most toys during the Middle Ages were made of clay, wood and wax, toys in this period are rare artifacts. However, it is not indicative of the popularity of toys during this time. Most historians believe that the first commercial production of toys began in Germany in the 15th century. The German city of Nuremberg led the way in the manufacture of toys, especially dolls. Common German toys included rattles and wheeled pull-toys for younger children. Musical toys such as whistles were also common among the young.[5] Adolescents played with tops, usually large and wooden, as well as marbles made of clay, and large hoops. Toy soldiers, hobby horses as well as other military toys, such as wooden swords and shields, were used as training devices for aspiring knights. [6] Ornately dressed dolls were often used by rulers as gifts for other regal women. [7] Rag dolls were especially prevalent among young girls. This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.Child DevelopmentRubik's CubeOften toys serve a dual purpose. Besides entertainment, toys also serve to enhance cognitive behavior and to stimulate creativity. Toys for infants include those with distinguishable sounds, bright colors, and a unique feel. During this time, infants begin to recognize shapes, colors and after repetitive use, the nascent person attains familiarity with object reinforcing memory recollection. Coordination and other manual skills develop from subsequent childhood activities of interaction with toys. Marbles, jackstones, and stackable blocks requiring use of hands and bodies. Mental agility, beginning with childhood, is challenged by toyish puzzle of spatial relationships. Play-Doh, Silly Putty and other hands-on materials allow the child to make toys of their own. [8] Educational toys for children of a greater age often contain some puzzle, problem-solving technique, or mathematical proposition. A popular toy for this age group was the Rubix Cube. Popularized in the 1980s, solving the cube requires some planning and problem-solving skills. Newton's cradle, a desk toy designed by Simon Prebble, demonstrates the conservation of momentum and energy. Unintended toysPlay-Doh, originally intended as a wallpaper cleaner.After trying to create a replacement for synthetic rubber, Earl Warrick inadvertently invented "nutty putty" during World War II. Later, Peter Hodgson recognized the potential as a childhood plaything and packaged it as Silly Putty. Similarly, Play-Doh was created as a wallpaper cleaner. [9] In 1943 Richard James was experimenting with Torsion springs as part of his military research when he saw one come loose and fall to the floor. He was intrigued by the way it flopped around on the floor. He spent two years fine-tuning the design to find the best gauge of steel and coil. After a name change, the Slinky was sold as a toy for both genders in stores throughout the United States. References
ExamplesThis is not intended to be a complete list. For a list of all toys on which there are currently articles, see Category:Toys.
Materials
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For a list of all toys on which there are currently articles, see Category:Toys.. Articles:. This is not intended to be a complete list. Books:. After a name change, the Slinky was sold as a toy for both genders in stores throughout the United States. Its portrayal of vampirism as a disease (contagious demonic possession), with its undertones of sex, blood, and death, struck a chord in a Victorian Europe where tuberculosis and syphilis were common. He spent two years fine-tuning the design to find the best gauge of steel and coil. Bram Stoker's Dracula has been the definitive description of the vampire in popular fiction for the last century. He was intrigued by the way it flopped around on the floor. The story is sometimes still falsely attributed to Lord Byron. [9] In 1943 Richard James was experimenting with Torsion springs as part of his military research when he saw one come loose and fall to the floor. Polidori was the personal physician of Lord Byron and the vampire of the story, Lord Ruthven, is based partly on him — making the character the first of our now familiar romantic vampires. Similarly, Play-Doh was created as a wallpaper cleaner. John Polidori authored the first "true" vampire story called The Vampyre. Later, Peter Hodgson recognized the potential as a childhood plaything and packaged it as Silly Putty. These include the combination of horror and lust that the vampire feels and the concept of the undead passing its inheritance to the living. After trying to create a replacement for synthetic rubber, Earl Warrick inadvertently invented "nutty putty" during World War II. Lord Byron introduced many common elements of the vampire theme to Western literature in his epic poem The Giaour (1813). Newton's cradle, a desk toy designed by Simon Prebble, demonstrates the conservation of momentum and energy. It wasn't long before vampire bats were adapted into fictional tales, and they have become one of the more important vampire associations in popular culture. Popularized in the 1980s, solving the cube requires some planning and problem-solving skills. The bats were named after the folkloric vampire rather than vice versa; the Oxford English Dictionary records the folkloric use in English from 1734 and the zoological not until 1774. A popular toy for this age group was the Rubix Cube. During the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors first came into contact with vampire bats and recognized the similarity between the feeding habits of the bats and those of their mythical vampires. Educational toys for children of a greater age often contain some puzzle, problem-solving technique, or mathematical proposition. It is therefore extremely unlikely that the folkloric vampire represents a distorted presentation or memory of the bat. [8]. The three species of actual vampire bats are all endemic to Latin America, and there is no evidence to suggest that they had any Old World relatives within human memory. Play-Doh, Silly Putty and other hands-on materials allow the child to make toys of their own. In South America, Camazotz was a bat god of the caves living in the Bathouse of the Underworld. Mental agility, beginning with childhood, is challenged by toyish puzzle of spatial relationships. In English heraldic tradition, a bat means "Awareness of the powers of darkness and chaos"[7]. Marbles, jackstones, and stackable blocks requiring use of hands and bodies. On the other hand, the gypsies thought them lucky and wore charms made of bat bones. Coordination and other manual skills develop from subsequent childhood activities of interaction with toys. In Europe, bats and owls were long associated with the supernatural, mainly because they were night creatures. During this time, infants begin to recognize shapes, colors and after repetitive use, the nascent person attains familiarity with object reinforcing memory recollection. Bats have become an integral part of the vampire myth only recently, although many cultures have myths about them. Toys for infants include those with distinguishable sounds, bright colors, and a unique feel. Natural processes of decomposition, absent embalming, tend to darken the skin of a corpse — hence the black, blue, or red complexion of the folkloric vampire. Besides entertainment, toys also serve to enhance cognitive behavior and to stimulate creativity. During decomposition blood can often be seen emanating from nose and mouth, which could give the impression that the corpse was a vampire who had been drinking blood. Often toys serve a dual purpose. Corpses swell as gases from decomposition accumulate in the torso and blood tries to escape the body. [7] Rag dolls were especially prevalent among young girls. In the past, people were often malnourished and therefore thin in life, which could account for the pale skin often referred to. [6] Ornately dressed dolls were often used by rulers as gifts for other regal women. [6] Folkloric accounts almost universally represent the alleged vampire as having ruddy or dark skin, not the pale skin of vampires in literature and film. Toy soldiers, hobby horses as well as other military toys, such as wooden swords and shields, were used as training devices for aspiring knights. It is a well known phenomenon that after death the skin and gums lose fluids and contract, exposing the roots of the hair, nails, and teeth, even teeth that were concealed in the jaw. Musical toys such as whistles were also common among the young.[5] Adolescents played with tops, usually large and wooden, as well as marbles made of clay, and large hoops. Another reason to believe that a body is a vampire that has fed on the living is the strange illusion that the hair, nails, and teeth have grown [5]. Common German toys included rattles and wheeled pull-toys for younger children. When the coffin of an alleged vampire was opened, people sometimes found the cadaver in a relatively undecomposed state, which could have been interpreted as the corpse being the equivalent of a well-fed vampire. The German city of Nuremberg led the way in the manufacture of toys, especially dolls. Some psychologists in modern times recognize a disorder called clinical vampirism (or Renfield Syndrome, from Dracula's insect-eating henchman, Renfield, in the novel by Bram Stoker) in which the victim is obsessed with drinking blood, either from animals or humans. Most historians believe that the first commercial production of toys began in Germany in the 15th century. Legends that Erzsébet Báthory, a medieval Hungarian aristocrat, murdered hundreds of women in bizarre rituals involving blood, helped mold contemporary vampire legends. However, it is not indicative of the popularity of toys during this time. Serial killers Peter Kurten and Richard Trenton Chase were both called "vampires" in the tabloids after they were discovered drinking the blood of the people they murdered, for example. Since most toys during the Middle Ages were made of clay, wood and wax, toys in this period are rare artifacts. There have been a number of murderers who performed seemingly vampiric rituals upon their victims. The Hopi kachina doll is a spiritual doll given to women and children. However, like porphyria, there is little evidence to prove any links between vampires and rabies. [4] The Inca, for example, had a rolling toy even though their adult culture did not employ the wheel. This froth could sometimes look like blood, being red in colour. In 1000 B.C., kites were popular in China. Others argue that there is a relationship between vampirism and rabies, since people suffering from this disease would avoid sunlight and looking into mirrors and would froth at the mouth. In Ancient Rome, girls played with dolls made of wax or terra cotta, while boys played with sticks and bows and arrows. [4]. The Greeks decorated the two halves of the yo-yo with pictures of their gods and were given up when they entered adulthood. There is very little evidence to suggest that porphyria had anything to do with the development of the original folklore. [3] The toy was made of wood, stone, or terra cotta. However, the hypotheses that porphyria sufferers crave the heme in human blood, or that the consumption of blood might ease the symptoms of porphyria, are based on a severe misunderstanding of the disease. The first verified mention of the yo-yo comes from Ancient Greece in the year 500 B.C. Certain forms of porphyria are also associated with neurological symptoms, which can create psychiatric disorders. Chinese yo-yos were traditionally made of wood. People with extreme but rare cases of this hereditary disease can be so sensitive to sunlight that they can get a sunburn through heavy cloud cover, causing them to avoid sunlight — although it should be noted that the idea that vampires are harmed by sunlight is largely from modern fiction and not the original beliefs. Thousands of years ago, Egyptian children played dolls with wigs and movable limbs, made in stone, pottery, and wood.[2] The yo-yo is considered the second oldest toy, believed to have originated in China over 2,500 years ago. The disease disrupts the production of heme. Arguably the oldest toy is the doll. Some people argue that vampire stories might have been influenced by a rare illness called porphyria. People constructed the earliest toys from materials they had on hand, such as rocks, sticks, or clay. The chupacabra is also believed to be an alien. The history of toys closely follows the development of human society. The "chupacabras hysteria" was frequently associated with deep economical and political crisis, particularily during the middle of the 90`s decade. . In the modern folklore of Puerto Rico and Mexico, the chupacabra (goat-sucker) is said to be a creature that feeds upon the flesh or drinks the blood of domesticated animals, leading some to consider it vampiric. As a rule, if something game-like lacks an explicit end state, it is a toy, not a game. However, local police stated that no such crimes had been reported to them, and this case appears to be an urban legend.[3]. Some things usually thought to be games are actually toys, such as the computer game SimCity and its spinoffs, which are called software toys. In January 2005, it was reported that an attacker had bitten a number of people in Birmingham, England, fueling concerns about a vampire roaming the streets. The haulage company owned by Eddie Stobart produced model lorries, which now subsidise the business. In Romania, several relatives of Toma Petre dug up his body, tore out his heart, burned the organ and drank its ashes in water in February of 2004, thinking that he had become a vampire.[2]. Some notable examples are Star Wars and Manchester United. Mobs stoned one individual to death and attacked at least four others, including Governor Eric Chiwaya, due to a belief that the government was colluding with vampires.[1]. Many successful films, television programs, books and sport teams have official merchandise, quite often toys will be made and sold. During late 2002 and early 2003, hysteria about alleged attacks of vampires swept through the African country of Malawi. A number of these copyrighted, mass-produced toys are associated with particular decades in the twentieth century. Belief in vampires still persists across the globe. [1] Two comparatively recent developments of toys have been their mass production, technological sophistication and copyrighting. By then, though, many knew about vampires, and soon authors would adopt and adapt the concept of vampire, making it known to the general public. The origin of the word is unknown but is believed to have been first used in the 14th century. This was the end of the vampire epidemics. Toys have existed for thousands of years; dolls either of infants, animals, or soldiers, and miniature representations of the tools of adults are readily found at archaeological sites. He concluded that vampires do not exist, and the Empress passed laws prohibiting the opening of graves and desecration of bodies. They may either be the sole device used in an enjoyable activity or one of many. Eventually, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria sent her personal physician to investigate. A toy is something to play with, for children, adults or both. This had considerable influence on other scholars at the time. Nerf. Nonetheless, Dom Augustine Calmet, a well-respected French theologian and scholar, put together a carefully thought out treatise in 1746 in which he claimed vampires did exist. Yo-Yo (1930s onwards). Many scholars said vampires did not exist, and attributed reports to premature burial, or rabies. Chinese yo-yo (diabolo). The problem was exacerbated by rural epidemics of so-claimed vampire attacks, with locals digging up bodies. Footbag. The controversy raged for a generation. Soap-box cart. Government officials examined the cases and the bodies, wrote them up in reports, and books were published afterwards of the Paole case and distributed around Europe. Pogo stick. These two incidents were extremely well documented. Marbles. After his death, people began to die, and it was believed by everyone that Paole had returned to prey on the neighbours. Hula Hoop (1950s). In the other famous case, Arnold Paole, an ex-soldier turned farmer who had allegedly been attacked by a vampire years before, died while haying. Frisbee (1950s). Soon Plogojowitz returned and attacked some neighbours who died from loss of blood. Bungee Balls. When the son refused, he was found dead the next day. physical activity and dexterity toys
View-master. The word vampire only came into the English language in 1732 via an English translation of a German report of the much-publicized Arnold Paole vampire staking in Serbia. Kaleidoscope. Even government officials frequently got dragged into the hunting and staking of vampires. Science and optical
Model collecting
Model building
. Toy piano. Although the Lamia was a sort of divinity, related to other Ancient Greek gods, the vrykolakas were truly "undead", normally as a result of excomunication from the Church or suicide. Miniaturized items
Rubik's Cube. However, they could be seen "by a twin brother and sister born on a Saturday who wear their drawers and shirts inside out." Likewise, a settlement could be protected from a vampire "by finding a twin brother and sister born on a Saturday and making them wear their shirts and drawers inside out (cf previous section). Mechanical puzzle
Magic trick. To ward off vampires, gypsies drove steel or iron needles into a corpse's heart and placed bits of steel in the mouth, over the eyes, ears and between the fingers at the time of burial. Jack-in-the-Box. To get rid of a vampire people would hire a Dhampir (the son of a vampire and his widow) or a Moroi [citation needed] to detect the vampire. Cotton reel tank. (See the article on vampire watermelons.). Mechanical toys
Ant Farm. Plants or dogs, cats, or even agricultural tools could become vampires. Educational toy
Decoder pen. This vampire is believed to return and do malicious things and/or suck the blood of a person (usually a relative who had caused their death, or hadn't properly observed the burial ceremonies, or who kept the deceased's possessions instead of destroying them as was proper). Drawing toys
Pound Puppies. Gypsies have a belief that the three Marys from the New Testament went to France and baptised a gypsy called Sara. Stuffed animals
Digital pet. Her temples are near the cremation grounds. Playmobil. The most famous Indian deity associated with blood drinking is Kali, who has fangs, wears a garland of corpses or skulls and has four arms. Action figures. This kind of reincarnation does not arise out of birth from a womb, etc, but is achieved directly, and such evil spirits' fate is pre-determined as to how they shall achieve liberation from that yoni, and re-enter the world of mortal flesh through next incarnation. Raggedy Ann. Since Hinduism believes in reincarnation of the soul after death, it is supposed that upon leading an unholy or immoral life, sin or suicide, the soul reincarnates into such kinds of evil spirits. Dolls
Stickle bricks. The ancient home of the Roma, India, has many mythical vampire figures. Mega Bloks. The Roma myths of the living dead added to and enriched the vampire myths of Hungary, Romania, and Slavic lands. Meccano. The soul stays around the body and sometimes wants to come back. Märklin. Traditional Romani beliefs include the idea that the dead soul enters a world similar to ours except that there is no death. Lincoln Logs. Even today, Roma frequently feature in vampire fiction and film, no doubt influenced by Bram Stoker's book, Dracula, in which the Szgany Roma served Dracula, carrying his boxes of earth and guarding him. LEGO. For resistant cases, the body was dismembered and the pieces burned, mixed with water, and given to family members as a cure. K'NEX. By the 19th century people were shooting a bullet through the coffin. Jovo. To destroy a vampire, a stake was driven through the body followed by decapitation and placing garlic in the mouth. Gami, Plastic Origami. Measures to prevent a person becoming a vampire included, removing the caul from a newborn and destroying it before the baby could eat any of it, careful preparation of dead bodies, including preventing animals from passing over the corpse, placing a thorny branch of wild rose in the grave, and placing garlic on windows and rubbing it on cattle, especially on St George's & St Andrew's days. Erector Set. Graves were often opened three years after death of a child, five years after the death of a young person, or seven years after the death of an adult to check for vampirism. Construction toys
Wulffson, Don L. St George's Day is still celebrated in Europe. Vampires, along with witches, were believed to be most active on the Eve of St George's Day (April 22 Julian, May 4 Gregorian calendar), the night when all forms of evil were supposed to be abroad. The vampire was usually first noticed when it attacked family and livestock, or threw things around in the house. The person afflicted with lycanthropy could turn into a dog, pig, or wolf. The Vârcolac which is sometimes mentioned in folklore was more closely related to a mythological wolf that could devour the sun and moon (similar to Fenris in Norse mythology), and later became connected with werewolves rather than vampires. Moreover, being bitten by vampire, meant certain condemnation to a vampiric existence after death. A person born with a caul, tail, born out of wedlock, or one who died an unnatural death, or died before baptism, was doomed to become a vampire, as was the seventh child of the same sex in a family, the child of a pregnant woman who did not eat salt or who was looked at by a vampire, or a witch. Other types of vampires in Romanian folklore include Moroi and Pricolici. The Strigoi morţi are the reanimated bodies which return to suck the blood of family, livestock, and neighbours. They can send out their soul at night to meet with other witches or with Strigoi morţi who are dead vampires. Strigoi vii are live witches who will become vampires after death. There are different types of Strigoi. They are called Strigoi based on the ancient Greek term strix for screech owl, which also came to mean demon or witch. Romania is surrounded by Slavic countries, so it is not surprising that Romanian vampires are similar to the Slavic vampire. Tales of vampiric entities were also found among the ancient Romans and among the Romanized inhabitants of eastern Europe, Romanians (known as Vlachs in historical context). Vampires could be destroyed by staking, decapitation (the Kashubs placed the head between the feet), burning, repeating the funeral service, holy water on the grave or exorcism. Evidence that a vampire was at work in the neighbourhood included death of cattle, sheep, relatives, neighbours, exhumed bodies being in a lifelike state with new growth of the fingernails or hair, or if the body was swelled up like a drum, or there was blood on the mouth and if the corpse had a ruddy complexion. Certain people would bury their potential vampires with scythes above their necks, so the dead would decapitate themselves as they rose. In the case of stakes, the general idea was to pierce through the vampire and into the ground below, pinning them. Preventative measures included: placing a crucifix in the coffin, or blocks under the chin to prevent the body from eating the shroud, nailing clothes to coffin walls for the same reason, or piercing the body with thorns or stakes. Causes of vampirism included being born with a caul, teeth, or tail, being conceived on certain days, irregular death, excommunication, improper burial rituals etc. It must still be observed that Vampire beliefs were common in (Catholic) Poland, and that there is little indication they were less common in Croatia than among the Serbs. This split caused a big difference in the development of vampire lore - the Orthodox church believed incorrupt bodies were vampires, while the Roman church believed they were saints. They formally broke in 1054 AD, with the Bulgarians, Russians, and Serbians staying Orthodox, while the Poles, Czechs, and Croatians went Roman. However, through the 9th and 10th centuries, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the western Roman Catholic Church were struggling with each other for supremacy. Christianisation began almost as soon as they arrived in their new homelands. Prior to 8th century AD they migrated north and west to where they are now. The Slavs came from north of the Black Sea and were closely associated with the Balts. The Slavic people including most east Europeans from Russia to Serbia to Poland, have the richest vampire folklore and legends in the world. Most of the European vampire myths have Slavic and/or Romanian origins. In other cases, however, a victim of a cruel, untimely, or violent death was susceptible to becoming a vampire. They were usually believed to rise from the bodies of suicide victims, criminals, or evil sorcerers, though in some cases an initial vampire thus "born of sin" could pass his vampirism onto his innocent victims. It seems that until the 19th century, vampires in Europe were thought to be hideous monsters rather than the debonair, aristocratic vampire made popular by later fictional treatments. Many vampire legends also bear similarities to legends regarding succubi or incubi. Medieval historians and chroniclers Walter Map and William of Newburgh recorded the earliest English stories of vampires in the 12th century. In early Slavic folklore, a vampire drank blood, was afraid of (but could not be killed by) silver and could be destroyed by cutting off its head and putting it between the corpse's legs or by putting a wooden stake into its heart. The Roman strix is the source of the Romanian vampire, the Strigoi and the Albanian Shtriga, which also show Slavic influence [citation needed]. Roman tales describe the strix, a nocturnal bird that fed on human flesh and blood. In Homer's Odyssey, the shades that Odysseus meets on his journey to the underworld are lured to the blood of freshly sacrificed rams, a fact that Odysseus uses to his advantage to summon the shade of Tiresias. The Ancient Egyptian goddess Sekhmet in one myth became full of blood lust after slaughtering humans and was only sated after drinking alcohol colored as blood. For further information, see the article on Lilith. Lilitu/Lilith is sometimes called the mother of all vampires. One of these demons, named Lilitu, was later adapted into Jewish demonology as Lilith. These female demons were said to roam during the hours of darkness, hunting and killing newborn babies and pregnant women. Vampire-like spirits called the Lilu are mentioned in early Babylonian demonology, and the bloodsucking Akhkharu even earlier in the Sumerian mythology. Tales of the dead craving blood are ancient in nearly every culture around the world. Evidence suggests that an Upir was originally just a sort of psychopomp, a spirit which accompanies the soul of a dead person from the grave to the afterlife [citation needed]. The word Upir as a term for vampire is found for the first time in written form in 1047 in a letter to a Novgorodian prince referring to him as 'Upir Lichyj' (Wicked Vampire). The Slavic word, like its cognate netopyr' ("bat"), comes from the PIE root for "to fly". English vampire comes from German Vampir, in turn from early Old Polish *vąper' (where ą is a nasal a, and both p and r' are palatalized), in turn from Old Slavic *oper (with a nasal o) or Old Church Slavonic opiri. . This term also applies to mythic animals of the same nature, including the chupacabra. In zoology, the term vampirism is used to refer to leeches, mosquitos, mistletoe, vampire bats, and other organisms that prey upon the bodily fluids of other creatures. The consumption of another's blood (and/or flesh) has been used as a tactic of psychological warfare intended to terrorize the enemy, and it can be used to reflect various spiritual beliefs. The historical practice of vampirism can generally be considered a more specific and less commonly occurring form of cannibalism. In folklore and popular culture, the term generally refers to a belief that one can gain supernatural powers by drinking human blood. Vampires are said to mainly bite the victim's neck, extracting the blood from a main artery. Vampirism is the practice of drinking blood from a person/animal. Vampires are often described as having a variety of additional powers and character traits, extremely variable in different traditions, and are a frequent subject of folklore, cinema, and contemporary fiction. Some cultures have myths of non-human vampires, such as demons or animals like bats, dogs, and spiders. Vampires are mythical or folkloric creatures, typically held to be the re-animated corpses of human beings and said to subsist on human and/or animal blood (hematophagy), often having unnatural powers, heightened bodily functions, and/or the ability to physically transform. For treatments of the vampire legend in fiction, see Vampire fiction.. ^ "Do hair and nails continue to grow after death?", SDSTAFF Hawk (pseudonym), The Straight Dope, August 9, 2001, accessed online December 15, 2005. ^ "The Vampire", Henry Steel Olcott, The Theosophist, Vol XII, 1891, accessed online December 15, 2005. ^ "Reality Bites", Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, January 18, 2005, accessed online August 17, 2005. ^ "Romanian villagers decry police investigation into vampire slaying", Matthew Schofield, Knight Ridder Newspapers, March 24, 2004. ^ "'Vampires' strike Malawi villages", Raphael Tenthani, BBC News, December 23, 2002. ISBN: 0-571-16792-6. 1991. Frayling, Christopher: "Vampyres, Lord Byron to Count Dracula". 1914 (available in various reprints). Wright, Dudley: The Book of Vampires. ISBN 0070456712. McGraw Hill, 1983. McNally, Raymond T.: Dracula Was a Woman. ISBN 0517881004. Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1993. Bunson, Matthew: The Vampire Encyclopedia. ISBN 0786708999. Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2001. Bell, Michael E.: Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England's Vampires. ISBN 0300048599. Yale University Press.1988. Barber, Paul : Vampires, Burial and Death : Folklore and Reality . Aside from the Muppet character of Count von Count on television's Sesame Street, this characteristic seems to have largely disappeared from popular culture. Chinese myths about vampires also state that if a vampire comes across a sack of rice, s/he will have to count all of the grains. Millet or poppy seeds were placed on the ground at the gravesite of a presumed vampire, in order to keep the vampire occupied all night counting. Old folklore from Eastern Europe suggests that many vampires suffered from a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, being fascinated with counting. This includes other means of death that effectively removes a vampire's head, such as incinerating the body completely. There are three main ways to destroy a typical European vampire: a consecrated bullet, a wooden stake through the heart where two roads meet, or decapitation. In Eastern vampiric myths, vampires are often similarly warded by holy devices such as Shintō seals. Holy water and other holy symbols depend upon the culture. In myths of other regions, other plants of holy or mythical properties sometimes have similar effects. Garlic is confined mostly to European vampire legends. This weakness on the part of the vampire varies depending on the tale. Apotropaics, or objects intended to ward off vampires, include garlic, a branch of wild rose, and all things sacred (e.g., holy water, a crucifix, a rosary, or sacred objects from other faiths). Werewolves are sometimes held to become vampires after death, and vampires are frequently held to have the ability to transform themselves into wolves. In most cases they sustain themselves by sucking living people's blood or life force ; this seems to be a requirement for their continued existence regardless of whether they are able to absorb other food and drink, or gain anything from such. However, most tales of the undead feature vampires that cannot eat (or at least cannot gain nourishment from) normal human food. Vampires in some tales have very specific dietary requirements while others do not. Others place native soil in their coffins, especially if they have relocated. Some tales maintain that vampires must return to their native soil before sunrise to take their rest safely. Vampires may be reluctant to enter or cross bodies of water, particularly running water. In some cases sunlight may burn or kill vampires, or they may be comatose during the day. Vampire powers are often limited during the day or in daylight. Generally, however, a vampire can come and go at will after being invited once. This concept has been referenced throughout the history of vampire fiction (from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Christabel, through Bram Stoker's novel Dracula to Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot, and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Some tradititions hold that a vampire cannot enter a house unless he or she is invited in. In modern fiction, this may extend to the idea that vampires cannot be photographed. This mythical power is largely confined to European vampiric myths and may be tied to folklore regarding the vampire's lack of a soul. Vampires typically cast no shadow and have no reflection. straw, dust, smoke) and then create winds as a means of propulsion. Sometimes this power is supernatural, other times it is connected to the vampire's ability to turn into flying creatures (e.g., bats, owls, flies) or into lightweight forms (e.g. Some vampires can fly. Vampires are sometimes considered to be shape-shifters, though this feature is more commonly present in fiction than in the original folklore. They often have a pale (for vampires from literature and cinema) or ruddy (for those from folklore) appearance, and are cool to the touch from the perspective of humans. Vampires, being already dead, do not need most normal things required for human life, such as oxygen. The Pontianak was a female vampire that sucked the blood of newborn babies and sometimes that of young children or pregnant women. In Malaysian folklore, the Penanggalan was a vampire whose head could separate from its body, with its entrails dangling from the base of its neck. She lived in a house, could marry and have children, and was a seemingly normal human during the daylight hours. The Aswang was believed to always be a female of considerable beauty by day and, by night, a fearsome flying fiend. She sucked the blood of fetuses. In Philippine folklore, the Manananggal was a female vampire whose entire upper body could separate from her lower body and who could fly using wings. The Chinese vampire, the hopping corpse (jiāng shī), has more in common with Western ideas of corporeal zombies or ghouls but is still depicted as draining the victim of blood. There are also tales of kamaitachi, a phenomenon where it was said that evil gods would thirst for human blood. Oni myths also have similarities with Western vampire legends. Kitsune may be either maleficent or benevolent, or both; kitsune are said to drain the life-force of its victims after charming them or becoming their lover, in similar fashion as succubi or incubi. In Japan, the kitsune is a vampiric shapeshifting fox-spirit that takes its origins from both Chinese and Indian mythology. A book Aithihyamala (a garland of folklores) by Kottarathil Sankunni, have lots of stories regarding these Vampires of Kerala. The Yakshi in Kerala is quite different from the one depicted in the topic Yakshi at Wikipedia. The Yakshi could be also brought into control by various was including rituals, and also by driving an iron nail onto her head. The Yakshi would kill the man, and eat him up (except for the nails and hair). As soon as the victim reaches the house, the Yakshi would reveal her trueself, and the victim would realise that he actually sitting on top of a tall tree (known in the local language as Pana). She would then lure them into a palatial house. These folklores essentially portray Yakshi's as beautiful women (generally in traditional Kerala attire), who would attract lone travellers in the night. There are a lot of folklores about a category of vampires known as Yakshi's, in the state of Kerala, South India. India is home to beliefs in a spirit called the vetala, a wraithly vampire that can leave its host body to feed. They could also be killed by rubbing salt into their discarded skin, which would burn them upon returning to it before morning. The vampire would feel compelled to pick up every grain. They were said to be notoriously obsessive-compulsive, and could be thwarted by sprinkling salt or rice at entrances, crossroads and near beds. In the Caribbean, vampires known as Soucoyah in Trinidad and Tobago, Ol' Higue in Jamaica, and Lagaroo in Grenada, take the form of old women during the day, and at night shed their skin to become flying balls of flame who seek blood. In Aztec mythology, the Civatateo was a sort of vampire, created when a noblewoman died in childbirth. Medieval and later Greek folklore features the vrykolakas, (which is now considered synonymous with "vampire"). In Ancient Greece and Medieval Bulgaria the Lamia had the upper body of a woman, the lower body of a winged serpent and craved blood (especially the blood of women). |