Forget What You Saw On Vampire Diaries. Here Are 10 Facts About Real Vampires

In popular media, vampires are portrayed more like humans with every passing movie and television show, but that's not how they were initially intended to be perceived. These facts will show you how these creepy creatures were depicted in their original folklore.

Post-mortem feeding

During the time of the Black Death in Europe, it wasn't uncommon for people to be buried with rocks in their mouths. This was to prevent them from feeding on other bodies, if they were to rise from the dead.

Aversion to sunlight

 

An allergy to sunlight is no where to be found in folklore.

Magical Powers

 

No traditional piece of folklore features vampires with powers.

Becoming a vampire

 

Modern tales state that a bite from a vampire could cause you to become one. Folklore states that illegitimate children, former werewolves and those with red hair are at risk for becoming vampires.

There's an antidote to a vampire bite.

 
Legends state that you can avoid becoming a vampire post-bite, if you drink the ashes of a burnt vampire.

Vampires can reproduce.

 

Legend states that, if a man were to be turned into a vampire, the first person he would look for would be his wife. This would often result in a vampire baby.

You can only kill a vampire with a stake.

 

Popular methods, according to folklore include cremation, boiling the head in vinegar and burying the corpse face down.

A vampire's life cycle.

 

Folklore states that after turning, vampires are shapeless creatures who don't develop bones until 40 days after they've been created. This makes them harder to kill.

How to make a vampire go away.

 

Old repellant methods include iron, salt, running water and peppermint.

Vampires were not always members of the elite.

 

Although vampires are usually as powerful members of society. They are actually portrayed as peasants in popular folklore