It is odd how far modern popular conceptions differ from the original European legends.
For instance, in the legends, vampirism is not contagious -- you don't become a vampire because one bites you. There are various ways to become a vampire. The surest is suicide, which is why suicides were traditionally buried with a stake through the heart. If a dog or cat jumps over your coffin at your funeral, that is a sign you will rise as a vampire. Also, the legendary vampires are as mindless as Romero slow-zombies -- the notion of a vampire as a suave aristocrat appears to date from "The Vampyre" (1819), written by John Polidori at the same get-together in Geneva where Mary Shelly conceived of Frankenstein.
The notion of a silver weapon being required to kill a werewolf appears to be a Hollywood invention -- in the legends, anything that will kill a man or a wolf will kill a werewolf. Also, a werewolf does not suffer under an unwanted curse, but has to make an effort, to cast a magic spell, to turn his or her shape.
For instance, in the legends, vampirism is not contagious -- you don't become a vampire because one bites you. There are various ways to become a vampire. The surest is suicide, which is why suicides were traditionally buried with a stake through the heart. If a dog or cat jumps over your coffin at your funeral, that is a sign you will rise as a vampire. Also, the legendary vampires are as mindless as Romero slow-zombies -- the notion of a vampire as a suave aristocrat appears to date from "The Vampyre" (1819), written by John Polidori at the same get-together in Geneva where Mary Shelly conceived of Frankenstein.
The notion of a silver weapon being required to kill a werewolf appears to be a Hollywood invention -- in the legends, anything that will kill a man or a wolf will kill a werewolf. Also, a werewolf does not suffer under an unwanted curse, but has to make an effort, to cast a magic spell, to turn his or her shape.
