Are Vampires Real?

To answer the question ‘are vampires real?’ you need to understand, and perhaps change, your concept and understanding of vampires. If you are expecting proof that vampires are real, as in one is going to fly to your window right now but run away at the sight of garlic etc… then you are in for a surprise I feel.

One of the many questions I get is ‘Are Vampires real like in Twilight’ or ‘Are Twilight Vampires real?’ here is one of the problems. The latest books, movies and television shows have really increased curiosity in the vampire culture but they have also created a lot of misconception and mistrust. Vampires exist, but probably not as you know them.

I could fill an entire page with some of the junk abilities, powers and weaknesses a vampire is conceived to have. The truth is a real vampire does indeed have powers, and there are arguable weaknesses as well. This is another topic however, one which is covered elsewhere on the site.

I guess if you want to ask ‘are vampires real?’ then you should look at the types of vampire.
First of all, you have your supernatural Vampire. This is your Dracula or Nosferatu deal. The kind that stalk humans around the streets for blood, they’ll fly straight for you as long as you haven’t had a little too much garlic on your pizza. I’d like to put a stop to that one just now; these are overdramatized to sell tickets.

Then you have your lifestyle Vampires. This usually blends into the gothic culture but one does not necessarily require the other. Lifestyle Vampires seek to mimic the culture and lifestyles of the supernatural Vampires they watch on TV and read about. The level of commitment can range from Vampire night clubs and vampire role playing games to full out covens and living arrangements within vampire families.

Many sanguine and psychic vampires look poorly on lifestyle vampires referring to them as ‘posers’. But by the same token, they resist persecution from non vampires. Live and let live right?

Sanguine Vampires (meaning blood red or bloody) gain their namesake by drinking blood. This can be animal blood or sourced from a consenting human donor. Sanguine Vampires can survive without blood and live on the normal everyday food non vampires eat, but the general belief is that when doing this their powers are weakened. Most drink blood occasionally but there are those who forgo normal food in preference of blood.

Psychic Vampires feed of psychic energy. This can be from consulting donors or otherwise. Some believe it’s possible for a psychic vampire to drain the psychic energies of other people without even realising what they are or that they’re doing it at all. A psychic vampire has several methods to obtain energy, but again that’s another topic I will cover in more depth. It is not uncommon for a vampire to consider themselves both psychic and sanguine.

So are vampires real? Yes they are. Maybe not the same way the movies tell you, but vampires are real. Vampires exist within culture and communities all over the world and it’s even quite likely you have met one, perhaps without even realising it.