Vampire as Other Midterm

What is the concept of Limited Good? How does it differ from the typical American view?

"All of the desired things in life exist in limited quantities and are always in short supply" -Including land, wealth, health, love, status, and safety *Belief in peasant societies world-wide Clashes with our common American image of Endless Bounty work hard and youll get what you want

Rites of Separation

"Washing off the old state" Separation in Slavic Folk Weddings There was ritual bath, new special clothes Lamenting by the women Bride ritually dressed by women of groom 's family Bride wore hair loose, not braided shaving groom

What is a mora/morava/morica/zmora? How does it originate? How are these beings boundary-crossers?

(nightmare) Im proper entry into hum an society; born in transitional time Wandering soul; soul of living person Smothering/strangling them in night Causes victim to waste away Related to word mortality, i.e. root = death scapegoat for: SIDS Unexpected diseases of farm animals Clinical nightmare (sleep paralysis) Boundary crossers because it takes someone from living world to death one world to another

What is animism? What kinds of spirits were venerated/feared in Slavic folk belief?

(worship of spirits and nature) Cult of spirits and dead Thought to be present at all times Spirits have places, like spirits of the house, livestock and barns Domesticated, closer to the house- friendly and protective "Non-Domesticated Place Spirits" Forrest and water spirits Demonic, feared Peasants made them offerings Took precautions when "trespassing" Domains outside of the human world (potential sites for abandoning vampire bodies) Evil in Animism - can't do anything about it Some beings are ill-willed by nature Blamed for disasters Can be avoided or placated make sacrifices to vampires or spirits

What are the main origins of folkloric vampires? Be able to discuss 1) circumstances of birth 2) circumstances of death 3) circumstances related to other rites of passage 4) overuse of Limited Goods in life and 5) behavior in life (both outright evil-doing and village trouble-making)

1. Contagion 2. Violation of behavioral norms 3. Improper life-cycle transitions

Why does the image of the vampire endure/what are the main functions of monsters?

1. Symbolize fears active in our culture 2. They provide coping mechanism 3. Focus for feelings of alienation (one can either make others into monsters or be the monster oneself and have power over others) Ex: What fear does Frankenstein symbolize? Fear of scientific knowledge making us into Gods. Ex: Sesame Street's Count Von Count helps put a human face on math/ the monsters of math can be faced (and overcome). These amorphous fears are given concrete, conquerable shape - and our anxiety can be successfully faced and mastered. Bruno Bettelhiem: "The monster in fairy tales encourages the child to explore on his own even the figments of his anxious imagination, because such fairy tales give him confidence that he can master not only the real dangers which his parents told him about, but even those vastly exaggerated ones which he fears exist."

Psychic or Spiritual Vampire

Aka "Psychic Sponge" - resembles folkloric vampire Being believed to feed on other humans emotional, spiritual, mental energy The culture can believe this to be real transfer of "vital energies" - drawing mental nourishment

How do vampires and other folkloric monsters relate to the image of Limited Good?

Attack Limited goods (milk, blood. Etc.) Steal fertility from fields Cause droughts, bad harvests and other disasters Ultimate cure is cremation (causes all the water of life to dry up)

Overuse of limited goods in life

Bad people who used the evil eye Stole, coveted

What is taboo? How does taboo relate to the idea of boundary-crossing?

Ban against saying, doing, or touching something for fear of being harmed by supernatural powers Saying something taboo can call on that thing, bring things from another world to this world opens yourself up to boundary crossing taboo makes things separate- that and us taboo things are mostly boundary crossers

What is the significance of "Speak of the devil" ("Mention the wolf...")?

Believed that if you mention a dangerous being it will appear Thats why we have different names for vampire

What was the function of ritual exhumation of bodies?

Bodies were exhumed to make sure they werent vampires way of protecting the community

Serbia

Capital: Belgrade Religion: Serbian Orthodox (Eastern) Language: Serbian Alphabet: Cyrillic Dominated by: Turks, Dominating part of Yugoslavia

Slovakia

Capital: Bratislava Religion: Roman Catholic Language: Slovak Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Ottoman Turks, Austrio-Hungarian, Nazis, Soviets

Romania

Capital: Bucharest Religion: Eastern Orthodox, Muslim Language: Romanian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Ottomans, Russians, Soviets

Hungary

Capital: Budapest Religion: Roman Catholic Language: Hungarian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Ottoman Turks, Hapsburgs, Austria-Hungary, Soviets

Ukraine

Capital: Kiev Religion: Christian, mostly Eastern Orthodox, Latin Roman Catholics Language: Ukrainian Alphabet: Cyrillic Dominated by: Vikings, Tartars, Russia, Soviets

Moldova

Capital: Kishinev Religion: Eastern Orthodox Language: Romanian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Ottomans, Russians, Soviets

Slovenia

Capital: Ljubljana Religion: Roman Catholic Language: Slovenian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Austrian Hapsburgs, Yugoslavia

Belarus

Capital: Minsk Religion: Orthodox Christian Language: Belarusian Alphabet: Cyrillic Dominated by: Polish Lithuania, Russian Empire, Soviets, CIS, independant

Russia

Capital: Moscow Religion: Russian Orthodox Language: Russian Alphabet: Cyrillic Dominated by: Vikings, Mongols (Ganges Khan) , Nazis

Montenegro

Capital: Podgorcia Religion: Eastern Orthodox Language: Official- Montenegrin , Serbian Alphabet: M-Latin, S-Cyrillic Dominated by: Ottoman Turks, Yugoslavia

Czech Republic

Capital: Prague Religion: Atheist, Roman Catholic Language: Czech Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Hapsburgs, Austria-Hungary, Nazi Germany, Soviets

Kosovo

Capital: Pristina Religion: Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic Language: Albanian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Ottomans, Serbia, Independant

Bosnia- Hercegovina

Capital: Sara Jevo Religion: Muslim, Orthodox Language: Serbo-Croatian Alphabet: East- Cyrillic, West-Latin Dominated by: Ottoman Turks, Hapsburgs, Austria-Hungary

Macedonia

Capital: Skopje Religion: Eastern Orthodox, Albanian Muslims Language: Macedonian Alphabet: Cyrillic Dominated by: Ottomans, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece

Bulgaria

Capital: Sofia Religion: Eastern Orthodox Language: Bulgarian Alphabet: Cyrillic Dominated by: Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Turks, Soviets

Albania

Capital: Tirane Religion: Muslim Language: Albanian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Turks, Communists

Poland

Capital: Warsaw Religion: Roman Catholic Language: Polish Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Poland/Lithuanian state, Russia/Prussia/Austria, Soviets

Croatia

Capital: Zagreb Religion: Roman Catholic Language: Croatian Alphabet: Latin Dominated by: Turks, Austrian Empire, became part of Yugoslavia

Why is the caul a sign of a specific supernatural destiny? How else can a newborn baby be marked?

Caul is thought to be magical the world over Something from the world of the spirits Sign of special destiny from birth Sign of boundary-crossing Caul = second sight (supernatural knowledge) -can see invisible vampires Caul= sign of shape shifting abilities (second skin) Those born with cauls are said to have wandering souls Babies can also have natal teeth

Violation of Behavioral norms

Communal misfits Those that deal with evil spirits Those that violate communal bonds Evil Doers Sorcerers Witches Werewolves Religiously Banned People The unbaptized Excommunicates Heretics Trouble Makers People that violate the social ties that bind the community Perjurers and false witnesses (Romania) Robbers and Bandits (Balkans) Dishonest Innkeepers (Bulgaria) Person who steals from Church or School (Greece) Serbian Gypsies believe: Cheats, Misers, Sinners not asked for forgiveness Womanizers (Balkans) Prostitutes (Bulgaria) Quarrelsome and the Cruel Greeks (1960s): People who make the "gesture with five fingers" People cursed by their parents or by a priest Parental curses feared; sanction used to uphold authority (Social Control)

What is Social Control? Why is it needed? Be prepared to exemplify how vampires and other folkloric beings are used to exert Social Control?

Communal self-policing Disobedience said to lead to vampirism or other bad ends No one wanted that fate The body could be displayed; family was humiliated (self policing) Threat of Monsters has often been used for Social Control Ex: American boogey man or santa claus Ex: German Struwwelpeter 19th century German Children's Book Lesson on why you shouldn't suck your thumb They keep people scared and accountable for their actions so that no one chooses to step out of line Its a way to keep the community in order Invisible disciplinarian

What is the folkloric significance of the number '40' in folk belief?

Death as Passage of the Soul "Journey" of up to 40 days after funeral Why 40? Soul doesnt leave the body for 40 days 40 days that Christ was tempted in the wilderness (from Christianity); 40 days Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the 10 commandments

What was the concept of Evil in East European folk belief in the zadruga in particular, and how do vampires anthropomorphize it?

Disorder Violation of rules that create stability in house and family It can attack home in 2 ways: 1) Evil causes family discord (group depends on unity for survival) The Zadruga produced its own food, cloth and tools Division of the household had a devastating economic effect 2) Evil causes physical weakening Interferes with communal work Threatens existence of group/zadruga Particularly when children (=social security) are endangered Steal blood, milk Cause infertility and "drying up" (wasting away) Steal power of crops Kill workers and livestock

What is the significance of boundary crossing in Slavic folk belief? Why is boundary crossing fraught with spiritual danger ("perils of the soul")?

Dividing line is dangerous One was in two places at once Reminder of life/death boundary Spiritual danger because of the threshold spirits- dangerous Going through boundaries- crossing them left you open to their wrath

What were the basic concepts of Evil in animism, polytheism, dualism, and Christianity? How do these concepts influence vampire beliefs?

Dual state- good and evil evil makes the spirit vulnerable Dead spirits have to be liberated from body/Evil Bound spirits are enslaved by Evil Bad/underworld threatens life and fertility Underworld/dead associated with night Underworld god was god of shape changers Hostage dead = vampires "soul trapped in the flesh" Vampires- people who were vulnerable to vampirism Vampires attack fertility and life Vampires come out at night Vampires are shape changers

Major Ways Vampires Originate

During life- sorcerers, werewolves, witches Excommunicated- suicides, drunkards, heretics, apostates, cursed by parents Evil spirits enter the bodies of the villians, robbers, people w/depraved inclinations Bird flies, cat leaps, animal jumps over the body Person born with teeth or caul Werewolf- 40 days after death a diabolical spirit enters People vampires choke also become vampires V are consequences of sexual relations between a werewolf/devil and a witch

Cringing Consultants

Eastern Europeans in the American version of vampires too weak to face evil * Source of Ancient Wisdom (deeply afraid) * Provide information leading to the cure * Cannot provide cure themselves Function: Confers sense of superiority in place of their hidden fears "Western civilization can solve every problem after all" Western Culture becomes the "Deliverer" or "Savior"

Rites of Incorporation

Emphasize physical or spiritual union (Kiss the bride) Incorporation in Slavic Folk Weddings Couple can be "bound" together They exchange rings (double crowning - Orthodox) They can step on a lock There is a banquet (shared food) Bride-price and dowry on display Ritualized first night together

Why are bridal couples vulnerable to attack?

Evil powers can attack couple (Evil Eye) Kill or "spoil" (render infertile) Turn wedding party into werewolves Water spirit can steal bride Pins in the bride's dress, nets, crosses, seed in shoe, garlic in bodice, etc. Bells and other noises to frighten evil spirits W izards invited for "protection" Throwing grain on the Bridal Couple (symbol of increase)

What transition(s) does the soul make after death? What are "tollbooths"?

Faced demons at periodic "tollbooths" Set of points that the soul must pass through after dies Each tollbooth = sin Orthodox Folk Religion Prayers were offered over 40 days to help travelling soul [soul traveled for 40 days] Angels or saints believed to be guides

Literary Vampire

Fictional character Possesses traits of one of the other 3 types of vampires Vampire of Novels, Comics, Films, Stories American Icon

What are Perkowski's four types of vampires, and what are their characteristics? What are some of the shortcomings of Perkowski's taxonomy?

Folkloric Vampire Psychotic Vampire Psychic Vampire Literary Vampire Doesnt cover everything Doesn't take into account the subculture of people who think theyre vampires Doesn't address the modes of attack No Unified Basis for Classification Spiritual = Mode of Attack Psychotic = Mental State Folkloric = Info. Source Literary = Info. Source/Intention??

Light god

God of Heavenly Light Personified Sun, Giver of Light Helped crops to grow Drove off spirits associated with darkness/winter Relics of sun worship: At sunrise, Bulgarians, Poles, Belarusians, and Russians would stop working and cross themselves If no icon was handy, they would pray in the direction of the sun

What was the function of posthumous commemorations?

Graveside services at special times Often 3rd, 9th, 20th and 40th days after burial Intended to help soul's transfer

What are the main attributes (physical characteristics) of East European folkloric vampires, and how do they differ from the Hollywood image?

Hollywood Image: Sexy, desirable, almost like a goal, fangs W hy are Fangs Prominent in Literature and not in Folklore? Literary Vampire = individual problem Fangs represent transgression of personal bounds They violate the body Teeth penetrate , i.e. sexual connotations Seem more savage (animalistic sign) European: Gross, Bloody, gory, no fangs Ruddy face, not pale Sure sign of vampire corpse Suffused with blood Spilling from orifices into coffin Red as a Vampire (Polish, Serbian saying) Vampires look "like blood" Kashubs believe that people with unusually ruddy faces = future vampires Serbian vukolak and Slovak vlkodlak = both vampire and alcoholic Heavy drinkers get ruddy complexion Alcoholics are believe to become vampires among many E. European people (Balkan Slavs, Russians, Greeks) True for almost any kind of excessive behavior (even positive behavior) Workaholic, speed demon In village culture, conformity promoted harmony Excessive individualism = potentially disturbing Punished with threat of vampirism Alcoholism disrupted households Interfered with all important work of agriculture Antisocial behavior Abnormal drinking suggested thirst that would not die East Slavic term opojec = dead former drinker that caused droughts (water was poured on grave for cure) Bloated, not thin- Gained weight from eating blood Kosovo Gypsies believe that a corpse will become a vampire if it swells up before burial Boneless Bulgarian: Okostnik "Deboned one" Strange in appearance: blood filled sack like ox hide Sometimes without arms or legs Gypsies in Serbia: "Like a belly filled with blood" Bulgarian ustrel= boneless sack (looks like a bagpipe) has: Red eyes, no neck, short snout like pig, no ears Inhuman Quantity of Hair Huge, shaggy Ran around shrieking sometimes invisible Except to people with special "sensitivities" Often Children of Vampires were Effective Vampire Hunters Muslim Gypsies in Serbia: Vampire = dead person's shadow Ukrainians - One eye brow (sign of future vampire in living person) Dressed in burial clothes (Pan Eastern European Belief) White was preferred color Funeral can have wedding elements Married women were buried in their wedding Dresses (picture: Macedonian bride) In most regions, clothed corpse was put into Shroud Winding sheet, long white cloth folded over body

How are "grandfathers" celebrated in communal picnics/feasts?

Honored with rites at "transitional" times Invited to communal meals Given sacrificial food Politely asked to leave

What are "grandfathers," in Slavic animistic belief? How do they differ from vampires?

Household Grandfathers Special grandfathers protected home, barn Usually invisible Heard at night Function of Household Grandfathers (usually distant ancestor) Protect against "evil" Punish violations of domestic order Protect the home from strangers Guard fertility of family and livestock Settled dead revered Settled dead are good - souls have gone on are in household Vampires are not "ancestors", their souls are trapped in their body Vampires are "hostage dead" They are not yet in the World of the Dead They are in the Human world, but not of it

Psychotic Vampire

Human clinically diagnosed as suffering from mental illness (Jeffry Dahmer) Not supernatural Attacks unwilling victims Style of Attack usually based on Literary/film model

Icon

Icon - Figure viewed as symbolic or emblematic for a culture (speaks to a major force in society). Has deep and enduring significance. What exactly is an Icon? Originally referred to the painted images of saints venerated in Eastern Orthodox Christian Churches. One of the major features of Eastern European Religion. Icon = Image Now, it refers to any secular image that acquires special meaning in popular imagination. Such as: The Cowboy; Elvis Presley; Marilyn Monroe

Major Activities of Vampires

Leave grave at midnight fly roaming in horses frightened travellers suck blood from peasants- die bulgarians- suck blood from the ear attack women, rape serbs- choke sleeping people and drink blood wreaking havoc upon human beings w/death as result drinking/sucking blood eating flesh and choking to death kill by breathing into someones mouth or ringing bell

Forrest Spirit

Leshi Scapegoat for dangers of non-human Lord of bears, wolves (wild and deadly) Harm to livestock Father of deformed children (so parents returned dead babies to forest) Thought to cause panic in woods Especially threatening to hunters, shepherds, wood and mushroom gatherers

What are the folkloric vampire's main destructive activities, other than sucking blood? How do these activities relate to 1) the orderliness and efficiency of the family/community and 2) the Limited Goods of the family/community

Live in their graves (Pan-Eastern E. belief) Often walled off, separate from the village and fields Victims First, their own families Babies, Elderly Livestock Modes of Attack: What are they? Drinking blood from breast, veins, ears Devouring flesh (heart) Choking Breathing into victim 's mouth Crawling up nostrils "Looking" R unning through streets at night and calling people's names- One should not answer Northern Europe (Poles, Kashubs): Vampires eat their clothes, shrouds, limbs, suck own breasts Then visit families to suck blood Then go for more distant relations W hen no relatives are left, they ring the church bells - whoever hears the bells dies Smashing crockery, furniture, tools "Soiling" flour and bread Riding horses to exhaustion Romania: W hat they attack Stealing M other's M ilk Eating up Stores of Grain during the winter and in famines (Serbia) Causing bad freezes, droughts, heat waves, crop failures Causing destructive storms Causing epidemics Causing Cattle plagues

Nature god

Many Slavs worshiped nature; They venerated moist mother earth who: Gave birth to the crops Evil = barrenness and dryness; Good = fertility and moisture Decay = union with mother earth (people welcomed decay) Ground rejected accursed (hence non-decay of vampires) Burying the accursed in the ground led to crop failures, droughts, etc.

What rites of passage are particularly involved in the origin of vampires and similar monsters, in Slavic folk belief?

Marriage If you are of marriageable age and aren't married you open yourself up to becoming a monster Funerals If your body isn't taken care of right or isn't buried right it opens you up

Mummery

Masked dancing, pranks (Anti-behavior) Flouting of taboos At time of high spirit activity "Dirty days"/ Protects home from evil spirits

Improper Life-Cycle transitions

More often vampirism is blamed not on evil-doing but on anomalous life-passage changes Birth and death (portals of life) are most sensitive This has nothing to do with free will (the choice) Folkloric vampire is a mere creature of instinct, it has no choice of its habits

Why was marriage virtually mandatory in East European folk culture?

Necessary for "social completion" Those who die unwed=potential vampires People who werent married couldnt support themselves

How do Slavic and East European creation myths show the continuation of dualistic beliefs?

No matter what creation story, always good and evil good vs. bad both there, both equal balance no just good, no just bad Devil is co-creator with God Material world is largely the work of "Evil" Slavic and Romanian creation myths are dualistic

What is the Evil Eye in East European folk belief? How does it operate and what does it affect?

Potential for evil - The ability to drain away Limited goods by gazing at animals, crops, people (especially babies) A look of envy, not malicious First symptom was a headache or stomach ache Livestock would "dry up" Humans would "wither away" M other's m ilk failed W omen became infertile Men became impotent Protect yourself Hide your prosperity (be cautious about revealing your goods) Hide babies, domestic animals If you must reveal your goods, take steps to neutralize envy Prayers (Christian) Amulets (pre-Christian) Garlic Obscene gestures (Slavic thumb between fingers) Blue beads (eyes were gazing back) Dordolec- homemade scarecrow type figures, usually dressed in human clothing Kukull- store bought figures such as stuffed bears, dogs, smurfs, the pink panther and santa

What are the apotropaics? Be prepared to give three examples

Precautions to ward off evil, usually a devise used to ward off evil Ex:Prepare the Dying The Eucharist and Christian rites Communion wafer in the mouth The "vampire" is placed face down in the coffin so that it cannot find its way into the upper world Ex:Religious objects in the coffin Crosses were put in the coffin Ex:Prevent vampire from moving Preemptive strikes using stakes, needles, binding. Sickles over the neck, nails in the grave or coffin Thorns in or around the coffin Ex:Close the Vampire's mouth Sign of cross on the mouth Crucifix from a rosary or coin with a cross under the tongue Bricks, hymnals, prayer books under the chin (this gives the vampire something to chew on other than his clothes, i.e. causing his relatives' death) Ex:Secure the Home Holy water, icons, crosses, prayers Amulets, thorns at the windows, garlic and other strong smells Ex:Delay the Vampire Compulsive counters Sieves are hung at houses (sand or seeds are scattered in the coffin, on the path, at the house)

What are the main motifs of dying, death, and funeral rituals? How is excess of fertility shown at funerals and why is this important?

Protect the soul Liminal = vulnerable Apotropaics - herbs, holy water, incense, prayers by priest or deacon Help the soul Put dying on floor (nearer to Earth) Don't lament before death Exchange forgiveness No "unfinished business Make "exists" for the soul (windows, holes in walls or roof) Light the soul's journey Put a candle(s) by the head Apotropaic After Death: Main Motifs 1. Return of dead soul harms health and agriculture 2. Living should try to avoid harm 1. Prevent return of soul: Protect it from "capture" Keep watch (the Wake) Keep animals from jumping/flying over it Prevent wind from blowing over it Empty water vessels Water = medium in which soul could linger Could harm living by "Law of Contagion" "Travel" money on corpse Favorite tools beside corpse Say nothing bad about the dead Show it how life goes on by Feasting, Drinking, Bawdy games, Sign of superabundant- fertility 2. Protect the living: Avoid "Contagion" Don't use dead's tools Sweep out coffin shavings Don't reuse water that has touched corpse Isolate pregnant women Isolate sowers Pour Grain on the floor (Russia) Egg in hand or coffin Venerated by Slavs as Symbol of life resurrection Triumph over death - part of Easter ritual shift ownership Inform livestock and bees of death Lest they "follow" master Don't let dead "summon" living By "voice" or "sight" Shut mouth of corpse Close eyes of corpse Cover mirrors (which reflect soul) No "peepholes" in coffin Food, games and celebration show that life can go on without the deceased lots of money shows that the community is still thriving

What is the Wedding of the Dead (Death Wedding), and what is its social function? Who marries whom?

Rite to make souls of the unwed "socially complete" Balkans Hungary, Ukraine, Russia Still practiced in remote areas Dead girls are dressed as brides Have bridesmaids "Brides of Christ" (Romania) Groom is Christ Also done for unwed men Provided with a living "bride" Romania, Balkans Living "bride" can remarry (women are allowed 2 canonical marriages in Religious belief) - not counting the marriage to the dead Has ongoing warm relationship with "groom's family"

Water Spirit

Rusalka young women unmarried at marriagable age drowned usually pregnant (undomesticated water) Lakes, rivers Drowned people Caused floods Devils said to live in waters (not part of human world)

How does the vampire function as an anti-saint?

Saints Vampires Holy Unclean Belong to God Belong to devil Soul apart from body in S&B on earth heaven Belong to resurrected not Belong to living dead or dead Baptized Can be unbaptized Prevailing religion Can be a heretic Celibate Sexually active Pure in life Evil or neutral Holy death improper death Buried in holy ground . not always buried with proper church not always rights incorrupt/dead incorrupt/undead smell like roses stinks look radiant look bloody no blood on corpse blood on corpse or or grave grave Help and inspire living harm and kill living heal sick cause sickness perform miracles cause bad weather/crop failure appear in visions appear in reality

What was the typical household structure like in pre-modern Eastern Europe? What was a Zadruga? Why was this kind of social (or socio-economic) structure necessary/efficient for survival?

Serbo-Croatian term now anthropological term "Joint Family"/social group or organization Family is self-sufficient agrarian community Archaic form of social organization Several generations of family together (as own agricultural collective) Patriarchal rule (usually oldest man) Special terms were needed to keep track of relations within the zadruga Patronymics (Ivanovich = Ivan's son) Everyone had the same surname (that of the head of the zadruga) Everyone helped, the land wasn't divided More money to use when everything was pooled together More women helping with the house, more men to work Safety if kept within the family

Major Ways of Destroying Vampires

Sever V heels, bind arms w/bast, place aspen crosses on his chest insert hawthorn spines under nails and cut tendons under knees impale body w/stakes and pour boiling wine cut off head (sometimes put at feet) poppyseed or knitting- have to pick it all up or unravel it wooden stake to the heart, nail into skull, vine of dogrose next to v because the spines keep them in the grave by getting caught in the shroud buried at crossroads abandoned at swamp sharpened aspen stake beaten into chest or back -between shoulder blades, into burial mound plugging opening that they crawl out of with aspen stake nailing coffin cremation

Sky/Thunder god

Sky/Thunder G od (related to Jupiter, Zeus, Thor) Perun - the Striker, Thunder Heavenly waters (rain) needed for crops Awoke slumbering crops, fertilized Mother Earth Fought evil spirits that drank Earth's fertility Slavs believe that the first thunder in spring awoke theearth so crops could grow The dew on the ground after the first thunder was healthgiving

How is sorcery boundary-crossing?

Sorcery is boundary crossing because it goes into the non-human world Opens ones self up to being possessed

Fabulate

Story as story primarily entertainment

What is taboo substitution and taboo deformation? Be prepared to give examples of each phenomenon

Substitution- Mentioning without summoning the being (by using a different name) Voldemort Deformation- Distorting the name to mention without summoning Fake swear words Serbian- Lampir

Circumstances of death

Suicides People who die unexpectedly without the sacraments Drowning and accident victims Vampire victims Bodies not Tended to Bodies that objects have been handed over (Greece, 1970s, Albania) Bodies that have been jumped or flown over before burial Vampirism by technicality Cats as vectors of "vampirism" - predatory Unclean because they hunt mice Mice - as "Dead ancestors" - haven for dead souls; from underworld can be demons coming for soul Unburied bodies Improperly buried bodies Where vendetta is practiced, murder victims that have not been avenged

What is the sense of the Bulgarian proverb "Children are the wealth of the poor"?

The more children you have, the more people can go out and work to make money for the family The more chances of marrying into a large dowry or gift The more people can help around the house Children are opportunities for social and economic growth

Why are thresholds, borders, crossroads, and roads dangerous, in Slavic folk belief? Why does one not shake hands over the threshold?

The spirits who live at the boundaries are dangerous Shaking hands over the threshold is dangerous, opens up to dangerous spirits bad luck/taboo

What is the meaning/sense of the Greek proverb "The vampire returns to his own"?

The vampire returns to harm the people he was closest to first before finding other victims He will go after the babies and elderly in the family first before the other members, then the other community members He will often sleep with or attack his wife as well

What is the fate of girls who die unmarried (especially when pregnant out of wedlock)?

They become a Rusalka Demonic water spirit like a mermaid takes men to death

Circumstances of birth

Thwarted Births - still born children became other kinds of undead in folk traditions Anomalous Births - marked babies (tails, hare-lips, deformities, birthmarks, blue eyes, red hair) Kashubs believe that people born with a caul became vampires Caul or 'cap' = part of the amnion Kashubs believed children born with 2 or more teeth are vampires

Theme of Transition

Time of transition- sunset- sunrise, noon-midnight Any time "inbetween" Dangerous times Place of transition- crossroads Liminal- crossroads not here or there its between the living(villiage) and the dead(cemetery) Means of transition- cloth, thread (burial of the shroud) Transitional fabric

What are Myths? What are their main functions?

Traditional Story World view of ethnic group Helps to conceptualize the world Explains Natural Phenomena Explains Course of Human Life & How to face difficult life passages (death, etc) Provides spiritual dimension Supports Given Social Order Provides guidance on what choices to make

What are rites of passage? What are the three main types of rites? What kinds of actions are typically involved in each type? What are the main social/psychological functions of rites of passage?

Transitions in Peasant Societies Every Major life change tends to be marked by obligatory ceremonies which are meant to help the person pass from one welldefined position to another Rites of Separation Transitional Rites Rites of Incorporation Coping mechanisms Ward off evils of transition Help the liminal to deal with anxiety of leaving the familiar state Helps the community see them in a new light/new position Helps the liminal see themselves in a new position

What are the causes of the decline of folk beliefs in vampires in Eastern Europe (and of traditional folk beliefs in general)?

Urbanization Modernization Medical/Agricultural knowledge Laws stop people from digging bodies up

Transitional Rites

Usually involve ritualized movement (across thresholds, portals) Transition in Slavic Folk W eddings Groom 's party comes to get bride Bride leaves by unusual exit (through window or hole in house) In American society? Carrying bride over threshold Bride travels to church, then to groom 's hom e Every boundary passed is ritually marked

Explaining the activities of the vampire

Way of explaining epidemics Initially a private matter If the relatives take no steps, the community must intervene to protect itself W hyBells? Bells are thought to be "living" They speak and have tongues They are given personal names They were baptized They can protest injustice

In Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, what rites took place during the wedding? On Christmas Eve? During the funeral wake?

Wedding cleansing- Ivanko's bath yolking- latter over heads to connect the couple Christmas cattle and livestock given something special ancestors welcomed to come eat, then they are dismissed Funeral coins watching body Bath Readings Lamenting Candles by the head Possesions laid by ther body - axe Shroud Games and festivities Wanted to be buried in the clothes of his youth

Wampir

Word that vampire stems from polish literary word borrowed from Russia Related to eastern european word for "to drink"

What is polytheism? What were the four chief gods venerated in Slavic polytheism?

Worship of more than one god Nature Sky/Thunder god god of Light god of the Underworld

Folkloric Vampire

a being Believed to draw sustenance from the living Believed to exist Believed to be Supernatural, not part of original/natural order (very important for the definition) Usually dead, but unsettled (UNDEAD) - not at home in either world of living or world of dead.

How do fortune-telling and placatory measures factor in animism, polytheism, and dualism?

all three have gods or beings that need to be placated animism- shrines at the places of the spirits polytheism/dual- placate gods with sacrifices these beings held your fortune in their hands, had to keep them happy to live well -land, natural disasters, etc... always having to be thinking about the future

Contagion

contact with taboo thing that brings evil If you come into contact with anything vampire you are more likely to become one Killed by a vampire Eating meat of animals killed by vampires (Balkans) Eating meat of animals killed by wolves (Greece)

Bogomilism

dualism Body is the "tomb" and belongs to the Devil Souls must work to free the Light Unbelieving souls are trapped and belong to the Devil Liberated by piercing or cremation

What is mummery, and when and why was it practiced? Why were masks and noisy behavior involved?

elaborate parade/dance/performance Peoples in the masks New years and other big celebrations Mummers impersonated dead men with large teeth Mummery- carnival days that were like backwards days People with authority have none Masks and people act different People act crazy- run up and kiss strange men High spiritual activity "Dirty days" Protect from evil spirits?

What happens to babies that die before baptism? What is a nav(ka)/mavka?

nav(ka)- Souls of Infants Aborted, miscarried, stillborn or unbaptized Preyed on the Limited Good of women who were pregnant and newborns In ancient believe these souls had to cross river into the world of dead Strangled or sucked blood from pregnant women and babies

What is the relationship of nightmare, Old Hag, and hag-ridden?

nightmare, mora, old hag, or hag-ridden are all names for the scapegoat being for sleep paralysis

god of the underworld

not Pluto/Hades (Sorcerer Prince Volkh connected to Odin) Lord of cattle/wealth Lord of world where seeds were trapped that earth is giving birth to Associated with night Enemy of Sky/Thunder God. Changes shape - Lord of shape-changing sorcerers Had to be placated

What is scapegoating and how are vampires used to do it?

object to be blamed for people's sins Something to blame for unexpected happenings Vampires are used to explain things that people cant understand or dont want to All the cows are dying? Must be a vampire All the people are dying? Vampire. Its a way of explaining things like plagues that they medically didnt understand or didnt want to know

What is syncretism ("dual faith")?

older beliefs were not abolished, but absorbed gave people a way to transition Ex: Thunder God becoming Prophet Elijah. Cult of Elijah was very popular in Russia (angry man with a red beard) One of the most power saints in Ukrainian and Russian folklore

Memorate

story as account of experience (primarily evidence) Urban Legends are memorates (but they are also fictional) UFO/Big Foot - are they accounts of personal experience?

Why are mothers and babies vulnerable to attack?

theyre the weakest of the group

What is dualism? What gods were worshipped in Slavic dualism?

two main gods Good and Evil Both basic principles Equal, Co-eternal In constant conflict Devil is co-creator with God Material world is largely the work of "Evil" Slavic and Romanian creation myths are dualistic everything is in a dual state, Spiritual = good Physical/material=evil 1) Light God The Polytheistic Thunder or Sun God (sent good fortune, life) 2) Dark God The Polytheistic God of Underworld, adopted in Dualism to be Dualistic Evil Principle Sent misfortune, death Had to be placated Proverb that reflect dualistic belief: Russian proverb: Pray to God, but don't anger the devil