The Brass Goggles Occult Society...The Esoteric Order of the Brazen Dawn...

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Well, all right, in the broadest sense there could well be faeries with vampiric tendencies - feeding on dreams, or happiness, et cetera, but the more 'traditional' vampires, that is the ones most are familiar with that suck blood and sleep in coffins are of the undead. The nature of how this came about I'm not familiar with. Their genisis is much theorized and little known.

Also, 'immortality' is a tricky thing. Many put the lable of immortality on things that vastly outlast mankind. The proper age of a vampire is extremely difficult to place, as they stop aging as we know it upon being turned. They're also not known for their truthfulness or willingness to co-operate in study.

As to Undead, I believe a simple definition would be to say that to become Undead, one must begin a living organism, die, and then be brought back by some means, altered. Characteristics often include a lack of personal body heat, an extreme resistance to pain or lack of sense of touch at all, as well as an ability to operate beyond the realms of mortals. I.E., without air, or with extremely greivous wounds.

[helios]

Faeries and their ilk are a natural force, Mother Nature personified as mischievous sprites, if you will, whereas Vampyres are Abominations, detested by the very world around them, unable to withstand the light of the Sun that sustains Mother Nature. Faeries and Vampyres do not mix, with the former harbouring an intense, instinctive loathing for the latter. Vampyres repulse humans and animals alike, whereas faerefolk have always fascinated us. Just my $0.02.

Also, would a high pressure water jet count as natural, for creating a "seeing stone"?

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Right, what he said.

[Toji Chiba]

Faeries and their ilk are a natural force, Mother Nature personified as mischievous sprites, if you will, whereas Vampyres are Abominations, detested by the very world around them, unable to withstand the light of the Sun that sustains Mother Nature. Faeries and Vampyres do not mix, with the former harbouring an intense, instinctive loathing for the latter. Vampyres repulse humans and animals alike, whereas faerefolk have always fascinated us. Just my $0.02.

Also, would a high pressure water jet count as natural, for creating a "seeing stone"?

I think it would. although you are artificially speeding up the process, it is as natural as a normal water would be.

[clockwork creation]

i saw a lovely tea cup and saucer for leaf readings. i think i might get it just to drink tea with 

[DrTom]

Yep.  Some years ago, a cup/saucer/book combo was presented as "A Cup of Destiny."  Fairly nice setup, really, and an easy way to get your feet wet with the leaves.
 

[groomporter]

We inherited one of those from the wife's grandmother

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[rovingjack]

Reguarding vampires and the good folk... Um they are not of the same type. I think the implication in the source you are talking about must have been trying to point out that they are not entirely bound in this realm.

Anyway, the reason vampires don't show up in mirrors and photos is due to the purity/royal nature of the materials usually silver and silver salts used in the making of them.

If you use a polishied peice of obsidian (and perhaps did not use specifically sunlight) you should be able to catch a reflection. likewise photographic means that don't require mercury silver or gold or any such derived chemicals might work.

[Mal `e Diction]

I've had reason to do a bit of research on vampires lately, and discovered some interesting facts. Granted, this is information I found on the internet, and have not done any back-up research as yet. I googled "history of vampires." Here are a few of the tidbits I discovered.

Originally, vampires had no issue with being out in the sun. They were considered the "shades" of those who had died, but who's spirit had remained behind to feed on the living. Those who died from the lingering debility of TB were thought to be victims of vampires, because they slowly wasted away, as if something were feeding off of them. A family could dig up a dead relative if they were suspected of being a vampire, and a stake was driven through the heart to keep them in their coffin. There was a documented case at the turn of the 19th century of a large family decimated by TB, who started digging up those who died trying to find the one they thought was feeding on the survivors. Turned out to be mom, so they thought, because her body didn't appear to be decayed—this was a sure sign of a vampire. (Later speculation has it that bodies that didn't appear to decay were probably buried in the winter, and thus the cold kept corruption from staring right away).

Also, every culture except Japan has a vampire-type legend...even the American Indians.

There is currently a vampire church with a web site, giving you a little information, but asking for money before they allow you to join.

[rovingjack]

a vampire church that you have to pay to enter. Sounds like they are just feeding off of the... oh wait.

And as for Japan not having vampires of some kind... I'm pretty sure that's wrong. I can't for the life of me remember the specific entities but I'm almost posative there is at least one entity that fits the bill.

and yes most of us know the whole vampire arn't actually flamingly allergic to sunlight.

[groomporter]

Yeah I thought Japanese folklore had a type of ghost that drank blood that might be considered a variation on a vampire.

[James Harrison]

It strikes me as odd or bizarre that all these ancient cultures had very similar myths, legends, ghouls and suchlike. 
Considering that there is no real meaningful way in which they could have traded to any great extent and passed these ideas around easily, it leads me to think that maybe there might be a kernel of truth to them, if only in some small way.   

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Dragons are another example of a worldwide 'myth.'

[Mal `e Diction]

Yeah, dragons is another world myth that is pretty fascinating. It does make you wonder how cultures so different and far apart—Aztec to Chinese—could share the same mythical type creature.


As for Japan not having a vampire myth, I don't really know. As I stated, I got the information from the internet, and have not done any back up research on the subject, so that statement could very well be wrong. I'm not that familiar with Japanese folklore.

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Well you can never trust a single source from the internet. While searching for runes, I used several different sources, and only payed heed to the ones that agreed on details.  One example of misleading was that I found a Harry Potter roleplay reference page with runes on it. You never know what you're going to find. I'd wager Vampires would be an even more difficult topic to research.

[Gibbs Marlowe]

The one internet source I've ever trusted is www.pantheon.org

Mostly mythological, but still a fun little site.

[Marrock]

Well you can never trust a single source from the internet. While searching for runes, I used several different sources, and only payed heed to the ones that agreed on details.  One example of misleading was that I found a Harry Potter roleplay reference page with runes on it. You never know what you're going to find. I'd wager Vampires would be an even more difficult topic to research.

I've been working runes since before there was an internet so the only source I trust on them is myself.

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

You're not wrong there, Marrock.

[Dusza Beben]

I've always liked the idea of runes. The method, the feel. I've even made them for others. I've never used them myself though. Occasionally (Very) I'll use Medicine cards, Tarot or Soul cards when perplexed by a choice of paths but I have found that I am most entertained by the soap opera we call life. I don't want to know what happens next! What a boring show that would be.

DB

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Sure, it's like reading the summary before watching an episode. Hardly worth it.

[Dr. Zedrich Heretic]

For a slightly logical explanation for wide spread myths such as vampires or similar entities.  Even in primitive societies, blood is known to be essential to life, it flows thorough each of us pumped by our beating hearts.  So it’s no wonder that the heart and blood would be recognized as something important. 

If there are no real monsters, the human mind makes them.  Since the fear of death is common, monsters who are dead are also common, monsters who survive by taking the blood of the living.  When you look at the common archetypes and strip away the modern glamour or the Hollywood monster look, you start to see the universal archetypes of the human subconscious.  It’s really neat.

Dragons are a harder one to explain though.

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Dragons are a harder one to explain though.

Much harder. Anyone have any theories?

[deps]

Bones from the dinosaurs didn't just pop out from nowhere around the 18th and 19th century.
My bet is that they dug one up, saw the teeth, and made some stories.

[Dr. Zedrich Heretic]

I don’t think that quite explains just how wide spread dragons are, that and there are some significant parallels between dragons and dinosaurs, scales serpentine form, something you can’t quite infer simply because of some bones someone dug up.  Dragons seem almost a primal memory in the human subconscious, something deeply ingrained like an old instinct that we still can’t shake.

I’m going to make a suggestion that skirts the bounds of the no religion rule here, try not to be offended.  There are alternative perspective to things like evolution that suggest that perhaps there was an overlap between the world of dinosaurs and the world of man.  Some believe there are still monsters from the ancient world alive in deep lakes.  Could something from that time have survived?  Could ancient man have encountered it?  Could the tail have been told around campfires for generations until it became something deeply ingrained in our minds?

It is a thing to ponder.

[Dr cornelius quack]

Myths about dragons were made up in the first instance by dragons.

Simple really.

Dr. Q.