Laura Wright 
The vampire today is a creature of romance and legend. They are immortals that are thought to be graceful and beautiful, never aging, drifting through life free of care. That is the power of Hollywood.
Traditionally, vampires were anything, but any of those terms. Old European lore is filled with images, descriptions and tales of the blood-sucking ghouls that are nothing like what is shown in the movies or what fills the pages of fiction. Regardless of the missing romanticism, it is indeed a large fraction of old world lore and it is still fascinating. Traditional vampires:
- Smelled of decomposition, one of the best tools for hunting them was the nose.
- Bodies were extremely gaunt and lean, until they fed, then their bodies swelled like leeches.
- Their countenance was hideous
- Eyes glinting red, like fire.
- Skin is pale and deathly cold or as hot as fire.
- Lips are blood red.
- Teeth are white.
- Lips snarl.
- Vampire palms are downy with hair, nails like crooked talons with clots of gore and dirt.
It’s fascinating that this once hated creature has became not only celebrated, but envied. Today we see vampire fiction is a genre into itself. So, suck on bloody ones.
