Vampire Killers and the First Vampire The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word vampire as "the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep.
" Since the word was first coined in 1734 the myth of the vampire has grown, entering into popular culture with the publication of Bram Stoker's {Dracula} in 1897 and more recently through the books of Anne Rice, the most famous of which, {Interview with a Vampire} was made into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. But these are works of fiction. Still, myths do not just spring out of mid-air.
Throughout the ages, human killers have been fascinated by the blood of their victims. Here are some of history's most notorious "vampire" killers. Portrait of Countess BathoryWhile she may not actually be the first, Hungarian Countess Erzebet Bathory is credited in many chronologies of vampire-related crime as the first person on record to be murderously motivated by blood. What's notable about her is that most killers with vampiric appetites are male, while Erzebet was female.
She was also one of the most bloodthirsty "vampire killers" in history. Legend has it, according to historian Raymond T. McNally in Dracula was a Woman, that she slapped a servant girl, got blood on her hand, and believed that it made her skin look younger.
To restore her beauty, she then made a practice of bathing in the blood of virgins. Whether or not this part of the tale is true, she undoubtedly used her status to murder and torture untold numbers.
" Since the word was first coined in 1734 the myth of the vampire has grown, entering into popular culture with the publication of Bram Stoker's {Dracula} in 1897 and more recently through the books of Anne Rice, the most famous of which, {Interview with a Vampire} was made into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. But these are works of fiction. Still, myths do not just spring out of mid-air.
Throughout the ages, human killers have been fascinated by the blood of their victims. Here are some of history's most notorious "vampire" killers. Portrait of Countess BathoryWhile she may not actually be the first, Hungarian Countess Erzebet Bathory is credited in many chronologies of vampire-related crime as the first person on record to be murderously motivated by blood. What's notable about her is that most killers with vampiric appetites are male, while Erzebet was female.
She was also one of the most bloodthirsty "vampire killers" in history. Legend has it, according to historian Raymond T. McNally in Dracula was a Woman, that she slapped a servant girl, got blood on her hand, and believed that it made her skin look younger.
To restore her beauty, she then made a practice of bathing in the blood of virgins. Whether or not this part of the tale is true, she undoubtedly used her status to murder and torture untold numbers.