Vampires & Bats

Vampires and vampire-like creatures have shown up in legends around the world for centuries. Ancient civilizations were comprised largely of very superstitious people. That’s not to say that they were dumb—they just didn’t have the scientific or medical advances that we have in our modern day, so much of what happened in every day life was a complete mystery to them. Thus, crazy theories or legends could spring from very odd circumstances.

Belief in the “undead” may have it’s roots in something very simple. In Medieval times, it was customary to move gravesites out of necessity and reuse them to bury new dead people in those sites. Occasionally, odd things were noticed at the time of disinterment. Strangely enough, sometimes signs of life were noticed—scratches on the lids of coffins were seen or occasionally, the bodies were not in their coffins as they had been originally placed. It seemed that the corpses had moved!

The superstitious people of that day deduced that this must be proof of the existence of the “undead.” This theory was further perpetuated when weird diseases with unusual symptoms caused the demise of the individual in the first place. Some of the obscure diseases of those days caused paleness of the skin, blisters or bleeding around the mouth, swelling and even photosensitivity. All these issues probably were contributory factors that eventually led to rumors of Vampires.

The most obvious source of Vampire legend comes from the infamous horror story called “Dracula” written in 1897 by Bram Stoker. Many early folklore tales and legends were all used as influences in the creation of Bram Stoker’s epic Vampire character.

The legends and history surrounding vampires has not only influenced literature, but has gone on to play a leading part in the modern images of vampires in today’s media, movies and of course for Halloween.

Our selection of both modern and traditional vampires will give you plenty to choose from if you want to decorate your home with something that appears a little “undead” this Halloween. Take the really great gothic legend of vampires and bring it right into your home!