Vampires: the myth that connects us
- Remmick
If you, like me, enjoy the vampire myths rooted in ancient beliefs, then you probably also enjoyed Ryan Coogler's film "Sinners". Culturally our vampires have morphed into sexy, sparkly men in recent history, or into comedic tropes as seen in "What We Do in the Shadows" (one of the few comedy shows I enjoy, btw).
Growing up I used to say I didn't like vampires and media featuring them, but the truth is I disliked what vampires had become in pop culture.
I do enjoy the Gothic horror that popularized the vampire tropes we all know in Western culture today. I love moody castles that harbor scary, ancient monsters. Stoker's "Dracula", amongst some other vampire-related works during the 1800's, solidified the stereotype that lives in all our heads now. They combined known myths about vampires or demons with some of their own inventions.
The cape, two fangs, slicked back hair, and Romanian accent were all inspired by Dracula and the spin-offs that followed, but the mythology of vampiric creatures is thousands of years old and it's there that I find my fascination of these mythical beasts.
Modern movies with true-to-myth vampires as the antagonist are strangely uncommon. What excited me about "Sinners" was the reintroduction of ancient vampire mythology into mainstream media. Somewhere along the way, we lost the horror and fear at the core of vampire folklore. They stopped being the villains and became our sexual fantasies. Now, in a film that was a strong candidate for winning Best Picture, we're returning to the stories our ancestors told.
One of my favourite shows is "Midnight Mass", which was the first time I can recall seeing a "myth accurate" rendition of this monster in modern media, and it was simply that - a very scary monster in the dark, a classic deep-seated fear of most children. There's something satisfying and refreshing in its simplicity. "Sinners" chooses to steer away from a one dimensional villain, which makes sense for the story, but manages to hold onto the horror at the center of vampire lore.
When I say "myth accurate", that term in of itself isn't entirely accurate because there are truly endless myths of undead or demonic beings who feast on human flesh and blood, stories belonging to almost every nation on earth. When you begin to dig into the history, it's like falling down the rabbit hole. These stories are so widespread and so old that we may never know how far back they go. While doing my research, I realized this must be why this mythical creature - regardless of which culture's legend it comes from - captivates me: it is quite literally in my blood as an ancient tradition, and subsequently connects me to the ancestry of everyone else.
The farthest back historians have uncovered evidence of vampire lore is during the Paleolithic period, in Mesopotamia. It is almost certain that these legends go back further than we realize. At the end of this post I'll be including a list of mythical creatures from various countries and cultures that are reminiscent of what we understand vampires to be. "Vampire" is a relatively new term, popularized in 18th century Western Europe, so most ancient stories use different names for these monsters. There is also a lot of crossover between vampires and ghouls, demons, zombies, and even werewolves.
I'd be willing to bet that superstitions and stories of the undead have followed humans since their beginning, due to the fear and mystery surrounding death and disease. This is one reason undead creatures make for a captivating story tool. The interpretations of vampires are limitless, and are undoubtedly linked to our fascination with death and the afterlife.
In both "Midnight Mass" and "Sinners", vampirism is woven together with religious themes, Christianity to be specific. This isn't new, likely due to the correlation between vampires and demons, as well as themes of resurrection after death, and the use of blood for spiritual and physical transformation. What pleased me about "Sinners" was the mirror held up to Christianity, revealing the uncomfortable similarities between it and vampirism. Oh, on that note, the "no reflection in a mirror" trope is also relatively new to the lore (made popular by Dracula again, though it's debated whether it was Stoker's invention or if he read of it elsewhere).
So what characteristics of older vampire myths were utilized in "Sinners"? Coogler has been transparent about being intentional with what was and wasn't included for his vampires. It was important to him to draw from lore older than "Dracula", and to explore legends both within European culture and outside of it. There are nods to legends from Western Africa, for example.
In terms of physical traits, some he includes are common themes throughout many cultures, such as the ability to fly and having long crooked fingers or long fingernails. Another common theme is being humanoid, or having the ability to appear human in order to trick their victims. We see that Remmick has an ability to shift between a normal human with normal teeth, eyes, and fingers (with a remarkable talent for accents in order to blend in), and his vampiric form with fanged teeth, glowing red eyes, and long gnarled fingers. Red or glowing eyes are other traits that appear in various legends.
As for vampire rules, most of what is used in the film hails from ancient myth - nocturnal and avoiding sunlight, the lust for human blood, the ability to turn humans into vampires by biting them, and an uncanny ability to lure or tempt their prey. The use of garlic as protection and wooden stakes to kill them have old origins, particularly in Slavic traditions.
Bursting into flames from the sun is relatively new to vampire lore (popularized by film because heck, it looks cool), although most ancient myths include the avoidance or even fear of sunlight, which naturally tempts us to explore 'why'. Needing an invitation to cross a threshold is a limitation of many non-humans, particularly those of a more spiritual realm. It's why I'll never own a doormat that reads "welcome". No, thank you.
During some nighttime scenes, we see an abundance of fireflies. The vampires even use them as camouflage for their glowing eyes in the darkness. In Ewe folklore from Togo and Ghana, the adze is a creature who takes the form of a firefly in order to enter homes and drink the blood of humans while they sleep. I'd like to think the film fireflies are a nod to this myth.
Coogler introduces a more original concept of a telepathic connection between vampires, particularly Remmick's ability to transfer his memories and feelings into them, and absorbing theirs for his benefit. He also seems to have control over their thoughts and actions.
The tropes that are omitted have almost more significance because of what the story is communicating. The use of Christian language and imagery to protect against vampires became mainstream because of, you guessed it, Dracula. It's so infused into pop culture now, to the point that non-Christians Sam and Dean Winchester use crosses, holy water, and Latin religious text to kill vampires and demons. Coogler reminds us that vampires existed as a concept long before Christianity was invented. Why would a religion relatively new in humanity's history have power over a monster who has arguably existed as long as we have? And why is Christianity the only religion to have that power?
Coogler's vampires never encounter crosses or holy water. In fact, during a particularly chilling moment for horror fans, Remmick actually speaks the words of the Lord's Prayer, words we're used to seeing demonic creatures recoil at.
"Long ago, the men who stole my father's land forced these words upon us. I hated those men, but the words still bring me comfort. Those men lied to themselves and lied to us. They told stories of a God above and a Devil below, and lies of a dominion of man over beast and Earth. We are earth and beast, and god. We are woman and man. We are connected, you and I - to everything."
- Remmick
As I mentioned in my earlier breakdown of the movie, what I love most about Coogler's vampires is how convincing they are in their temptation. Those words from Remmick is a worldview I subscribe to. This worldview isn't what makes Remmick dangerous - it's his belief that he has the Truth, and everybody should convert to that truth.
Remmick is estimated to be between 800-1300 years old, and has experienced suppression as an Irishman. He's been personally affected by the corrupting influence of religion and power, and this reframes him from a one dimensional villain to a layered human.
Since vampires need to get close to their victims, and require an invitation to cross a threshold, they would need to adapt methods of seduction and trickery. They would need to be masters of manipulation and building trust. Remmick uses the accent of the locals in order to gain trust, but when he speaks of his history or sings the songs of his culture, we hear his natural Irish accent. When pleading to Bert and Joan to help him escape the Choctaw, Remmick doesn't use racist language until he hears Bert use it and notices Bert's Klan robes. He then adjusts his language so as to gain their trust.
I'm not alone in wanting Remmick's story fleshed out, particularly how the Choctaw discovered him. A theory is he was attempting to approach their Firekeepers for the same reason he approached Sammie. When it comes to detecting the true nature of things, indigenous peoples are the ones who see the truth before most others. If a group of Native Americans appeared at my doorstep to warn me, I'd be listening. It felt accurate to have the Choctaw be the first to raise the alarm. Remmick is legitimately terrified of them, too.
Remmick mentions a wife when he approaches Bert and Joan, claiming the Choctaw "took her". While I was tempted to dismiss this as a sympathy points tactic, I noticed he is wearing a wedding ring. While he could be telling the truth, I almost wonder if he's using something that really happened to him in the past and pretending that the Choctaw are responsible for it. The only reason I suspect this is because a loss that recent would surely affect his character more during the story. I'd like to think he and his wife were both vampires, living together for centuries until someone killed her. Or perhaps his wife was human and died before Remmick became a vampire. Then the wearing of the ring centuries later becomes heartwrenching.
I would love to know how Remmick discovered the gift of conjuring spirits through music. A nice detail I wanted to note is how, during the barn burning scene when Sammie is playing "I Lied to You" and the spirits of the past and the future appear to join in with the music and the dancing (one of the best cinematic moments I've experienced), the regular folks at the Juke don't see or interact with the spirits, but the vampires appear to see it all. This makes sense given vampires are technically dead and exist in a plane between life and death. Given Remmick's predicament of outliving everyone he loved, the conjuring of spirits is meaningful to him because he can see and interact with them. No wonder he's desperate. I like to think he experienced the piercing of the veil by the Fili in Ireland. Perhaps he's been trying for decades to perfect his music, hoping he could conjure them himself.
I can't write about the vampires of "Sinners" without addressing the "Rocky Road to Dublin" sequence that I wish was twice as long. Never could I have predicted I'd witness vampires singing an Irish folk song while the lead vampire performs Irish dance. Though the temptation is there to laugh at the absurdity, the combination of the intoxicating music and the creep factor of glowing eyes, blood soaked clothes, and the ritualistic dance circle renders me enchanted. I'm scared but I also want to do a jig?
During multiple of Remmick's scenes, including both his introductory scene and his death scene, a heartbreaking rendition of "Rocky Road to Dublin" is played with a sorrowful violin, revealing Remmick's origin to us as well as his longing. Despite me knowing he's bad news, the violin reminds me of his humanity and I pity him before I even know his motives.
In closing, here is a list of mythical creatures from around the globe that are considered origins of the modern day vampire. There are so many more than this, but hopefully this paints a picture of how old and widely spread these tales are.
Connection is a central theme in "Sinners" - the telepathic connection between Coogler's vampires, the connection Remmick is motivated to find with both his fellowship and his departed loved ones, and the connection Remmick speaks of between all living things. I'm reminded how stories and legends have the power to connect us throughout history. Our ancestors, regardless of where they originated, shared superstitions and beliefs of resurrected dead, blood-sucking demons, immortal monsters, and creatures of the night. Our fascination and fear of death, disease, and the unknown connects all our cultures across time.
Egypt - the goddess Sekhmet is considered by many to be one of the oldest examples of vampire mythology. One of the oldest known Egyptian deities and arguably the most fearsome, the lion-headed Sekhmet is famous for her bloodlust - quite literally the need to consume blood.
Babylonia - Lilitu, who eventually evolved into Lilith in Hebrew demonology, and her daughters survived off the blood of babies and their mothers.
Ancient Greece - Empusa was a demonic creature who drank blood and could shape shift to lure men to their deaths. Lamia feasted on the blood of children. The striges were birdlike or batlike creatures who drank the blood of humans.
India - tales of ghoul-like beings who inhabit corpses are found in ancient Sanskrit folklore. One of these is known as Betal, an undead creature with batlike features who hangs upside down from trees on or near burial grounds. There are also tales of the Pishachas - flesh-eating demons with red eyes and bulging veins who prefer darkness. They haunt burial grounds and have both the ability to shapeshift into anything and to become invisible.
Jewish traditions - the Alukah is a humanoid creature who can shapeshift into a wolf. They live off blood and they can fly.
Navajo folklore - Skinwalkers avoid sunlight and possess unnatural speed. They can shapeshift into or possess animals.
Wyandot folklore - Hooh-Strah-Dooh is an evil spirit who possesses dead bodies and feeds on the living.
Haitian Voodoo - Bakalou baka is a hot tempered spirit with the appearance of a corpse who requires blood sacrifices.
China - Jiangshi are reanimated corpses who attack living creatures and absorb their life essence. They have long curved fingernails, greenish skin, long hair, and they have the ability to fly and possess unnatural strength.
Armenia - dakhanavar is a vampire who protects the land from intruders. It stalks travelers and attacks them in their sleep to drink their blood. Garlic can be used to protect against them.
Iceland - tilberi, a type of undead that haunts the living and attacks them in order to create more tilberi.
Romania - strigoi are classified as being either living or dead beings. Live strigoi were witches. Their souls would feast on the blood of animals and people at night. Dead strigoi were reanimated corpses who drank blood.
Croatia - Mora is a female vampire who drinks the blood of men. Kuzlac are recent-dead who haunt burial grounds, bridges, crossroads, and drink human blood. A wooden stake to the heart will kill them.
Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia - tales tell of a vampire called a pijavica. An evil person will likely become a pijavica after death. Garlic can ward against it and fire can kill it.
West Africa - the Ashanti people have a myth of an iron-toothed, tree-dwelling creature called asasabonsam. It attacks from above and feeds on people. Its form is humanoid with batlike features.
Togo and Ghana - the adze are beings from Ewe folklore. They can take the form of fireflies but when captured take human form. They can possess humans. In firefly form, they drink blood from people while they sleep.
Albania - shtriga are vampiric witches. She drink the blood of infants, but can also heal those she drains. She can transform into an insect. A lugat is a vampire who lives in darkness and avoids sunlight. It is known for being violent, having long fingernails, possessing the ability to fly, and luring its victims to their deaths. A dhampir is the product of a human and vampire union.
Ireland - Abhartach is an evil tyrant who rises from his grave to drink the blood of his subjects. He is a possible inspiration for Dracula. He can only be killed with a sword of yew wood. A gancanagh is a male fairy who lures women to their deaths. He has no shadow and can only cross a threshold if invited in.
Scotland - baobh-shith is a female fairy who seduces her victims. They share characteristics with the succubus. They consume the blood of their victims.
South Africa - the impundulu or Lightning Bird has a thirst for blood and is associated with witches. It can only be destroyed by fire.
Malaysia - Penanggalan is a woman who uses black magic and whose detached fanged head can fly at night in search of victims. She drinks the blood of people.
Philippines - the Mandurugo appears as a beautiful woman by day and a winged, sharp-tongued creature at night who drinks the blood of men.
Caribbean folklore - the soucouyant is a shape-shifting, blood-sucking hag. She sucks the blood of her victims while they are sleeping. These people will either die or become a soucouyant themselves.
Madagascar - the ramanga is a living vampire who drinks the blood of nobles.
Colombia - the Patasola lures men in the guise of a beautiful woman. Their true form is a one-legged, fanged creature with a lust for flesh and blood.
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