--------------------
                   FAQ for alt.vampyres
                   --------------------
                    Version 4.0

This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions seen on the alt.vampyres 
newsgroup and their answers, as given by those who post to the newsgroup.

This FAQ was originally written by Travis S. Casey and is now maintained
by Clint Hauser.  All comments and revisions should be sent to: 

karafon@crl.com

This FAQ is supposed to be a representation of the newsgroup as a whole
and not just my ramblings.  If you see something that is inaccurate
or should be added, even if it is as minor as a grammatical error, EMAIL 
ME!!  I don't pretend to be the authority on the vampiric.  This FAQ can 
only be as good as we as a newsgroup want to make it.  So send me your
contributions and receive your immortality (assuming, of course, that you
haven't already achieved it through vampiric methods...)

This document is posted on the 1st and 15th of every month.  
Email inquiries to the address above can also win you a copy of the latest 
version of this FAQ. 
In addition, it can be found on Emrys' Web Page (see below for the URL),
and it can be found at my ftp site, which is:

     ftp.crl.com   /users/ro/karafon/Alt.Vampyres.FAQ

A quick word about version numbers:  the version number will change every
time I feel I have made a significant change to the FAQ, like the addition
of a section.  If the version number doesn't change, you can be assured that
nothing of importance will be missed if you don't download this.

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Contents:

  Preface -- Statement of Purpose

  Part 1 -- Questions about this newsgroup
     1.  What is this newsgroup about?
     2.  Is there some form of nettiquete that I should follow if I post?
     3.  Why do you spell "vampyre" with a "y?"
     4.  Do you REALLY think that vampires exist?
     5.  So-and-so can't be a vampire!  He's posting during the day!
     6.  This news group is full of posers.  None of you are real vampyes, so stop
pretending that you are.

  Part 2 -- Questions about vampires
     1.  What powers are commonly ascribed to vampires?
     2.  What vulnerabilities are vampires subject to? 
     3.  How do physical illnesses affect vampires? 
     4.  How can one kill a vampire?
     5.  How does one become a vampire?
     6.  What types of vampire exist?
     7.  Are vampires really bad guys?
     8.  What is porphyria, and why is it called "the vampire disease?"
     9.  What is a "psychic vampire?"
     10.  Will a "real" vampire please come and turn me into a vampire?

  Part 3 -- How to get more information about vampires
     1.  What books about vampires are out there?
     2.  What movies about vampires are worth seeing?
     3.  Are there any organizations about vampires that I can join?

  Part 4 -- Miscellaneous vampire stuff
     1.  How can I find out more about Forever Knight?
     2.  Have you seen Interview with the Vampire?  Wanna talk about it?
     3.  Have you ever heard of White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade game?
     4.  What are some other Internet vampire resources?

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Preface -- Statement of Purpose

     The FAQ is just that--a list of Frequently Asked Questions maintained
by a member of the Alt.Vampyres community.  The job of maintaining the FAQ
does not gift the person with any special voice or say so on the news group.
The job is taken because of a love of all things vampiric and a desire to
learn more about them.  At various times, people have accused the FAQ
maintainer of trying to use the FAQ for his/her own ends and to give more
force to his/her opinions on the News Group.  The FAQ does not, has not, nor
ever will give this.  It is simply the readers' impression that it gave this
power to the maintainer of the FAQ.  I do not claim any special voice and do
this as much for myself as for the rest of the News Group.  I do not expect
anyone to listen to me more just because I happen to post a document on a
regular basis.  If someone does, that is their decision, not my mandate.
     With that stated and out of the way, let's go on to the meat of the
subject at hand.  I give you the FAQ for Alt.Vampyres...

------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1 -- Questions about this newsgroup

1.  What is this newsgroup about?

     This group is for discussion of the vampire mythology, such as the
psychology, physiology, and relation of the vampire to modern day human
life, and the distribution of original fiction, such as stories or poetry,
related to vampires.  This is the *only* place here on the Internet that
allows people to share ideas and creative works concerning the life and
times of vampires.  One thing this newsgroup is *not*, however, is a forum
for picking up new vampire boy/girlfriends, or becoming the newest member
of the undead in your town.  If you think that it's really cool to know
vampires, then post threads that cause discussion, don't just jump in and
try to flirt with all of us in a vain attempt to win our affections. 
Remember, the idea here is to interact in a context that includes
vampires. 


2.  Is there some form of nettiquete that I should follow if I post?

    Although the standard form of nettiquete on this group should exist,
there are a few things that are not ever received well when posted on
alt.vampyres: 
     a) Any post that is intended to be an introduction to you as a
vampire that has lived much longer than we have and demands our respect
will seldom achieve the desired result.  We bow to no newbie, regardless
of how flowery your speech is.  The way to get respect on this group is to
post things that make the rest of us notice you as a positive contribution
on the group.  If you intend to post things for the sake of annoying
people or because you can't find a better way to spend your Friday nights,
we intend to ignore you or flame you until you stink of napalm. 
     b) Any post that attempts to refute us or degrade us by using
religious references is generally not constructive.  Although there *are*
people on the newsgroup that are religious, the theme of the group is
*not* religion, it is vampires.  We here on alt.vampyres abide by the 
accepted nettiquete of the entire Internet, and we ask new posters to 
please do the same.  Discussions that are intended to turn into religious 
flame wars are much more suited to private email.
     c)  Posts that are written with the intent of simply being silly 
can get a lot of people mad at you.  There are those of us who subscribe 
to this group because we honestly want to discuss topics that center 
around vampires.  Posts that take subjects and subvert them into endless 
threads of private jokes are exceptionally unfair to these people and are 
probably best confined to email.  Although this newsgroup is not 
moderated, nor will it ever be moderated, the subject matter here is 
*vampires*.  If you need help in determining whether or not you should 
post something, take another look at question 1.1.  


3.  Why do you spell "vampyre" with a "y?"

     "Vampyre" is an older spelling of vampire, which was used in the 
1700's and 1800's.  It's use in the group's title is to provide a more 
"gothic" feel and to help keep newbies from finding this group too 
easily...  :)


4.  Do you REALLY think vampires exist?

     It would depend upon your definition of 'vampire.' If you mean people
who eat blood for pleasure or as a source of nourishment, then yes,
vampires exist.  There are many organizations that are dedicated to the
teaching and practice of bloodeating.  You can reach them by contacting
some of the groups listed in question 3.3.  However, if by 'vampire' you
mean the supernatural beings that have risen from the dead to feed on the
living, like those found in movies and literature, then that depends on the 
individual posters.  Therefore, do not make assumptions that someone
does or does not believe in vampires.

     The people on this group who write as if they were vampires are not 
intending to mislead anyone; they are doing it purely for entertainment, 
creating a sort of interactive story in this group.  Unfortunately, like 
most of the groups that discuss fiction or myth from a non-academic 
standpoint, we occasionally get some idiot who feels that anyone who 
would discuss something that (in his/her/its opinion) does not exist must 
be stupid or have some psychological problem.

DO NOT BOTHER REPLYING TO THESE PEOPLE!!  There are two reasons for this:
          
    (1) There are people out there who, when they find someone who has 
accidentally left their account logged in, will use it to post this kind 
of degrading crap to a group.  In this case, your reply will probably 
never be read by the person who actually posted the stuff.  
     
    (2) Those who do this from their own accounts are generally looking 
for attention in their own twisted way.  Replying to them will only 
encourage them to keep on.  Just hope that the losers will go back to 
harrassing the people on alt.fan.jesus-christ instead of us.

     We know that what we are discussing is worth our time.  If someone 
can't accept that, that's his/her/its problem, and all the posts in the 
world won't change that.  


5.  So-and-so can't be a vampire!  He's posting during the day!

     The idea that vampires have to sleep all day is not universal; 
Dracula was active during the day in Bram Stoker's novel, and many 
vampires in myth and legend were active during the day.  (See question 
2.2)  In fact, the first example of vampires being harmed by the sun was 
in 1922 in the movie _Nosferatu_, where the 'evil' vampire is destroyed by 
exposure to sunlight.  Although the vampire has typically been cast as a 
nocturnal being, actual damage by sunlight is *not* something that is in 
the legends (as far as I can find).

     Secondly, how do you know the vampire is posting during the day? 
Don't you think time stamps can be altered?  Maybe that's just what they 
_want_ you to think...  :)

6.  This newsgroup is full of posers. None of you are real vampires, so
stop pretending you are.

The people who post as vampires do so for a very good reason : they
enjoy it. They have a perfectly good grip on reality; some people watch
movies for fun, some people read fiction, and some choose to impersonate
vampires. That may seem like a strange way to act, but if you don't like
it you don't have to do it. Nobody will think any the worse of you if
you don't act as a vampire - provided you're polite to those who _do_. 


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2 -- Questions about vampires

1.  What powers are commonly ascribed to vampires?

     There are many, many different versions of the vampire myth, both in 
legend and in fiction, so just about any ability you could name has 
probably been ascribed to vampires at some point.  If you want to know 
about the powers of specific vampire types, take a look at question 2.5, 
and at the non-fiction books listed under question 3.1.

With that said, here are some of the powers traditionally ascribed to 
European vampires (the kind most often portrayed in movies and literature):

     * The ability to change their shape--common forms assumed
       are wolf, bat, rat, cat, owl, fox, weasel, raven, spider,
       scorpion, moth, and fly
     * Strength, speed and sensory perception far greater than that 
       of humans
     * The ability to summon and control animals, particularly
       rats and wolves
     * The ability to control weather--summoning rainclouds and fog
     * The ability to control the minds of mortals--commanding them,
       striking fear with a look, and causing selective amnesia
     * The ability to command some form of magical or mystical beings, 
       with the implicit idea that the vampire is in league with an evil 
       entity
     * Can transform its body into a cloud of dust or mist.

2.  What vulnerabilities are vampires subect to?

     * Weakened or harmed by sunlight
       Although this vulnerability seems very prevalent, there are notable
       exceptions to it.  As mentioned above, Dracula was relatively 
       unaffected by sunlight.  Poppy Z. Brite's vampires were only sensitive
       to the sun, not harmed by it. 
     * Repelled/harmed by religious symbols
       This appears to be a subject of great debate.  A very prevalent belief
       is that the symbol itself is useless unless the wielder possesses a 
       strong faith in the efficacy of his symbol as a dispeller of evil.  
       As such, the symbol is just the vehicle for the faith of its wielder,
       and the actual symbol need not be religious.  There is a movie in 
       which a yuppie dispels a vampire by holding up his wallet.  
       Apparently, his faith in money was enough that he could harm the 
       vampire.  Again, it was the faith and not the symbol that mattered.
     * Repelled by garlic and/or wolvesbane
       During the Middle Ages when an illness would appear in a town,
       it would at times be attributed to the appearance of a vampire in
       the area.  These people would often be fed garlic which would, 
       because of its anticeptic nature, destroy the bacteria causing the
       illness.  This led many people to attribute garlic with the added
       property of a vampire repelent.  As with everything else, this is not
       a wholesale answer to why garlic is given the properties it has, but
       it does offer at least one explaination.
       Again, this doesn't seem to be universal.  Its inclusion in the 
       vampire mythology may be due to the belief that since wolvesbane 
       supposedly repelled werewolves (it's mild medicinal uses gave it 
       a reputation for being magical during the plague years), it would 
       exert a power on vampires (which are lumped in with lupines 
       because both were supposed to be supernatural) as well.
     * Unable to cross running water, except at the ebb and flow
       of the tide.  The reason for this is linked to the reason why vampires
       do not cast a reflection in mirrors.  In the case of a reflection, the
       reflection was thought to be the reflection of a person's soul, something
       a vampire was thought not to have.  Most mirrors at the point in
       time that many of these beliefs were springing up were not any better
       than a standing stream of water, so the water became associated in a
       fashion with the mirror.
     * Can't enter the home of someone without an invitation
     * Cannot pass a thicket of wild rose or a line of salt
     * Has to stop and count every grain in a pile of grain
       he/she encounters (type of grain varies)
     * Does not cast a reflection  
       In some areas, vampires are believed not to show in photographs, 
       and in some, they are believed not to cast shadows.


3.  How do physical illnesses affect vampires?       

     It has been proposed that vampires are subject to illnesses, 
viruses, and other nasty bugs much the way mortals are.  At the very 
least, the victims of an infected vampire will contract the illness or 
virus.  However (and this is only my opinion), because the mythology 
generally considers the vampire to be 'undead,' a vampire would be an 
unsuitable host for any nasty bugs, which tend to prefer warm, wet and 
living tissue, unlike vampire flesh.  The category of nasty bugs should  
include (again, in my opinion) the AIDS virus and any organism that is 
incapable of living outside of a host for a long period of time.  

     
4.  How does one kill a vampire?     
    
     Although it never a good practice to harm vampires (being a hunter 
won't get you any points on this newsgroup), let alone kill them, some 
of the more favored methods of destroying a vampire include:

     * Immobilized/destroyed by driving a stake through the heart  
       Some legends say the stake must be of a particular type
       of wood (generally ash, hawthorne, maple, blackthorn, buckthorn,
       or aspen), and some say that the stake must be driven through in
       one blow.
     * Cutting off the vampire's head  
       Some legends say this must be done with a gravedigger's shovel.
       The two above things, cutting off the head and using a stake have their
       origin in the belief that the brain and the heart were the seats of life
       and power in living things. If you put a piece of wood through the heart,
       there is a good chance that you're going to kill whatever it is you're
       putting the stake into, and if you cut off a vampire's head, you are
       cutting its brain off from the rest of its body, and therefore you are
       cutting it off from its lifeforce.
     * Burning the vampire 
       This seems to be a relatively universal method of destroying
       vampires, in both legend and fiction
     * Cutting out the heart and burning it
     * Dispelling the vampire with holy symbols and/or water
       This idea seems to have come about through Christian beliefs because 
       vampires were postulated by Leo Allatius, and later by Dom 
       Augustin Calmet, to be somehow related to Satan.  One further 
       method of dispelling or harming vampires was by use of the 
       Eucharistic Wafer (the bread used in Holy Communion that is 
       believed to be mystically transformed by blessing into the actual 
       flesh of Christ).  Today, with the characterizations of vampires 
       given by modern writers, this belief is not widely utilized.  
       (See also question 2.7)

    It should be realized that although these practices are supposed to  
harm a vampire, they also tend to put a hurting on mortals as well.  As a 
result, any attempts made in the early years of human lore to destroy 
vampires by these methods were pretty well guaranteed to work... Make what 
you will from that.


5.  How does one become a vampire?

     Again, there are many different possible routes of becoming a  
vampire in the mythology.  Some of the more prevalent routes are:

     * Suicide
     * Excommunication, dying unbaptized/apostate, or anything
       else that puts one "outside of the church."
     * Being a wizard/witch
     * Having been a werewolf
     * Having your parents curse you, as in "May the earth reject you!"
     * Being born with teeth or with a caul (sometimes specifically a red
       caul).  In this case, it may be possible to prevent the change by 
       burning the caul and feeding the ashes to the baby.
     * Dying and having a cat or other animal jump over the corpse before 
       it gets properly buried
     * Possessing red hair.  This is from Greek Mythology and probably goes
        back to the belief that Judas Iscariot was a red-head.
     * Being a victim of unavenged murder
     * Being a seventh son.  This, like many of these other things, was
        related to the Catholic Church.  Anything that was not of it or
        that posed a threat to it would get you damned, and what was
        more damning than being a vampire?
     * Being sexually promiscuous
     * Being the offspring of a woman and a demon or an incubus 
     * Being bitten by a vampire  
       In some versions, the victim has to die from the bite to become a
       vampire; in others, three bites are necessary
     * Drinking the blood of a vampire

     If it is suspected that someone is likely to become a vampire, it is 
possible to prevent the occurrence by using one or more of the methods 
for destroying vampires listed above or by burying the suspect body face 
downwards.  In eastern Europe, it was common to periodically check suspect
bodies to see if they showed any signs of vampirism. Similarly, in China 
potential vampires were not buried until after they had decayed considerably.
     
     
6.  What types of vampires exist?

     This is a "sampler" of vampire legends from around the world.  For 
more variations on the vampire myth, take a look at some of the books 
listed under the non-fiction category of question 3.1.

     Asanbosam:  African.  Asanbosam are normal vampires except
       that they have hooks instead of feet.  They tend to bite their
       victims on the thumb.
     Baital:  Indian.  These vampires natural form is that of a
       half-man, half-bat creature roughly four feet tall.  They are
       otherwise unremarkable.
     Bajang:  Malaysian.  The bajang normally take the form of
       polecats.  They could be enslaved by sorcerors and forced to kill
       the sorceror's enemies, and some families were believed to be
       hereditarily stalked by the bajang.
     Baobhan Sith:  Scottish.  The baobhan sith (pronounced
       buh-van she) are evil fairies who appear as beautiful young women
       and will dance with men they find until the men are exhausted
       and then feed on them.  The baobhan sith can be harmed and
       destroyed by cold iron.
     Callicantzaros:  Ancient Greece.  According to Greek legend,
       a child born on Christmas will become a callicantzaros.
       These vampires often appear in half-human, half-animal
       shapes.
     Ch'ing Shih:  Chinese.  Ch'ing shih appear livid and may
       kill with poisonous breath in addition to draining blood.  If a
       Ch'ing Shih encounters a pile of rice, it must count the grains
       before it can pass the pile.  They can be harmed and destroyed by
       normal weapons and by sunlight.  Their immaterial form is a
       glowing sphere of light, much like a will-o'-the-wisp.
     Civateteo:  Mexican.  These vampire-witches held sabbaths at
       crossroads and were believed to attack young children
       and to mate with human men, producing children who were
       also vampires.  They were believed to be linked to the
       god Tezcatlipoca.
     Dearg-due:  Irish.  The dearg-due is a standard European
       vampire, except that it cannot shapeshift and may be defeated by
       building a cairn of stones over its grave.
     Empusa:  Ancient Greece and Rome.  Empusas appear as either
       beautiful women or ancient hags.  They are strongly
       related to the incubi and succubi (q.v).
     Ekimmu:  Assyrian.  These are vampires of the spirit
       variety.  They are naturally invisible and are capable of
       possessing humans.  They can be destroyed by using wooden weapons
       or by exorcism.
     Hanh Saburo:  Indian.  These creatures live in forests and
       can control dogs.  They will attempt to lure or drive travellers
       into the forest to attack them.
     Incubus:  European.  Incubi (plural of incubus) are sexual
       vampires.  They are spirit vampires of a demonic nature.  The general
       way they feed is by having sexual relations with the victim, 
       exhausting them, and feeding on the energy released during sex.  They
       may enter homes uninvited and can take on the appearance of other
       persons.  They will often visit the same victim repeatedly.  A
       victim of an incubus will experience the visits as dreams.  The
       female version of an incubus is a succubus.
     Jaracara:  Brazilian.  Normally appearing as snakes,
       jaracara are said to drink the milk of sleeping women as well as
       their blood.
     Krvopijac:  Bulgarian.  Krvopijacs (also known as obours)
       look like normal vampires except that they have only one nostril.
       They can be immobilized by placing wild roses around their
       graves.  One way to destroy a krvopijac is for a magician to
       order its spirit into a bottle, which must then be thrown into a
       fire.
     Lamia:  Ancient Greece and Rome.  Lamias are exclusively
       female vampires.  They often appear in half-human, half-animal
       forms and eat the flesh of their victims in addition to drinking
       their blood.  Lamias can be attacked and killed with normal
       weapons.
     Loogaro:  West Indies.  Appearing as old women, these
       vampires go abroad at night as blobs of light, much like the
       will-o'-the-wisp.
     Mulo:  Serbian.  Mulos normally appear as people wearing
       white clothes.  They are active both day and night, and can
       assume the shapes of horses or sheep.  They eat their victims in
       addition to drinking their blood.  Mulos are also known as
       Vlokoslak.
     Nachzerer:  German.  These are ghosts of the recently dead which
       return to kill their families.
     Nosferatu:  Central and Eastern European.  The "traditional"
       vampire described in Dracula.  Most vampires appearing
       in movies and books are of this sort.
     Rakshasa:  Indian.  The Rakshasas are powerful vampires of
       the spirit variety.  They usually appear as humans with animal
       features (claws, fangs, slitted eyes, etc.) or as animals with
       human features (flattened noses, hands, etc.).  They often appear
       as tigers.  In any form, rakshasas are powerful magicians.  They
       eat the flesh of their victims in addition to drinking blood.
       Rakshasas may be destroyed by burning, sunlight, or exorcism.
     Strige:  Eastern European.  These are "birds of ill omen"
       who will attack people at night, with a whole flock of strigoi
       sometimes attacking a single victim.  The strigoi use their long,
       sharp beaks to peck holes in their victims and drink their blood.
     Vampyr:  Serbian.  The vampyr is naturally invisible, but
       can be seen by animals or by a dhampir.  A dhampir is the
       (living) offspring of a vampyr, and is capable of seeing vampyrs
       and of harming them physically.  Dhampirs would often hire out to
       destroy vampyrs.  Vampyrs cannot shapeshift.
     Vrykolakas:  Medieval Greece.  Described as being "swollen"
       and "distended," vrykolakas can walk in daylight without being
       harmed.  The vrykolakas may only call to be let into a specific
       house once a night.  In addition to sucking blood, vrykolakas
       also cause nightmares.  They may be destroyed by exorcism or
       burning.  In Crete, they are called kathakano.
     Wampir:  Polish and Russian.  Wampiri appear exactly as
       normal humans and have a "sting" under their tongue rather than
       fangs.  They are active from noon until midnight.  A wampir may
       only be destroyed by burning.  When the wampir is burned, its
       body will burst, giving rise to hundreds of small, disgusting
       animals (maggots, rats, etc.).  If any of these escape, then the
       wampir's "spirit" will escape as well, and will later return to
       seek revenge.  These creatures are also called vieszcy and
       upierczi.

     Of course, this list is not exhaustive.  Some other regional
     variants on the vampire are:  dracul (Austrian), kwakiytl
     (American Indian), lobishomen (Brazilian), murony
     (Wallachian), ogolgen (Bohemian), otgiruru (African), oupir 
     (Hungarian), owenga (African), strigoi (Romanian), talamaur 
     (Melanasian), vapir (Bulgarian), avarcolac (Romanian),
     sharabisu (Babylonian), brucolacas (Greek), kattakhanes 
     (Singhalese), khadro/dakini (Tibetan), kalika (Hindu), aulak 
     (Arabic), akharu (Assyrian vampiress), swawmx (Burmese), 
     vikodlak (Slavic), vrikolak (Russian), yara-ma-yha-who 
     (Austrailian), tlahuelpuchi (Mexico), and mullo (gypsy). 


7.  Are vampires really bad guys?

    The idea that vampires are evil, or at the very least the bad guys, 
is fairly well established among the legends.  Remember, the original 
vampires in lore were creatures that fed upon humans and usually killed 
them.  Plagues and viral infections were sometimes ascribed to vampire 
attacks.  The romantic vampires that were portrayed by Bela Lugosi and 
written about by Anne Rice were nowhere close to the rotting corpses 
that came and destroyed whole families (or sometimes whole villages) in 
the legends.  As a result, the vampire didn't get a very good 
reputation.  It was supposed by some people (Calmet, for example) that 
vampires were souls that were so evil or lost that they were unable to 
go to the afterlife.  The association with Satan or some other malicious 
force was easily made.  However, beginning mostly with Bram Stoker and 
carried on today, the vampire is perceived to be a highly erotic being 
that would rather seduce than kill.  The original idea that the vampire 
exists for the sake of harming others is not very prevalent in modern 
literature.  So the question "Are vampires evil?" depends upon the 
context.  Today's stories postulate that the vampire doesn't need to kill 
to feed.  As a result, the idea that vampires are by nature 'evil' is 
misplaced today.  In my opinion, vampires are no worse than some of the 
humans that we see on the news every night...


8. What is porphyria, and why is it called "the vampire disease?"

     Porphyria is actually a group of diseases, all of which have to do 
with the metabolism of porphyrin rings, which, along with iron, are 
responsible for the oxygen-carrying properties of hemoglobin--an 
ingredient in blood.  It is a very rare genetic disorder, and is in no way 
contagious.  It may have developed among the European nobility due to the 
large amount of inbreeding that occurred way back when.

     In 1964, in an article in the _Proceedings of the Royal Society of 
Medicine_, L. Illis proposed that porphyria might be an explanation for 
werewolf legends.  More than 20 years later, in 1985, David Dolphin 
presented a paper at a meeting of the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science proposing that porphyria might be an explanation 
for vampire legends.  It was later refuted by other professionals as unlikely
due to the fact that the only form of porphyria that could have contributed
to this was the rarest form and occured in very few people throughout
history.

     What about porphyria made them make these statements?  One of the 
varieties of porphyria, congenital erythropoietic porphyria, has among 
its possible symptoms severe light sensitivity, reddish-brown urine and 
teeth, mutilation of the nose, ears, eyelids, and fingers, an excess of 
body hair, and anemia (compare these symptoms with the description of 
Stoker's Dracula).  In addition, some kinds of porphyria are associated 
with epilepsy.  However, there is no evidence that porphyrics have any 
sort of craving to drink blood, and, although it has been conjectured 
that eating garlic might be harmful to them, it is not. 

     In short, the hullaballoo over porphyria and vampirism that went on 
for a short time was simply a typical media overreaction to anything that 
might heighten circulation/ratings.  It affected the lives of many people who
had porphyria in a negative way with people calling them and asking if
they were vampires, and, in one instance, a woman's husband leaving her
because he was afraid he would be bitten and have his blood drank by her
while he was asleep.  So please take anything you hear like this with a grain
of salt and take the time to investigate for yourself.


9.  What is a "psychic vampire?"

     A psychic vampire is a living person who "drains" others 
emotionally.  Depending on the version, this may be an empathic drain 
(i.e., literally feeding on the emotions or 'lifeforce' of others) or it 
may be a metaphorical drain (someone who "takes" emotionally without 
giving anything back; a "user").  The victims of a psychic vampire become 
lethargic and depressed, and, should they be drained too much, may become 
suicidal.

     The psychic vampire itself is generally represented as fairly normal 
except for its ability; depending on who you ask, psychic vampires may or 
may not be aware of what they do.

	Depending on what psychic vampire you talk to, they may or may not
be aware of what they do, and they may feed in different ways.  It has been
described by some as reaching out with your astral self to tap into a living
person and draining them of their energy and then transforming, or processing,
that gained energy into life force of some sort.  Others say that they reach out
with their aura and leech away energy from the auras of other people.  Like
many things, it depends on who you talk to and what their experiences have
been.  There is no way of telling who is right and who is wrong, and there
is the possibility that all of them are right and merely feed in different ways.

10.  Will a 'real' vampire please come and turn me into a vampire?

     From time to time, somebody posts a request like this to the group. 
Before you go about doing this yourself, consider the following scenario: 
_if_ vampires do exist, they may not be exactly what you have been led to
expect from books, films, and role playing games. So if you make such a
request you are publically expressing a desire to escape into the fantasy
world you have seen in these media.  Don't embarrass yourself.  Your
request will win you more flames and ridicule than actual discussion about
vampirism.  Further, anybody on this group who would have the power to
'turn' you would be putting him/herself in grave danger (no pun intended)
by exposing his/her true nature.  

      You might also want to consider that someone who _truly_ believes 
he/she is a vampire is more likely to be a criminally insane than 
undead.  Do you really want to invite a dangerous psychopath to come and 
suck your blood out...?

      Should you become the unfortunate recipient of a ton of private
email from somebody who wishes you to turn him/her into a vampire (and if
you stick around long enough, it will probably happen), the best course of
action is *not* to just ignore it.  That type of person tends to be quite
persistent.  Instead, write back to the person and explain succinctly that
the power to create vampires in not in your hands, and any further
requests concerning being 'turned' will result in you emailing the
requester's postmaster.  This may not be the most friendly way of handling
these people, but it seems to be the most efficacious. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 3 -- Where to get more information about vampires 

1.  What books about vampires are out there?

Fiction:
 
     For a list of vampire fiction, email David C. Mudie's 
     (mudie@eecs.berkeley.edu) for his _Suggested Reading for 
     alt.vampyres_, or wait for it to be posted to the net.

Non-fiction:

All opinions were written by Travis S. Casey unless stated otherwise.

   Barber, Paul.  _Vampires, Burial, and Death_
     THE book to read if you're at all interested in the origins
     of the vampire myth.  Barber takes several actual accounts
     of vampire plagues, analyzes the various popular theories on
     where the vampire myth came from in light of them, and comes
     up with his own theory.  Along the way, he touches on many
     other areas of legend and gives a great deal of detail about
     how bodies tend to decompose.

   Masters, Anthony.  _A Natural History of the Vampire_
     A very good book, especially in the area of covering
     different regional versions of the vampire myth.  More
     accessible than Summers' books, and dealing more with the
     vampire myth than Barber's.

   Summers, Montague.  _The Vampire_ and _The Vampire in Europe_
     Two extensive works which have been used as source material
     by almost every non-fiction work on vampires since.  Slow
     going,  but occasionally lightened up by Summers' credulity;
     the man seems to be willing to believe almost anything.

The following info comes from Alyce Wilson; some of it overlaps with
what Travis Casey has written.  The info has been reformatted to fit better
into this FAQ, but the content has not been changed.

Recommended Vampire Reading List (Non-Fiction)
     This list may be reposted as long as this header is
     retained.  Compiled by Alyce Wilson [amw108@psuvm.psu.edu].
     Updates/corrections should be e-mailed to above address.
     >:-[ (I vant to suck your e-mail account time!)

   Aylesworth, Thomas G.  _Vampires_and_Other_Ghosts_.  Circa 1975.
     A surprisingly complete children's guide to vampires (with some
     inaccuracies by way of omission -- lack of space).

   Brosnan, John.  _The_Horror_People_.  New York:  St. Martin's
   Press, 1976.
     A general overview of the history of horror films (primarily in
     America).  Concerned with the *people* involved in horror films --
     actors and producers/directors.  Features a large section on
     the Hammer vampire films starring Christopher Lee.

   Bunson, Matthew.  _The_Vampire_Encyclopedia_.  New York:  Crown
   Trade Paperbacks, 1993.
     A compendium of vampire lore and theory.  Lists movies, myths,
     literary references.

   Carter, Margaret L., ed.  _'Dracula':_The_Vampire_and_the_Critics_.
   Ann Arbor, Michigan and London:  UMI Research Press, 1988.
     A collection of critical essays about Stoker's _Dracula_ and its
     connotations in society as a myth and as a novel.

   Cox, Greg.  _The_Transylvanian_Library:_A_Consumer's_Guide_to_Vampire_
   _Fiction_.  San Bernadino, CA:  Borgo Press, 1993.
     A comprehensive guide to English vampire fiction, from the seminal
     Polidori's _The_Vampyre_ (1819) through Ellen Datlow's 1989 
     collection of vamp stories, _Blood_is_Not_Enough_.  Rates each work 
     from 1 to 4 bats.  Includes a brief history of the vampire and 
     definitions for various types of literary vamps.

   Dresser, Norine.  _American_Vampires:_Fans,_Victims,_and_Practitioners_.
   New York and London:  W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1989.
     Explores the myth of the American vampire; data collected through
     questionnaires to students, porphyria patients and vampire fans.
     Additional data was taken from the media.  Documents how Americans
     identify with and imitate vampirism.

   Glut, Donald F.  _The_Dracula_Book_.  Metuchen, N.J.:  Scarecrow
   Press, 1975.
     Expands on Dracula material from his previous book.  Discusses
     the vampire image in respect to Count Dracula.  A self-proclaimed
     contribution to the "Draculamania" of the 1970's -- the "years
     of the bat."

   Jones, Stephen.  _The_Illustrated_Vampire_Movie_Guide_.  Vol. I
   London:  Titan Books, 1993.
     It does what it says.  It says what it does.  A comprehensive
     guide to all international movies with a vampire theme or something
     approximating one.  Even includes movies where vamps make brief
     appearances (such as _The_Magic_Christian_).  Rates each movie
     from 1 to 5 bats.

   Leatherdale, Clive.  _Dracula,_The_Novel_and_the_Legend:_A_Study_
   _of_Bram_Stoker's_Gothic_Masterpiece_.  Wellingborough,
   Northamptonshire:  Aquarian Press, 1985.
     Traces the vampire legend through myth and literature.  Provides
     analytical perspectives on Dracula's role in culture and sociology.

   McNally, Raymond T.  _A_Clutch_of_Vampires:_These_Being_Among_
   _the_Best_from_History_and_Literature_.  1974.
     A collection of factual accounts of (so-called?) actual historical
     vampires, as well as some fictional stories.
     [McNally also wrote excellent book on historical Vlad Tepes, a.k.a.
     Dracula.]

   Ramsland, Katherine.  _The_Vampire_Companion:_The_Official_Guide_to_
   _Anne_Rice's_The Vampire Chronicles.  New York:  Ballantine
   Books, 1993.
     A cross-referenced guide to Rice's vampire books, as well as
     _The_Witching_Hour_, which shares some characters with _The_
     Vampire_Lestat_ and _Tale_of_the_Body_Thief_.  Recommend reading
     the chronicles *and* TWH before reading this guide.

   Senf, Carol.  _The_Vampire_in_Nineteenth_Century_Literature_.
   Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1988.
     Examines the progression of vampires from myth to gothic
     villain, to modern literature.

   Summers, Montague.  _The_Vampire:_His_Kith_and_Kin_.  New York:
   E.P. Dutton and Company, 1929.
     Classic work by the noted vampirologist.  Although a little
     difficult to read by modern standards, a valuable work because
     of its extensive documentation.

   Twitchell, James B.  _The_Living_Dead:_A_Study_of_the_Vampire_in_
   _Romantic_Literature_.  Durham, N.C.:  Duke U.P., 1987.
     Looks at female and male vampires in poetry and prose of the
     Nineteenth century.  Good for understanding of evolution of
     vampire myth in literature.

These books are reviewed by Robert D. Herrick II.  If you know of more 
books that should be brought to my attention, email and I'll check them out.

   Guiley, Rosemary E.   _Vampires Among Us_  New York, NY:  Pocket 
     Books, 1991  Contains a lot of information about 'real' vampires like 
     the vampire of Highgate Cemetary and various people who claim to be 
     vampires.  Entertaining, at the very least, it also contains a good bit 
     of legend that is quite useful.

   Melton, J. Gordon  _The Vampire Book:  The Encyclopedia of the 
     Undead_  Detroit, MI:  Visible Ink Press, 1994
     A really good source for learning about vampires and related 
     topics.  Some of the topics seem a little cheezy (like a description of 
     Castle Dracula), but overall an excellent buy.  For $16.95 (in 1995), 
     you just can't get more information in one place.

What follows is a list of books prepared by London "Rakshasa" Myers that may
be of interest to writers as sources of inspiration or merely to get an idea of
what is out there to look at the moment for ideas and other things such as that.
Many are just good reads and have already been inspirations for many people
to go on with their writing. The opinions expressed below are those of Rakshasa,
and not necessarily those of the FAQ maintainer, Clint Hauser.  Therefore,
please forward all questions about this portion of the FAQ to Rakshasa at
SLH4W@cc.usu.edu, or e-mail Clint, and he'll forward them to her.

Bainbridge, S. (1994).  _Blood and Roses_.  New York: Diamond Books.
	Fiction book about the "other vampire" in England at the time of 
	Dracula.  Personally I found it hard to get into.

Brite, P.Z.  (1993).  _Lost Souls_.  New York: Dell Books.
	Fiction story about three vampires-Molochai, Twig and Zillah- two 
	friends-Ghost and Steve-and Nothing, a boy who's lost in the 
	world.  Personally it's one of my favorite vampire books.

Campbell, J.L.  (1985).  J. Le Fune in ed.  _Supernatural Fiction 
		Writers: Fantasy and Horror_ (Vol. 1-3).  Ed. E.F. Bleiler.  
		New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
	Discusses the authors of Fantasy and Horror stories in great 
	detail, including who or what inspired their stories.

_Vampire Stories_.  (1993).  Ed. Richard Dalby.  Castle Books.
	Forwards and introductions to some of the early vampire stories 
	written by Peter Crushing.  Stories include Caramila, Dracula's guest, 
	Varney the Vampire and the short unfinished vampire story by Lord Byron.

Hurwood, B.J.  (1981).  _Vampires_.  Quick Fox Publishing.
	History and myths of vampires.  Very informative book with 	
	discussions on vampires in most cultures.  Hurwood goes into different 
	ideas of where vampire myths came from and where and why myths 
	surrounding them sprung up. 
 
Kaplan, S.  (1984).  _Vampires Are_.  ETC Publication.
	Dr. Kaplan, a noted vampologist, sets his findings down in a book 
	for all us to read.  the beginning of the book is about who he goes 
	about investigating vampires and identifying fakes from real vampires 
	over the phone.  the second part of the book is information and ideas 
	on where vampires came from, why they are like they are, the diseases 
	that cause vampire like symptoms, vampire probability tests, and little 
	know facts.  Highly informative.

Kiraly, M.  (1994).  _Mina_.  New York: Berkley Books.
	Fiction book about Mina's life after the death of Dracula.

Machiavelli, N.  (1981).  _The Prince_.  New York: Bantam Books.
	Not a vampire book, but a must read for anyone interested in 
	vampires.  Machiavellian theory's are commonly linked to vampire powers.

Mascetti, M.D.  (1992).  _Vampires: The Complete Guide to the world of 
		the Undead_.  Viking Studio Books.
	My personal favorite.  Mascetti explains ideas of myths 
	surounging vampires, everything from being staked at cross roads to why 
	vampires in the old horror movies rose from their coffins with their 
	arms up.  It's also the only book I've come across that discusses 
	modern traditions and their link to vampire history.  Mascetti 
	discusses all the famous "Vampires" in history as well.

Rice, Anne. _The Vampire Chronicles_ (Interview with the Vampire, The 
		Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned, Tale of the Body Thief, 
		Memnoch the Devil)
	--All books I'm sure are discussed in this FAQ at length.

Romkey, M.  (1993).  _I, Vampire_.  New York: Fawcett Gold Medal.
	Fiction story of David and his fight against the historical 
	murderer, turned vampire: Jack the Ripper.  Many historical figures 
	play vampiric parts.

Romkey, M.  (1994).  _The Vampire Papers_.  New York: Fawcett Gold Medal.
	Fictional story of David...and his historical friends...continued.

_Vampires: Two Centuries of Great vampire stories_.  (1987).  Ed. Ryan, A.  
		Doubleday & Company, Inc.
	Along the same line as _Vampire Stories_.  A collection of 
	Vampire storys.

_Book of Dracula_. (1992).  Ed. Shepard, L.  Wings Books.
	Collection of vampire storys and other horror stories, including 
	Poe and Dickens.

Shepard, L.  _Encyclopedia of occultism and parapsychology.  (1985).  
		Vol. 1-3.  Michigan: Gale Research Company.
	Look under headings on Vampires and Sex for vampire topics.  
	Informative on how vampires are seen though the occult's eyes, and 
	how early christian churches views vampires.

Stoker, B. (1992 ed).  _Dracula_
	Another Fiction book I'm sure the FAQ already deals with.


2.  What vampire movies are worth seeing?

     A review list of vampire movies is kept by Jason Puckett
     (lawjdp@gsusgi2.gsu.edu), so email or wait until it is posted to 
     alt.vampyres.

3.  Are there any organizations about vampires that I can join?

     Some of the following list of vampire organizations are taken from the 
alt.gothic FAQ, maintained by Peter Wake (peterw@cs.man.ac.uk).  I have no 
personal knowledge of some of these organizations, so if you get ripped 
off, don't blame me.  Next time, don't send cash in the mail.  Some of 
the vampire magazines listed come from nytshadow@genie.geis.com.

The Vampyre Society
9 Edgar Rd.
Sanderstead, South Crotdon
Surrey CR2 0NJ
United Kingdom
Annual membership 12 pounds sterling, which gives you four issues
of "The Velvet Vampire," free small ads, and invitations to various
social events including weekends in Whitby.  Write the above address
for information.
-----------------------
The Vampire Information Exchange Newsletter
P. O. Box 328
Brooklyn, New York 11229-0328
$4.00 gets you membership information for this group which publishes a
newsletter (above) that talks about lots of real-life vampire related
topics.
-----------------------
Nocturnal Extacy Vampire Coven
4527 South Troy
Chicago, IL 60632
-----------------------
Secret Order of the Undead
155 East C Street
Suite 323
Upland, CA 91786
Founded for the sake of promoting appreciation of historically dark
characters and topics, this is sort of a theatrical group.  They really
like Lord Byron.
-----------------------
Vampire Research Institute
send: S.A.S.E.
P. O. Box 21067
Seattle, WA 98111
-----------------------
"Good Guys Wear Fangs" fanzine
Mary Ann B. McKinnon, Editor
254 Blunk Avenue
Plymouth, Michigan 48170
(Note: She will answer correspondence, but it may be slow)
-----------------------
Temple Of The Vampire
Box 3582
Lacey, Washington 98503
The information packet fee is $5.00; Membership dues are $10.00 per month.
This is an organized religion of vampires that promotes psychic vampirism
with the subsequent sacrifice of the stolen lifeforce to the Sumerian goddess
Tiamat.  These people are very serious about this--only serious requests will
be honored.

	FAQ Maintainers Note:  In the past on this news group, there have been
volitile flame wars surrounding the aforementioned Temple of the Vampire.  There
are those on this news group who believed, or may still believe, that the Temple
of the Vampire was misrepresenting itself and using the facade of a religion in
to sell a product.  As with anything of this nature, take it with a grain of 
salt and a bit of wisdom.  I do not meant this as a denoucement of the beliefs
of the Temple of the Vampire but merely a warning to be careful with this group
or any other.

-----------------------
Temple of Set
PO Box 470307
San Francisco, CA  94147
Dues:  Postage cost.
Membership includes:  Correspondence, newsletters and bulletins, information
clearinghouse.  Possible invitation to the inner society.  Interested in
hearing about (fluff alert) vampire stories, fantasies, attacks, etc.
-----------------------
Order of the Vampyre
PO Box 470307
San Francisco, CA  94147
Part of the Temple of Set.  They publish a newsletter,
_Nightwing_, and a journal, _The Vampyre Papers_.  Send to the above
address for information.
-----------------------
The Dracula Society
36 Ellison House
100 Wellington St.
London SE18 6QF
United Kingdom
Sorry--you have to be 18 to join.
-----------------------
The Bram Stoker Society:
David Lass, Honorable Secretary
Regent House
Trinity College
Dublin 2, Ireland
Promotes the work of Bram Stoker (what a surprise...)
-----------------------
(Supposedly the two above don't get along together).

-----------------------
VAMPIRE ARCHIVES
Publishing c/o Jule Ghoul  
2926 West Leland Ave       
Chicago, IL  60625-3716
Talks about the latest information in the vampire genre like movies
and music.  They also sell some vampire paraphernalia.
$30/year for about 12 issues.  The publishing schedule is erratic,
but constant.  Single issues are $4 each.
----------------------- 
SHADOWDANCE                
Michelle Belanger          
PO Box 474                 
Hinckley, OH  44233
A magazine that publishes about the dark side of things--basically a
gothic type magazine that has a lot of poetry and stories in it.
$2/issue, $10/year - bi-monthly.
Annual price may have changed so send a SASE/IRC for info.
----------------------- 
THEE VAMPIRE GUILD         
Phill White
82 Ripcroft
Portland, Dorset  DT5 2EE
ENGLAND
Send IRC for information.
-----------------------
Journal of the Dark
PO Box 168
Osceola, IN  46561
A quarterly publication serving the vampire community with original fiction,
poetry, artwork, book and movie reviews, fashion, legends, role-playing
games, and much more.
$18/4 issues (1 year), $5 an issue
(Prices slightly more for international orders.  Contact johnfranc@aol.com
with any questions.)
-----------------------
SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT       
Tammy Pond                 
PO Box 17006               
Rochester, NY  14617-0306
Another good vampire genre magazine.  A lot of people like this one.
This one is finally getting active again.  Due to deaths in the family
and personal problems, things were on hiatus, but work has begun
again.
$15/year - 4 issues.
-----------------------
The Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club
P.O. Box 58277
New Orleans, LA 70158-8277
Basically an Anne Rice fan club.  If you like the work she's done, check
it out.
-----------------------
Club Vampyre
1764 Lugonia, Ste 104, No. 223
Redlands, CA  92374
This club publishes a magazine that contains original fiction and general
information about the gothic subculture.
-----------------------
They do research of legends and modern society concerning vampires and 
publish a newsletter to boot.
Cheeky Devil Vampire Research
P.O. Box 7633
Abilene, TX  79608
They do research of legends and modern society concerning vampires and
publish a newsletter to boot.
-----------------------
The Count Dracula Society
334 W. 54th St.
Los Angeles, CA  90037
A club that studies horror films and gothic literature.
------------------------
The Count Dracula Fan Club
Penthouse N, 29 Washington St. Sq. W.
New York, NY  10011
Another Dracula Club.
------------------------
The Camarilla
A club for those who play the White Wolf game Vampire: the Masquerade and
want to be known nationally for it.  They also publish a fanzine.

	The Camarilla
 	50 South Main #25-S-8
 	Salt Lake City, Ut.
 			84144

------------------------
Danis the Dark Productions
305 Hahani St, No. 296
Kailua, HI  96734
One more magazine that publishes vampire fiction and art, they also pose
questions to the readers so it may be a good source of information as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 4 -- Miscellaneous vampire stuff

1.  How can I find out more about Forever Knight?
    
The following information was culled from a post by Steve Fellows:
  
     Forever Knight is a television series starring Geraint Wyn Davies 
as Toronto Metropolitan Police Detective Nicholas Knight, an 800 year 
old vampire. Apparently the show is still being made and broadcast.  
Check  your local listings for times and days of broadcast.

Fan Club Information:        

To be part of the Forever Knight fan club, send $15 (US) to:

  Forever Knight Fan Club
  P.O. Box 1108
  Boston, MA 02103-1108

For more information through Internet:

  Try the email listserver:
  for information: send mail to JAP8@CAC.PSU.EDU or 
  MCDAVID-LISA@SCAROLINA.EDU
  to subscribe: send message [SUBSCRIBE FORKNI-L first-name last-name]
  to listserv@psuvm.psu.edu
  
Plus, there are two newsgroups dedicated to Forever Knight on Internet:

  alt.tv.forever-knight
  alt.tv.forever-knight.spoilers

There is a FAQ about FK maintained by Steve Fellows.   However, you can 
only get this if you subscribe to the email listserver.


2.  Have you seen Interview with the Vampire?  Wanna talk about it?

    Yes, we've all seen it;  no, we don't want to talk about it.  We  
have gone through many threads concerning the casting of IWTV, the 
overall opinions on IWTV and psychological support groups created 
because there are so damn many posts about IWTV.  In short, we have 
grown tired of talking about the movie.  Starting a new thread may get  
you a few nasty letters in return.  

However, for more information about Anne Rice and her writing, try the 
newsgroup at:

    alt.books.anne-rice

or try the email listserver:

    for information: send mail to annerice@psuvm.psu.edu
    to subscribe: send message [SUBSCRIBE ANNERICE first-name last-name]
    to listserv@psuvm.psu.edu


3.  Have you ever heard of White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade game?

    Yes, we've all heard of it.  Most, if not all, of us have played it.

    Material relating to the game should only be posted *if it is not 
rules-oriented*; since it is in line with the vampire mythology, feel 
free to discuss vampire society, physiology, psychology, etc., but don't
ask questions about the rules or discuss them here.  If you do want to 
discuss rules, or you can't differentiate between White Wolf and actual 
vampire legends, please do it in alt.games.whitewolf or 
rec.games.frp.storyteller.

Or, there is a newsgroup that is dedicated solely to role-playing White 
Wolf vampires on the net.  The address is:

     alt.games.vampire.the.masquerade

Along with the above group sprang up two groups dedicated simply to the
House and Clan Tremere in the White Wolf System.  They are:

     alt.vampires.tremere
     alt.games.vampire.tremere

Aaand, if you like the card game Jyhad, there is apparently a newsgroup 
for that too.  I can't attest to its applicability, but give it a shot 
anyway.  The address is:

     rec.trading-cards.games.jyhad


4.  What are some other Internet vampire resources?

There are a few listservers that are apparently pretty decent:

     Vampyres:  conversations, fiction, and vampire-related 
events--sounds like an email version of alt.vampyres...

     To subscribe:  send message [SUBSCRIBE VAMPYRE Firstname Lastname] 
     to LISTSERV@GUVM.CCF.GEORGETOWN.EDU
     To post:  send mail to VAMPYRES@GUVM.CCF.GEORGETOWN.EDU

     Night-l:  general conversations about the supernatural, which 
includes vampires every once in a while.

     To subscribe:  send message [SUBSCRIBE NIGHT-L Firstname Lastname]
     to LISTPROC@UNICORN.ACS.TTU.EDU
     To post:  send mail to NIGHT-L@UNICORN.ACS.TTU.EDU

     
There is also loads of stuff on the World Wide Web.  For general vampire
info, check the following URLs:

     Vampyres Only:  created by Vlad III   
     http://www.vampyre.wis.net/vampyre/index.html
     Emrys' Excellent Vampire Web Page:
     http://ucsu.Colorado.EDU/~whitneym/vamp.html
     Stef-aka-Zodiac's Web Page:
     http://zippy.dct.ac.uk/~mcscs2smt/index.html

     For vampire fiction on the web:
     
     Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles:
        http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/vampire/intro.html
     Greg Palmer's Bloody Page:
     http://www.xroads.com/pages/gpalmer/vampire.html

     Bram Stoker's Dracula:
        http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/rgs/drac-table.html

The text of Dracula is also available by FTP from ftp.world.com, in the 
directory /obi/Bram.Stoker.  This version is compressed with the Unix 
compress program.  Lastly, those with gopher can get it from the gopher at 
world.std.com; look under OBI (The Online Book Initiative)

     Dark Shadows:  synopses of the first 300 episodes
        http://www.vampyre.wis.net/vampyre/faqs/dkshadow.html

     For more vampire and related things on the web:

     http://acacia.ens.fr:8080/home/granboul/Vampire/index.html
     http://www.teleport.com/~caseyh/horror/horror.html
     http://gothic.acs.csulb.edu:8080/Gothic
     http://coe1.engr.umbc.edu/~vijay2/home.html
            ^ Note:  this is a ONE--not an L!!

Finally, for more newsgroups, try:

     alt.gothic    Not dedicated to vampires, but are there some interesting
             topics that come up from time to time
     alt.horror    Does what it says--talks about the horror genre

Those of you out there that have the ability to get to them (and how this 
is to be accomplished will vary from system to system, so I can't help 
you there) can try out the Internet Chat Relays (IRCs) related to vampires.  
These channels are apparently like MUDs and MUSHes in that many people 
can gather and talk with each other.  Think of it as an Internet party 
line 'talk' function...  The addresses are:

     #vampire     
     #vampires     
     #anne-rice
        (This one is for discussion of Anne Rice and her works and
         arose from the alt.books.anne-rice news group.)
     #alt.vampyres  
        (This one caters to the people on this group, so if you want a 
         good place to start, this might be it.)


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extra Special Thanks go to:

Travis S. Casey for starting this whole thing up and maintaining it for as
      long as he did; and to

Robert Herrick for maintaining it, expanding it, and putting up with a lot of
      bullshit while doing so.

Special Thanks go to:

Peter Wake              
Alyce Wilson           		Steve Fellows  
Erika Michele Tatsuhwa   	Gary Lee Hoke
David C. Mudie           	Vlad III   
Cathy Krusberg           	Vance: The Dark Watcher 
The Dark Prince          	Emrys
WhiteDeath             		Greg Palmer
Geoffrey Brent			Rakshasa