Can such things really be?

[Vampirologist]

“Dare we risk ignoring a force whose strength lies in the fact that no one will believe in its existence?”

~ Seán Manchester (Quoted from The Highgate Vampire, editions 1985 & 1991).



“The dark, blood-curdling vampire superstition is not quaint folklore of eastern Europe alone. The vampire is of dateless antiquity. … The vampire stories have a hideous ring of realism. … Public records reveal that in 1732, in Serbia and Wallachia, vampirism spread like a pestilence causing numerous deaths. There had been a notorious case of vampirism near Belgrade in 1731. As the century drew to its close, reports of dead returning from the grave multiplied alarmingly. … Complex rituals for protection against vampires … were garlic, the Cross and Communion Wafers.”

~ Devendra P Varma, Honorary Vice-President, Vampire Research Society

(Quoted from The Vampire’s Bedside Companion, 1975).



“To many people, perhaps the majority, vampires are creatures of legend and fantasy with no reality, today, or at anytime, outside the covers of books. To others who have studied the folklore of many countries and examined the existing reports of apparent vampirism that have appeared over the years and still occasionally appear (in England and on the continent in particular) there would appear to be a considerable amount of evidence that such creatures not only once existed but may still do so. Belief in vampires is by no means dead.”

~ Peter Underwood, Life-Member, Vampire Research Society

(Quoted from The Vampire’s Bedside Companion, 1975).



“Too many people spend too much energy attempting to deny something they claim does not exist in the first place. Most ordinary people in the UK do not believe in the existence of vampires anyway. Why, then, do certain writers, publishers and groups feel threatened by the Vampire Research Society when it uncovers evidence that contradicts this apparent non-belief? It is to do with the identification of the existence of dark forces. These forces are meant to be hidden. Evil exists as an external reality, not merely a lack of something. It is an effective agent, a living spiritual being, perverted and perverting, mysterious and frightening.”

~ Seán Manchester, President, Vampire Research Society

(Quoted from The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook, 1997).

[songstress]

Dear Vampirologist,

Yes, there have been numerous cases of vampires being reported, from sane and rational people, throughout the ages. I believe that several vampires were responsible for attacking two men in Scotland in the 1920's. I don't believe that that case was ever solved, to my knowledge. I do know that one of the men bore the vampire's marks for the rest of his life.

Many thanks,
Patsy.

[Vampirologist]

Are you referring to the mysterious death of Miss N Fornario who was found lying naked on the bleak hillside in the lonely island of Iona (as reported in the January 1930 issue of The Occult Review)?

A London resident, Miss Fornario made her way to Iona for some purpose connected with the occult. One of the servants at her London house stated that a letter had been received saying she had a "terrible case of healing on." One newspaper report alludes to "mysterious stories on the island about blue lights having been seen in the vicinity of where her body was found, and there is also a story of a cloaked man."

The unfortunate Miss Fornario was discovered dead, wearing a silver cross around her neck and a large knife nearby which had been used to cut a massive cross into the turf.

[songstress]

Hello Vampirologist,

Thank you for your reply. No, the Isle of Iona case wasn't the one to which I was referring, but I am glad that you reminded me of it. The case I had in mind was the poachers who sought shelter in a shepherd's bothy at Felaar, close to the Mull of Atholl in the Highlands in the 1920's. One of the men woke in the morning to find a vampire-like creature sucking at his leg. He and his companion beat it off, and it flew away, apparently with other vampires who were skulking around. This man bore the vampire's marks for the rest of his life. I don't think that the vampire creature was ever tracked down.
Have you heard of this story?

Best wishes,
Patsy.

[Vampirologist]

Where is your resource reference for this account?

I must admit it doesn't immediately spring to mind.

[songstress]

Hello Vampirologist,

I read about this vampire attack at Blair Atholl in Anthony Hippisley-Coxe's 'Haunted Britain.' A bit more detail about it can be found at:
www.paranormaldatabase.com/lowlands/lowlands.htm

I was hoping that the website would fill in the gaps, but it has left more questions than it answers!

Best wishes,
Patsy.

[Vampirologist]

It might be due to Anthony Hippisley-Coxe's Haunted Britain being almost thirty years old (Pan edition, 1975) that I am unfamiliar with it.

By all means provide a detailed outline of the vampire attack at Blair Atholl.

[songstress]

Hello Vampirologist.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, to the best of my recollection, the Blair Atholl vampire story goes:

Nearby to Fealaar, stood a bothy. One evening in the 1920's two poachers sought shelter inside it after a day's hunting. During the night, one of the men was woken by something tugging at his leg, and a sucking sound. He woke his companion, who noticed that the sucking creature was strange, not like any other animal. It resembled a small man, but had fangs and wings. The wings looked like a 'cloak.' The second poacher beat the 'thing' until it stopped sucking at his friend's leg, and it immediately flew out of the window. The two poachers ran away scared (not surprisingly) and the man who encountered the phenomenon bore its marks for the rest of his life.

Fealaar forms part of Blair Atholl in the lowlands of Scotland. I don't think that any natural explanation for this vampire was ever discovered.

There are so many stories of vampires, that one cannot simply dismiss them as 'nonsense.'

Best wishes,
Patsy.