Gypsies, Vampires, Lycans and the Full Moon

The theories and stories surrounding vampires and lycans (werewolves) can be traced back to the 9th century as a result of Christianity and pre-Christian folklore. It is my belief that the Gypsies (having arrived in Romania just before Vlad Dracula was born in 1431)  spread their stories of vampire and werewolf mythology in their travels throughout Europe up until the 18th Century.

Image Credit: Magickal Graphics

According to Beverley Richardson, "The Slavic people including most east Europeans from Russia to Bulgaria, Serbia to Poland, have the richest vampire folklore and legends in the world. The Slavs came from north of the Black Sea and were closely associated with the Iranians. Prior to 8th century AD they migrated north and west to where they are now.

Christianization began almost as soon as they arrived in their new homelands. But through the 9th and 10th centuries the Eastern Orthodox Church and the western Roman Church were struggling with each other for supremacy. They formally broke in 1054 AD, with the Bulgarians, Russians, and Serbians staying Orthodox, while the Poles, Czechs, and Croatians went Roman. This split caused a big difference in the development of vampire lore - the Roman church believed incorrupt bodies were saints, while the Orthodox church believed they were vampires.

The origin of Slavic vampire myths developed during 9th C as a result of conflict between pre-Christian paganism and Christianity. Christianity won out with the vampires and other pagan beliefs surviving in folklore."

Image Credit: Magickal Graphics

It has also been noted in the past that those who suffer from lycanthropy only come out on a full moon.  The light during a full moon can exaggerate the effects of those suffering from this ailment and therefore, contribute to the hysteria surrounding it.

Image Credit: Magickal Graphics 

Whether you choose to believe in the vampires or werewolves, the modern day effects of the full moon are still being disputed and analyzed. The Scientific American questions if the lunacy effect really does exist. As part of role-playing and a public service, I am alerting my readers each time there is a full moon as well as the meaning and background of each full moon.

Further Reading:

Crowe, D. (1994). A history of the gypsies of eastern Europe and Russia. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Cvorovic, Jelena. “Gypsies Drown in Shallow Water: Oral Narratives among Macva Gypsies.”  Journal of     Folklore Research 46. 2 (2006): 5.  

Pavelcik, Nina  and Jiri Pavelcik. “Myths of the Czech Gypsies.” Asian Folklore Studies  60.1 (2001): 5. 

Tong, Diane. Gypsy Folktales. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989. Print.