Vampire beliefs originated from historical figures like Vlad Tepes and folklore of revenants in medieval Europe. Certain birth defects were seen as signs that a person may return from the dead as a vampire. Traditional vampire protection methods included carrying salt or birdseed to distract a vampire from chasing, or staking suspected vampires in their graves. While some animals like bats truly feed on blood, the consumption of human blood poses serious health risks due to iron toxicity, so the existence of human vampires is questionable.

1. ARE VAMPIRES REAL ????

2. Vampire origins
 The most famous vampire is, of course, Bram
Stoker's Dracula, though those looking for a
historical "real" Dracula often cite Romanian prince
VladTepes (1431-1476), after whom Stoker is said to
have modeled some aspects of his Dracula character.
The characterization ofTepes as a vampire, however,
is a distinctlyWestern one; in Romania, he is viewed
not as a blood-drinking sadist but as a national hero.
He is also known asVlad Dracula ("son of the
dragon"), a name that comes from his father's
membership in the Order of the Dragon, knights
who upheld Christianity and defended the empire
from the OttomanTurks.

3. Creating vampires
 Interest and belief in revenants surged in the Middle Ages in Europe.
Though in most modern stories the classic way to become a vampire
is to be bitten by one, that is a relatively new twist. In his book
"Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality," folklorist Paul
Barber noted that centuries ago, "Often potential revenants can be
identified at birth, usually by some abnormality, some defect, as
when a child is born with teeth. Similarly suspicious are children born
with an extra nipple (in Romania, for example); with a lack of
cartilage in the nose, or a split lower lip (in Russia) …When a child is
born with a red caul, or amniotic membrane, covering its head, this
was regarded throughout much of Europe as presumptive evidence
that it is destined to return from the dead." Such minor deformities
were looked upon as evil omens, and it is likely that many infants
were killed immediately when these signs were discovered; those
who survived grew up bearing the burden of public suspicion.

4. Vampire protection
 In some traditions the best way to stop a vampire is
to carry a small bag of salt with you. If you are being
chased, you need only to spill the salt on the ground
behind you, at which point the vampire is obligated
to stop and count each and every grain before
continuing the pursuit. If you don't have salt handy,
some say that any small granules will do, including
birdseed or sand. Others say that there's an
unwritten rule of vampire etiquette that they cannot
enter a home unless formally invited in. Centuries
ago, it was not uncommon for suspected vampires
to be staked in their graves.The idea was to
physically pin the vampire to the earth, and the
chest was chosen because it's the trunk of the body

5. Real vampires
 There are, of course, a few truly vampiric animals, including
leeches, lampreys and vampire bats. And in all these cases
the vampire's intent is to draw enough blood for
sustenance, but not enough to kill the host. But what about
human vampires?There are certainly many self-identified
vampires who participate in gothic-inspired subcultures.
Some host vampire-themed book clubs or secret
bloodletting rituals; others wear capes or get vampire fang
dental implants. But blood drinking is another matter
entirely.The problem is that blood is toxic; because it is so
rich in iron — and because the human body has difficulty
excreting excess iron — anyone who consumes blood
regularly runs a real risk of haemochromatosis (iron
overdose), which can cause a wide variety of diseases and
problems, including liver and nervous system damage.