Vampires: prevention is better than a cure

After trawling the web and laughing till our sides hurt we found Silverhand’s Vampire Hunter’s Guide to be the most extensive.

According to Silverhand the most common means of protection from a vampire are:

• Garlic: Most common protective herb, used on windows, doors, around neck, possibly under armpits; mixed with water it can be sprinkled or sprayed throughout an area.
• Holly: Placed around house.
• Fishnets: Placed on windows or doors or in graves to distract vampires who are obsessive about untangling objects.
• Seeds: Seeds such as mustard or poppy are sprinkled on yards or walkways.
• Grain: Oats, millets, and other grains are sprinkled on yards and walkways.
• Holy water: Vials can be thrown at vampires, poured into graves or coffins, or sprinkled on doors, windows, thresholds, and other areas.
• Juniper: Logs kept in house for their antievil powers.
• Bells: Constant rining will drive away the undead.
• Candles: An abundance of light deters vampires, especially if candles have been blessed.
• Incense: Incense of the Latin rite preferred over the Eastern variesties, but both are acceptable and offer powerful protection.
• Tar: Crosses are painted with tar on doors and windows.
• Knives: Stab the vampire in the heart; also useful against the mara.
• Mirrors: Placed on doors because they really annoy vampires when they cannot see their own reflection in them.
• Stakes or pins: Used to impale or pierce, but care must be taken to avoid spurting blood.
• Magic or witchcraft: Potent protections, but can be performed only by the trained.
• Appeasement with blood: Barely useful, but a method for stalling until help or dawn arrives.
• Crosses or crucifixes: The traditional method; the use of such sacramentals can hold vampires at bay or can render a gravesite useless to them.
• Icons: Particularlyeffective amoung Byzantine or Othodox vampires.
• Eating of blood bread: A method used in Poland.
• Burial of wine: A method used on Transylvania, not known in many other regions.
• Drinking blood brandy: A method used in Pomerania.
• Consecrated host: The sacramental is hard to come by and should be handled with care, lest sin of blasphemy cause user more problems than the visits of a vampire.
• Prayer: Always helpful.

He not only advises one on how to protect yourself from a vampire but also offers details on:

• Detecting a vampire
• Becoming a vampire
• Powers of a vampire
• Destroying a vampire
• The vampire hunter’s kit

We also came across a fascinating article by Robyn Johnson on how to protect yourself from vampires around the world.

The description of vampires in Southern Africa reads as follows:

A witch’s familiar handed down the matrilineal line, the impundulu inflicts an insatiable blood-thirst upon its mistress’s enemies. To the witch, the impundulu takes the appearance of a handsome, sexually receptive young man (you can see why they keep it in the family), but when out running errands it transforms into the lightning bird, a roughly human-sized rainbow-feathered bird that casts electric bolts with its wings.

How to protect yourself:

Effectively immortal, the impundulu is impervious to many customary methods of protection, except being set on fire. You just have to catch it first. Other than that, a local healer might have a magical salve created from impundulu fat that will help stave off an attack.

Click here to read Johnson’s full article on vampires around the world.