Greek vampire tradition

Greeks don't believe in vampires, and vampires who are afraid of crosses don't exist in Greek culture. Lamia in Greek mythology is regarded as one of the ancestors of vampires, but it is slightly different from the traditional vampires in Eastern Europe. For example, expelling lamia requires a round copper exorcism, not a Christian cross. Vampire lamia is not afraid of the cross. Of course, this may also be related to the fact that the legend of lamia appeared a few days before Christianity. If Christianity does not exist, how can there be a legend that vampires are afraid of the cross?

Another well-known Greek female vampire is Ampsa. It is said that she is the daughter of the Greek witchcraft goddess Heikadi. An Pusha is a completely evil character. She will lurk by the window of the house at night and sneak in to suck the blood of people or animals when people turn off the lights. It is said that she has the ability to transform and often appears as a horrible ghost. So her mother sent him to a fork in the road and stationed him. As long as she passed by, he was alive. However, there is no legend about the cross in the legend of Anpusha, although formally speaking, Anpusha is indeed a witch who eats blood and is no different from the traditional Christian vampire.

More traditional vampires appeared in Greece after the introduction of Christianity. They call this vampire a blood eater. Blood eaters are very similar to traditional vampires. However, there are many differences. In Greece, blood eaters only live in graves on Saturdays. On other days, even during the day, blood eaters can move and hunt outside at will, and they must hide during the day, just like ordinary vampires. The way Greeks treat blood eaters is also very different from other regions. In Greece, if traces of blood eaters are found, wooden stakes are not one of the options. The Greeks once held an exorcism ceremony for blood eaters, and then buried vampires who had become blood eaters on the sandbars by the sea. Legend has it that blood eaters can't cross the salty sea water, so burying them on the sandbar by the sea can effectively isolate them and avoid the chance that blood eaters will continue to harm people after resurrection.

Although the concept of vampires in Greece does not fully conform to the traditional image of Christian countries, we can still see the influence of Christian beliefs on Greece. The most obvious one is that the Greeks believe that people who will become blood eaters must meet some conditions. Some people are particularly prone to become vampires after death, such as people who have not been baptized, criminals who have been executed in the name of heresy or witchcraft, people who have died without a complete Christian ceremony, children born on sacred days and people who have been bitten by vampires.

Except for the last one, which is a traditional concept almost all over the world, all other conditions are inseparable from Christianity. It can be seen that Christian culture has a far-reaching influence on Greek vampire legends. Most of these projects, such as the idea that unwashed people will be pagans, that is, they will easily become vampires, are not difficult to understand. However, the strangest thing is that it is generally believed that children born on holy days are prone to become vampires, which is unreasonable, especially among them, children born around Christmas are the most likely. Where did this rumor come from? Legend has it that such a rumor actually comes from a Greek female demon, Kelly cantero. Cuddy cantero originally played the role of a female demon. However, after Christianity was introduced into Greece, she was portrayed as a female vampire in many legends, appearing as a half-man, half-bat, and her identity changed from the original banshee to a female vampire.

It is said that Carrie cantero can only move around 12 days after Christmas, and then she will be buried underground, waiting for Christmas next year. During his haunting time, he will suck the blood he needs for a year, and Kelly cantero attacks babies. It is said that children bitten by Carrie cantero will become vampires from now on, and the transition period is quite long, which may last for decades. However, these children who have been sucked by Carrie cantero will kill all their families after becoming vampires, so babies born twelve days after Christmas are regarded as unlucky babies, because they are most likely to become vampires. Legend has it that there is only one way to stop Carly cantero from turning her baby into a vampire, and that is to put the baby's head and feet on the flame until one of her toes is slightly blackened.