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Show ABOUT VAMPIRES. In current slang, as is well known, the term "vamp," a contraction of "vampire," is used to designate a seductive se-ductive female. . In olden times, and even in recent years in parts of eastern Europe, the vampire was a more sinister and fearsome fear-some entity. In the original meaning, a vampire was supposed to be the soul of a dead person whiqh leaves the buried body at night to suck the blood of living persons, usually causing their death. Hence, it was believed that upon opening the grave- of a vampire the body would be found still fresh and rosy from the blood thus absorbed. Dead persons most likely to become vampires were supposed to be those who had committed suicide or had come to their death by violent means, .also wizards, witches and those who had been cursed by their parents or by the church. A cat crossing a grave might transform the occupant into a vampire. To stop the depredations of a supposed sup-posed vampire, it was thought necessary neces-sary to drive a stake through the corpse, sever the head, remove the heart, burn the body, or pour boiling water and vinegar on the grave. Later the term vampire Was applied to certain species of blood-sucking bats of Central and South America, concerning which many popular superstitions su-perstitions have also arisen. Finally, we have the alluring vampire, vam-pire, or "vamp," of the movie screen and Main street. But there isn't much superstition about her. |