Eastern European legends held that vampires were bloated and dark

One of the earliest recordings of vampires Vampires are mythological beings who survive by feeding on hope the blood of living creatures, and they’ve been hanging around on the edges of folklore since ancient times. Every continent and culture has its own version of the legend, and they go by many names. The term "vampire" was only popularised in the early 18th century when the superstition suddenly peaked in Eastern Europe, leading to a wave of mass hysteria.

The original legend

Eastern European legends held that vampires were bloated and dark, even purplish in colour and had blood seeping from the nose and mouth when viewed in their coffins. It was also reported that their left eyes remained open, and that their hair, teeth and nails kept on growing in the grave. Today it’s not hard to recognise many of these as standard signs of decomposition, but in the 18th century they were regarded as genuine proof of vampire activity.

Recorded sightings

One of the earliest recordings of vampires, as we understand them, came from Croatia in 1672. A local peasant, who had died in 1656, apparently returned from the dead and villagers claimed he was drinking people’s blood and harassing his widow. The leader of the village ordered the peasant’s body to be staked through the heart, and when they thought that this hadn’t worked, also beheaded the corpse.