Blood

Blood has been a symbol of life since very ancient times. The blood in our veins has always been 
iconic of our continuing life. To lose too much blood is to lose consciousness, breath, and 
eventually, our very lives. If a person or animal is already dead and is cut open, blood does not 
flow. Only the living have blood that flows. Blood has been used throughout the ages as a 
ceremonial sacrifice. In pagan times our forefathers worshipped their gods with blood sacrifice. 
And today, indeed, we are not so different. Even in modern times, in our churches, there are 
those taking communion or the Eucharist, and drinking of the wine that symbolizes Christ's blood. 
It seems appropriate, then, that this creature who is an antithesis of both death and life should 
gain his strength from feeding from the life's blood of humans. For the vampire, the drinking of 
blood is its life, its sustenance, and the single thing that makes it identifiable all around the 
world, regardless of the culture in which you were raised or the language you speak. As the 
scientific nature of man progressed, he began to abandon his God in favour of logic and reason. 
In this the vampire tale was no different. As the nineteenth century drew to a close and the 
twentieth century approached, reason began to enter vampire literature. Scientific reasoning was 
applied in an attempt to justify the vampiric need for blood. In many literary instances it was 
linked to anemia, and blood loss. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Van Helsing prescribed a blood 
transfusion for Lucy, in an attempt to divest her of the vampire blood in her body. 

Fangs

Most vampires (although not neccessarily all, depending on whom you ask) require blood to survive. 
Fangs, it is commonly thought in the animal kingdom, make it easier for mammals to tear open the 
flesh of their prey. In terms of the vampire, it would make feeding far easier. Yet not all 
folkloric or even fictional vampires are fanged. Historic accounts of vampires rarely mentionfangs, 
and even Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula in 1931 was done sans fang. As cinematic prowess 
increased and the movie industry was able to do more with special effects, a new vampiric ability 
evolved. In movies today it is common to see the vampire with retractable canine fangs. This 
allows him to circulate with humans more easily; with the fangs retracted, he is more easily 
perceived as human. In the Canadian television series Forever Knight, the main vampire character, 
Nick, has fangs that only protrude when his dark, vampiric nature is unleashed.

Fingernails

In European and Slavic history, fingernails were thought to be one of the tell-tale signs that a 
corpse was a vampire. Vampires were thought to lose their old nails and grow new ones upon their 
entry to the vampiric world. An exhumed body that lacked nails or had grown new ones was summarily 
staked, and very often burned or reburied with garlic to seal the corpse within the ground. In 
modern literature, many vampire novels have mentioned fingernails specifically. Two of the most 
common of these are Dracula and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. In Dracula, Jonathan Harker 
notices that Dracula's "nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point." When Dracula later 
opened a wound on his chest for Mina Murray to drink his blood, he did so with these sharp, 
pointed nails. In Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Louis and Lestat both mention the glassy 
appearance of their fingernails, so different from that of humans. Many times it was something 
that they take care to hide.

Hair

The histories of both European and Slavic vampire hunts also show hair growth as a sign of 
vampirism,although this sign was generally not found unless the corpse also displayed many other 
traits thought to be associated with a vampire. Modern cinema tends not to deal with the subject 
of hair, as a rule. One notable exception is Interview With the Vampire. The vampire child Claudia 
shears off all her hair in a rage, only to find that it grows back in seconds.

Reproduction

The term Dhampir in modern folklore refers to the offspring of a vampire and a human mate, 
traditionally a male vampire mating with a human female. This offspring was normally male. The 
dhampir was thought to have special qualities. He could sense where vampires hid themselves from 
the world, and therefore he had the ability to be a superb vampire hunter. These qualities would 
be passed down genetically to his offspring, and it was thought to last many generations. As 
well, the terms incubus and succubus refer to vampires who perform a sexual attack upon their 
intended victims, and it was likely these types of vampires who produced offspring. However, 
references to exactly how this was accomplished is very scarce.

Senses

In modern literature, a vampire's sense of vision is thought to be very acute. This is largely 
due to the fact that they are a nocturnal creature, and therefore must be able to adapt to their 
environment. It also explains why sunlight is thought to be so painful to their eye. Their 
eyesight has often been attributed to a residue from their ability to change into bats (see 
Shape Changing). Many treatments of the topic also state that hearing can be heightened in a 
vampire body. This allows them to hear mortals from a great distance (far greater than human 
ears could pick up) and also to discern when another vampire draws near. This is evident in the 
Canadian television program Forever Knight; Nick can hear over great distances, and this allows 
him to capture the criminals he chases. Their acute sense of hearing may also be attributed to 
their nocturnal nature; as night hunters, the ability to hunt quietly and hear well would be 
invaluable.

Shape-Changing

Although there was a small link between shape-changing and vampires for hundreds of years, it was 
not until Dracula that the true connection was made. In the novel, Stoker described Dracula as 
able to change into a rat, a bat, or the very mist itself.  Vampire bats became by far the most 
common of these shapes a vampire could command at will. This could be because vampire bats, by 
their nature, are closely related to the vampire itself. They are nocturnal, and feed exclusively 
off the blood of various mammals and other vertebrates. They have very sharp teeth which they use 
to pierce the victim's skin, and then they lap up the blood as it flows. It has also been known 
as an emerging problem; it is a proficient carrier of rabies (not unlike the definition of 
Nosferatu, which itself mean plague-carrier). The ability to transform at will into mist has 
brought many advantages to the vampire, allowing him to escape vampire hunters and other dangers 
quickly. In addition, mist (in some cases) has allowed the vampire to move great distances at one 
time.

Skin

Historically, vampire skin was dark instead of the alabaster skin we see today in film. Paul Barber, 
author of Vampires, Burial and Death, suggests that this is becuase suspected "vampires" were 
actually corpses decomposing in their graves. Skin naturally turns darker and sloughs off the bone 
as the body decomposes. This may account for many reports in medieval Europe of vampires "growing 
new skin". Today, vampire skin is by nature very white and smooth. This is likely due to the fact 
that these creatures are nocturnal, and never get to see the sun. Their skin therefore gets bleached 
over time. Also, the vampire is an undead creature, and unless he has recently fed, there is a lack 
of colour-giving blood in his body. In The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice describes the vampire skin 
as nearly transparent when the vampire is starved for blood. After feeding, they attain a healthier, 
more human skin tone, but this is a temporary change. Lestat mentions on several occasions having to 
powder his skin to pass for human.

Strength

The vampire came by its supernatural strength through modern film and literature. Vampires, 
historically, were not know for their great strength; they normally attacked only "weaker" victims, 
such as children or the elderly. They never attacked a group of people for fear of being overcome. 
However, the modern view of vampires have allowed them a certain arrogance, knowing that no mere 
mortal could overpower them. Many of the personality traits that we have come to so adore in the 
vampire today are a result of this arrogance, knowing that they are truly immortal but for a few 
weaknesses (see the Vampire Hunter's Guide).