Vampires, Werewolves & Zombies E-Book

Lisa Regan

• Herausgeber: Amber Books Ltd
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 108

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

For centuries, folk tales about vampires, werewolves, zombies and the undead have captivated and spooked children. There are some creatures that we just love to be scared by.

Vampires, Werewolves & Zombies collects 40 of these mythical characters from American, European, African, Chinese and Arabian folklore. Ranging from such well known literary examples as Bram Stoker’s Dracula to historical cases, such as the human blood-drinking of Elizabeth Bathory, to the Chinese Jiang Shi myth and Vulkodlak, a Slavic werewolf, Vampires, Werewolves & Zombies brings together the most exciting and ghoulish of these characters.

Illustrated throughout with outstanding, annotated, full-colour artworks, each of the characters featured includes easy-to-follow accounts of its story, maps of its geographical origins, and factfile boxes describing the different characteristics of each. This engaging and accessible book is both fun, educational and just a little bit scary.

Leseprobe

www.amberbooks.co.uk

V

AMPIRES,

W

EREWOLVES

& Z

OMBIES

LISA REGAN

This digital edition first published in 2012

Published byAmber Books LtdUnited HouseNorth RoadLondon N7 9DPUnited Kingdom

Website: www.amberbooks.co.ukInstagram: www.instagram.com/amberbooksltd/Facebook: www.facebook.com/amberbooksTwitter: @amberbooks

Copyright © 2012 Amber Books Ltd

ISBN: 978 1 908696 83 0

PICTURE   CREDITSAll illustrations by Mike Taylor and Tom Connell/The Art Agency© Amber Books Ltd

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of reviewno part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from thepublisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of ourknowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of theauthor or publisher, who also disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use ofthis data or specific details.

Contents

Introduction

6

Literary Monsters

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

8

Lord Ruthven

10

Carmilla

12

Lestat

14

Edward Cullen

16

Eli

18

The Hound of the Baskervilles

20

The Infected (from I Am Legend)

22

Historical Monsters

Elizabeth Bathory

24

Lamia

26

Strigoi

28

Baobhan Sith

30

Vlad Dracul

32

Vrykolakes

34

Volkodlac

36

The Beast of Gévaudan

38

Monster Myths around the World

Werebears

40

Jé-Rouges

42

Chupacabra

44

Mandurugo

46

Jiang Shi

48

Penanggalan

50

Asanbosam

52

Nocnitsa

54

Mara

56

Banshee

58

Black Annis

60

Yuki-Onna

62

Yama Uba

64

Jikininki

66

Rokurokubi

68

Adlet

70

Nidhogg

72

Yara-ma-yha-who

74

Modern Monsters

Impundulu

76

Boo Hag

78

Loogaroo

80

Lobisomem

82

The Beast of Bray Road

84

Movie Monsters

The Wolf Man

86

Nosferatu

88

Christopher Lee as Dracula

90

Zombie (from I Walked with a Zombie)

92

Zombies (from Night of the Living Dead)

94

Index

96

6

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

T

ales of monstrous beings have been told for centuries.Around the world, people swap stories about localcharacters, strange sightings in nearby areas, and

creatures that haunt the night. Sensible people stay in

their homes.

These myths or folk tales are part of history’s oral tradition. Long

before television, computers, or even books, communities passed on

spoken stories, from parents and grandparents to sons and daughters.Sometimes these tales are based on facts, but the very nature of oral

tradition means that stories are changed, exaggerated, and made scarier

each time they are told.

Characters in the stories often have things in common, but may be slightly

different from one country to another. In countries where wolves were notfeared, people talked about more common creatures as were-beasts: were-jaguars,

were-bears, and were-tigers. Classic werewolves change from a human to a wolf

7

INTRODUCTION

whenever there is a full moon, and can be shot with a silver bullet. Yet insome versions, werewolves are afraid of anything made of silver, andcan change shape at any time if they have the right kind of magic.

Vampire stories—tales of humans who feed on blood—are relatively new,

especially in the Western world. Many can be traced back to early workssuch as Carmilla, The Vampyre, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.These books use old myths and historicalcharacters, and have inspired twenty-first centurycreations of popular and up-to-date horrorcharacters on screen and in novels.

Zombies are undead, ghoulish creatures that rise from

their graves and haunt the living. They are linked tovoodoo rituals. Tales are told in many different cultures, each ofthem adding their own ethnic twist on how the monsters arecreated or destroyed.

8

LITERARY MONSTERS

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

HEADHis ears are very pale and pointed at thetop, his cheeks are also pale and thin,and he has a mustache and bushyeyebrows that almost meet in themiddle. His white hair is thinning atthe front but thick everywhere else.

AGECount Dracula is centuries old, butbecause of his blood-sucking habits henever ages. After he has feasted herevitalizes; his white hair becomesdarker and his skin less pale.

MOUTHWhen the Count smiles he reveals hispointed white teeth. He has a cruelmouth with unnaturally red lips.

HANDSJonathan Harker notices thatthe Count has hairs growingin the palms of his pale, broadhands. His nails are long andvery pointed.

9

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA

C

ount Dracula is the main character in Bram Stoker’s 1897book Dracula. He is a shape-shifting vampire who canchange into various creatures such as a bat or a giant dog,

and also into fog, to allow him to move into locked rooms. Heholds Jonathan Harker prisoner in Castle Dracula, but keeps him

alive for his own purposes. Harkernearly becomes the victim of threefemale vampires—the Count’s wives—butthe Count saves him. Dracula casts noreflection in a mirror, and cannot bearsunlight, garlic, or crosses. To kill him,he must be stabbed in the heart witha stake; then he crumbles to dust.

SIZE

ALTHOUGH DRACULA SPARES HARKER’S LIFE, he is not so kind to Harker’s fiancée,

Mina, and her friend Lucy. Lucy becomes a vampire herself, and has to be killed with a

stake through the heart and then beheaded. Mina is bitten by Dracula, and he feeds her withhis own blood to form a dangerous bond between them. Only when Dracula dies will Minabe free from this curse. A group of Lucy and Mina’s friends track down Dracula, who hasfled back to his home in Transylvania, and manage to kill him.

WHERE INTHE WORLD?

The Count lives in CastleDracula, in the CarpathianMountains, on the borderof Transylvania, Bukovina,and Moldavia.

TRANSYLVANIA

CARPATHIANMOUNTAINS

DID YOU KNOW?

• When Harker stays at Castle Dracula, he is puzzled by the Count’s behavior. He never eatsor drinks, and he sleeps all day and works at night. Gradually, Harker begins to realize whatsort of creature Dracula really is.

• At times, Harker sees Dracula climb out of a castle window and run down the stone wallsjust like a lizard, with his large cloak billowing around him.

• Parts of the novel are set in Whitby in Yorkshire, England, where Bram Stoker spent manyvacations. In the story, Dracula sails to Whitby, devouring the ship’s crew along the way.

• Dracula dies in his coffin, but not with a stake through the heart. He has his throat cutand his heart stabbed with a knife—but is that enough to finish him off forever, or could theCount rise again one day?

10

LITERARY MONSTERS

Lord Ruthven

PERSONALITYHis awe-inspiring presenceis very grim: he silenceslaughter with a look, and hasa supernatural, unworldlyappearance.

EYESEven in the liveliest humancompany, Lord Ruthven hasdead, gray eyes that look atother people like a weightpressing down on them.

FACEHis face is deathly pale. Henever blushes or gets morecolor, even when he is angry.

CLOTHINGTo fit in with high-societycircles, Lord Ruthven wearsfashionable clothes made offine materials, with a hat,collar, and gloves.

LORD RUTHVEN

11

L

ord Ruthven is a strange kind of vampire. He remains aloofin society, although women are fatally attracted to him. Hehas a reputation for hating vice, but in fact is a gambler and

supporter of beggars and lowlifes. He keeps his vampire diet wellhidden so even his traveling companion, Aubrey, fails to guess how

he lives. He appears to bemortally wounded, andAubrey leaves Greecethinking his friend is dead.But Lord Ruthven cannot bekilled so easily, and returnsto hunt down Aubrey’snearest and dearest.

SIZE

NO GOOD EVER COMES to the people who become close to Lord Ruthven. Aubrey suffers

as the Greek girl he admires, followed by his beloved sister, both fall prey to the Lord’s

vampiric appetite. At first, Aubrey is unaware of what Lord Ruthven really is. By the timeAubrey realizes, it is too late. He has given his oath that he will not betray the Lord, and hissister is due to be married to him before his oath can be broken. Aubrey writes her a letter,but she becomes the vampire’s victim before she has the chance to read the warning.

WHERE INTHE WORLD?

Lord Ruthven befriends Aubrey inLondon and they travel togetherthrough Europe to Greece, whereRuthven preys upon a peasant girlcalled Ianthe.

ENGLAND

GREECE

DID YOU KNOW?

• Although Lord Ruthven is a real noble title, and a character of the same name appeared inthe 1916 novel Glenarvon, the first vampire of this name appeared in John Polidori’s 1816 shortstory, The Vampyre.

• Polidori first made up his vampire tale while he was traveling with a circle of writers whochallenged each other to invent a horror story. In the same group was Mary Shelley, whocame up with the story of Frankenstein, which was published in 1818.

• The Greek girl, Ianthe was the daughter of an innkeeper. Aubrey stayed at the inn when inGreece. She tells him local tales of vampires, and the signs they leave on their victims, but hedoes not believe her.

• Aubrey tries to break his oath and warn his sister about Lord Ruthven. However, he fallsill and doctors think he has mental problems, so his warnings are ignored.

12

LITERARY MONSTERS

Carmilla

BEAUTYCarmilla captivates hervictims with her beauty.She has the blushing,dimpled cheeks of aninnocent girl, with a soft,enticing voice and full lips.

HANDSHer hands show anextraordinary strength forsuch a slender girl; she cangrip a man’s wrist so hecannot move, and her graspleaves a strange numb feelingthat sometimes never fades.

HAIRLike all rich young womenof this period in history,Carmilla has long, flowinglocks of hair that swirlaround her shoulders anddown her back.

VAMPIRE LOOKSDon’t be fooled by thosecherubic features—by nightthey transform into the hotlips and flashing dark eyesof a hungry vampire.

BODYCarmilla is tall and slim,with a catlike grace evenin her human form.

CARMILLA

13

I

n the 1872 story Carmilla, the main character is a vampiresswho only chooses girls as her victims. She will often  befriendthem before starting to feed upon them at night. She tends to

sleep during the daytime, ready to stalk the corridors and

bedchambers of her prey while they rest. Carmilla herself sleeps ina coffin. She becomes companion to Laura, a lonely 18-year-oldwho recognizes Carmilla from a dream or vision she had some 12

years before. Little does Lauraknow, but Carmilla is one ofthe undead, also known as theCountess Mircalla Karnstein,who has been around since thelate 1600s.

SIZE

TO PREY UPON HER VICTIMS, Carmilla assumes the form of a fiendish black cat.

She creeps into their bedrooms at night and bites them on the neck or chest. Many

of them feel this as if in a dream, and Laura has no wounds as proof that a vampire hasvisited her. After feeding, Carmilla turns back into a woman and leaves through the closeddoor, or drifts easily through the solid walls of the room. Her victims usually die after shehas drunk from them.

WHERE INTHE WORLD?

Carmilla moves into the castle ofLaura and her father, in theAustrian state of Styria.

AUSTRIA

STYRIA

DID YOU KNOW?

• The story was written by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu in 1872. It is thought to have been amajor influence on Bram Stoker when he wrote Dracula some 25 years later.

• Carmilla takes on different names to befriend different people, and in various periods ofhistory, but they are all anagrams: Carmilla, Mircalla, Millarca.

• With the help of Baron Vordenburg, an authority on vampires, the tomb of Carmilla istracked down. Her body is exhumed and destroyed so that no more young girls will fallvictim to her charms and appetite.

• A vampire named Carmilla has appeared in Doctor Who, the anime Helsing, variouscomics and video games, and many different movies. Not bad for the first ever femalefictional vampire!

14

LITERARY MONSTERS

Lestat

HAIRAll of Lestat’s kind havelong, flowing locks. Lestat’shair is blond and curls belowhis ears.

NAILSThese vampires have long,pointed nails that look as ifthey are made of glass.

EYESA vampire’s eyes are fierce andpale—somehow paler than youwould expect from the color oftheir hair. They can cry, butshed tears only once or twicein their life of eternity.

SKINLestat has skin thatheals instantly if it iscut, and he never ages.

TEETHThe vampire’s teeth giveaway his true nature. Even