Vampire Legends from around the World – Mesopotamia
That the oldest of the vampire legends stem from the area of Mesopotamia should come as little surprise, since that is where the first modern civilization originates from, and vampire mythology exists both throughout the globe and throughout history in almost every culture. Vampire stories can be found in Sumerian, Babylonian, Persian and Jewish cultures dating back to ancient times.
Perhaps because of the geographic proximity of these cultures, what they share in common is the mother of all vampires, Lilith, recently popularized on the HBO series True Blood. Lilith is believed to be the first wife of Adam, who left him to become the leader of the demons. She is often depicted as a beautiful winged maiden and is believed to feed off the blood of newborns and their mothers. To protect their babies from Lilith, Jewish mothers would hang amulets on the cribs of their babies. The Sumerian version of Lilith appeared as a beautiful maiden. Once she chose a lover, she would never let him go. The mention of Lilith in the Dead Sea Scrolls is a testament to her prevalence in these ancient cultures.
Even older than Lilith in Sumerian culture is Lamashtu. She was depicted as a blood-sucking fiend with a lion’s head and a donkey’s body. She would steal new-born infants from their mothers, drink their blood and eat their flesh.
In Sumerian culture, the Ekimmu is a vampire that is created when someone dies a violent death or was not buried properly. Ekimmu were demonic creatures that took the shape of rotting corpses. They were phantasmic creatures that roamed the earth, unable to rest, looking for victims. They found helpless victims and tormented them until they were exorcised.
Check out my interpretation of vampires in my novel Blood Street, coming out November 24th from True Grit Publishing.
Perhaps because of the geographic proximity of these cultures, what they share in common is the mother of all vampires, Lilith, recently popularized on the HBO series True Blood. Lilith is believed to be the first wife of Adam, who left him to become the leader of the demons. She is often depicted as a beautiful winged maiden and is believed to feed off the blood of newborns and their mothers. To protect their babies from Lilith, Jewish mothers would hang amulets on the cribs of their babies. The Sumerian version of Lilith appeared as a beautiful maiden. Once she chose a lover, she would never let him go. The mention of Lilith in the Dead Sea Scrolls is a testament to her prevalence in these ancient cultures.
Even older than Lilith in Sumerian culture is Lamashtu. She was depicted as a blood-sucking fiend with a lion’s head and a donkey’s body. She would steal new-born infants from their mothers, drink their blood and eat their flesh.
In Sumerian culture, the Ekimmu is a vampire that is created when someone dies a violent death or was not buried properly. Ekimmu were demonic creatures that took the shape of rotting corpses. They were phantasmic creatures that roamed the earth, unable to rest, looking for victims. They found helpless victims and tormented them until they were exorcised.
Check out my interpretation of vampires in my novel Blood Street, coming out November 24th from True Grit Publishing.
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