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tw101356
Skeptic Friend
USA
333 Posts |
 Posted - 12/06/2004 : 15:01:09 [Permalink]
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I have read "Vampires, Burial, and Death Folklore and Reality", albeit 15 years ago, and found it quite interesting. I recall it did an excellent job of debunking many of the "facts" about vampires from Eastern European folklore. Much along the lines of this:
1. (Folklore) If you dig up a vampire you'll find the body has not decomposed. Several stories of suspected vampires being dug up weeks or months later and showing little or no decomposition.
2. (Fact) Bodies take a whole lot longer to decompose that you think. Lots of people get dug up weeks or months after burial for autopsies and forensic exams etc. and show the same state of apparent non-decomposition as folkloric vampires. Further discussion of how a body actually decomposes etc.
I bought it in a remainder sale thinking it would be a piece of occult fluff and was pleasantly surprised to find a reasonably scholarly examination of the folk legends and the facts behind them.
- TW
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Storm
SFN Regular
USA
708 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 15:22:59 [Permalink]
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Great read that Montague Summers. What a tripped out dude Siberia I will definetly take your read into consideration. Ricky I awnser to you both. The Vampire of Hollywood who is fictional is played out in the characters of the present Goth Age.
How does this relate to the Zombie performed in voodoo. Any relation at all? |
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furshur
SFN Regular
USA
1536 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 15:27:28 [Permalink]
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Storm I have noticed that there are many stories about this guy named Santa. Apparently, there are many documented cases of him performing supernatural acts (movies, books, legends). Do you believe in him? Surely stories this widespread couldn't just be made up. Right?
By the way Verlich have you noticed the similarity between Santa and Satan. Santa draws our attention away from the 'true' meaning of christmas just as Satan does.
Kinda SCARY, isn't it??? |
If I knew then what I know now then I would know more now than I know. |
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Storm
SFN Regular
USA
708 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 15:39:03 [Permalink]
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Well the story of Santa asa supernatural diety is something I do not agree with and I do not raise my children in this way. The meaning of Christmas is of giving of celebrating the return of the Sun. But there once existed a man named Kris Kringle that was generous and St. Niklaus both people who exhumed giving.
Santa does not draw us away from the true meaning of chritmas
In the Christian sense The christ child was born as a gift from god a giving and in the end of the saga god ultimetly give shis life unconditionally Agape love. In pagn times it was death of the dark king and birth of the Sun King. It was time to give thanks for his return. So Santa does not draw us awya from the true meaning of christmas. |
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:03:57 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
quote:
Originally posted by Siberia
Sure they do. Vampire bats, anyone?
Ah yes, Desmodus , some three species, if memory serves me, covering most of Central and south America. These are perhaps the most fascinating of the bats.
Only one of these species feeds solely upon blood. The others also do insects.
These guys can scuttle about on the ground as quickly as any rodent and do a standing leap into the air as much as four or five feet high. As their feeding method is rather dangerous to the bat, these traits serve it well.
They have a very high metabolism and must feed every night. If a bat fails to feed, it could become too weak to feed the next night. It has developed a defense against this starvation: it makes friends in the colony. If a bat should fail to feed, it will approach a friend and beg. The friend will regurgetate part of it's meal for it. It won't do this for just any bat, only it's friends.
They do not suck blood, but lap it from slight cuts made with their incisors. Their saliva contains an anti-coagulent, keeping the wound flowing.
Did you know that there is also a vampire finch?
Wow, cool. I didn't know all that.
Filthy, you're such a great source of animal info  |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:10:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Storm
How does this relate to the Zombie performed in voodoo. Any relation at all?
Gah, I'm trying to remember whatwasit that I read/watch on TV about zombies just the other days...
About Santa, yeah, I've read (again, somewhere) about St. Nikolaus and such. Very good stuff. I never believed Santa Not even when I was a little kid. And damn, didn't I want a flying reindeer...
But I digress. About Christmas, didn't it have something to do with harvest celebrations? Well, I enjoy it anyway. I love this time of the year |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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Storm
SFN Regular
USA
708 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:28:37 [Permalink]
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Yes it was the begining of the return of the sun and the begining of the retuning of life. Yule is the Pagan term In fact Christmas was adapted from the Pagan religion of Yule. Damn that Consatine. 
Can someone clarify woo woo to me? |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:31:50 [Permalink]
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quote:
Wow, cool. I didn't know all that.
Filthy, you're such a great source of animal info
Thank you! I find the natural world far more interesting than the supernatural one, assuming the latter such exists.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:36:29 [Permalink]
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'Woo-woo' is often used in place of 'whacko.'
If you follow Randi's site, you'll see it fairly often.
http://www.randi.org/
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:40:08 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Storm
Yes it was the begining of the return of the sun and the begining of the retuning of life. Yule is the Pagan term In fact Christmas was adapted from the Pagan religion of Yule. Damn that Consatine.
Can someone clarify woo woo to me?
Ahh, righto. Yule. I was trying to remember which one it was. |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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Storm
SFN Regular
USA
708 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:44:57 [Permalink]
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Whacko I might be But it sure has not stopped you bums coming from coming back to my post I must be doing something right. Just do not compare me to Verlch
On a more mundane note I have tried for days now to get a Avatar picture but no success. I think I definetly have earned it. So if anyone can help that would be cool.
Wait to you see what else I have up my sleeve. You Randi fans would appreciate that.. |
Storm |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 16:49:11 [Permalink]
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I'm going to put this site up again. If someone really has an intrest in the vampire legends, it will be of interest and I don't think it's been opened yet (typical  ).
http://www.zerotime.com/lostbook/vampire.htm
The text is quite long and best done in several sittings. Written in 1928, it is a pretty complete discussion of vampirism, including it's known history. I think that one point it makes quite well is that vampirism and other supernatural manifestations can never really be seperated from religion because virtually all of them spring from the world's various religions.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 17:12:26 [Permalink]
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And this is one of the better articles I've read on the subject.
http://www.csicop.org/si/9603/staking.html |
"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 17:42:50 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by H. Humbert
And this is one of the better articles I've read on the subject.
http://www.csicop.org/si/9603/staking.html
I've seen that one. Had to read it in bits and pieces 'cause the font's so small. It's very good.
The history of Vlad Tepes is also interesting. As I recall, he lost and regained, bloodly, his lands a couple of times. The Turks feared him above all other enemies, and for excellent reason. He's one of those badass' you'd want to dig up every couple of years or so just to be sure he's still dead. But, he is a hero in Romania for his fending off the Turks.
My favorite work by Eco is Name of the Rose. He claimed he wrote it at a time when he wanted to poison a priest. I can't think of a better reason....
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Storm
SFN Regular
USA
708 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2004 : 17:57:06 [Permalink]
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| Have you read any other than skeptical on the subject? or are you Just a debunker H. Humbert |
Storm |
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