Early Roman Churches Reaction to Vampyres by Everglais

Witches and vampyres have been considered to be related since Roman times. Before then, Pagan beliefs in such entities were pushed aside by Christianity and thought to be non-existent. However, in ancient Rome, the first witch, called a strega or strix, was a night-flying demon that attacked and sucked the blood of infants. The strix was also the first being that was thought to have the powers of transformation. It could transform itself into the forms of animals, particularly a crow, and attacked its victims in disguise. From this ancient myth comes the superstition that crows are evil beings. From Rome, this legend spread through Italy and Romania.

The church still insisted that no such creatures existed and published legal documents stating that people who believed in such beings "were infidels". In an authoritative document, "The Nomocanon", the church states:

"It is impossible that a dead man should become a vampyre, unless it be by the power of the Devil who, wishing to mock and delude some that they may incur the wrath of Heaven, causes these dark wonders, and so very often at night he casts a glamour whereby men imagine that the dead man whom they knew formerly appears and holds converse with them, and in their dreams too they see strange visions..."

Laws were passed, saying that those who believe in vampyres and/or witches would be counted as a heretic and would be punished as one. Because the belief was no longer thought to be non-existent; it was now given the name Satanism, and a belief in such beings was heresy.

In the 1500's, the problem of vampyrism emerged from Roman Catholics who had encountered vampyres. In 1645, Friar Leo Allatius published a document which brought up a reconsideration of the current view of vampyres. Twelve years later, Friar Francoise Richard published his document supporting Allatius' views.

These documents basically stated that vampyrism was in deed the work of Satan, and Satan not only had the power to cause illusions of reanimated corpses, but could also reanimate the corpse. Thus, vampyres were more than simple ghosts. However, it was thought that because vampyres were real evil, they could be apprehended with religious paraphernalia such as crucifixes, Eucharist wafers, and holy water.

Though the belief in vampyres was banished in the Eastern countries of Europe, it was widespread throughout the west. In the twentieth century, the belief in psychic vampyres emerged, and blood-sucking vampyres, once again, became more of a myth than belief.

P/S:for me i think that if vampyre is real..i estimate that if a month one vampyre bite a normal human and changed into another vampyre too..i believe that with the current world population..will turn into vampyre's world will only need 10 years..but this is my own opinion only....however!