The origin of the name – vampire

The closest to historical truth, and thus the answer to the question of where the myth of vampires comes from, is the Middle East and the Arab demon Ghul, whose abode is a cemetery. The belief about this terrible creature that drinks people's blood was taken over by the Turks and in the expansion of their empire they brought this legend, together with many other shamanistic beliefs, to the Balkans The English name vampire comes from one of these sources; from the name "upir" or "ypir" which originates from the north of Turkey, or "vapir" which was the Bulgarian name for the same being or from the Bosnian name "lampijer", "lapir" or "lampir". According to Bosnian belief, a vampire comes out of the grave like a small butterfly, which was once called a "lepir" or a "lapir". Also, a link to a vampire (lampir) is found in the old Bosnian word "lapiti" - to snatch, reach, catch, it is very similar to the name "lapir", and describes the way this dark creature hunts people by suddenly grabbing its prey.

In Serbia, the vampire was called "ukolak", while in Romania there are two mythological creatures "moroi" and "strigoi" which have some similarities with the vampire. Drac or dracul is the Romanian name for the devil, so that Count Dracula is actually Count Demon and not a vampire. Likewise, "drac" does not mean dragon, as some translate it, because it is called "zburator" or "zmeul" in Romanian. Therefore, after this brief review, a realistic conclusion is reached that the name vampire comes from Turkey, Bulgaria or Bosnia.

In Bosnian mythology, a vampire was not exclusively a living dead man who drank people's blood. Analyzing certain legends about a vampire, he was actually often a man in love, who died prematurely, and at night he would come out of the grave, through a hole in the ground, in the shape of a butterfly, and then turn into a man who had no bones in his body, to make love to his wife. In a metaphorical sense, a vampire is the embodiment of a longing for life, an unhappy soul that has no peace of its own because it has been deprived of the ability to live and exist in the material world.

Allegedly, from the relationship between a husband-vampire and a woman, children could be born who would have a small tail on their buttocks. But to prevent nocturnal arrivals, as well as unwanted pregnancies, a hawthorn stick was placed above the front door of the house, creating an insurmountable barrier for the vampire, and he would stop his visits.

Bosnian folk belief claims that a man of bad temper and character becomes an evil vampire after death, who attacks people and drinks their blood. On the contrary, from a man of good nature, or who has been in love all his life, he becomes a good vampire, one who does not attack humans, but for a time cannot come to terms with his death, and therefore disturbs those close to him.