Racism and the Vampire Mythology

I'll tell you how I like my vampires. I like them vicious, bloodthirsty, and a little bit sexy. I'm a sucker for those wicked vamps. My personal favorite vampire movies are Bram Stoker's Dracula, 30 Days of Night, and Stake Land. The one quality I don't look for in a Vampire (No, I'm not going to take a jab at Twilight and say "sparkles in daylight") is racism. I never really thought of vampires as being racists, although there is a surprising lack of diversity in the vamp crowd, but a pretty good case can be made for Vampires being a manifestation of anti-Semitism.

Blood Libel vs. Blood Sucking

The first thing you think of when you think of vampires is blood. Strangely enough there was a period of time where Jews were strongly associated with blood.  In 1144 a little boy called William of Norwich was found dead. A Christian monk accused Jews of not only having murdered the child but also of having done so specifically for his blood. Then began the disturbing tradition of Blood Libel in which Jews were often blamed for the murders of Christians, usually children, with the motive being that they needed Christian blood for their rituals, such as Passover, or to cure strange ailments that were particular to Jews alone. This also creates a curious connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula where vampires are not only depicted as attacking children (with the exception being made for Lucy and Mina). Accusations of Blood Libel would continue in Western Europe from the 12th century all the way into the 16th century. However it was in the 19th century that accusation of Blood Libel caught their second wind and resurfaced with a vengeance in Eastern Europe. It seems that Western Europe had not completely abandoned its ideas about the "bloodthirsty Jew" however, because in 1888 the murders of Jack the Ripper were almost immediately blamed on the Jewish community.

Mirror mirror

The sketch released of the supposed Jack the Ripper at the time seemed to depict a Victorian England stereotype of a Jewish man. The description of Jack the Ripper posted in papers at the time was of a “dark beard and moustache, dark jacket and trousers, black felt hat, [and] spoke with a foreign accent.” Which is similar to the description that Bram Stoker writes of Dracula where he speaks English Strangely toned, having a hooked nose, and wearing all black. Another common stereotypical characteristic applied to Jews in the 19th century was of having salient/pointed ears. This too is found in the description of Dracula who has pointed ears.

Nosferatu 1922

Although the physical description of Bram Stoker's Dracula is supposedly based on Vlad Dracula the Impaler, when you compare Stoker's description to that of Nicholas Modrussa of Cusa's description of Vlad Dracula there are some noticeable differences. Dracula's nose suddenly changes from being straight to being hooked. His complexion goes from being reddish to being pale. Stoker also makes the additions of pointy ears, black clothes, and coarse hands with squat fingers which could be seen as stereotypical Jewish characteristics at the time.

Aliens vs. Vampires

The popular depiction of Dracula as Eastern European immigrant buying up British property, ravaging British maidens, and being responsible for the deaths of British children may reflect Victorian hostilities to recent immigrants from eastern Europe. During Britian's great depression near the end of the 19th century there was a large influx of Jewish Eastern European immigrants. Journalist of the day described these immigrating Jews as parasites draining away resources from native Britons. Wealthy Jews who were buying up land and titles in Britian were being met with aggression by the media at the time. Dracula embodies this issue. He is a foreigner (with stereotypical Jewish features) who is seemingly ostentatious, greedy (playing into another stereotype), and obsessed with wealth which he uses to buy his way into Britain. To the point of his death Dracula is shown as greedy, clutching to his bank-notes and gold after he is fatally wounded.

Fright Night 1985

The Church

Two things that vampires really seem to hate are crucifixes and daylight. If you squint really hard and read between the lines then these can be seen as an attack on Judaism. Perhaps the power crucifix has over vampires with its depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, which was blamed on Jews, was an indictment against Jews. In the Bible God is continuously referred to as the "Light" and those you follow him live in this light or have been drawn out of darkness into his light. Is the fact that Vampires cannot bare the sunlight and crucifixes because they rejected Christianity? Are the sun and the cross in vampire lore remnants of the anti-Semitism that was rampant in early Christianity?

Throughout history we humans have tended to demonize and dehumanize peoples that we dislike or consider enemies. People often create frightening caricatures in order to validate their prejudices, which in turn perpetuates their prejudices.  Are Vampires just part of some anti-Semitic propaganda?  You be the judge.

Sources

http://www.golemjournal.org/golem3-1-2009_robinson.pdf

http://www.peterdanpsychology.ro/ro/pagina/26/how%2520vampires%2520became%2520jewish.html

http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/921/features/imaginary-vampires-imagined-jews/

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Contributing writer: Rainbow S. Coan

Rainbow Coan is a Sci-fi and fantasy movie/T.V enthusiast and all around nerd. Her hobbies include playing StarCraft II (mainly as Terran), reading Sci-fi & fantasy books, and playing games on Xbox. She has a Zombie Apocalypse survival plan and identifies strongly with Hobbits. Her favorite game of all time is King's Quest 6.