The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes Paperback - 2010
by Claude Lecouteux
Anciently, not all vampires were blood suckers. They included shroud-eaters, nightmares, stirges, and ghouls. Lecouteux looks back to a time when vampires were understood differently from the child of the night depicted in modern movies and books.
From the rear cover
FOLKLORE / MYTHOLOGY "Both scholarly and accessible in this translation, The Secret History of Vampires is a gem. Lecouteux reveals ancient precursors to the vampire myth that are overlooked by most researchers. These and other theories are backed by a plethora of supporting evidence, including primary sources in the appendices, making this a must-add to any vampire library." --Konstantinos, author of Vampires: The Occult Truth Of all forms taken by the undead, the vampire wields the most powerful pull on the modern imagination. But the countless movies and books inspired by this child of the night who has a predilection for human blood are based on incidents recorded as fact in newspapers and judicial archives in the centuries preceding the works of Bram Stoker and other writers. Digging through these forgotten records, Claude Lecouteux unearths a very different figure of the vampire in the many accounts of individuals who reportedly would return from their graves to attack the living. These ancestors of the modern vampire were not all blood suckers; they included shroud eaters, appesarts, nightmares, and the curious figure of the stafia, whose origin is a result of masons secretly interring the shadow of a living human being in the wall of a building under construction. As Lecouteux shows, the belief in vampires predates ancient Roman times, which abounded with lamia, stirges, and ghouls. Discarding the tacked together explanations of modern science for these inexplicable phenomena, the author looks back to another folk belief that has come down through the centuries like that of the undead: the existence of multiple souls in every individual, not all of which are able to move on to the next world after death. CLAUDE LECOUTEUX is a former professor of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne. He is the author of numerous books on medieval and pagan afterlife beliefs, including The Return of the Dead and Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies. He lives in Paris.
Details
- Title The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
- Author Claude Lecouteux
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Original
- Pages 200
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Inner Traditions International, Rochester, VT
- Date 2010-02-03
- Illustrated Yes
- Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
- ISBN 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
- Dimensions 8.94 x 6.1 x 0.47 in (22.71 x 15.49 x 1.19 cm)
-
Themes
- Topical: New Age
- Library of Congress subjects Vampires
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2009042699
- Dewey Decimal Code 398.45
More Copies for Sale
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 776
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$17.66NZ$6.59 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- New
- Paperback
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 776
- Seller
-
Fairfax Station, Virginia, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$19.49NZ$6.59 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires : Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$21.29FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires : Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$21.29FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$30.97FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$30.97FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$30.97FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$31.28FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$31.28FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes
by Lecouteux, Claude
- Used
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781594773259 / 1594773254
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$31.28FREE shipping to USA