Dhampir

In Balkans folklore, a dhampir (sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or

Dhampir
dhampyr) is a creature that is the result of a union between a vampire and a human.
This union was usually between male vampires and female humans, with stories of Grouping Legendary creature
[1]
female vampires mating with male humans being rare. Sub Undead
grouping
Similar Vampire, zombie,
Contents creatures revenant, werewolf
Parents vampire and human
Etymology
Nomenclature Country Balkans
Origin Region Balkans, the Americas,
Powers Europe, Asia, Africa
Features
See also
References

Etymology
The word dhampir derives from the words dham, albanian Gheg variant of dhëmb (“tooth”) + pir, participle of pi (“to drink”),
literally meaning 'that who drinks through his/her teeth'. It is also thought that word for vampire descends from Slavic "упирь" or
"ǫpyrь".[2][3][4]

The word dhampir may also have arisen fromfolk etymology due to the resemblance between the wordsvampir and dhampir.

Nomenclature
The word "dhampir" is associated with Balkan folklore, as described by T. P. Vukanović. In the rest of the region, terms such as
Serbian vampirović, vampijerović, vampirić (thus, Bosnian lampijerović, etc.) literally meaning "vampire's son", are used.[5][6]

In other regions the child is named "Vampir" if a boy and "Vampirica" if a girl, or "Dhampir" if a boy and "Dhampirica" if a girl. In
Bulgarian folklore, numerous terms such as glog (lit. "hawthorn"), vampirdzhiya ("vampire" + nomen agentis suffix), vampirar
("vampire" + nomen agentis suffix), dzhadadzhiya and svetocher are used to refer to vampire children and descendants, as well as to
other specialized vampire hunters.[7] Dhampiraj is also an Albanian surname.

Origin
In the Balkans it was believed that male vampires have a great desire for women, so vampire
a will return to have intercourse with his
wife or with a woman he was attracted to in life.[5] Indeed, in one recorded case, a Serbian widow tried to blame her pregnancy on
her late husband, who had supposedly become a vampire,[6] and there were cases of Serbian men pretending to be vampires in order
to reach the women they desired.[8] In Bulgarian folklore, vampires were sometimes said to deflower virgins as well.[5] The sexual
activity of the vampire seems to be a peculiarity of South Slavic vampire belief as opposed to other Slavs,[5] although a similar motif
also occurs in Belarusian legends.[9]

Powers
Legends state that Dhampirs were normal members of the community. But male Dhampirs of paternal vampire descent could see
invisible vampires and practice sorcery, often starting careers as vampire hunters, which would be practiced for generations from
father to son.[10][11][12]

Features
Some traditions specify signs by which the children of a vampire can be recognized. Albanian legends state they have untamed dark
or black hair and lack a shadow.[6] In Bulgarian folklore, possible indications include being "very dirty," having a soft body, no nails
and bones (the latter physical peculiarity is also ascribed to the vampire itself), and "a deep mark on the back, like a tail." In contrast,
a pronounced nose was often a sign, as were larger than normal ears, teeth or eyes. According to J. Gordon Melton, from his book,
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead, in some areas, a true dhampir possessed a "slippery, jelly-like body and lived
[13]
only a short life—a belief ... that vampires have no bones."

See also
Vampire hunter
List of fictional dhampirs
List of fictional vampires
List of vampires in folklore and mythology

References
1. "Vampires Through the Ages: Lore & Legends of the World's Most Notorious Blood Drinkers" "These vampires then,
usually male, but in some rare stories female as well, traveled to another village where they were unknown to the
inhabitants and married, producing offspring."
2. 'From Demons to Dracula: The Creation of the Modern a
Vmpire Myth by Matthew Beresford,ISBN 1861894031,
2008, p.8.
3. "Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und W
ilhelm Grimm. 16 Bde. (in 32 Teilbänden). Leipzig: S. Hirzel 1854–
1960"
4. "Vampire". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary"
5. Levkievskaja, E.E. La mythologie slave : problèmes de répartition dialectale (une étude de cas : le vampire). Cahiers
slaves n°1 (septembre 1997).Online (French). (http://www.recherches-slaves.paris4.sorbonne.fr/Cahier1/Levkievska
ja.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20080112192340/http://www .recherches-slaves.paris4.sorbonne.fr/Ca
hier1/Levkievskaja.htm)2008-01-12 at the Wayback Machine.
6. Петровић, Сретен. 2000. Основи демонологије. In: Систем српске митологије. Просвета, Ниш 2000. Online
(Serbian) (http://svevlad.org.rs/knjige_files/petrovic_mitologija.html#vampir)Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
090331041243/http://www.svevlad.org.rs/knjige_files/petrovic_mitologija.html)2009-03-31 at the Wayback Machine.
7. Димитрова, Иваничка. 1983. Българска народна митология. Online article (Bulgarian)(https://web.archive.org/we
b/20071024035846/http://bgrod.org/Vjara/index.php?p=bogove&page=vampir)
8. Laković, Aleksandar. 2001. Vampiri kolo vode. In: Glas javnosti, 20-12-2001. Online (Serbian) (http://arhiva.glas-javn
osti.rs/arhiva/2001/12/20/srpski/F01121902.shtml)
9. Міфы Бацькаўшчыны. Вупыр (Вупар). Online (Belarusian) (http://slounik.org/82139.html)
10. The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of theUndead
11. T. P. Vukanović. 1957-1959. "The Vampire." Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, 3rd ser. Part 1: 36(3-4): 125-133;
Part 2: 37(1-2): 21-31; Part 3: 37(3-4): 111-118; Part 4: 39(1-2): 44-55. Reprinted in
Vampires of the Slavs, ed. Jan
Perkowski (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Slavica, 1976), 201-234. The reprint lacks footnotes. Most material on
dhampirs is in part 4, under the heading "Dhampir as the Chief Magician for the Destruction ofampires."
V
12. Vampires of the Slavs by Jan Louis Perkowski "The practice of sorcery for the destruction of vampires is carried on
in the house of Dhampir's descendants from father to son, throughout the generations."
13. J. Gordon Melton (2010).The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of theUndead (https://books.google.com/books?id=-
QNlCwAAQBAJ&q=slippery,+jelly-like+body+and+lived+only+a+short+life#v=snippet&q=slippery ,+jelly-like+body+an
d+lived+only+a+short+life&f=false). Visible Ink Press. p. 201.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dhampir&oldid=851994887
"

This page was last edited on 25 July 2018, at 22:32(UTC).

Text is available under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.