Staking : The most commonly used method in the world.
Beheading: Avoid splattering of blood.
Sunlight: Some aged and powerful vampires are immune.
Creamtion: Found throughout the world ;scatter the ashes.
Piercing with a sword: A blessed sword should be used.
Immersing in water: A bathtub can be used, but body disposal may be a problem.
Drenching in garlic or holy water: Large amounts have to be hauled to the grave site to assure a clean kill: oil ,wine,or vinegar can also be used.
Touching with a crucifix: Destroys a young vampire, but is notrmally used as a repellent.
Trapping in the grave: Iron bits,red peas,rice(for the chinese),roses,garlic,and holy water can be used.
Extracting the heart: Can be very messy.
Stealing the left sock: Useful for only a few species:fill a sock with soil, grave dirt, or rocks, and throw it outside the village limits,aiming for the river.
Injecting with holy water: Demands close proximinty to vampire.
Magic: Use only a traned sorcerer.
Bottling: Hire a professional Malaysian or Bulgarian sorcerer.
Breaking the spine: Followed by decapitation or other methods.
Using a dhampire: Some dehampires are disreputable and untrustworthy because of their vampire lineage.
Using animals: Cocks,dogs,and white wolves recomemded.
Boiling the heart: Use in conjunction with heart extraction; vinegar, oil or wine can be used.
Using Sabbatarians: Only if they wear their clothing in particular fashion.
This should help any newbies out in hunting measures and tools to use. I have included the old ways to rid of a vampire, which most I do not believe will work. I have included them so that newbies will know they do not work and they will not use them. I will send a list of methods that do work after I have it completed.
Contributed by Day Walker
This is a brief summary of the tools used by a hunter. If you don't use any of these, and you hunt, I'd advise you to start carrying it now. If you have any other tools you have personally used, e-mail me at seeingall@hotmail.com and I'll add it to the list.
A Cross, or crucifix.
This is not for ridding nor harming the vampire. It is to ward of a psyonic attack. Wearing a cross WILL protect you against hypnotism, exspecially if it's silver. But you must have FAITH in the cross, or you cannot activate the power of the cross. Remember, even though this creature is far more powerful than you or I, you have to stop it before it kills more innocent people. You must have the indominiet spirit; the will to fight every injustice you see, even if you know you will lose. That power is what they cannot beat, for they cannot tap into their inner strength like you and I can. We have more potential.
A wooden stake.
Although it is debated that it should be Ash, Hawthorne, or Rosewood to be effective. Any hardwood should do though. I would advise it be plunged straight to the heart, but I've heard that the vampire has a strange chemical reaction to wood, so if you need a second or two plunge it into the abdominal area of leg. It'll give you that second to catch your breath.
Holy Water.
Many Catholic Churches have Holy Water dispensers open free to the public. If the Church in your area does not then bring some water with you and ask the priest to bless it or to get you some holy water there.
An extremely sharp blade of some kind.
I would recommend a sword (not a cheap mail-order katana. Katana's may be sharp, but they break easily. If you use a katana, it better be folded 1,000,000,000 times to be effective. But it'll cost a 100 dolllars a fold. So use a European blade, which is cheaper and more effective. You get the best "Bang for your buck" with these.) But a sword is not the only edged weapon. There are many types of martial art weapons which in skilled hands can prove very effective against even a trained swordsman. But, a sword is the most universal weapon, even among the vampire.
Garlic.
The chemical scent of garlic have been a common method to rid not only the vampire but almost all evil entities for thousands of years. Some argue it was superstition, so to be on the safe side, make it into a powder and throw it at the face of the vampire. In case all it does is irratate him, have a 12 gauge in his face before he opens his eyes.
A high beam light emmitor.
It has been said that UV rays is what weakenss the vampire, yet I've found evidence othrwise, since they wear sun glasses at night to protect against street lights. I believe they have photosensitivity, which is why they can see at night. Photosensitivity enhances all light to the eyes. I personally have photosensitivity, so I am very familiar with it. My eyes can see light reflect in a glass of water (looks like a shining fairy or something) so if a humans eyes can be that bad, a vampire must be worse. Light can make me feel dreadfully sick to my stomach. A vampire should be on his knees and very weak. A high power flashlight should be the first offense. I've heard their eyes turn bright red when in light too, but if they fall to the ground, don't worry about the color of the eyes. Worry about if the head is still on.
Silver.
In all cultures, silver is considered a pure and holy metal. It is said that a silver knife should be the always kept near the hunters bedside. But don't stop with a knife. Silver-tipped arrows, lances, needles, bolts (crossbows), bullets, and even powder can be just as lethal. Wearing anything silver is said to grant protection against the vampires powers of hypnotism and it's dreadful stare. It is exspensive, but is agreed among most hunters to be highly effective. Have it blessed by a priest.
Fire.
Name one thing that comes back to life after being burned to ashes. Can't do it can you? There are many mixes of chemical combustants that once dumped on a object in liquid form will explode in flames. Look for some of these on a Pyro page. A web search of "Anarchist's Cookbook" will prove very useful.
Rope
And not just any rope. Thick steel chains or a special type of wooden rope made from the outer bark of a tree. It's only purpose is for vampire capture. I believe it works because of the chemical reaction to wood. I do not know how to make it, a respectable hunter should though.
A big-ass gun
12 gauge, M-16, Uzi, etc etc You shouldn't "leave home without it". A 12 gauge would be the best choice, not because of power but variety. You can buy slugs, shot, armor piercers, flame thrower, exsplosive, drill, and chemical spray cartriges. You can even make some of them. I wouldn't though, most people lose fingers while producing them. Go to a weekend gun show to stock up on these babies.
Memo on the substance known as "Garlic"- The use of Garlic (Allium Sativum) as a charm against the powers of evil seems to date back to ancient times. According to Lewis Spence, the ancient Egyptians believed in a vampire-like ghost that killed sleeping children by sucking up their breath. Believe it or not, the repellent that was used against the attacks of this murderous monster was... a wreath of garlic.
The Imperial Dictionary (1894) tells us that garlic is : "a hardy bulbous perennial, indigenous to the south of France, Sicily, and the South of Europe". Today, however, it would appear that the use of garlic is known all over the world, not only as a tasty culinary asset, but also as a charm against evil spirits. The British vampire expert Montague Summers gives us several examples. Even in places as exotic as China or Malaysia people smear the forehead of their children to protect them from vampires, and in the West Indies too, garlic is used as a means of protection against the evil practices and magic spells of witches and sorcerers.
Adrien Cremene confirms that, in Romania, garlic is a weapon of very great importance in the everlasting battle against vampires. Lots of Romanians used to make certain that they ate some garlic every day for their personal protection. But they also smeared garlic on the windows and the doors of their houses, on the gates to their farmyards, and even on the horns of their cattle. They believed that the Strigoi had a great fear of garlic.
But this is not the only way in which usturoi (garlic) was employed against Romanian vampires. If a deceased person was thought to be in danger of becoming a vampire, one of the most common protective measures was stuffing some pieces of garlic into the orifices of the corpse, especially the mouth. This was done in order to prevent evil spirits from entering the dead body. At the same times it served the purpose of preventing the soul of the deceased from re-entering its body. Another interesting anti-vampire practice that we can find in Romania is the anointing of the corpse, especially the heels, with a mixture of oil, fat, incense, gunpowder and of course garlic.
We would be much mistaken, however, to think that it is only the bulb or the cloves of garlic that can be used against vampires. In Stoker's "DRACULA" we can read how Professor van Helsing fills up a bedroom, not with wreaths of garlic bulbs, but with GARLIC FLOWERS instead, in a commendable attempt to protect Lucy from the bloodthirsty advances of Count Dracula. Stoker's tale was based apon real methods and beliefs o the vampire. For in a book by Tekla D"m"t"r, a serious Hungarian professor, we can find a photograph of a wreath made from the stems of garlic flowers, which is used in Hungarian villages as a means to ward off evil. It would appear then that eachand every bit of the powerful garlic plant can be used as an apotropaic.
The French occultist Robert Ambelain has his own remarkable ideas about the use of garlic against vampires. He thinks that originally it was not GARLIC but ARSENIC that was thought to have a power against evil. Ambelain claims that the shepherds in the Carpathian mountains used to eat very small quantities of arsenic and feed a little arsenic to their animals as well, in order to protect themselves from vampires. According to Ambelain, the old alchemists from Prague and other cities in Moravia and Bohemia used to burn arsenic to drive away the powers of evil. The burning of arsenic produces toxic fumes that have the same unpleasant smell as garlic. The thrifty peasants noticed that the magic fumes of the alchemists smelt just like garlic. And so they figured that it would be cheaper to use garlic than hire an expensive alchemist to do the exorcism. And that, according to Ambelain, is how people came to use garlic as a defense against vampires. All in all, Ambelain's hypothesis seems rather farfetched.
WARNING !
It goes without saying that the ingestion of arsenic - even in small quantities - is an extremely hazardous undertaking that I will not recommend to anyone. I think it could prove quite unhealthy, and I do believe that it is much wiser to eat some garlic instead. However, even the use of garlic is not without its dangers.
I think that most people who have an interest in vampires will have heard of the tragical event that happened in the English town of Stoke-on-Trent in 1973, when they discovered the dead body of a gentleman of Polish origin. At the inquest it was found that the unfortunate man had died by choking on a piece of garlic, which he had put in his mouth before going to sleep in order to ward off vampires during the night.
Babies who are born with a "caul", or born with teeth, children who happen to have an extra nipple or a harelip, children who are born with a "tail", they are all said to run the risk of becoming vampires after their death.
Usually, however, this kind of risk was said to be counteracted through the appropriate kind of magic.
People whose cheeks are extraordinary red, those whose eyebrows connect, people who have red hair and blue eyes, people who have a double row of teeth, but also people who are extremely old, supposing that the tales are true, they may all turn into vampires.
And here's the long list-
Heretics, arsonists, those who have been excommunicated, drunks, prostitutes, robbers, witches, magicians, suicides, werewolves, those who have died in a violent manner, deadpeople whose corpses are possessed by a demon, seventh sons or daughters, people who have died without receiving the last rites, and let's not forget the people whose shadow has been "stolen". This is by no means all-comprehensive, but I think it's sufficient to give you a general idea.
Bulgarians tell their childen - when they have been misbehaving to be good or else they would turn into "varkolaks".
In the United States of America things have taken to be different turn. Writers like Anne Rice seem to have corrupted the teenagers of the US into a very twisted appreciation of what it is like to be a vampire. During my search for research material, I have gone through hundereds of personals for people who wish to be turned into a vampire, want to spend warm and sexy nights with the vampire, and even offer their blood in exchange for companionship. Hang that on your wall Anne Rice!
At the hight of vampirism in 18th Century Europe, there was nothing romantic about the vampire. No Dracula or Lestat, castles or long black cloaks. And sure as hell no black roses either. A vampire was an undead corpse, often a dead relative, rising from its grave to attack, even killing the living.
These teenagers of today have been deluted into the idea that the vampire has been and always will be a romantic and sympathetic creature of the night. They have become the targets of the vampire, who have changed their ways to capture new prey. Prey that won't scream or fight back, and they don't need to kill this prey. Saves them a lot of trouble. But thankfully, there are those vampires that want absolutely nothing to do with drinking blood; for only the evil vampire needs that. Blood increases their power, and turns them down the dark path. Without it, they lead perfectly normal lives and are very constructive members of society. But, they too hate the blood-drinkers, for they give them a bad name. But even these vampires don't wear capes and throw roses. They are as normal as they can get. The ones that play the "Angel" and "Lestat" are the evil ones.
Here are some Ancient and out-dated methods of disposal. There are a few good points, but not many. I'll have a better list of working methods soon.
Old Measures against the Dead becoming Vampires.
To make sure that the dead will not return as vampires, the burial has to take place in such a manner that it ensures a successful transition of the soul to the place where it is meant to go. Which means that the proper procedures have to be observed before, during and after the funeral. Especially if, according to the local belief, there is a risk that the deceased might become a vampire. Objects or substances that are used to ward off vampires (see 3.) may be put into the coffin.
Old Measures against the dead leaving their graves.
In case something does go wrong - before or during the funeral - the soul of the deceased is thought to run the risk of staying earthbound. There is also the danger that a demon may enter the corpse and turn it into a vampire.
Fortunately, for those who believe in such things, it is possible to take advance measures against the corpse leaving its grave. The limbs of the corpse may be bound together. The corpse can be nailed to the coffin. Nails or needles may be used to pierce the heart or the brain of the corpse. Personal objects belonging to the deceased may be put into the coffin, to make sure that they won't come back to fetch them. Things may be given along to help them on their journey. Money, a torch-light to help them find their way into the next world.
Old Defensive measures against Vampires.
There are a large variety of objects and substances that are thought to ward off vampires. There is garlic, there are religious symbols, there are special amulets. Another trick, which we can find from China, is to keep the vampire busy until the break of day. To this purpose small seeds, flour, sand or rice, are thrown around the doorstep.
Old Methods of Detecting of the Vampire's resting place.
When people started showing signs of being vampirised, it is necessary to locate the vampire's grave so that it will be possible to take proper actions against it. Suspect graves are checked to see if there are small breathing holes in the ground. Animals (horses, oxen, dogs, geese and others) may be lead through the graveyard until they halt at the vampire's grave.
Old Measures to kill the vampire
After the grave has been found and opened, it will be easy to tell by the condition of the corpse if it has become a vampire or not. The head of the corpse must be chopped off and put at the bottom of the coffin. Also,the vampire's heart may be removed. And of course you should hammer a stake through its heart.
If none of this works, people have tried to destroy the vampire's body in such a manner that it won't be able to exist again, ever. I've heard of a case where the corpse was chopped into pieces and fed to the local wild wolves. I have read about a vampire who was boiled in wine (imagine the smell). But the most effective method to put a stop to the vampire's activities, the one thing that always will work, is to cremate the corpse entirely. This is the one method they sure as hell fire won't come back from and is the only method other than the stake and decampitation I would advise to use. What is going to get up and walk around it's heart has a stake through it and it's mis-placed it's head?
