10/05/2023
October's here and Halloween is around the corner. Keeping with the theme of discussing bats and the myths surrounding them, this post will cover my personal favorite halloween monster... Vampires! Stories of creatures that come in the night to suck your blood date back as far as Ancient Greece over 1000 years ago and continued to develop throughout Europe throughout the next millennia. Like many fears of the old world, these myths developed as a way to explain parts of peoples lives they didn't fully understand. Diseases such as porphyria, which makes people sensitive to sunlight; pellagra, a disease that thins the skin; and rabies, which causes biting and general sensitivities that could lead to repulsion by light or garlic all contributed to the folklore of vampires. Furthermore, when the people of Eastern Europe dug up a grave they noticed two things. First, recessed gums which could give the appearance of fangs. Also, longer hair and fingernails which contributed to the belief of a worldly life after death. But, vampire's relationship with bats is far more recent. It wasn't until European explores discovered Central and South America. Here they came across an interesting little creature that would eventually come to be named the Vampire Bat. These cute little guys are the only mammal that survives solely on blood. These European explorers often wrote embellished accounts of their travels. Including their tales of blood sucking bats. In 1810 these bloodsuckers would come to be named Vampire Bats. Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula wasn't written until 1897 and actually had nothing to do with their name. It did however cement bats relationship with vampires in modern folklore. Although it is not the first work of fiction to make the connection it is by far the most popular. Depicting the infamous Count Dracula shapeshifting into the form of a bat, a wolf, and a cloud of smoke. Ultimately, there are many reasons why bats are tied to Halloween. Some of them being flat our myths, but also they are just commonly seen this time of year. Bat pups are just learning to fly and find food on their own. A lot of bats are insectivores and flying insects are rather abundant in early Fall. Also, bats in the Midwest are either going to hibernate of migrate and whichever one they do it's going to take more energy than normal so they need more food.