Vampire hunter

A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is someone who specializes in finding and destroying vampires. In dark fantasy fiction, they may sometimes also deal with other harmful supernatural creatures. The most well known vampire hunter is Professor Van Helsing from Bram Stoker's horror novel Dracula.

Vampire hunters in folklore

"Professional" or semi-professional vampire hunters played some part in the vampire lore of the Balkans (especially in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Romani folk beliefs). In Bulgarian, the terms used to designate them included "glog" (lit. "hawthorn", the species of wood used for the stake), "vampirdzhiya", "vampirar", "dzhadazhiya", "svetocher" etc.

They were usually either born on Saturday (then called Sabbatarians, Bulgarian "sâbotnichav") or the offspring of a vampire and a woman (typically his widow), called a "dhampir" in Romani or a "vampirović" in Serbian; both facts gave them the innate capability of detecting vampires (and sometimes other supernatural entities as well). In the case of the Sabbatarians, it was believed in some places that they needed to be fed with meat from a sheep killed by a wolf (Bulgarian "vâlkoedene"); this would enable them not to fear the things they saw.

In some traditions, the killing of vampires was only performed by vampire hunters. Aside of the well-known manners of execution (staking the corpse, burning it etc) that were normally entrusted to them, the hunters were also capable of using other methods such as enticing the invisible creature with music and then shooting it, or throwing its hat or head-cloth into the water and telling it to go fetch it (which caused it to drown).Димитрова, Иваничка. 1983. Българска народна митология. [http://bgrod.org/Vjara/index.php?p=bogove&page=vampir Online article (Bulgarian)] ] [Маринов, Димитър. 1994 (first edition 1914) Народна вяра и религиозни обичаи. [http://www.bulgarian-folklore.com/readarticle.php?article_id=226 Online excerpt (Bulgarian)] ] Петровић, Сретен. 2000. Основи демонологије. In: Систем српске митологије. Просвета, Ниш 2000. [http://svevlad.org.yu/knjige_files/petrovic_mitologija.html#vampir Online (Serbian)] ]

Vampire hunters in fiction

The vampire hunter has found new popularity in modern fiction and popular culture.

The most widely known example of a vampire hunter is Abraham Van Helsing of the novel "Dracula" and in other works of fiction adapting or modifying that work. Other more recent figures include Buffy "the Vampire Slayer" Summers from the television show and film of the same name. Buffy's spin-off series Angel (TV series) is also focused on a vampire hunter, the titular star, Angel "the World's Champion," a vampire himself, is often portrayed battling vampires. Vampire hunters have also appeared in video games, such as BloodRayne and the Belmont clan from the Castlevania series. From the latter series, the character Alucard is at once a vampire hunter and a dhampir.

As well as being knowledgable about vampire lore, vampire hunters in fiction are often armed with an eclectic mix of items and weapons which are designed to take maximum advantage of the monster's traditional weaknesses. These have included firearms with silver ammunition, appropriate religious symbols, crossbows that fire all wood bolts and even waterguns filled with blessed holy water in the movies "The Lost Boys" and "From Dusk Till Dawn".

The organizational strength of depicted vampire hunters can vary wildly. Most hunter characters are in small groups working alone and in secret. By contrast, the Hellsing Organization in the anime television series, "Hellsing" is a British government paramilitary strike force with access to troops, heavy combat vehicles and weapons and even allied vampires.

While predominantly depicted as human, examples of other types of vampire hunters also exist. Dhampiric figures, having a mix of human and vampire blood, are a popular form. Such examples of this include D of "Vampire Hunter D", Alucard from the Castlevania series, and the eponymous hero of the "Blade" series of comic books, movies, and .

The image of the vampire hunter is often a mysterious and dramatic avenging hero, an eccentric extremist, or sometimes a bit of both. A hunter may be a heroic figure, a lonesome avenger, or sometimes, although not usually, a bounty hunter-style character, hunting Vampires for profit. Vampire hunters have also popularly been depicted as hunting various creatures such as werewolves, demons, and other forms of undead as well. Others have been depicted as mages and cyborgs.

Having vampire hunting become a family tradition handed down to future generations of a bloodline is a popular use of the archetype in fiction.

A vampire hunting kit is on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in Niagara Falls Ontario.

List of vampire hunters in fiction

*Abraham Van Helsing from "Dracula" and its various spin-offs and reproductions.
*Alucard (Dracula backwards) is a vampire from the Hellsing Organization, who, along with his servant, Seras Victoria, and (retired) old friend, Walter C. Dornez, hunt other vampires.
*Django from the Boktai game series is a Vampire Hunter who seeks revenge over Count of Groundsoaking Blood ("known as Count Hakushaku in Japan") for killing his father, Red Ringo. The sequel series of Boktai, Lunar Knights, known in Japan as Bokura no Taiyou DS: Django & Sabata (ボクらの太陽DS: Django & Sabata "lit. "Our Sun DS: Django & Sabata"), also feature another vampire hunter named Lucian, known as Sabata in the Japanese release, who seeks revenge upon Duke Dumas for kidnapping and killing his beloved Ellen.
* Alexander Anderson works for the Vatican's secret Iscariot Organization (AKA Section XIII), who act like the Hellsing Organization, but are more fundamental, and serve to fight for Catholicism, as opposed to Hellsing protecting the Commonwealth. Iscariot is more radical and fundamental exterminating any humans who ally themselves with the undead. Other members include their leader, Bishop (later Archibishop) Enrico Maxwell and other assassins, Heinkel Wolfe and Yumie Takagi.
* Angel from the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff show "Angel", the only vampire with a soul~ until the vampire "Spike" gains a soul and joins the rest of the cast in vampire hunting.
*Quincy Morris, Jonathan Harker, Dr. John Seward, and Arthur Holmwood assist "Van Helsing" in "Dracula".
*Nick,Sean, and Megan from the film "The Forsaken" race against time to hunt down one of the first Vampires in existence.
*Dr. Hesselius, from "J. Sheridan Le Fanu collection of supernatural tales" In a Glass Darkly".
*Buffy Summers, Slayers and other characters from the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" film and TV series.
*Dominic Garcia, Slayers noncanonical Vampire Slayer.
*Faith, Slayer from Buffy The Vampire Slayer
*Father Callahan from the "Stephen King" novels "'Salem's Lot" and the "Dark Tower series".
*Solomon Kane, a character appearing in many works by Robert E. Howard.
*The Belmont Clan, the Morris family and Adrian Farenheits Tepes a.k.a "Alucard" from the "Castlevania" series of video games. Almost all the main characters of "Castlevania" could be called vampire hunters.
*Blade, a vampire hunter featured by Marvel Comics and a trilogy of films of the same name. Blade is a Dhampir, a half-vampire.
*D, of the Japanese animation "Vampire Hunter D", also a Dhampir.
*Vampire Hunter G, a Werewolf Vampire hunter, who is one of the Lycans who has a soul. Fights in a war against the Vampires. Fell in love with a human, and swore to a code of Chivalry and honor to gain her trust.
*The Sarafan from the "Legacy of Kain" series of video games.
*Donovan Baine, of the "Darkstalkers" series of video games, also a Dhampir.
*Rayne from the video game series "BloodRayne" is a vampire hunter and also a dhampir.
*Jack Crow, and his "Team Crow" from the book Vampire$ by John Steakly, later adapted by John Carpenter for his movie Vampires.
*Derek Bliss, from the movie , also presented by John Carpenter as a pseudo sequel to the first movie.
*Anita Blake from Laurell K. Hamilton's "" series of novels.
*Gabriel Van Helsing from the movie "Van Helsing". Van Helsing is a member of a large organization called the Knights of the Holy Order who protect mankind from an evil they 'have no idea even exists'.
*Edgar Frog, Alan Frog, and Sam Emerson from "The Lost Boys" movie.
*Geralt from the Polish "The Witcher" series. He hunts vampires and all other kinds of supernatural creatures.
*Harry Keogh and others with E-Branch in Brian Lumley's Necroscope series
*Sam and Dean Winchester from the television series Supernatural
*Victoria Gardella from the The Gardella Vampire Chronicles series of historical novels beginning with "The Rest Falls Away".
*Sound-Man, the Green Knight, and numerous other superheroes in the SUPERFLUOUS comic book series by Bon Comics
*Abraham Whistler, Abigale Whistler and Hannibal King from the third film of the "Blade" Series, "". Hannibal takes the form of an ex-vampire who was subsequently cured of his affliction and took up hunting out of a desire for revenge.
*Steve "Leopard" Leonard, from the Cirque Du Freak books. (By Darren Shan)
*Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter, from the 1974 film of the same name.
*Peter Vincent and Charley Brewster from the film Fright Night and its sequel Fright Night Part II.
*Hoss Delgado of "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" is a spectral exterminator who claims to have confronted vampires, among other paranormal entities.
*Dr. Von Goosewing, an inept German goose that claims to be an expert, "greatest wampire hunter in ze vorld" in the Cosgrove Hall show "Count Duckula".
*Carlisle Cullen and his father (Carlisle, previous to vampirism), a young preacher's son who is turned into a vampire a few hundred years before the book took place, and is the father of Edward Cullen, Bella Swan's new boyfriend who is a vampire as well. From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
*Magiere and Leesil, the former a Dhampir and the latter half-elven hunt vampires with fey-dog, Chap. From "Dhampir" by Barb and J.C. Hendee.
*Adrian Kane, a vampire hunter trying to find the vampire who has his brother's soul from Teresa Medeiros's "After Midnight"
*The Ghostbusters, can technically be counted, having faced some and obliterated a few of them in some episodes of the cartoon series. ex:(No One Comes to Lupusville)
*Robert Neville in Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend kills vampires while they sleep during the day.
*Gregory Salazar in "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom", a play by Charles Busch. Salazar disguises himself in drag as a gossip columnist to get close to the two titular vampires (who are, at this point, 1930s movie stars).
*Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson, a character created by Patricia Briggs, slew two vampires in the book, "Blood Bound".
*Michael Colefield from the 1998 British television serial "Ultraviolet".
*John Winchester, Dean Winchester, and Sam Winchester from "Supernatural" television series have all faced vampires before.
*Zero Kiryu from the manga Vampire Knight
*""Damali Richards"" From Leslie Esdaile Banks book Series The Vampire Huntress Legend Series
*""The Guardians Team"" From Leslie Esdaile Banks book Series The Vampire Huntress Legend Series
*Christiano Pena from the Brazillian soap-opera Os Mutantes - Caminhos do Coração. He is a mutant with vast psychokinetic abilities such telekinesis, pyrokinesis, hydrokinesis and atmokinesis, and he is fanatic vampire slayer, who is hell-bent to destroy all vampires, regardless if they are good or evil. He desires to destroy the serie's one protagonists, the benevelont female vampire Natália.

Vampire Hunters in the Media

In March 2007, self-proclaimed vampire hunters vandalized the grave of former Serbian president Slobodan Milošević and staked his body through the heart into the ground. Although the group involved claimed this act was to prevent Milošević from returning as a vampire, it is not known whether those involved actually believed this could happen or if the crime was simply politically motivated. [http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2229686.html?menu=news.quirkies Vampire hunters drove stake through Milosevic's heart] , Ananova.com, retrieved 9 November 2007] [http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.1251046.0.vampire_slayer_impales_milosevic_to_stop_return.php Vampire slayer impales Milosevic to stop return] by Gabriel Ronay, Sunday-Herald.com, retrieved 9 November 2007]

Other

There is a [http://www.gamepart.com/product/item/fly_628.html board game] from Milton Bradley called "Vampire Hunter". "Vampire Hunter" is also the name of a novel by Michael Romkey.

One person claiming to be a modern vampire hunter is Seán Manchester of Highgate Vampire fame.

Notes

Bibliography

*Bruce McClelland, [http://www.bestwebbuys.com/Slayers_And_Their_Vampires-ISBN_0472069233.html?isrc=b-search "Slayers and their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead."] (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2006).
*Jan Perkowski, "Vampire Lore". (Bloomington, IN: Slavica, 2006).