Research :D

[Elieana]

Hey guys! I'm currently writing a vampire story! =dodges bricks= (Note: This has NO way been influenced by Twilight. My sister loves vampire stories, and asked me to write one for her.) Anyway, to the point! My leading lady's origin is from 12th century France. However, aah!, I am having a bit of trouble finding information for said time period. So, does anyone know anything about this? I don't need an essay, as it's a very small part at the beginning (explaining how she becomes a vampire), however, I need to know atmosphere Maybe throw in a few references to major events that happened around that time, ect. ect. The -very specific- year is 1189, if anyone is interested

I'll give more details of the story after I have more written So far, I have 2 sentences That will change though! Bwahaha!

Any help is greatly appreciated, and I will love you forevers and evers and be your bestest best friend if you can tell me things like what the buildings were like, the streets, ect. ect. She isn't poor (<- for some reason my hands tried typing "porn" there, oh well), but she's not royalty. Once again, any help, or even a "Good luck!" is so much appreciated ^^ I'm going to try to make this as non-cliche as possible .-.

Some key notes about the scene:
It's winter time
There's snow <- Lots
It's night time (full moon ooooooh already cliche )
She's not alone, until the end (which freaks her out, by the way )
And guess what! She meets a vampire/vampyre/vampyr! Wootwoot!
Then, it pauses and skips ahead a couple hundred years. Or centuries, haven't figured out where I want most of the story to take place. All I KNOW is that it won't take place in France, she leaves for reasons that'll be explained in the story


Thanks again again ^^ <3




EDIT: Changed year ;D

[Lisky]

well, a good starting place is that at the time period it'd be known as Frankia(not 100% sure on spelling)and it was a feudal system of government, most people lived in thatched huts, good roads were Roman built roads, who used a combination of stones, compacted soil, and a type of concrete they made that was fairly water resistant, anything else was more or less a dirt, or mud trail called a road.
As for the not poor but not royalty, bit, to fall into that category she'd either be the daughter of a local noble, or related to a very well off merchant, perhaps a sword smith, as Frankian blades were much sought after weapons by the Danes, the Saxons, and really, most of the rest of the "civilized world"

if you want anything beyond that, you'll need to give me a few days to go ask my friend the history major, with a specialty in early European history

[superluser]

The main thing I'd make sure you research is the Norman Invasion, which would have been the most noticeable difference between France today and France then.

Here's the best book on that subject.

(Seriously, that's pretty much all the information I can give)

EDIT: You changed the year, so disregard this message.

[Jigsaw Forte]

Keep in mind that you would be roughly in the "High Middle Ages" --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Middle_Ages to Late Middle Ages --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Middle_Ages

Just some overarching details to keep in mind for your multiple-century gap :-p

[Valynth]

Meh, once a long time ago vampire meant a certain undead creature who was once a member of the living that came back because the earth would not receive the soul of some buried person and this creature now preyed on humans.  The usual identifications of a vampire were that you had a corpse that looked well fed with red liquid coming from the mouth, elongated finger nails, and growth of hair post mordem.  These signs, however, were actually decomposition signs in corpses buried in cold, wet regions.

These vampires, though powerful, could easily be killed by a skilled hunter usually by the hunter/soldier digging up the grave of the vampire, staking the body to the ground to prevent rising (the chest area being the best part and thus the piercing of the heart tradition gets started) and decapitation of the head to keep it quiet (and thus prevent its use of black magic to evade the stake) as well as the use of various holy symbols.  This of course, is the western tradition of vampires, but due to the large amount of cultures with variations on the vampire theme, "vampire" more or less means "a sentient creature who feeds on other sentient creatures and the feeding results in the potential death or serious injury of the victim through draining."

Now that the emo culture got ahold of it, vampires are nothing more than unkillable people who whine about damn near everything, especially about BEING unkillable, and hang out at hot topic after dark.

Also:  I AM A CORNECOPIA OF POINTLESS KNOWLEDGE!  that is all.

[Kasarn]

Skimming Wikipedia:
In 1189, Philip Augustus and Richard the Lionheart defeated Henry Curtmantle. Henry died soon after and Richard ascended to the throne. They then turned their attention towards the Third Crusade.

[Darkmoon]

Now that the emo culture got ahold of it, vampires are nothing more than unkillable people who whine about damn near everything, especially about BEING unkillable, and hang out at hot topic after dark.

Also:  I AM A CORNECOPIA OF POINTLESS KNOWLEDGE!  that is all.

Ah, but emo culture vampires are only a part of the whole genre. Movies, such as 30 Days of Night (and of course the comic it's based on) depict another part of the genre.

I will say I approve of a little character behind my vampires, but I think the best vampire stories are the ones where the vampires are still killers, no "soulful" creatures that hate the kill.

In other words, vampires should be less "Interview with the Vampire" and more "Dexter".

[Tapewolf]

If memory serves it's set around 1330, so it's a bit later than your chosen time period, but I've always found The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco to be quite inspiring when it comes to 12th-14th century beliefs, background and general lore.  I can't honestly vouch for how historically accurate it is, since there are a few modern-day "easter-eggs" in it, but I heartily recommend it for anyone with an interest in the period.  The library is particularly neat (and relevant to you, I guess) because the works they're studying are by nature from an earlier period.

There is a film of it (which, while it adds a more upbeat ending, is actually a pretty decent conversion), but the book is infinitely better in terms of medieval background information, and generally setting the scene.  I found the rise and fall of Fra Dolcino to be particularly fascinating, but according to wikipedia, he was executed in 1307, so he's somewhat later than 1189.  Again, around 1309 the seat of the Church was moved from Rome to Avignon (this upset a lot of people) - which the book references.  Apparently this remained until 1377.
Like I say, these are from a later period, but even so, if you do move it forward a couple of centuries, it would still be relevant.

I think the best vampire stories are the ones where the vampires are still killers, no "soulful" creatures that hate the kill.

"I love the sheer perversity of being a vampire [in Oblivion]... If you go around drinking people's blood everyone is really nice to you.  If you don't they get very shirty."
--My brother

[lucas marcone]

Meh, once a long time ago vampire meant a certain undead creature who was once a member of the living that came back because the earth would not receive the soul of some buried person and this creature now preyed on humans.  The usual identifications of a vampire were that you had a corpse that looked well fed with red liquid coming from the mouth, elongated finger nails, and growth of hair post mordem.  These signs, however, were actually decomposition signs in corpses buried in cold, wet regions.

These vampires, though powerful, could easily be killed by a skilled hunter usually by the hunter/soldier digging up the grave of the vampire, staking the body to the ground to prevent rising (the chest area being the best part and thus the piercing of the heart tradition gets started) and decapitation of the head to keep it quiet (and thus prevent its use of black magic to evade the stake) as well as the use of various holy symbols.  This of course, is the western tradition of vampires, but due to the large amount of cultures with variations on the vampire theme, "vampire" more or less means "a sentient creature who feeds on other sentient creatures and the feeding results in the potential death or serious injury of the victim through draining."

Now that the emo culture got ahold of it, vampires are nothing more than unkillable people who whine about damn near everything, especially about BEING unkillable, and hang out at hot topic after dark.

Also:  I AM A CORNECOPIA OF POINTLESS KNOWLEDGE!  that is all.

thank you! sad thing is it's leading to the emofacation of other badass killers like the werewolf, then again D&D had a hand in that too but still.

[Rakala]

Now that the emo culture got ahold of it, vampires are nothing more than unkillable people who whine about damn near everything, especially about BEING unkillable, and hang out at hot topic after dark.

"Louis, Louis, Louis. Still with the whining?"
-The Vampire Lestat

Yeah, ever since Anne Rice vampires have been portrayed less and less as beasts to be feared and more as people. While I enjoyed the Anne Rice books, most books since then have failed to make a good vampire story.

Sorry, no offense to you Elieana.

[Valynth]

Now that the emo culture got ahold of it, vampires are nothing more than unkillable people who whine about damn near everything, especially about BEING unkillable, and hang out at hot topic after dark.

Also:  I AM A CORNECOPIA OF POINTLESS KNOWLEDGE!  that is all.

Ah, but emo culture vampires are only a part of the whole genre. Movies, such as 30 Days of Night (and of course the comic it's based on) depict another part of the genre.

I will say I approve of a little character behind my vampires, but I think the best vampire stories are the ones where the vampires are still killers, no "soulful" creatures that hate the kill.

In other words, vampires should be less "Interview with the Vampire" and more "Dexter".

True, and I think the Dresden Files pulls that off rather well where there's only one of the emo-type vampires, but that's because he feeds on emotions (and also because of some really good reasons that would be spoilers).  The rest are extremely vicious, blood thirsty (and/or manipulative in the case of emotion fed vamps, the one emo-vamp still has a strong streak of manipulation and misdirection despite him being "good"), and unrepentant.

[Mao]

I've always thought of them as monsters personally.  Something to be feared.  This newer trend towards romanticizing them has never sat 100% with me as it takes away their frightfulness, the very thing that made them so badass in the first place.  It used to be that the idea of a vampire could keep a kid awake at night and make him afraid to sleep.  Now they're seen more as an idol or a hero.

[Alondro]

I blame Angel.

Stupid Buffy...

[Darkmoon]

Now that the emo culture got ahold of it, vampires are nothing more than unkillable people who whine about damn near everything, especially about BEING unkillable, and hang out at hot topic after dark.

Also:  I AM A CORNECOPIA OF POINTLESS KNOWLEDGE!  that is all.

Ah, but emo culture vampires are only a part of the whole genre. Movies, such as 30 Days of Night (and of course the comic it's based on) depict another part of the genre.

I will say I approve of a little character behind my vampires, but I think the best vampire stories are the ones where the vampires are still killers, no "soulful" creatures that hate the kill.

In other words, vampires should be less "Interview with the Vampire" and more "Dexter".

True, and I think the Dresden Files pulls that off rather well where there's only one of the emo-type vampires, but that's because he feeds on emotions (and also because of some really good reasons that would be spoilers).  The rest are extremely vicious, blood thirsty (and/or manipulative in the case of emotion fed vamps, the one emo-vamp still has a strong streak of manipulation and misdirection despite him being "good"), and unrepentant.

More than that, they should be not-human.

I think Dexter is a very good example of this, even if he's a serial killer and not a vampire. He's unrepentant about what he does, for one. For another, he has to hide in plain sight for fear of being caught (and, presumably, killed eventually). He pretends to be human, but isn't really one (just fakes it the best he can).

A vampire story from a similar perspective would be interesting.

[Elieana]

Thanks so much guys! Your help really has been very great ^^

Now some of you are probably thinking that my vampires are going to be...well... stupid, like most of the vampires in most vampire books. Not the case (I would like to think ). So! Here's a little background on my vampires.

I'm going to stick with the traditional "you're bitten by a vampire" thing as to how they breed. However, I'm going to change things up a little bit.

So, let's put a hypothetical situation here. You're whole life, you're told all of your life that pudding is bad and if you eat it, you'll become bad. Your entire life you avoid eating pudding at all costs because of this story that you were told, you believe, and everyone around you believes. However, one fateful night (dun dun dun!!) your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/friend/relative/ect/ect stupidly buys vanilla pudding thinking it was donut filling because someone at the store LIED to them (like, the time someone lied to you telling you it was just extra chocolate in the brownie)!!!! AND YOU EAT IT!!! Well, after you find out just what you were eating, you suddenly believe that this pudding will turn you into a bad person. So, you begin acting bad, based simply on the fact that you subconsciously believe that you have to. However, your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/friend/relative/ect/ect who also ate it, doesn't want to believe that they will become a bad person, even though they ate it too, because they feel that they don't have to let it happen to them because of their morals still having a large role in their life, telling them that they don't -have- to do these things. So, you go around being all evil and such, and eventually amidst all of your recent bad deeds, you forget that you were once a good person. Your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/friend/relative/ect/ect acts differently too, though they try extra hard to fit in with everyone else so that they can hide the fact that they are "different".

This is basically what's going on with the vampires, only, they are not pudding. The vampires who believe that they have to be this way upon first being turned become ruthless killers, and lose their former self. They forget there was ever a point in their never-ending life that they were, in fact, human. However, the other vampires that hold onto their former selves, are a very small minority (less than 20%).

The main character in my story is an ex-"bad" vampire (the bad vampires are called "Malvirians"), who broke apart from the majority when her conscious beats her senseless (she wasn't a Malvirian long enough to become a savage). Also, it isn't going to be your typical "vampire romance omgxoxoxoxlemonlemonlemon" story. The man she falls in love with is not very attractive at all, he isn't Godly in any way (neither is she, mind you), and, most importantly, hates her. He can't stand the sight of her. And in fact, on several occasions, tries to kill her. And there is actually going to be a plot!!!

OMGWHUTUSAYELIAPLOTINAROMANCESTORYWTFDOESTHATEVENMEAN Exactly. Like I said, this has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH TWILIGHT I recently moved to Canada away from my family and the last thing my sister asked of me is to write her a story. One that she could show her children and grandchildren and say "Your Aunt wrote this for me." Cheesy, I know, but I love my sister and my sister loves vampires and love stories, so I figured I would give it a shot. So far it doesn't seem too bad, though this might just be because it's my little inkling.

So tell me, honestly guys, what do you think?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Depends on how you handle it. Write up the précis (in a little more detail), and the first half a dozen chapters, and run them by me, and we'll see. ;-]

[Darkmoon]

Of course, if we aren't impressed, we'll demand extensive rewrites.

[Elieana]

Lol~ Well, rewrites are what make stories great - I don't expect to pump out perfect literature the first time 'round

[GabrielsThoughts]

http://blacksylph.deviantart.com/art/Idiot-s-Guide-to-Vampire-Fics-61537297

found some friendly advise I thought I should pass along...

[Vidar]

If you want a classical Vampire story, go watch some old "Dracula" movies with Christopher Lee. They're so terrible, that they're awesome.
If you want a more trendy "vampyre" (so trendy it's spelled wrong) story, go watch Buffy, or Angel, some such rot.
If you want something more sinister and (currently) more creative, do some research "Nosferatu".

[Tapewolf]

If you want a classical Vampire story, go watch some old "Dracula" movies with Christopher Lee. They're so terrible, that they're awesome.
If you want a more trendy "vampyre" (so trendy it's spelled wrong) story, go watch Buffy, or Angel, some such rot.
If you want something more sinister and (currently) more creative, do some research "Nosferatu".

That may be useful, but my reading of the original question was that the author wanted information about the late 12th century in general, rather than vampire stuff specifically.

[Jack McSlay]

that's quite a twist, given most vampire stories are situated between the 18th and 21th centuries.
didin't they burn witches at that time? could be a good plot device

[Tapewolf]

that's quite a twist, given most vampire stories are situated between the 18th and 21th centuries.
didin't they burn witches at that time? could be a good plot device

I'm not entirely sure.  The Malleus Maleficarum ('Hammer of Witches' IIRC) was the primary textbook used by inquisitors in the 15th century, but it wasn't published until the 1480s.  Certainly they burned witches (and more commonly, heretics) in the 1300s, but the mania didn't spread until the 1500s.  I really don't know how widespread witch-burning was in the 1180s.

Ah: check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hunt
...apparently the inquisition didn't formally prosecute for sorcery until the 1320s, though there were earlier sporadic executions for it.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Also, your average witch burning was done during daylight - if you did it in the dark, who knows what evil things she might draw out of the night to take her away in safety?

So your average vampire would have trouble with that, what with there not being SPF 500+ sunblock around in those days...

[Tapewolf]

So your average vampire would have trouble with that, what with there not being SPF 500+ sunblock around in those days...

Depends if the vampire is damaged by direct sunlight or whether they can go out in a sufficiently cloudy day.

[Angel]

I just feel like telling what I know of vampire history...

Almost every ancient or modern civilization has some sort of vampire myth or at least a vampiric creature (the Filipino aswang, the Scottish baobhan sith, a Babylonian demon named Lilitu). Modern theories seem to indicate that there were diseases that could have caused people to believe vampires existed: diabetes, porphyria, tuberculosis and rabies, to name a few. Diabetes is a popular new theory, as symptoms include fatigue (sleeping during the day, waking when presumed dead), dehydration (gums recede, teeth look sharper, ravenously hungry and thirsty), and nausea (unable to eat real food). Then of course, there's modern conditions like Renfield's syndrome (mental disorder that is characterized by a paraphiliac obsession with ingesting blood).

This makes some sense, but I can't place why every culture has a different-ish vampire mythos. All of then drink blood, but the weaknesses and telltale signs usually vary.

As for 12th century France, I didn't find much. But good luck anyway.

[Kasarn]

imo, sexy vampires are better because they're sexy and they're vampires.

The vampire is all like, "You must stay with me," and victim is all like, "NOWAYDUDE!" and then they're all like hypnotic stare or something and then there's hot [cross buns! Get your hot cross buns here!]. Then the victim lay helplessly enthralled as the vampire drained their life. The end. (or is it?)

THREAD RUINED.

[Rakala]

I have been doing some research of my own. There is a book out there called simply Monsters. It's about the real supernatural. The author claims to be an actual wizard and he goes through details of some defense spells in the back. Anyways, he talks about vampires and said the modern depiction is quite wrong. It's more like a cloud of mist with eyes and fangs floating around, sucking life force out of humans. I'll see if I can find the authors name so I can tell you.

Anyways, about the era it takes place in, really can't tell you anything. Sorry.

[Omega]

I just feel like telling what I know of vampire history...

Almost every ancient or modern civilization has some sort of vampire myth or at least a vampiric creature

Hmmm... I don't recall there being any vampires in Scandinavian folklore.


What I recall about 13th century's France, is that the university of Paris had been operational for over a hundred years by then. If you need a ruler, I recall that Ludvig IX was the Kind of France between 1226 and 1270.

[GabrielsThoughts]

no I think even the  Scandinavian have a vampire myth... perhaps a troll or a witch of some kind that drains the life from it's victims. In the American southwest  Jackelopes are the equivalent of Chupacabra... they can supposedly mimic a human whistle and call the livestock to them for feeding, although I find it odd how the supposed offspring of  two Herbivores could breed a carnivore...however since  the actual jackelope mutation in jackrabbits is the result of a tick borne virus/cancer/contagion... it brings to light the possibility that the myth has some basis in reality.

In fact, if I recall correctly a similar tick borne virus cases abnormal bone growth in humans as well, so the mythology of vampirisim may have just been an archaic explanation for a disease such as the plauge, anemia,  or something related to infection (or contamination from) blood sucking insects that evolved over time.