35. The vampire as we know it comes from ancient Slavic folklore
The word ‘vampire’ comes from the Serbian vampyr, with good reason. Vampyr comes from the Slavic upir, first recorded in the 10th century but certainly far older. The vampire proper developed in Slavic folklore around 1500 years ago. The early Slavic tribes traveled far and wide, encountering many different religious beliefs. Scholars suggest they embraced heretical Christian doctrines circulating in Eastern Europe which claimed the body belonged to Satan. In turn, this led to beliefs about the dead physically returning to harm the living. This belief perhaps influenced the Slavs to cremate rather than bury their dead.
