Modern mythology surrounding the Vampire is attributed to south eastern European countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania. The general belief that Vampires are reborn from the corpse of a person bitten by a Vampire during life has contracted from the original myth, which claimed witches, evil people and suicide victims would rise from the grave in the guise of a Vampire.
It is thought vampire myths from this region developed in the ninth century, the result of conflicting beliefs between paganism and Christianity. Other reasons as to the cause of Vampirism include conceiving a child of specific days or being born with teeth or a tail or a caul (a membrane over a newborn's head). Any child that died before it was baptized risked becoming a Vampire, and the seventh child of the same sex in a family would be a Vampire. The same fate awaited the child born of a mother who didn't eat salt or a mother who was looked at by a Vampire or a witch during pregnancy. Excommunication, suspicious and unusual deaths and improper burial rites increased the chances of becoming a Vampire.
There were certain measures to prevent the change. Cauls were carefully removed from the newborn's head and disposed of before the baby could eat any. The dead were carefully prepared for burial - a crucifix or the branch of a wild rose was sometimes placed inside the coffin. Millet or poppy seeds were often scattered in the grave because Vampires are apparently fascinated with counting. Inserting blocks under the deceased chin would prevent the corpse from eating its shroud, as would nailing the shroud to the side of the coffin. In extreme cases the corpse would be pierced with thorns or wooden stakes. Careful measures were taken to stop animals from passing over the corpse before interring.
If a family member began throwing objects around the house it became cause for suspicion. Evidence of a Vampire's move into an area could be seen by multiple deaths of people and livestock. To check if the Vampire was masquerading among the living garlic would be distributed at church. Anyone who wouldn't eat the garlic was considered a Vampire. Sometimes a corpse would be exhumed and checked for Vampire qualities. Children's graves were opened three years after death to check for signs of Vampirism. A young person's grave was opened after five years and an adult's was checked after seven years. If the exhumed body appeared in a lifelike state with new growth of hair and fingernails or had moved a foot into a corner of the coffin then it was obvious it had morphed into a Vampire. If the corpse had blood in its mouth, a ruddy complexion to the face or a swollen body then action had to be taken.
Methods for destroying Vampires included a wooden stake through the heart, decapitation and insertion of garlic into the severed head's mouth, burning the corpse, throwing holy water in the grave, repeating the funeral service or performing an exorcism. By the 19th century bullets were fired into suspicious coffins, while the more resistant occupants would be exhumed, dismembered and burned. The residue was mixed with water and given to the deceased family for a beneficial cure. Preventative long-term measures to keep vampires at bay included placing garlic on windowsills and rubbing it on cattle.
Here is some information about Vampire beliefs from different cultures:
India.
The Bhuta is the soul of a person who has had an untimely death. At night it wanders around as an animated corpse, attacking the living. The Brahmaparusha has a head encircled with intestines and a skull it uses to drink blood. Kali is the most famous Indian Vampire. Depicted with fangs and wearing a garland of corpses or skulls she has four arms, and her temples were placed close to cremation sites. Legend claims she fought the demon Raktabija, who had the unique ability of being able to reproduce from a single drop of blood. Kali drank all his blood, spilling not one drop which meant Raktabija was killed.
Gypsy.
In the Gypsy culture Vampires are not restricted to human beings. A plant, a dog or cat or even a farm animal could transform. Even melons and pumpkins kept too long in the house would begin to make noises, move or leak blood. Anyone unfortunate enough to be considered ugly or suffering an abnormality like a missing finger was considered a vampire. The Vampire Mullo returns from the dead to punish a variety of people. Anyone it believed had caused its death, someone who'd kept the deceased possessions instead of destroying them according to Gypsy law or anyone who had not observed the correct burial rites was targeted. Punishment included sucking the guilty party's blood or inflicting malicious personal injury. A female Vampire could marry and lead a normal life, but would ultimately exhaust her husband. To keep Vampires at bay steel or iron needles were driven into a corpse's heart and steel pieces placed in the ears and mouth, over the eyes and between the fingers at burial. Hawthorn might be placed in the corpse's sock or a stake of hawthorn pushed through the legs. In extreme cases stakes would be driven into the grave... or the corpse would be covered in boiling water... or decapitated... or burned.
Greece.
In addition to excommunication Greeks believed anyone failing to observe a holy day could become a Vampire. The same belief applied to people committing serious crimes, those who died alone or a person who ate the meat of a sheep killed by a wolf. If a cat leaped over the grave before interment the corpse would rise as a Vampire. A corpse would be exhumed three years after burial, and the family would place the bones in a box. Wine would be poured over them, and a priest would bless the deceased. If the corpse was not decomposed it would be treated as a Vampire.
The Carribean.
The Loogaroo is a female creature whose magical powers are attributed to the nightly donation of blood to the Devil. To source the blood she visits the Devil Tree, sheds her skin and transforms into a flame or a ball of bright light, haunting the night in search of blood for her master. When she has sufficient blood she returns to the tree and dons her skin and her familiar humanoid shape. The Loogaroo is afflicted with the familiar Vampire obsession of counting, so a pile of sand or rice left outside the door will force her to stop her bloody search and count the grains. Hopefully she will still be counting at dawn, and will be forced to return to her skin without collecting blood.
Africa.
The Adze usually appears as a firefly, but it will assume a human shape if captured. Its diet consists of coconut milk, palm oil and blood, and it hunts children. Another being with vampire tendencies is the Lightning Bird, also know by its traditional name Impundulu. The size of a human this black and white bird summons thunder and lightning using its wings and talons, and is sometimes a witch's familiar, protecting the witch from any enemies. As well as an unquenchable appetite for blood it can transform into a handsome man in to seduce women. The Asanbosam has iron teeth and hooks for feet. It lives in trees, flying down to attack its victims' thumbs. The Ramanga evolved from a race of servants forced to eat the nail parings and drink any blood lost by their masters. Should the master cut himself or be wounded in battle the Ramanga would lick the wounds, restoring his master to full health.
China.
Jiang Shi is formed when a deceased person's soul cannot leave the body. The corpse hops around, absorbing the life essence of the people it kills. Their skin is greenish-white and covered in fur. They can be avoided by holding one's breath, because they use their victims' breath to track them. Jiang Shi will not enter a house where a 15 cm (6 inch) piece of wood is fixed across the doorway.
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