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"Throughout the whole vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet [looked upon] with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both." So begins this riveting study by one of the foremost authorities on witchcraft and occult phenomena. An indefatigable researcher, Summers explores the presence of vampires in Greek and Roman lore, in England and Ireland during Anglo-Saxon times, in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria, even in modern Greece. More than just a collection of library lore, however, this detailed examination of the history of vampirism in Europe also includes anecdotes and firsthand accounts gathered by the author from peasants in places where belief in vampires was still common. A fascinating, sometimes terrifying book, The Vampire in Lore and Legend is a "mine of out-of-the-way information full of unspeakable tales," writes The New York Times; and according to Outlook, "a fascinating inquiry into the vampire legend . . . a storehouse of curious and interesting lore." Of great interest to any enthusiast of the supernatural and the occult, this book will appeal as well to the legions of general readers captivated by this ancient myth.… (meer)
The Vampire in Lore and Legend is a reprint of Montague Summers's 1929 book The Vampire in Europe, a follow-up to The Vampire: His Kith and Kin. While the latter work has a broad range of subjects-including what vampires are, how to kill them, and an extensive history of vampire fiction-The Vampire in Europe concentrates on vampire legends in ancient Greece and Rome, England and Ireland, modern Greece, and Eastern Europe.
It is important to realize, before reading his works, that Summers is not merely interested in the vampire as a legend. "That a large number of cases of vampirism must be accounted certain only the most prejudiced will deny," he writes in his introduction. He was ordained a deacon in the Church of England and shortly thereafter converted to Catholicism and began writing about the occult from a Catholic (if unorthodox) perspective. In addition to The Vampire: His Kith and Kin and The Vampire in Europe, he published two books on witchcraft, as well as the first English translation of the Malleus Maleficarum (1928), and The Werewolf (1933, republished by Dover as The Werewolf in Lore and Legend). He believed that such creatures were the work of the devil and strongly advocated the reinstatement of the death penalty for witches.
The Vampire in Europe is meticulously researched, including hundreds of footnotes and quoted passages (most given without English translations, which is downright frustrating for a reader not familiar with Latin, German, Italian, and several versions of Greek). Despite this fact (or perhaps because of it), the book often reads like the ravings of a mad professor. Summers includes unsubstantiated anecdotes, long passages of translation, and even an entire chapter of Varney the Vampire, whenever it seems to occur to him and not in any sort of organized fashion. He rambles from one example to another until the reader loses track of the subject, with some material so off-topic that it seems suited for entirely different chapters, and ends abruptly without much of an attempt to die the disparate legends together.
Still, if one can manage to plod through the more awkward parts of Summers's writing style, The Vampire in Europe is an abundant resource for those interested in the Occult, European folklore, or the history of vampire legends. Lovers of vampire fiction should read this book, as well as The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (especially the last chapter, "The Vampire in Literature"), to learn about the vampire legend before he became the star of the paranormal romances flooding the market today-and writers, to pick up ideas for how to make your vampires stand out from the crowd. (Did you know, for example, that according to some Eastern European legends a human can protect themselves by tossing a hawthorn branch or spilling grain, which the vampire will be compelled to pick up and thus forget his prey?) One need not believe it all true, as did Montague Summers, in order to find The Vampire in Europe a fascinating study of folklore.
896 The Vampire in Europe, by Montague Summers (read 2 Apr 1967) While this book is just a mishmash of stories and references to vampires, it is said that some of Montague Summers' stuff is better. He was born in 1880 and died 10 Aug 1948. He may have actually been ordained a priest. He was an authority on the Gothic novel. His 1938 book, The Gothic Quest, reportedly is the best book on the Gothic novel. He edited new editions of Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, Charlotte Dacre's Zofloyo, or The Moor, Flamenberg's The Necromancer, and the Marquis of Grosse's Horrid Mysteries. I would like to locate his book The Gothic Quest. [This was written when I had a great interest in the classic Gothic novels--that interest waned after I waded through The Mysteries of Udolpho in April of 1969.] ( )
"Throughout the whole vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet [looked upon] with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both." So begins this riveting study by one of the foremost authorities on witchcraft and occult phenomena. An indefatigable researcher, Summers explores the presence of vampires in Greek and Roman lore, in England and Ireland during Anglo-Saxon times, in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria, even in modern Greece. More than just a collection of library lore, however, this detailed examination of the history of vampirism in Europe also includes anecdotes and firsthand accounts gathered by the author from peasants in places where belief in vampires was still common. A fascinating, sometimes terrifying book, The Vampire in Lore and Legend is a "mine of out-of-the-way information full of unspeakable tales," writes The New York Times; and according to Outlook, "a fascinating inquiry into the vampire legend . . . a storehouse of curious and interesting lore." Of great interest to any enthusiast of the supernatural and the occult, this book will appeal as well to the legions of general readers captivated by this ancient myth.
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(3.55)
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It is important to realize, before reading his works, that Summers is not merely interested in the vampire as a legend. "That a large number of cases of vampirism must be accounted certain only the most prejudiced will deny," he writes in his introduction. He was ordained a deacon in the Church of England and shortly thereafter converted to Catholicism and began writing about the occult from a Catholic (if unorthodox) perspective. In addition to The Vampire: His Kith and Kin and The Vampire in Europe, he published two books on witchcraft, as well as the first English translation of the Malleus Maleficarum (1928), and The Werewolf (1933, republished by Dover as The Werewolf in Lore and Legend). He believed that such creatures were the work of the devil and strongly advocated the reinstatement of the death penalty for witches.
The Vampire in Europe is meticulously researched, including hundreds of footnotes and quoted passages (most given without English translations, which is downright frustrating for a reader not familiar with Latin, German, Italian, and several versions of Greek). Despite this fact (or perhaps because of it), the book often reads like the ravings of a mad professor. Summers includes unsubstantiated anecdotes, long passages of translation, and even an entire chapter of Varney the Vampire, whenever it seems to occur to him and not in any sort of organized fashion. He rambles from one example to another until the reader loses track of the subject, with some material so off-topic that it seems suited for entirely different chapters, and ends abruptly without much of an attempt to die the disparate legends together.
Still, if one can manage to plod through the more awkward parts of Summers's writing style, The Vampire in Europe is an abundant resource for those interested in the Occult, European folklore, or the history of vampire legends. Lovers of vampire fiction should read this book, as well as The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (especially the last chapter, "The Vampire in Literature"), to learn about the vampire legend before he became the star of the paranormal romances flooding the market today-and writers, to pick up ideas for how to make your vampires stand out from the crowd. (Did you know, for example, that according to some Eastern European legends a human can protect themselves by tossing a hawthorn branch or spilling grain, which the vampire will be compelled to pick up and thus forget his prey?) One need not believe it all true, as did Montague Summers, in order to find The Vampire in Europe a fascinating study of folklore.
http://www.helium.com/items/1483879-montague-summers-the-vampire-in-europe (