The Blood-Drawing Ghost

The tale of the Blood-Drawing Ghost is a popular Irish vampire tale.  It was published in 1882 by Jeremiah Curtin.  The legend tells the story about a young woman named Kate.  Kate was one of the three women whom a rich man from the area of Cork County was choosing of marrying.  The three women were put to a test in order for the rich man to determine the worthy girl.

The rich man apparently places his cane at the grave of the person who recently died and challenged them to retrieve it back for him.  Out of the three women, Kate was the only one who accepted the challenge.

When she arrived at the gravesite, Kate encountered the dead man and forced her to take her to town.  During the time that the dead man was in town, he unleashed his terror and attack three men by drawing blood. The three men immediately died after.

The dead man then ordered Kate to prepare her oatmeal.  When the oatmeal was served, the dead man mixed the blood that he drew to the three victims.  He took a portion and devoured it and gave the remaining to Kate.  But Kate unknown to the dead man hid her portion.

The dead man was not aware that Kate refused to eat the oatmeal when he confided to her that eating the oatmeal could’ve bring the life of the three dead man back.  While on their way back to the gravesite, the dead man told Kate about a great deal of fortune that can be found in the nearby area.

The next day, the three men were found dead.  Kate offered a bargain to their parents, that she would bring the three men back to life if she could marry the oldest son and if the land with a buried treasure would be given to her.  But of course she didn’t tell the parents that she knew about the gold hidden on the field.  The parents agreed and Kate consumed the oatmeal with blood.  Immediately, the three men recovered from the attack of the vampire.

Kate dug up the treasure with her husband and became one of the richest couples on the land.  Their wealth has been passed to their children and grandchildren.