William of Newburgh

William of Newburgh, England can be attributed to most of the accounts of vampire documented during the 11^th century. He was born in a secluded place in Yorkshire. He went to an Augustinian Priory at a young age where he stayed for a very long time until he died.

William of Newburgh and His Study of Vampires

William of Newburgh is well known for “Historia Rerum Angelicarum” a detailed historical account of England’s history from 1066-1198. Apparently he managed to write the book before his death on 1198. He has a very keen attention to details and was careful not to include any misleading information especially mythological facts on his works such as the performance mounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the legends of King Arthur. He described it as “impudent & shameless lies”.

He also stated in his book that he has heard so many stories of a restless spirit, that if he would include all of it in his book, the reader would grow weary. But still he decided to write some of them as a warning sign to those people who were living a life full of sin. William of Newburgh also said that some accounts of these eerie stories might be hard to believe like the rising of dead from its grave, feed on humans and attack them. He claimed that no other type of incident can be found in older histories, which he blames on a confined access to knowledge and information.

Furthermore, William of Newburgh never mentioned the word ‘vampire” since that term has not yet come to existence on that year. Nonetheless, he still used the word “sanguisuga” a Latin term which means bloodsuckers.

A Complete Guide on the Shadowman

There have been various reports of sightings of a shadowman. It appears like a silhouette of a human seen on the rear eye view. They have been a part of the folklores of different countries all over the world. They are sometimes referred to as shadow figure, black mass, or shadow being. Old legends, religious beliefs all referred to this mysterious being. They have been staples of horror stories and folklores.

The History of the Shadowman

Shadowman |adriannesquick via pixabay

In US, the belief about the shadow people was popularized through a radio talk show. During the radio broadcast, listeners submitted their drawings of the Shadowman. Each drawing depicts their encounter with the mysterious creature. Most of these drawings were online. In most cases, they illustrated them as silhouettes with the shape of the human.

What it Does

Some people reported having trouble in breathing. They claimed that the Shadowman is jumping on their chest. This experience is similar with sleep paralysis. It is also believed that they may be alien creatures. You can repel this creature in various manners. This includes invoking the name of Jesus or other religious entity.

Depending on the country, a shadowman might appear as a malevolent spirit, a restless soul or a guide of the soul to the netherworld. This entity became an inspiration to some of the fiction stories like the twilight zone and The Eye. But there are also stories that tell that the creature is not malevolent. They are also linked with the apparitional experience.

Faceless Creature?

Shadowman is as a man wearing a black coat and a wide tap hat. There were also incidents where it has a blurred image of a man wearing dark clothing. But in every event, the face cannot be distinguished. It seems like their facial features were completely covered with dark images.

There is a shadowman that attacks people. In some cases they suck the life out of their victims. There are also cases that they were a ghost. It can be a ghost of a dearly departed warning his loved ones that something unfortunate will happen soon. It can be a ghost of anyone who has an unfinished business in the walking life, which is why he cannot leave. Once the face of a ghost is beyond recognizable, people have already forgotten his or her identity.

It is also sometime called as “The Hat Man”. The Hat Man found delight in scaring and frightening people. People suffering from methamphetamine addiction reported seeing the Shadowman. They claimed that they encountered the creature after many nights of sleep deprivation. Encounter with these creatures are to paranormal experiences. Accounts about this creature dates back to the early human civilization. Stories about them became the topic of popular novels, movies, and TV series.

Keres

Ker (singular of Keres) was said to be the vampiric spirit of the deceased person. She was able to escape the funeral jar where she was buried. She has horrible face, wearing red robe to cover her dark skin. They also have wings coloured black and white nails and fangs. They are daughters of Nyx. Their Latin name is Tenebrae. This refers to ‘Darkness’.

A Quick Look at the Vampiric Creature Keres

Keres |Kromespawn via Deviantart

The Keres are also under the strict control of the Fates, where they kill only those people who are permitted to kill. They have the ability to unleash a horrifying scream, which is believed to be the signal of their hunt. They will then dive down on the battle field and feed on the blood of the dying warrior. The souls of those warriors are also taken away from their bodies. These vengeful spirits are also known to spread diseases and take control of the body of a warrior during a battle. Legends say that the Olympian Gods and Goddesses would stand guard on the battle field to keep away the vampiric creature from their favorite warrior.

 

Description of Keres

Based on the story, Keres is described as a dark creature. They have claws and rasping teeth and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. They can often be found on battle ground. Their often victim would be the wounded soldiers and dying warriors. This is perhaps the reason why they are called the Goddess of Death.

Since they are harbinger of death, they are also associated with Cerberus. While it may not be mentioned in the myth; Achlys may also be a Keres. They are sister of Moirai. They will first rip the soul of human before they feasted on their blood. Most of the time, they are bound by fate. They do not control fate. However, due to their desire for human blood, they can cause death. Just like the vampire, they can also cause plague.

Ker may be associated with the Valkyrie of death. Both of them will fly during battle. They also determine those who will be slain. However, compared to the Keres, they do not desire human blood. They are benevolent creatures compared to Ker that are malevolent.

How to Destroy Ker

To keep away the Keres from someone’s house, a tar was usually painted on the door way. They said that if it enters a house with a painted tar, the tar would stick on their body. The Ker would be trapped on the door way. Destroying this vampiric creature involves chanting incantations and performing rituals.

In the Iliad of Homer, a three day ritual was performed on March 4 in honor of the keres and to prevent them from attacking. The ritual was called Anthesteria.