La Patasola. Chances are when you think of vampires you’ll think of Louis and Claudia, Abigail, the Anointed One, or any of the other fanged creatures-of-the-night that populate modern culture, including Mara and Ash from Bleeding Heart. The vampires we’re familiar with are (generally) human looking, powerful, often charismatic and attractive, with a thirst for blood and a dislike of stakes. But that wasn’t always the case. History and folklore are full of types of vampires that are nothing like what we’ve come to expect. Here are five examples… Glaistig A shapeshifting fairy spirit from the Scottish Highlands, the Glaistig (also known as Maighdean uaine, Ghlaistig uaine, and the Green Maiden/Lady) was said to lure men and drink their blood after cutting their throats. Glaistig could appear as a beautiful or monstrous woman, as a goat, or as a woman with goat legs disguised by a long green dress.
La Patasola La Patasola (the One-Legged Woman) is another vampiric woman that lures men to their doom. Glaistig. The Next 5 Vampires You May Not Have Heard Of. No-Bake Vampire Donuts. Halloween is only a few days away (already?!) And for those of us not trick-or-treating, parties are usually the alternative. But if you’re going to have a party, why not make it a dinner party? And if you’re going to have a dinner party, why not make it a vampire dinner party? Okay, a real vampire dinner party would probably consist of a bunch of defenceless humans on the menu and not much else. Luckily, authenticity is not the goal here. Tips: Your food choices can be as easy as regular recipes given creepy names (“worms with blood sauce” for spaghetti, for example).
Here are some recipes you can try: Appetizers Pureed Borscht Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Jam Eyeball Devilled Eggs Roasted Garlic Crostini with Assorted Toppings Sides Persian Salad with Pomegranate Tomato Kabobs Easy Coconut Rice (“Maggots”) Plain Chow Mein (“Worms”) Mains Rigatoni Pasta and Tomato Sauce Lentils with Tomatoes (if you used a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh, you get a good “bloody” look). General Tso’s Tofu Drinks. Tokyo's Vampire Cafe. Have plans to visit Tokyo? Why not meet some of the local vampires while you’re there! Okay, maybe the Vampire Cafe is more hokey than horror, but if you’re in a gothic mood, this place delivers. And you can’t deny they go all-in on the theme: red and black decor, skulls and candles, blood-red drinks, coffin-shaped foods, waitresses in French maid outfits… Yeah, maybe just ignore that last bit. The Cafe (located in the Ginza district of the city) offers Italian cuisine and set courses “for first time customers.”
There’s also a theatrical flair to the experience. There’s a 550 yen cover charge (although if I’m not mistaken, it’s waived if you get the set course). Vampire Cafe Lape Building, 6-7-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Nearest Stations: Ginza Subway Station, Exit B3, 3-minute walk; Shimbashi JR Station, 7-minute walk.) Phone: 03-3289-5360 Can’t get enough vampires? Have you been to Tokyo’s Vampire Cafe? Cheers, Aspasía S. Love Lies Bleeding. Happy World Dracula Day! It’s been 129 years since Bram Stoker published his magnum opus, and the world is yet to get bored of this story, or the character it’s named after. It’s been a while since I’ve posted about vampire art, so I decided to look for art featuring one specific vampire. We usually see Dracula as adversary– let’s take a look at him as muse. Dracula by Edward Gorey Dracula by Leon Mateus Dracula by Esoterica Art Agency I’m not sure why this isn’t credited to a specific artist, but it dates to 2015, so at least it was created by an actual human, and not AI.
The Kiss by Olivia de Bernardinis Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Hannah Gillingham Dracula by Vlad Soltan Dracula by Andy Warhol How Do You Eat Pez by Tyler Wolf Dracula by Julien Cuny Dracula BC by Jim Moir Dracula – A View of Horror by Greg Hildebrandt Count Dracula by Frank Frazetta And last, my personal favourite… Count Catula by Vlad Gheneli Which artwork is your favourite? Cheers, Aspasía S. Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart Blood Magic. Remember when the internet was fun? I’m thinking way back to the days of Friendster and Livejournal, back when you’d friend people instead of follow them. We’d write about whatever was going on in our lives, share photos, and do silly quizzes. I miss that. So, in the spirit of the days before endless ads, algorithms, and rage bait (among everything else contributing to the enshittification of the internet), let’s take a few silly, goth-themed quizzes… What Kind of Vampire Are You?
Take the Quiz My result: Southern Gothic. (“Charismatic demeanour” Ha!) What Kind of Witch Are You? Take the Quiz My Result: Moon Witch. (I do like the moon 🌖) What Kind of Goth Are You? Take the Quiz My Result: Traditional Goth. (Am I old school, or just old?) What kind of books does a Southern Gothic-vampire moon-witch trad-goth write? Did you take any of the quizzes? Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart Blood Magic Tooth & Claw (Links take you to all available stores. Cheers, Aspasía S. Peuchen.
Chances are when you think of vampires you’ll think of Dracula, Blade, Angel, or any of the fanged creatures-of-the-night that populate modern culture, including Mara from Love Lies Bleeding. The vampires we’re familiar with are (generally) human looking, powerful, often charismatic and attractive, with a thirst for blood and a dislike of stakes. But that wasn’t always the case.
History and folklore are full of vampires that are nothing like what we’ve come to expect. Here are five examples… Lamaštu (or Lamashtu) Depicted as having a lion’s head, donkey’s teeth, bare breasts, a hairy body, bloodstained hands with long fingers and nails, and taloned bird’s feet, Lamaštu was an evil Goddess of ancient Mesopotamia who preyed on newborns and fetuses in order to suck their blood (among other things). Riri Yaka In the Sinhalese culture of Sri Lanka, the Riri Yaka, or “Blood Demon” has an eternal thirst for blood.
Penanggalan Lamia Peuchen Can’t get enough vampires? Cheers, Aspasía S. Bleeding Heart. Lamia. Penanggalan. Riri Yaka. Lamastu/Lamashtu. If I weren’t involved with books or publishing, I’d be a decorator/interior designer (not sure I have the artistic skills for it, but I would try). I love putting a room together and my tastes are highly eclectic–everything from Gothic Revival and Art Nouveau to Amélie’s apartment and the Gryffindor common room. I’m drawn to spaces that are comfortable, warm, colourful, and with some whimsy. In my own home, most rooms need to include books too. Minimalism? No thanks. (The only books for my donate pile are the ones that tell me to get rid of my other books.) I thought I’d share some pictures of home libraries I find inspiring. I love the cozy feel of Vita Sackville-West’s library.
Bookcase art, flowers, and comfy couch inspiration here: Floor-to-ceiling books and an old-fashioned library ladder–these are my goals. So many books… This is just the definition of cozy. Happy colours, orchids, and built-in shelves. Cozy and comfortable. Everything about this. Can’t get enough books? *Blood Magic. Mara. As we head into the holiday season, it seems like a good time to post something fun. I snagged this from A.M. Molvik’s Ramblings. Feel free to share on your own blog (leave me a comment to let me know if you do).
Enjoy… 1. Unfortunately, yes. 2. James Joyce. 3. This is a bizarre question, like asking someone to choose between ice cream or a painting of Elvis on black velvet. I’m going with Harry Potter, but since HP needs no defending, here are 3 reasons why everyone should forget about Twilight already: 1. 2. 3. UPDATE: My opinion on Twilight hasn’t changed, but my opinion of Harry Potter sure has, thanks to JK Rowling’s horrible anti-trans rantings. 4. If I bring a book along, I usually just hold it (unless it’s small enough to fit in my purse). 5. Not really; I think I’m immune to book smell. UPDATE: I finally get book smell! 6. Illustrations are always fun, but not necessary. 7. A lot of books I read as a kid. 8. The really funny part might be that I still have it. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 30 November: Night of the Vampires. 30 November is the Feast Day of Saint Andrew, which is generally associated with winter festivals, school holidays, divination, and religious ceremonies.
In Romania, the day is also associated with vampires and other malevolent forces. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Romania (and elsewhere), and his day there is both honoured and feared. It marks the beginning of winter, and because of the saint’s association with wolves, there’s a belief that wolves are particularly strong and bloodthirsty on this night. Another belief is that the veil between life and death is thin on 30 November, and the spirits of the dead can slip into this world. To protect themselves, people use garlic (something else associated with St. In the cities, where people tend to be a little more cynical, the “night of the vampires” (the 29th to the 30th), is treated similarly to Hallowe’en (in fact, St, Andrew’s Eve is sometimes called the Romanian Hallowe’en), and is spent at parties.
Love Lies Bleeding Bleeding Heart. §. Another tag snagged from the lovely blog A.M. Molvik’s Ramblings If you’ve ever wondered about what it’s like to be a writer (or what I do), this post is for you. 1. What type of writing do you do? Over the years I’ve written pretty much everything, from magazine articles to poetry to blog posts to novels. 2. My writing is a mix of literary fiction, gothic fiction, and fantasy, with hints of horror and magical realism. 3. I started when I was about six and never really stopped (although there were a few long breaks). 4.
Yes! 5. The first story I wrote (when I was around six) was a tale of woe about a flower that doomed anyone (in this case, Mary, Queen of Scots, although I have no idea how I knew about her) who picked it. 6. I don’t feel I have much of a choice. 7. You find time for the things that are important to you. 8. For me, the best times are in the morning and late at night. 9. It used to be iced coffee; unfortunately I’ve had to cut it out. 10. Silence. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Happy World Dracula Day! Today we celebrate the anniversary of the first publication of Bram Stoker’s vampire standard Dracula. And how better to celebrate than by sharing some of my favourite versions of the classic character? I have to start with the original, Stoker’s Count. Although Stoker wasn’t the first to write about vampires, his character (and book) started an ongoing obsession with vampires, inspiring countless variations over the decades, including dozens of versions of Dracula alone.
Many of what we now consider essential characteristics of vampires: aversion to sunlight and garlic, lack of reflection, supernatural powers, vulnerable to a stake through the heart–all came from Dracula. A few have been discarded over the years too–how many modern vampires have hairy palms or need to keep the soil of their homeland handy? Nosferatu is an early, unauthorized, movie based on Dracula. Here’s the entire scene if you want some context: What’s your favourite version of Dracula? (4405) “True” Stories of REAL Life VAMPIRE SLAYINGS. From the start, women writers have had to endure an unending slew of sexist attitudes and commentary. Pick a writer and she’ll tell you about comments claiming women aren’t serious writers, that they don’t write “important” works, and aren’t worthy of awards or acclaim. Women writers can tell you about how there is a constant assumption that they must write romance or “chick lit,” that they don’t write anything a man would want to read, that they can’t write certain genres, or that women’s fiction is fluffy and sentimental.
We can tell you about how we’re questioned in a way male authors never are about work-life balance, how we can possibly work and take care of our children and homes and partners. The list goes on. And when we dare complain about any of it, we’re accused of being “whiny” and “privileged.” On this International Women’s Day, I’m sharing a few of the sexist remarks said to, or of, women authors: Sci-fi author Gérard Klein about Ursula K. Author V.S. N.S. Find Out More: