Using garlic against vampires

Congratulations, humans, you've gotten something right...in a manner of speaking.

You impressed me, for a moment. I thought that you understood the correct correlation between blood drinkers and garlic because "In almost all vampire literature and movies, garlic is used by peasants to ward off vampires" (Gresh 135). "Myth has it that" vampires "abhor...garlic", and "in vampire lore, garlic has always played the role of protector"(Renoux 30-1). Garlic draped on transoms is used to keep vampires outside the home. Garlic necklaces protect the wearer, and a diet heavy in garlic discourages vampire attacks. This is (nearly) true.

I know better than to claim that all vampires maintain a disgust for garlic, for it is most certainly incorrect in some cases. Claudia Varrin says that the "garlic myth is a huge joke among modern vampires, it makes them double over laughing at us, the silly humans who wear garlic as protection against vampire attacks. Garlic does not ward off vampires but it does make potential victims easier for the vampire to smell. And, after the vampire has fed,...the garlic makes for a nice marinade for humans" (229). I do not know what sources for vampircal knowledge Varrin has, but in my experience most vampires prefer to avoid garlic.

So, I believed humans understood the 'power' of garlic until I investigated further.

Again, I stumbled into the dark recesses of human ignorance in the claim that vampires have "some form of an allergy ... to the chemical composition of garlic...like the fatal reaction that some humans have to the sting of a bee" (Liberty 147). But fear not, it gets worse. In the book, Vampire State Building there is an entire chapter devoted to the idea that "if a vampire eats garlic it [the vampire] shrivels up" (Levy 45). I must agree with Varrin at this point, how ridiculous!

Vampires are not inherently allergic to garlic. Can you imagine a vampire that is allergic to garlic, sunlight, silver, iron, holy water, crucifixes...that poor creature would need to exist solely within a bubble. No, there is no universal allergy. Neither is garlic successful at warding off a vampire because, "garlic, being a blood purifier, is harmful or fatal to most of the world's many species of vampire" (Maberry 45). Why wouldn't a vampire want pure blood?

The reason for garlic avoidance is simple: Garlic reeks. Perhaps the vampiric nose is more sensitive than that of the human, but I hardly think that you could be oblivious to the potent odor of garlic.

If you've ever been around someone who ate a meal heavily seasoned with garlic...you already know that allicin (the most important active ingredient in garlic) shows up on the breath and in the sweat glands for quite some time after the garlic has been eaten (Greer 50).

Personally, I find the scent revolting. Would it stop me from eating?--absolutely not. But if given the choice, I would always prefer a meal that is not laden with garlic.

Think (but only briefly, lest I get angry) of vampires as rather large mosquitoes, which by the way, are also repelled by garlic. A mosquito is less likely to drink your blood if you smell repulsive--obviously, you know this, because humans make mosquito repellent from very smelly liquids. And the same is true for vampires. But no matter your scent, don't assume you are safe from the nibble of a hungry blood drinker. If a mosquito will still bite even when you are slathered in repellent, then why wouldn't a vampire just hold his/her nose and drink quickly?

Sciao,
Ana


Read more about mosquitoes and garlic.
Sources:
Greer, John Michael. Monsters. 50.

Gresh, Lois H. The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series. P 135.

Renoux, Victoria. For the Love of Garlic.

Levy, Elizabeth & Sally Wern Comport. Vampire State Building. P 45.

Liberty. Dark Revenge. 147.

Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe. P 45.

Varrin, Claudia. Female Dominance. P 229.

Vampires' aversions to metals

Silver amulets protect individuals against vampires, right? Well...

In the television show True Blood vampires are severely allergic to silver--so much so that it burns their skin and even small chains can immobilize the vampire. Is there any truth behind the silver allergy or is this just a myth?

According to Rosalyn Green, "Silver is one of the few metals that is assigned spiritual qualities." She maintains that the "etheric counterpart of silver can injure etheric forms, while merely physical bullets can pass right through" (Magic of Shapeshifting, 105). In other words, silver harms the vampirical essence that resides within the reanimated corpse. Holding to this idea, if a bullet or stake were fashioned out of silver, then the silver should render the vampire powerless and the bullet or stake should kill the body.

Paul Barber cites Wlislocki in the claim that

In fiction, a vampire may be killed with a gun, but only if the bullet is silver. In folklore, guns may either kill or scare away vampires and revenants, even without silver bullets. One account by a Serbian immigrant states that a silver coin with a cross on it could, if broken into four pieces and loaded into a shotgun shell, be used to kill a vampire (Folklore Archives, UC Berkeley)

Silver is assigned a magical property. It represents purity and healing. Silver amulets and coffin nails are reported to prevent evil from rising out of the grave. Would a silver bullet kill a vampire? Perhaps, but no more easily than any other bullet.

Silver "is certainly not the only substance thought to have magical efficacy against the vampire--iron, for example, is often cited as well" (McClelland, Bruce. Slayers & Their Vampires). "Surprisingly, silver was not as traditional a protective metal as supposed in popular fiction - iron was the material of choice. Iron shavings were placed beneath a child's cradle, a necklace with an iron nail was worn, and other iron objects were placed strategically around the place needing protection" (Whyte, Lesa. Vampire).

According to Pliny in his Natural History, "iron has valuable attributes as a preservative against harmful witchcrafts and sorceries", and consequently "iron and steel are traditional charms against malevolent spirits and goblins" (Sacred Texts). Around the world, iron is assigned magical properties that far extend the power of silver in more modern myth. From Japan to Westphalia, and from Ireland to Egypt iron has the ability to ward off evil spirits. Theories about the origins of such myths include disparity of ages (evil was ancient, hence from the stoneage, while iron was a new metal and therefore superior to the weapons of the evil creature) and its relation to primitive surgery. You can read more folklore surrounding iron and its magical properties in Sacred Texts.

Now, the question is: does silver or iron harm vampires? Are vampires allergic to either/both? Far be it from me to reveal vampiric secrets or dispel your protective myths completely, but do your research before you charge after a vampire with a silver crucifix, hoping that it will save you.

Senebti,
Ana