WEBVTT - The Monstrefact Omnibus: Vampires

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and this is the

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<v Speaker 2>Monster Fact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow

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<v Speaker 2>Your Mind, focusing in non mythical creatures, ideas and monsters.

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<v Speaker 2>In time, I have a special omnibus episode for you

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<v Speaker 2>this week, once more, collecting four past episodes, this time

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<v Speaker 2>regarding vampires upbursts. Let's consider a possible Irish origin for

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<v Speaker 2>Count Dracula. Count Dracula was Irish, or at least that's

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<v Speaker 2>the case made by various historians and folklors. Now certainly

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<v Speaker 2>to be sure, the eighteen ninety seven novel Dracula places

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<v Speaker 2>the character's origins firmly in Transylvania, famously draws on the

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<v Speaker 2>legacy of historical fifteenth century Wallachian ruler Vlad the Impaler.

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<v Speaker 2>But on the other hand, Dracula's author, Bron Stoker, was

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<v Speaker 2>himself an Irishman. As pointed out by Celtic historian Bob

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<v Speaker 2>Curran in was Dracula an Irishmen published in the Journal

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<v Speaker 2>History Ireland in two thousand. Stoker never visited Eastern Europe,

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<v Speaker 2>but he certainly would have been exposed to various Irish

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<v Speaker 2>legends of evil blood drinking kings and chieftains, including tales

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<v Speaker 2>of Irish vampire king Aertuck. As is often the case

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<v Speaker 2>with such tales, the details of our Tuck's evil varies

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<v Speaker 2>from telling to telling. It may be more accurate to

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<v Speaker 2>think of him as a tribal chieftain rather than a king.

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<v Speaker 2>He would have reigned in the fifth or sixth century

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<v Speaker 2>CE in the district of Glenullin in Northern Ireland. He

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<v Speaker 2>is often described as a dwarf, or as possessing a

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<v Speaker 2>physical deformity that sets him apart from other men. He

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<v Speaker 2>was also a powerful and evil wizard, so when life

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<v Speaker 2>finally managed to kill him, undeath was the natural next step.

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<v Speaker 2>Some accounts say that Aurtuk fell to his death while

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<v Speaker 2>jealously creeping about the ledges of his castle's towers, trying

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<v Speaker 2>to spy and his own wife. In other accounts, his

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<v Speaker 2>people were so terrified of the chieftain's evil that they

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<v Speaker 2>convinced or hired a rival chieftain, Kathan, to assassinate him.

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<v Speaker 2>Either way, once dead, his people buried Aartuk upright in

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<v Speaker 2>his grave, as was befitting a man of his rank.

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<v Speaker 2>But you know what happened next, Aurtuk returned from the grave,

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<v Speaker 2>and with a thirst for blood, he demanded his people

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<v Speaker 2>bleed for him, filling a great drinking bowl. Horrified by

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<v Speaker 2>his return, Aurtuk's people had him murdered or re murdered,

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<v Speaker 2>depending on the telling by a hero, rival or assassin.

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<v Speaker 2>They buried him, and once more he returned for blood.

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<v Speaker 2>This cycle repeated itself, and finally the would be slayer

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<v Speaker 2>consulted with a local druid or priest and learned the

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<v Speaker 2>secret of what must be done to keep Auertuck dead. First,

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<v Speaker 2>skewer the undead creature's heart with a u wood sword,

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<v Speaker 2>then bury them upside down in the grave, head toward hell,

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<v Speaker 2>and cap the grave with thorns, ash twigs, and a

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<v Speaker 2>great stone. And so it was done. But if the

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<v Speaker 2>stone were ever removed, we are told this blood drinking dwarf,

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<v Speaker 2>more than a millennium dead, would once more rise to

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<v Speaker 2>quench his evil thirst. As Karan explains in his article,

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<v Speaker 2>there are other tales of Irish vampires, and several stand

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<v Speaker 2>out tales involve blood drinking nobles. Uniquely Irish spins on

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<v Speaker 2>the global vampire myth often entail the mixture of blood

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<v Speaker 2>and oats, a reference to famine air are recipes, as

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<v Speaker 2>well as traditional Celtic venerations of the dead. These various

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<v Speaker 2>tales would have likely been known to Bromstoker, infusing his

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<v Speaker 2>iconic vampire lord with Irish traditions of the undead. Even

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<v Speaker 2>the name Dracula calls to mind the Irish word dracola,

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<v Speaker 2>which means bad or tainted blood. Now let's turn to

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<v Speaker 2>the world of video games and one of the more

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<v Speaker 2>popular vampires to emerge from that realm in recent years.

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<v Speaker 2>In the twenty twenty one Capcom survival horror video game

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<v Speaker 2>Resident Evil Village, the character Ethan Winters finds himself beset

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<v Speaker 2>by werewolves, vampires, and other creatures of darkness in an

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<v Speaker 2>unnamed Eastern European rural location. Particular village is governed by

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<v Speaker 2>four lords, but the most impressive of these strange rulers

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<v Speaker 2>is Lady Dimitrescu of Castle Dimitrescu. Her lordship might otherwise

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<v Speaker 2>be mistaken for any other Gothic fem fatale figure, resplendent

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<v Speaker 2>with classic vampiric qualities and a stylish ensemble, but she

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<v Speaker 2>also stands well over nine feet tall and is forced

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<v Speaker 2>to duck as she moves through doorways in her otherwise

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<v Speaker 2>high ceilinged castle. While she often employs brute giant strength

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<v Speaker 2>and dispatching her enemies, she can also manifest scimitar like

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<v Speaker 2>claws to cut them limb from limb. She is arrogant

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<v Speaker 2>in vain, but also highly protective of her three vampiric daughters.

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<v Speaker 2>The character has proven highly popular, quickly joining the likes

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<v Speaker 2>of pyramid Head and Nemesis in the pantheon of great

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<v Speaker 2>memorable horror video game monsters. In dissecting the influences that

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<v Speaker 2>brought this character together, we of course have to give

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<v Speaker 2>a proper nod to both Dracula and Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

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<v Speaker 2>But many commentators have also pointed to the modern Japanese

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<v Speaker 2>yuri or yokai known as Miss eight foot Tall or

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<v Speaker 2>Hashaku Sama, who is depicted in a wide brimmed hat,

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<v Speaker 2>much like the Lady Demetrescu. According to Haiki Issohani in

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<v Speaker 2>a twenty eighteen thesis paper titled Mythology Marches to Modernity

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<v Speaker 2>Yokai in contemporary Japan, this spirit seems to have originated

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<v Speaker 2>in a Japanese internet forum in two thousand and eight. However,

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<v Speaker 2>the author stresses that Hasakusama's origins might actually extend back

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<v Speaker 2>much further to an older yokai named taka Ona literally

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<v Speaker 2>tall Woman, briefly mentioned in the Illustrated Night Parade of

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<v Speaker 2>one Hundred Demons, published in seventeen seventy six. However, the

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<v Speaker 2>idea of a fearsome giantess is far older than any

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<v Speaker 2>of these exams. Some variations of the Irish and Scottish

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<v Speaker 2>winter Hag and deity Kiligak are described as a giant

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<v Speaker 2>test and she is credited with kidnapping the spirit of Summer.

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<v Speaker 2>Other legendary hags are also given giant proportions from time

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<v Speaker 2>to time, including the Baba Yaga. There's also Zunuqua of

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<v Speaker 2>the Quakutel people of British Columbia, who hunts the children

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<v Speaker 2>of Man. Multiple giant testes of varying temperaments can be

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<v Speaker 2>found in Norse mythology, and these are often described as

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<v Speaker 2>beautiful to behold, and in Hindu traditions, the demon giant

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<v Speaker 2>tests Putana attempts to kill the infant Krishna by taking

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<v Speaker 2>on a human appearance and breastfeeding him poisoned milk baby Krishna, however,

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<v Speaker 2>turns the tables on the demon by draining her of

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<v Speaker 2>all her milk and her life essence. Suffice to say,

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<v Speaker 2>Lady Demetrescu is but the latest in a long line

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<v Speaker 2>of an intriguing fictional giantesses employed to express varying ideas

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<v Speaker 2>about feminine power. Her ancestors run the gamut of hads, demons, heroes,

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<v Speaker 2>and goddesses. Now let us consider a vampire from Chinese folklore,

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<v Speaker 2>the Jiangshi. Imagine yourself out on the road, so frustratingly

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<v Speaker 2>close to the walls of the city you've been traveling too,

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<v Speaker 2>and yet night is falling, the mist is rolling in,

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<v Speaker 2>and then up ahead you see several figures in the gloom,

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<v Speaker 2>fellow travelers, a patrol of guards from the city. You

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<v Speaker 2>entertain the possibility that they are bandits, and then they

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<v Speaker 2>do something quite unnatural. They hop like a creature whose

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<v Speaker 2>legs are bound or stiff with rigamortis, or perhaps even

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<v Speaker 2>forgetfull of proper bipedal locomotion, and forced to lunge itself

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<v Speaker 2>forward through physical space like a great writhing worm. The

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<v Speaker 2>creatures hop and hop again, ever closer to you, and

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<v Speaker 2>as they get closer you see that they are undead horrors,

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<v Speaker 2>dressed in robes from the Ching dynasty, decayed corpses, burning

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<v Speaker 2>with unnatural life. As they hop they reach out towards

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<v Speaker 2>you with elongated fingernails, they gasp with bloody fang toothed jaws,

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<v Speaker 2>and if they catch you, they will drain every last

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<v Speaker 2>ounce of precious chi from your body. In some ways

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<v Speaker 2>relatable to Western concepts of the zombie and the vampire,

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<v Speaker 2>this is the jiang shi. And while Chinese mythology and

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<v Speaker 2>focal or is filled with various ghosts and monsters, this

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<v Speaker 2>particular horror seems to emerge from a Qing dynasty crisis

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<v Speaker 2>concerning the burial of the dead. According to the Afterlife Corpses,

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<v Speaker 2>A Social History of Unburied dead Bodies in Chengina sixteen

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<v Speaker 2>forty four through nineteen eleven by historian Johi Su, numerous

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<v Speaker 2>records from the eighteenth to nineteenth century discussed the problem

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<v Speaker 2>of unburied bodies left upon the ground without proper burial.

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<v Speaker 2>These were not exclusively the victims of war, famine, or

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<v Speaker 2>disaster either. They were seemingly, for the most part, individuals

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<v Speaker 2>who simply had no permanent grave. This Sioux rites was

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<v Speaker 2>due to changing socioeconomic structure and the resulting imbalance between

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<v Speaker 2>population and arable land. A family would need to secure

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<v Speaker 2>claim to the land in order to bury deceased loved ones.

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<v Speaker 2>If a grave could not be obtained, they were left

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<v Speaker 2>out and often abandoned or lost. While jong Yan was

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<v Speaker 2>the region most impacted by this, it became an empire

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<v Speaker 2>wide crisis because it wasn't just about the dead, but

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<v Speaker 2>a perceived cultural decline in funeral custom and even devotion

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<v Speaker 2>to one's ancestors. While solutions finally emerged, such as public

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<v Speaker 2>cemeteries and coffin homes, the specter of the jiangxi remained

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<v Speaker 2>in the Chinese imagination, a specter of the abandoned and

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<v Speaker 2>vengeful dead. These beliefs, along with other records Sue writes quote,

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<v Speaker 2>demonstrate unburied dead bodies as highly abnormal and deeply problematic,

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<v Speaker 2>representing a dysfunctional aspect of popular death custom. Jiangxi famously

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<v Speaker 2>play a role in an entire subgenre of Chinese supernatural

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<v Speaker 2>horror and comedy films, including nineteen eighty five's Mister Vampire,

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<v Speaker 2>which we watched on Weird House Cinema last year. They're

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<v Speaker 2>also now featured in Dungeons and Dragons, listed in twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty one's Van Richton's Guide to Ravenloft as a challenge

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<v Speaker 2>level nine monster capable of changing shape and of course,

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<v Speaker 2>draining the energy of its victims. While sometimes played for comedy,

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<v Speaker 2>there is a deep and unnatural horror to the Jangshi,

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<v Speaker 2>and it absolutely demands a place in your nightmares and

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<v Speaker 2>at your gaming table. Finally, let's discuss a particular vampire

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<v Speaker 2>from the world of Doom and Stoner Rock. The two

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<v Speaker 2>thousand and seven track The Satanic Rites of Drugula by

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<v Speaker 2>Electric Wizard paints exactly the sort of picture you might

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<v Speaker 2>expect from this horror obsessed doom metal in Stoner Rock mainstay.

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<v Speaker 2>While the vampires of old thirsted only for human blood,

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<v Speaker 2>the lyrics to this song speak of quote dope laced

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<v Speaker 2>blood that has only served to introduce the vampiric hordes

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<v Speaker 2>and its dark prints to new hives. Now, we are

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<v Speaker 2>not here to question the wisdom of these lyrics, but

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<v Speaker 2>we might well wonder how this dark tale of dope

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<v Speaker 2>smoke matches up to the realities of the natural world. Now. Historically,

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<v Speaker 2>the concept of blood drinking monsters being in any way

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<v Speaker 2>drawn to cannabis is interesting in part because of cannabis's

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<v Speaker 2>historical associations with the treatment and prevention of parasites. In

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<v Speaker 2>the medical use of cannabis among the Greeks and Romans

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<v Speaker 2>by James L. Buttrica, the author points to Greek writings

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<v Speaker 2>in which cannabis seeds were prescribed in the treatment of tapeworms.

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<v Speaker 2>Interestingly enough, fifth century CE Greek physician Atius described the

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<v Speaker 2>use of cannabis seeds as a means of drying up

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<v Speaker 2>the semen and preventing nocturnal emissions as well. Buttrica also

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<v Speaker 2>writes that an ancient Greek work on far a test

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<v Speaker 2>to the use of cannabis is a deterrent to blood

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<v Speaker 2>drinking mosquitoes. By spreading cannabis below your bed or leaving

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<v Speaker 2>a quote blooming sprig of fresh cannabis by your bedside,

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<v Speaker 2>your blood might be protected from the nefarious thirst of mosquitoes.

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<v Speaker 2>Now why these notions don't sound encouraging for Count Drugula

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<v Speaker 2>and his spawn. It's also worth noting that the Greek

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<v Speaker 2>physician Galen wrote of the alleged blood purifying properties of

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<v Speaker 2>cannabis seeds, and that sounds like something of interest to

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<v Speaker 2>the vampiric children of the night. The study of bat

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<v Speaker 2>biology offers few answers, but it's worth considering that common

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<v Speaker 2>vampire bats do not learn taste diversions, as explored by

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<v Speaker 2>Ratcliffe at all. In a two thousand and three study

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<v Speaker 2>in animal behavior, the bats did not seem to quote

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<v Speaker 2>learn to associate a novel flavor with averse gastro intestinal events.

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<v Speaker 2>In other words, they're not capable of associating the symptoms

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<v Speaker 2>caused by a toxic, spoiled, or poisonous substance with a

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<v Speaker 2>particular taste. On the other hand, they're certainly susceptible to

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<v Speaker 2>some of the effects of various human drugs, but with

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<v Speaker 2>these effects pass on through their blood to a parasitic

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<v Speaker 2>consumer well. Randal Monroe explored a similar topic on the

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<v Speaker 2>what iff website and found that a human being would

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<v Speaker 2>have to consume an absurd amount of human blood to

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<v Speaker 2>become drunk on the blood's alcohol content. We can apply

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<v Speaker 2>a similar line of thinking to other substances in the blood,

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<v Speaker 2>but that need not dissuade count drugula. After all, he

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<v Speaker 2>is clearly an immortal, undead being, and perhaps he does

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<v Speaker 2>consume the copious amounts of rockstone or blood required to

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<v Speaker 2>attain this level of high. But our story does not

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<v Speaker 2>end here. Perhaps Count Drugula would be interested to know

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<v Speaker 2>that a stroke medication dubbed draculin has been derived from

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<v Speaker 2>the anticoagulant protys of vampire bat saliva. Arise, Arise, Count

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<v Speaker 2>Drugula a Rise. Tune in for additional episodes of the

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<v Speaker 2>Monster Fact each week, and periodically we'll bust out an

0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:22.440
<v Speaker 2>omnibus episode to collect some related episodes of the Monster

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<v Speaker 2>Fact or even the Artifact. As always, you can email

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<v Speaker 2>us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,