Aspen stake, holy water, garlic, and other anti-vampire remedies seem to have proven themselves for centuries. But what explains such a strange set of objects?
Biblical origins of vampires
Such an interesting area of pseudoscience as demonology, believes that the first vampire was the biblical character Cain, who killed his brother and was expelled from Paradise. To aggravate the situation, he was doomed to live forever in torment and suffering. Another version of the origin of vampires claims that the first wife of Adam, Lilith, became the ancestor of the blood-sucking ghouls. She, too, was expelled from Paradise for not being a very good wife. The theory that unites these versions says that it was Lilith who taught Cain to use the power of blood to transform other people into his likeness.
In the future, Cain created three vampires, and with their help the bloodsuckers multiplied and spread throughout the world, catching fear and horror on people. Some sources indicate that Cain, horrified by the actions of his offspring, unsuccessfully tried to stop them.
Humans have been looking for ways to fight vampires by referring to everything that personifies God. The most effective tools were recognized as the cross, sunlight, prayer and holy water. The Aspen stake did not immediately join this list.
Why aspen?
Aspen is known primarily as the tree from which Judas hanged himself. It is believed that he was branded with the mark of Cain for betrayal. Thus, a parallel is drawn between the death of a traitor and a weapon, even if it is so controversial. Aspen is considered a cursed tree, so they decided to use it against vampires, killing like like like. A number of sources believe that a stake for killing a vampire does not have to be made of aspen.
Perhaps it was the Church that widely spread the rumor about the miraculous power of aspen stakes against vampires in an attempt to strengthen its authority. Unfortunately, at present it is quite difficult to understand the intricacies of superstitions and facts from the Middle Ages.
If we digress from the church-biblical version, we can find out that since ancient times aspen was considered a talisman in the territory of modern Eastern Europe. It is not known where this belief came from, perhaps it appeared due to the exceptional color of the wood itself.
Aspen was considered a good remedy against vampires, witches or drowned people. It was believed that a fence studded with aspen chips could stop an unwanted guest. The aspen stake "grew" out of this belief. In addition, in villages, stakes were often the only weapon available, apart from tools.
In some stories, the aspen stake is described solely as a means of delaying or stopping a vampire, but not killing him. For the final destruction, it is necessary to use "heavy weapons" - crosses, holy water and prayer.
