Tables of vampire traits
The following tables compare traits given to vampires in folklore and fiction. Over time, some attributes now regarded as integral became incorporated into the vampire's profile: fangs and vulnerability to sunlight appeared over the course of the 19th century, with Varney the Vampire and Count Dracula both bearing protruding teeth, and Murnau's Nosferatu (1922) the first vampire to be killed by daylight.
Although Bram Stoker's novel is the best known vampire fiction of the 19th century, it is the aristocratic figure of Lord Ruthven who is thought to have inspired the elegant and suave creature of stage and film.
The cloak appeared in stage productions of the 1920s, with a high collar introduced by playwright Hamilton Deane to help Dracula 'vanish' on stage. Lord Ruthven and Varney were able to be healed by moonlight, although no account of this is known in traditional folklore.
Appearance
Skin Colour |
Fangs |
Reflection |
Shadow |
Attractiveness |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European folklore |
Ruddy or dark |
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Varney the Vampire |
"White and bloodless" |
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Bram Stoker |
Pale |
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Nosferatu |
Pale |
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Bunnicula |
Furry |
Adorable to all, intimately only with other rabbits. We don't judge. |
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Anne Rice |
Pale |
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Buffy |
Ordinary/Pale |
Ordinary but often above average, but hideous when in their natural "vampire form". Older vampires often get more and more deformed, for example, grow hoofs. |
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Blade |
Ordinary/Pale |
Ordinary but often somewhat above average |
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Count Duckula |
Green |
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Discworld |
Pale |
? |
? |
||
Vampire Academy |
Pale |
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True Blood |
Pale |
Alluring, but with the power to "Glamor" ordinary humans into enticement |
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Twilight |
Pale/Sparkly |
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The Vampire Diaries |
Ordinary |
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30 Days of Night |
Pale |
Gruesome yet attractive |
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Count Chocula |
Tanned |
Comical |
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The Count |
Lavender |
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Let the Right One In |
Pale |
Ordinary |
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Preacher |
Pale |
Ordinary |
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Alucard |
Ordinary |
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Being Human |
Ordinary |
Ordinary |
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Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter |
Pale |
Ordinary, but some bloodlines seem to get more attractive with age, some less, and many vampires are attractive as this was the reason they were sired. |
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Moonlight |
Ordinary |
Ordinary, but many are above average. |
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Blood Omen/Legacy of Kain |
Skin pigmentation and texture varies per clan and era |
Ancient vampires were alluring while human turned vampire evolutions became more grotesque, particularly in Kain's era. However, some Vampires are capable of magically charming humans. |
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World of Darkness |
Pale |
Varies by bloodline |
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Supernatural |
Ordinary |
{{?}} |
Ordinary |
||
The Saga of Darren Shan |
Ordinary |
Ordinary |
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Night Watch |
Ordinary |
, even if the vampire himself turns invisible |
Ordinary |
||
Underworld |
Pale |
||||
Dungeons & Dragons |
Pale |
Ordinary, they have a predatory look compared to normal humans |
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Necroscope |
Pale |
shows true self |
Can make themselves beautiful or hideous |
||
Forever Knight |
Pale |
Ordinary |
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John Carpenter's Vampires |
Pale |
Ordinary |
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The Hunger |
Pale |
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Vampire: The Masquerade |
Pale |
Ordinary/Nosferatu are hideous |
Vampires had pale skin in the film(s)
Weaknesses
Weaknesses which are marked as 'no' are GeneRally not fatal. All fatal weaknesses have been marked as such.
Stake |
Sunlight |
Decapitation |
Drowning |
Fire |
Silver |
Garlic |
Christian symbols |
Running water |
Invitation |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Folklore |
||||||||||
Varney the Vampire |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
|||||
Bram Stoker |
||||||||||
Nosferatu |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
|
Anne Rice |
||||||||||
Buffy |
Shown as a prop on-screen, but never utilized. |
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Blade |
? |
|||||||||
Discworld |
||||||||||
True Blood |
? |
|||||||||
Twilight |
||||||||||
The Vampire Diaries |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||||||
Count Chocula |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
|||||
Count von Count |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||
Let the Right One In |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
|||||||
Preacher |
{{?}} |
|||||||||
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter |
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Alucard |
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Cirque du Freak |
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World of Darkness |
||||||||||
Being Human |
(but more sensitive to sunlight and prefer to stay out of it) |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
(with some exceptions, and weaker in fighting off larger crowds |
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Lord Erebus |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
|||||
Moonlight |
||||||||||
Blood Omen/Legacy of Kain |
||||||||||
Night Watch |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||||
Underworld |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||||||
Dungeons & Dragons |
{{?}} |
|||||||||
Necroscope |
||||||||||
Forever Knight |
{{?}} |
|||||||||
John Carpenter's Vampires |
but only mortally wounds them |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
Not needed |
|||||
Vampire: The Masquerade |
Immobilizing |
Cultural aversion to sunlight. Can turn to ash if exposed to bright light.
Cultural aversion.
Cultural aversion to all religious symbols.
Cultural aversion.
Supernatural Powers
- 'Glamour' refers to the ability to influence a mortal. (AKA the spell gift, mesmerize, or the Jedi mind trick.)
- It is common in fiction for vampires to gain additional, uncommon powers as they age. These have been noted as 'Gifted'.
Immortality |
Supernatural strength |
Supernatural senses |
Supernatural speed |
Supernatural healing |
Flight |
Shapeshifting |
Glamour |
Telepathy |
Telekinesis |
Pyrokinesis |
Other |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Folklore |
some |
yes |
{{?}} |
|||||||||
Varney the Vampire |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
{{?}} |
|||||
Bram Stoker |
? |
? |
{{?}} |
|||||||||
Nosferatu |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||
Anne Rice |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Buffy |
No |
Only Dracula |
{{?}} |
|||||||||
Blade |
Only Dracula |
{{?}} |
||||||||||
Discworld |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Vampire Academy |
||||||||||||
True Blood |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Twilight |
||||||||||||
The Vampire Diaries |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Count Chocula |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
The Count |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||||||
Let the Right One In |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Preacher |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Alucard |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||||||||
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter |
||||||||||||
World of Darkness |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Being Human |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||
Cirque Du Freak |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Moonlight |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
||||||||||
Blood Omen/Legacy of Kain |
||||||||||||
Night Watch |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Underworld |
{{?}} |
|||||||||||
Dungeons & Dragons |
||||||||||||
Forever Knight |
||||||||||||
Necroscope |
||||||||||||
Vampire: The Masquerade |
In the film, vampires could levitate.
Most vampiric powers in the World of Darkness are the result of Disciplines, which must be learned. Thus, while all the powers on this list are available to any vampire, immortality is the only one they're all guaranteed to have.
Not limited to vampires, all Others have these abilities or can learn them.
Shapeshifters exist in True Blood and Twilight, but they are separate creatures from vampires.
Reproduction
Nonsterile |
Reproduce via bite |
Reproduce via transfusion |
Reproduce via consumption of vampire blood after bite |
Inhabited by demons |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Folklore |
? |
? |
? |
||
Varney the Vampire |
? |
? |
? |
||
Bram Stoker |
? |
? |
|||
Nosferatu |
? |
? |
? |
? |
|
Anne Rice |
|||||
Buffy |
|||||
Blade |
? |
? |
|||
Discworld |
? |
? |
|||
True Blood |
? |
||||
Twilight |
? |
||||
The Vampire Diaries |
? |
||||
Count Chocula |
? |
? |
? |
||
Count von Count |
? |
? |
? |
? |
|
Alucard |
? |
? |
? |
||
Let the Right One In |
? |
||||
Count Duckula |
{{?}} |
? |
|||
Preacher |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
? |
||
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter |
? |
? |
|||
World of Darkness |
|||||
Cirque Du Freak |
? |
||||
Moonlight |
|||||
Blood Omen/Legacy of Kain |
{{?}} |
{{?}} |
? |
||
Night Watch |
? |
||||
Underworld |
? |
||||
Dungeons & Dragons |
? |
||||
Forever Knight |
? |
? |
|||
Necroscope |
? |
||||
Vampire: The Masquerade |
In Queen of the [...], it is revealed that all vampirism stems from the spiritual essence of Amel. Amel's essence fuses with a being's body and makes that being a vampire. Without Amel's essence fused to the "Vampire Queen", all vampires would cease to exist.
Similarities in plot settings
Many depictions of vampires include depictions of other mythological creatures.
Dracula |
Werewolves |
Telepaths |
Non-Vampire Lovers |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bram Stoker |
implied |
|||
Alucard |
||||
Nosferatu |
||||
Anne Rice |
||||
Buffy |
||||
Blade |
||||
Discworld |
||||
True Blood |
||||
Twilight |
||||
The Vampire Diaries |
||||
Count Chocula |
||||
Count von Count |
||||
Count Duckula |
||||
Let the Right One In |
||||
Preacher |
||||
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter |
||||
Being Human |
||||
Cirque Du Freak |
||||
Moonlight |
||||
World of Darkness |
||||
Blood Omen/Legacy of Kain |
||||
Night Watch |
||||
Underworld |
||||
Dungeons & Dragons |
||||
Forever Knight |
||||
Necroscope |
||||
Vampire: The Masquerade |
Telepaths in these works could not read the minds of vampires.
See also
- Vampire literature
- Vampire films
- Vampire (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)