The Lesbos Vampire
The Mediterranean harbors its own myths of vampires. The Greek Vrykolakas was something that was a cross between a werewolf and a vampire. Once again, a sacrilegious life was a surefire way of returning from the grave after death. A Vrykolakas could be identified from its appearance. Swollen and ruddy of complexion, it would appear to be gorged with blood. Indeed, even red-haired people were believed to be vampires.
As elsewhere in Europe, Vrykolakas were held responsible for any epidemics in the vicinity of their graves. They were believed to roam the streets, knocking on their former neighbor’s doors and calling out to the people within by name. It was wise not to answer the door in such circumstances for to do so was to die and become a vrykolakas yourself.
The longer a vrykolakas lived, the more powerful it became. So its body had to be destroyed-preferably on a Saturday, according to some accounts, but always by either impaling the remains, beheading and dismembering them and quite often burning them for good measure. Surrounding the body by water was also a good means of checking a vampire as the dead could not cross water-which is why many small deserted islands have been found to have been used for Greek vampire burials.
A not-so-deserted vampire burial was discovered in 1994 at the capital of Lesbos, Mytilene, in the 19th-century Turkish cemetery. While other contemporary burials were simply deposited into the ground in winding sheets, the man was entombed in a heavy wooden coffin- leading experts to consider that this was a kind of ‘prison’ for the corpse. He was also spiked through the neck, groin, and ankle to keep him from moving from his grave.