The Land of Thieves and Ghosts

March 17, 2010

The Real Vegetarian Vampires

Heads up Edward: you’re not the only vegetarian vampire anymore!  Surprising, I found in my research that Serbian gypsies believe that inanimate objects, like garden equipment and fruit (especially pumpkins and watermelons) can turn into vampires if left outdoors overnight on the eve of the full moon.  The vampire pumpkin or watermelon is known to shake on its own and make a rattling sound, like “brrl brrl brrl.”  Sometimes a trace of blood can even be seen on the vampire fruit.  The turned pumpkin or watermelon retains the same overall appearance of the original fruit.  These vampires are generally not feared as much as the walking, talking, blood sucking kind we’re more familiar with in popular culture.

Some questions popped into my mind when reading accounts of this myth in Beresford’s From Demons to Dracula (more info can be found on the Bibliography page).  Why ground fruits?  This seems significant that the pumpkin and watermelon both grow on vines on the Earth’s surface…maybe this potentially had an impact on the myth? 

Also, the myth may have resulted from rotting fruits, since it was stated in my reading that fruits could also become vampires if left out for 10 days.  I’d like to do a bit more research on this phenomenon, perhaps pumpkins and watermelons are liable to shaking or making noises after being left out?  It’s possible that the seeds of the fruit cause the raucous “brrl brrl” sounds.  If anyone has past experience growing pumpkins or watermelons it would be really interesting to hear any accounts on whether or not this occurs.  I will make sure to post an update if I find any more research regarding this topic.

Finally, I think it’s a bit strange that pumpkins are so tied to the occult.  We carve jack-o-lanterns at Halloween, a holiday in which we celebrate witches and other supernatural beings.  What is it about pumpkins that the fruit has such ties to these darker and more mystical aspects of our culture?  Another thing to research further…

On a side note, I found some rather whimsical instances relating pumpkins and other inanimate objects like vegetables to vampirism.  Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit found in a series of children’s books, who sucks vegetables dry, turning them pale and un-appetizing. 

According to Amazon’s review of Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery:

This immensely popular children’s story is told from the point of view of a dog named Harold. It all starts when Harold’s human family, the Monroes, goes to see the movie Dracula, and young Toby accidentally sits on a baby rabbit wrapped in a bundle on his seat. How could the family help but take the rabbit home and name it Bunnicula? Chester, the literate, sensitive, and keenly observant family cat, soon decides there is something weird about this rabbit. Pointy fangs, the appearance of a cape, black-and-white coloring, nocturnal habits … it sure seemed like he was a vampire bunny. When the family finds a white tomato in the kitchen, sucked dry and colorless, well … Chester becomes distraught and fears for the safety of the family. “Today, vegetables. Tomorrow … the world!” he warns Harold. But when Chester tries to make his fears known to the Monroes, he is completely misunderstood, and the results are truly hilarious. Is Bunnicula really a vampire bunny? We can’t say. But any child who has ever let his or her imagination run a little wild will love Deborah and James Howe’s funny, fast-paced “rabbit-tale of mystery.” (Ages 9 to 12) 

Above:  Looks like Bunnicula has struck again!

I absolutly love that the family cat could tell something was up with the rabbit…haha.  Sounds like a fun story for kids.  I had never heard of the series before researching for this post, but when I brought up the series to some friends I was ridiculed for not being familiar with the fiendish rabbit.  I guess I missed out on something special in my childhood…

Anyway, if you feel like killing time playing mindless flash games, check out this Scooby Doo game called “Attack of the Vampire Pumpkinheads”. It may be a bit irrelevant (and I’m not quite sure why the villain is a vampire pumpkinhead…), but I thought it was pretty cute!  That’s all for now, but I will definitely update if I find out anything else regarding the questions I posed earlier in this post.  Have a great day, folks!

Filed by ltello at March 17th, 2010 under Legends/Folklore
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