"Contrary to popular belief, vampire stories originated in Ireland, including the most famous, Bram Stoker's gothic masterpiece, Dracula. Vampire legends in Ireland have a long legacy and are derived from ancient Celtic beliefs about death, which said that the dead often returned in order to receive some form of recompense for their continued protection over their descendents. From the spine-tingling classics of Irish literature to lore, ephemera, and actual historical accounts, this book provides an unprecedented examination of the most entrancing of subjects-Celtic vampire legends. Included are four modern and ancient tales of Irish vampires and a discussion of how these ancient Celtic beliefs were assimilated by Christianity and how the Irish Christian Church transmuted these ancient ghosts into the malevolent demon, the vampire." (from Amazon.com)
Paperback Info: ISBN: 1903582199, Merlin Pub, 2002
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