Vampires and Glorantha

I have never been a fan of vampires in Glorantha. Even before Greg Stafford’s world became firmly grounded in a Bronze Age/Iron Age mythological milieu, and was still a kind of “old school” kitchen sink of various fantasy tropes, I disliked the presence of vampires.

Why? Well, because as a mythical creature, the vampire only appeared in European literary fiction in the 18th century. It’s a creature from the modern era, not from Antiquity, and not even from the Middle Ages. I actually even found vampires lame in D&D.

But we can fix this, because mythical creatures feeding on the vital fluids of the living have been present in myth and legend since... forever. However, their depiction is in stark contrast with the ‘charismatic villain’ type popularised by Bram Stoker’s novel and by classic horror film. Vampire-like creatures from antiquity are almost invariably monstrous and repulsive, resembling ghouls rather than European aristocrats.

Given Chaosium’s current art direction for Glorantha, much more inclusive of non-European influences, I would like to suggest the following as alternate inspiration for the vampire:

First and foremost, the vetāla, a class of spirits in Hindu mythology that live close to charnel grounds and that can take possession of dead bodies as vehicles for movement. These animated corpses then cause mischief in nearby villages.

Bhairava is the god of vetāla. As with many fearsome South Asian deities, he is not ‘evil’— his frightening appearance may indicate that he is a fierce protector of the faithful or that he teaches how to transform anger or hatred into understanding. This being said, the way he is depicted can be a source of inspiration for the ‘new’ Gloranthan vampire, in line with the current art used in the game.

Bhairava

Second, the strix of Ancient Greece. It was a monstrous bird that fed on the blood of children [hence the D&D ‘stirge’].

Third, let’s look at Inner Asia. The ḫortdan is a vampire-revenant that gets out of its grave at night to feed upon the blood of the living. It can become invisible or turn into an animal. The ḫortdan look bloated (especially after having fed), with a ruddy complexion.

Hence my suggested modifications to the description of the vampire (RuneQuest Bestiary, p105-106):

–Instead of “it takes on a pallid white skin and lustrous hair”: “it becomes bloated with a ruddy complexion”.

–Instead of “it may now turn into a bat, wolf, or smoke”: “it may now turn into a monstrous bird or become invisible”.

 

Also, since Darkness creatures are so strongly opposed to Chaos, I believe the vampire should be associated to the Shadow Rune, and not to the Darkness Rune.