@@seekingabsolution1907 This makes me imagine that the very earth itself rejects her interment and keeps spitting her unholy, mummified cadaver back up . . .
"Her body was not decomposed to a degree that satisfied the community." As a reporter at a tiny newspaper that serves a small, rural community, you'd be surprised how many times I've had to write that very sentence. We also get a lot of Bigfoot and UFO sightings, plus the usual cattle mutilations.
@@hankbarcelona7314 the revolution isn't about murdering those who exploit the working class but rather taking the means of production (i.e land, factories etc) and making them controled by the community. a revolution shouldn't be about executing all the rich people as that doesn't help anyone. redistribution of wealth doesn't require the death of those owning it. i am sorry my comments made you feel uncomfortable
@@hankbarcelona7314 some of them may not be joking but at the same time due to the association with the french revolution guillotines are used as a shorthand for revolution. I do hope that a more equitable society can be established with a minimum of bloodshed some may be necessary but it should always be avoided where possible
@@hankbarcelona7314 I think they are not always jokes. I mean, people are fed up. And although I'm firmly in the "Yes, let's communitize the means of production!" league, the possibility of a French Revolution style terror frightens me. There is this quote by J.F. Kennedy: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." And I'm pretty certain he is right. We see time and time again that when the powerful do not yield, things get out of control. Only a minority of people are the considerate, analytical and "scientific" type. The majority is disinterested at first and then starts growing angry and finally lashes out at whomever they think is responsible for their misery. It's highly irrational. And revolutions mostly don't break loose when the theory-reading, concept-creating folks want it, they break loose when Dave down the street decides he's had enough with "those up there". And in many cases there is foreign meddling and some people from the middle ranks want to grab power and there are different factions and everything is chaos. That's the kind of situation when murders happen. :( So, you probably need not ask us to spare your mum, you need to ask Dave down the street. Or better: Make sure Dave doesn't even get so angry that he lashes out.
Fun fact about Lilith: the oldest source about the “Adam’s ex” story comes from an incredibly crude late-antiquity satire called the “Alphabet of Ben Sira,” in which Adam divorces Lilith because she wants to top him and he’s way too vanilla for her
@@JoeyTibulski Yeah but actually looking up the Alphabet of Ben Sira (sometimes the Alphabet of Ben Sirach or simply the Alphabet of Sirach) it's dated between 700 and 1000 AD, squarely within the Middle Ages.
@@eoincampbell1584 Lilith isn't explained whatsoever in the Bible and it's very likely she's just a leftover minor deity from pre-monotheistic traditions, the Adam's ex-wife thing comes from much later
@@eoincampbell1584 It actually may be the eldest reference to Lilith specifically as the wife of Adam. While there are earlier references to both singular and plural versions of Lilith, sometimes with implications of being a female demon, they don't appear to regard her as the wife of Adam. That seems to be an idea that started going around much later. It's possible that the Alphabet could be one of the earliest surviving sources of this concept in writing. I am a classicist, but this isn't my specialty so take it with a pinch of salt, this is just from quickly reading a few things about it online.
interestingly enough, rice DOES actually work on western vampires as some believe that the vampire feels compelled to stop and count the rice before continuing its pursuit so it's a good way to slow down a vampire that is chasing you
I really like the book The Reformed Vampire Support Group. It treats vampirism as a metaphor for disability and trauma in a really lovely way. Just a radically different take on what it means to be a vampire, and a good book about community and living with struggles.
You read that book too? I had half believed I had imagined it in a fever dream or it was one of those mysterious books that randomly generated in my early junior high library and then vanishes never to be seen again. Glad I was not in fact going crazy.
@@Tinyvalkyrie410 all the vampires are chronically ill they try to avoid their blood addiction with a priest who runs their support group. At some point stumble onto an organized crime group.
The only valid vampire origin story is from that Lupin III episode where the first vampire was the twin sister of Jesus and the reason vampires can't be near crosses is she just really hates her bro
My favorite part of the writing contest that produced both _The Vampyre_ and _Frankenstein_ is that the whole crew, led by Lord Byron, actually left Britain and rented a little mansion on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Due to the climate issues Sophie mentioned, it was apparently a dark and stormy night most of the time, meaning the whole summer was very atmospheric and perfect for ghost stories.
Pouring boiling water over graves is how you get rid of vampires, huh? That's how we got the holy water thing as well? I guess that old joke was right. "How do you get holy water? Get normal water and boil the Hell out of it!"
Can't remember what it was from but I distinctly remember hearing a version of the vampire myth where Judas was the first vampire. After killing himself in shame for betraying Christ he was rejected from both heaven and hell and cursed to walk the world endlessly. The adversion to silver was because of the 40 silver peices he was paid to betray Jesus. He hungered for blood because he had rejected the blessing of the blood of Christ and he could only be killed from a stake make from the true cross. Anyone remember where this is from?
Love the opening segment of going back and forth doing anachronistic or universalist readings. They can be fun, but theres a reason Freud and archetypal interpretation sucks. Creating a grab bag of different cultures means you don't understand any of them, and are making them fit your own
For all my videos early, please check out my patreon at patreon.com/curiovids FAQs: ->I have now found out that in navajo culture many people avoid saying w*ndigo and sk*nwalker, and if anyone is upset that I said the words in this video, I sincerely apologise for cultural insensitivity. I have now used youtube editor to skip over these words so if you notice strange jumps in the video, that's why ->On a similar note, I only included indigenous "vampire" myths in this video to demonstrate to everyone how they should not be held up next to and compared with modern western vampires, so I hope that that came across in the video and that I haven't given anyone the impression that I think such stories ->the photos I show in the section are not of Petar Blagojevic. As multiple people have pointed out to me, photographs didn't exist for another century or so, so that was a pretty silly mistake on my part. It basically came out of a stressy moment editing when I didn't have anything with which to fill that section out and then I saw the images and didn't use my brain. Oops!
Thank you for accepting feedback regarding the indigenous legends. It's a huge deal in Native communities, but sadly most people (even in the US, and I'd imagine much more so across the pond) have extremely little exposure to these cultures, and if they are exposed it's usually through a white colonialist lens. While we're at it, I'd like to mention that it's a tiny bit weird to have an image of a waterfall as your visual depiction of Navajo/Diné culture, given that they (both historically and currently) live in the desert of New Mexico and Arizona (specifically the Four Corners region). It's not the most unreasonable mistake, given that there are over 570 Native Nations recognized by the US federal government, and hundreds more recognized by individual states, but it is a little odd.
As a huge fan of Godzilla, I'm really looking forward to the Kaiju episode! Though a particular thing I really hope comes up there is the way Godzilla's heroic rival, that friend of all children and guardian of the universe, literally fights climate change and trauma in his Heisei trilogy. (The director of that trilogy also had the best panning of the 1998 American Godzilla too, "Americans seem unable to accept a creature that cannot be put down by their arms.")
"You'd know if vampires were real... wouldn't you?" Yeah, if vampires were real, half my friends would've been turned after they went wandering the woods at night going "Oh! I hope no SCARY VAMPIRES come and TURN me, I'm just a TWINK!"
This was fantastic, I just wanna give my two cents re: the whole "vampirism as metaphor for queerness" thing (also applicable to lycanthropy, undeath, all other forms of supernatural "monster-ness" when it is used in this way). I agree it is handled very poorly a lot of the time, with the implicit of explicit suggestion that there is an equivalence between queerness and being a predatory monster (looking at you, JK Rowling!). But as a queer writer myself, I think there is a lot of potential in this kind of allegorical or metaphorical use of vampires and other kinds of "monsters" if handled correctly - i.e. if the connection being drawn isn't the blood-sucking predation, but the way a whole category of people is branded as monstrous and unnatural by wider society due to a fundamental part of who and what they are. Vampires not as predators, but as marginalized victims of predation. Of course, this allegory is worthless if the vampires aren't also actually queer, I definitely don't like the trend of metaphors and allegories for real-world oppression being used to avoid depicting the actual group being oppressed, but I don't think the entire premise of "using vampirism as a metaphor for queerness" is INHERENTLY bad - just bad in most existing executions of it.
i think its a thing with villians being portrayed as queer coded, you see this even with disney villians, and for many kids growing up that was the only representation they saw of queer characters, so they latched onto it and turned the insult around on them "why yes all gay people are infinitely powerful immortals, thank you for noticing"
I also like the concept of „being trapped in this lifestyle that causes sin, death and pain“. The same way oscar wilde used (implicit) homosexuality in the picture of dorian gray, i think living life as a vampire is a neat way to examine this self hatred, this irresistable desire you never asked for, the rejection and villification of the outside world, the inevitable loss of your loved ones (similar to aids) etc. It is of course an extremely negative and old fashioned metaphor but interesting nonetheless. Or maybe it‘s just that I have always found „the self as the enemy“ a very interesting concept.
Super interesting and refreshing analysis of vampires, rather than the stuff we've heard ad nauseam. And then finished it off with teaser for KAIJUS yeeeessss
I know. I'm pumped for kaijus. Like, I love vampies and all that jazz, but there's something magical about a giant lizard curb-stomping Tokyo for the umpteenth time . . .
Man I just finished Midnight Mass and now Curio’s Vampire video is out! I wanna hear their thoughts on the show especially since it makes clear analogies between The Bible and the vampire myth, it would’ve fit perfectly in this video! Great job as always 👏
@@sopranophantomista personally I think those kind of ghost stories allow for more interesting story-telling (hill house specifically had my favorite takes about the unlinearity of time) while vampire/monster stories tend to follow more “traditional” plot points and narrative structures, if it makes sense haha
This is, without a doubt, the best, most well edited, and most well-performed video you've ever made. This is amazing and I hope you're insanely proud of the work you've done. Also you look hot as HELL and the voice upgrade is going swimmingly, keep up the amazing work Sophie!
European (or at least Eastern European) vampires actually are deterred by rice and salt, because they're compelled to count things and with grains there are a lot of things to count.
...... *has read tons of old folklore, Anne Rice novels, Vampire the Masquerade, and countless myths with even a tangential connection to vampires* ... ahem...
pretty much twinsies but i also got like two seasons of carmilla under my belt! good show would recommend, it's got my favorite nonbinary mad scientist s. lafontaine in it :-)
this video is great! I love the discussion of how we use other culture's "vampire" myths. I have one small correction--the Middle Ages were from about 500 CE - 1500 CE. I a lot of the evidence you brought up (all great sources, btw!) seems to be from the 16th-18th centuries, which is Early Modern (Renaissance) / Enlightenment / Modern period. I only point it out because a lot of messed up things / ideas from the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods get pushed back onto the Middle Ages (and they have enough of their own problems!). Love your channel, and thanks for the video!
26:03 the arg used to market the sequel to vampire the masquerade: bloodlines also revolved around a app that was used to find victims by masquerading (haha) as a dating app that used machine learning to pair soulmates
this video made me say "FUCK YEAH" out loud several times, and the loudest when you started queueing in the topic of the next Monster Men video thank you Sophie this freakin ruled and I'm about to send this to everyone I know
There’s a cool vampire book by some folklore professor who also did a book on faeries. I found it for some reason in the “witchcraft” of the BX (grew up on military bases). He mentions tons of vampire/vampire adjacent creatures like redcaps (technically fae) but they got their redcaps by dipping them in blood of the people they attack.
Curio keeps getting more and more based as time goes on! I love when people can accurately portray what the World of Darkness setting intended with capitalism and social issues, especially when they have consistently based content! I'm a little upset you didn't discuss the connection between werewolves as a defense against vampires, and how Adolf Hitler wanted his friends' children to call him "Uncle Wolf," and how this concept of werewolves not just fighting against unholy beings, but specifically vampires helped form Twilight. I still can't fault you for that, it's about *just* vampires after all, but being able to draw a parallel between the justification for bestial acts against those who "suck on the blood of children for eternal youth" to modern-day events would have just made this even better than just the best video I've ever seen in my life.
I also just finished it and really liked it! Personally I didn't mind the lack of horniness as I feel plenty of vampire media explores romantic love and sex and it's nice to have a vampire show which is more accessible to ace people, focussing instead on morality and religion.
you - "turn the horny drives to maximum" helsmen- "buh-but sir, the horny levels are already beyond safe levels, it risks.. " you -"Damn the risks! all power to horny drive! full speed ahead
Tis the season of spooky! Vampires are my shit, so glad you made this video! Im especially glad you mentioned Strahd. He's my favorite villain and vampire character overall, and a very good classical-like vampire. Great work!
In case anyone is wondering about the crucifix trick and how it works, it appears to be not only about the hunter being christian, but the vampire as well. In my personal favorite vampire fiction, the musical Dance of the Vampires, a christian woman tries to defend herself with a cross and it doesn't work, because the vampire is jewish. The trick does work however when Not-Van Helsing and Not-Jonathan Harker use it against Not-Dracula in the end.
Speaking on decaying of saints, I think the term you’re referring to is “incorruptible”. It’s a silly word used by the church that is honestly contradictory looking to non-experts (heck I get confused and I was that weird Catholic who when I lived overseas as a kid we’d go on mini pilgrimages to churches with dead saints and I would stare at their displayed corpses or body parts and try to figure out if they were incorrupt or not. I was almost always wrong). Caitlyn Doughty has an older video on the subject.
So this alicin, it's like a two-part glue, or epoxy and when someone is crushing the cell walls, it releases the alicin. And that's what's really, really good for you in garlic. I believe.
Rumor has it that David Vanian, lead singer of The Damned, may have been the Highgate Vampire. He liked to stroll around the cemetery at night in the 70s and dressed like a vampire
Great video, good overview of the subject. If anyone wants to watch more video essays about vampires I recommend Verilybitchie's series where she does a deep dive into vampires and bisexuality.
One of element Vampire lore is how they can be repealed by faith. In particular one of my favourite reimaginings of the Vampire are the Hemoviors of Doctor Who The Curse of Fenric who are weak to not only religious faith but any kind of human faith. This leads to the great scene where a Soviet soldier wards them off by believing in communism real hard.
55:22 Then you get that time in VtM when an ancient vampire woke up and ate all of Bangladesh before being nuked... I think we lost the metaphor somewhere along the line.
Wow, Scardy Matt in a vampire video; this is a great bit of casting! This was a great video, and I'm looking forward to seeing you do the Kaiju that you do so well.
pakeha specifically means 'non Maori.' It was commonly used to refer to creatures that were 'other' or not quite human before contact with Europeans, similar to phrases like 'the other folk' in fairy folklore. These days its generally used to mean white New Zealander, I've never seen non kiwi white people referred to as pakeha but I assume its technically accurate.
I started watching Midnight Mass after seeing this and I think it's really doing a lot of the stuff that you mentioned in the video. I watched this, and now I get to apply it in my understanding of that show! Pretty cool! Not gonna say more since it's still new and I've not finished it but it seems good so far!
You should do a whole episode on shapeshifters. Skin walkers and changlings scare the shit out of me, I grew up with stories of both. 🤣 I’d love to see a focus on each. ❤
My favorite vampire adjacent creature is this one I once read about that was a beautiful woman by day, but at night, her head and entrails detached and would float around looking for victims to consume. I can't remember what it's called or where it's from, though. I just remember reading about it in some coffee table history/myth book about vampires I got from the library once.
I just had to say I am currently falling down the rabbit hole that is your channel. You're so well read and I adore your accent. PLEASE make more videos about games, those are fantastic. Your disco Elysium one had me rolling. 💞
I would argue there is one American vampire that could be deterred by salt Count Von Count from Sesame street He can’t chase you until he’s finished counting all the salt
Strahd, proof incel thanos could be a terrifying villain. Also one small thing, Strahds cards aren't playing cards, they're for fortune telling. Specifically used in the game the cards tell of how the heroes will kill him. So I see it as a symbol of his confidence in his power and position as lord of his land, disregarding the threat of the heros who will strike hin down.
This video mentioning VTMB is exactly what I was hoping because I am midway through my 1st playthrough at the moment. There is something absolutely interesting about vampires within culture.
Late to the party, but it's the first time I've seen somebody mention The man from Earth in a video/essay and it caught me off guard because I love it and it does deserve more attention. Such a simple but deep lil movie
Only in the first seven minutes but wow my mythology loving brain is so happy. I have like, undead folklore stacked in my mind to hit videos with a "well actually..." or a "you forgot to mention..." but you just went ahead and listed a comprehensive introductory list to 'vampire' mythology in the first 7 minutes. Like, not a complete and utter encyclopedia but you just went ahead and straightforwardly said all the usual examples, this is so well written I'm having such a good time!!!!
Lady Dimistrescu has been mentioned this is now my second favourite youtube video (my most favourite being one of the 'making of' videos by animator Dead Sound, no one needs to know that but if you're like "what on earth is better than vampires?" it's the artistic and scientific journey of animating dinosaurs)
One of my favorite recent vampires is Astarion in the Early Access game, Baldur's Gate 3. He's really chaotic evil, extermly charming High Elf vampire spawn (though he will behave if Tav says so). So far we don't know much of his previous life, except when he was turned by his master. Astarion was Magistare who got beaten by a group of Gurs, due to a ruling he had made. His Master, Cazador Szar, offered to save him, and Astarion became his obedient spawn. Astarion is temporary free, and he will do whatever is possible to keep that freedom. And he has had too rely on himself to survive. "The strong had two centuries to pluck me from torture, but no one came. No, it was the mind flares that rescued me. They gave me a gift, the strength to take my own freedom. "
I know so many people who dislike the Coppola movie, but I love it. My favorite vampire movie, though, is not a Dracula story. Only Lovers Left Alive is just such a languid outsider story.
The Lilith Vampire archetype is really interesting - there’s a character in one of the Icelandic sagas that fits it. In Eyrbyggja saga (written around the 13th cent, has a lot of spooky goings on with the undead) there’s a character called Thorgunna who dies and wants to buried in this specific church, when some farmers aren’t hospitable enough to her pall-bearers she appears and cooks them dinner to shame the farmers into offer proper hospitality, except she’s like naked and terrifying. Also possibly appears as a magical seal that can pop in and out of the ground bc she wanted her sheets burned but her friend gave them to his wife. Fun spooky times to be had in saga era Iceland!
Another fun bit about Vampire the Requiem which is the follow up to Masquerade is that there's an in universe forgotten book of the Bible which talks about the Lancea et Sanctum. Catholic vampires basically which follow the teachings of the first christian vampire, that being the guy who stabbed Jesus with the spear on the cross, and apparently (in fiction) having lived a sort of moral inverse of Jesus' life (surrounding himself with sins and misery, being the dark shadow to Christianity after he turns into a vampire) It's a really fascinating read that is written pretty much exactly like a revised and edited copy of any other book of the bible, footnotes included
Don Brash said WHAT!? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be counting down the Top 10 Things Sophie Has Said About Aotearoa That Has Shocked Me, An Aotearoan.
Amazing video. I'm loving this monster series. It really does say something that one of the reasons vampires are so appealing IS their wealth. A lot of people focus on the sexual aspect in Twilight and fanfiction derivatives, but there's also the wealth fantasy: in the derivatives, while Edward's counterpart is no longer a vampire, he is still obscenely rich, rich enough to casually spent money on the heroine. Even in non-vampire romances, money differentials is an aphrodisiac to many people raised in capitalist society. The base appeal of the White Wolf mythos is vampire politics: it's not just roleplaying a monster, it's pretty much playing Monopoly meets Yakuza with a little Grand Theft Auto. Politics is tied into money in traditional culture, after all. And yes, vampires are inherently tied in with sex and disease, but I feel that money is the most relevant connection. I remember a Cracked article from many years going vampire=the fears of the working class and zombie=fears of the upper class, and while that's extremely reductive, I couldn't help but feel that it's right.
"Her body was not decomposed to a degree that satisfied the community." Same.
thats what im going to start saying about my enemies lol
@@chriss780 I'm going to start writing this on my students' essays when they aren't up to snuff.
Me when I see Maggie Thatchers corpse.
@@seekingabsolution1907 This makes me imagine that the very earth itself rejects her interment and keeps spitting her unholy, mummified cadaver back up . . .
"Her body was not decomposed to a degree that satisfied the community."
As a reporter at a tiny newspaper that serves a small, rural community, you'd be surprised how many times I've had to write that very sentence. We also get a lot of Bigfoot and UFO sightings, plus the usual cattle mutilations.
The biggest problem with saying things like "The rich are vampires" isn't that it's cliche, it's that it makes them sound really fuckin cool.
They are more like Ghouls, frankly.
@@hankbarcelona7314 well stop being so rich then
@@hankbarcelona7314 the revolution isn't about murdering those who exploit the working class but rather taking the means of production (i.e land, factories etc) and making them controled by the community.
a revolution shouldn't be about executing all the rich people as that doesn't help anyone. redistribution of wealth doesn't require the death of those owning it.
i am sorry my comments made you feel uncomfortable
@@hankbarcelona7314 some of them may not be joking but at the same time due to the association with the french revolution guillotines are used as a shorthand for revolution.
I do hope that a more equitable society can be established with a minimum of bloodshed some may be necessary but it should always be avoided where possible
@@hankbarcelona7314 I think they are not always jokes.
I mean, people are fed up. And although I'm firmly in the "Yes, let's communitize the means of production!" league, the possibility of a French Revolution style terror frightens me.
There is this quote by J.F. Kennedy: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
And I'm pretty certain he is right.
We see time and time again that when the powerful do not yield, things get out of control. Only a minority of people are the considerate, analytical and "scientific" type.
The majority is disinterested at first and then starts growing angry and finally lashes out at whomever they think is responsible for their misery. It's highly irrational.
And revolutions mostly don't break loose when the theory-reading, concept-creating folks want it, they break loose when Dave down the street decides he's had enough with "those up there".
And in many cases there is foreign meddling and some people from the middle ranks want to grab power and there are different factions and everything is chaos.
That's the kind of situation when murders happen. :(
So, you probably need not ask us to spare your mum, you need to ask Dave down the street. Or better: Make sure Dave doesn't even get so angry that he lashes out.
Fun fact about Lilith: the oldest source about the “Adam’s ex” story comes from an incredibly crude late-antiquity satire called the “Alphabet of Ben Sira,” in which Adam divorces Lilith because she wants to top him and he’s way too vanilla for her
It's definitely not the oldest, it's from the Middle Ages.
@@eoincampbell1584 late antiquity means prior to the Middle Ages
@@JoeyTibulski Yeah but actually looking up the Alphabet of Ben Sira (sometimes the Alphabet of Ben Sirach or simply the Alphabet of Sirach) it's dated between 700 and 1000 AD, squarely within the Middle Ages.
@@eoincampbell1584 Lilith isn't explained whatsoever in the Bible and it's very likely she's just a leftover minor deity from pre-monotheistic traditions, the Adam's ex-wife thing comes from much later
@@eoincampbell1584 It actually may be the eldest reference to Lilith specifically as the wife of Adam. While there are earlier references to both singular and plural versions of Lilith, sometimes with implications of being a female demon, they don't appear to regard her as the wife of Adam. That seems to be an idea that started going around much later.
It's possible that the Alphabet could be one of the earliest surviving sources of this concept in writing. I am a classicist, but this isn't my specialty so take it with a pinch of salt, this is just from quickly reading a few things about it online.
“Guys, please chill out, vampires don’t exist”
Sounds like something a vampire would say. I’m onto you, pope
the Masquerade must be upheld
@ashy it's been done fam
@ashy it is corrected.
it is corrected.
As a lesbian and a Jew who loves all monsters and especially vampires - this is mine to reclaim ✌️
interestingly enough, rice DOES actually work on western vampires as some believe that the vampire feels compelled to stop and count the rice before continuing its pursuit so it's a good way to slow down a vampire that is chasing you
I really like the book The Reformed Vampire Support Group. It treats vampirism as a metaphor for disability and trauma in a really lovely way. Just a radically different take on what it means to be a vampire, and a good book about community and living with struggles.
Wait wait wait. How have I never heard of this?! This sounds AMAZING!
You read that book too? I had half believed I had imagined it in a fever dream or it was one of those mysterious books that randomly generated in my early junior high library and then vanishes never to be seen again. Glad I was not in fact going crazy.
@@Tinyvalkyrie410 all the vampires are chronically ill they try to avoid their blood addiction with a priest who runs their support group. At some point stumble onto an organized crime group.
The only valid vampire origin story is from that Lupin III episode where the first vampire was the twin sister of Jesus and the reason vampires can't be near crosses is she just really hates her bro
Which season of Lupin III is it in?
@@shytendeakatamanoir9740 It's episode 34 of Lupin III, second series. It's **chef's kiss** amazing.
@@jospinner1183 Legit my favorite part of Lupin lore. Like twin sister of jesus? Cool cool, her being a vampire? Fucking metal
@@LordDorian644 I feel like the meta-weirdness of Lupin needs to be rediscovered by modern meme-culture.
@@jospinner1183 Yes 😂
My favorite part of the writing contest that produced both _The Vampyre_ and _Frankenstein_ is that the whole crew, led by Lord Byron, actually left Britain and rented a little mansion on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Due to the climate issues Sophie mentioned, it was apparently a dark and stormy night most of the time, meaning the whole summer was very atmospheric and perfect for ghost stories.
If I got bit by a vampire, and I couldn't turn in to a rubber bat on a string. I would be fuming!
Specifically a rubber bat that flaps by bouncing up and down like a yo yo and when you stop the wings droop a little at the ends
@@Haverlock the bouncing being a homage to the jiangxi.
Pouring boiling water over graves is how you get rid of vampires, huh? That's how we got the holy water thing as well? I guess that old joke was right.
"How do you get holy water? Get normal water and boil the Hell out of it!"
Dracula used "hypnosis" to make Stoker write "Dracula?" I think you mean he Dominated him.
Ah, yes. Dracula was old school Tzimisce, before they got into the whole Vicissitude nastiness. Man, classic WoD was an era, wasn't it?
Not Dracula's fault that Stoker was so submissive + breedable
so brave of Sophie to come out as a vampire, we love and support you BB
Can't remember what it was from but I distinctly remember hearing a version of the vampire myth where Judas was the first vampire. After killing himself in shame for betraying Christ he was rejected from both heaven and hell and cursed to walk the world endlessly. The adversion to silver was because of the 40 silver peices he was paid to betray Jesus. He hungered for blood because he had rejected the blessing of the blood of Christ and he could only be killed from a stake make from the true cross. Anyone remember where this is from?
Dracula 2000, featuring Gerard Butler as Dracula/Judas and Christopher Plummer as van Helsing.
It's from Dracula 2000 I think
Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000, a hilariously bad movie
@@jordanetherington1922 yeah I remember now it was shocking bad shame though it's a cool lore idea
Love the opening segment of going back and forth doing anachronistic or universalist readings. They can be fun, but theres a reason Freud and archetypal interpretation sucks. Creating a grab bag of different cultures means you don't understand any of them, and are making them fit your own
Vampire Hunter Jesus: “accept me, and this stake, into your heart”
ua-cam.com/video/DsqGiN-e5iM/v-deo.html
Your content is incredible and you're killing the vampire look.
For all my videos early, please check out my patreon at patreon.com/curiovids
FAQs:
->I have now found out that in navajo culture many people avoid saying w*ndigo and sk*nwalker, and if anyone is upset that I said the words in this video, I sincerely apologise for cultural insensitivity. I have now used youtube editor to skip over these words so if you notice strange jumps in the video, that's why
->On a similar note, I only included indigenous "vampire" myths in this video to demonstrate to everyone how they should not be held up next to and compared with modern western vampires, so I hope that that came across in the video and that I haven't given anyone the impression that I think such stories
->the photos I show in the section are not of Petar Blagojevic. As multiple people have pointed out to me, photographs didn't exist for another century or so, so that was a pretty silly mistake on my part. It basically came out of a stressy moment editing when I didn't have anything with which to fill that section out and then I saw the images and didn't use my brain. Oops!
Thank you so much for this warning in the pinned comment, do you have time stamps so I can watch the video without those words playing?
(Also it's not just Navajo who avoid the former. Tribes around the Great Lakes as well.)
@@yandoryn 5:04-5:23
Thank you for accepting feedback regarding the indigenous legends. It's a huge deal in Native communities, but sadly most people (even in the US, and I'd imagine much more so across the pond) have extremely little exposure to these cultures, and if they are exposed it's usually through a white colonialist lens.
While we're at it, I'd like to mention that it's a tiny bit weird to have an image of a waterfall as your visual depiction of Navajo/Diné culture, given that they (both historically and currently) live in the desert of New Mexico and Arizona (specifically the Four Corners region). It's not the most unreasonable mistake, given that there are over 570 Native Nations recognized by the US federal government, and hundreds more recognized by individual states, but it is a little odd.
As a huge fan of Godzilla, I'm really looking forward to the Kaiju episode! Though a particular thing I really hope comes up there is the way Godzilla's heroic rival, that friend of all children and guardian of the universe, literally fights climate change and trauma in his Heisei trilogy.
(The director of that trilogy also had the best panning of the 1998 American Godzilla too, "Americans seem unable to accept a creature that cannot be put down by their arms.")
"You'd know if vampires were real... wouldn't you?"
Yeah, if vampires were real, half my friends would've been turned after they went wandering the woods at night going "Oh! I hope no SCARY VAMPIRES come and TURN me, I'm just a TWINK!"
"Baroness Thatcher" Jesus you've got me rolling on the floor
This was fantastic, I just wanna give my two cents re: the whole "vampirism as metaphor for queerness" thing (also applicable to lycanthropy, undeath, all other forms of supernatural "monster-ness" when it is used in this way). I agree it is handled very poorly a lot of the time, with the implicit of explicit suggestion that there is an equivalence between queerness and being a predatory monster (looking at you, JK Rowling!). But as a queer writer myself, I think there is a lot of potential in this kind of allegorical or metaphorical use of vampires and other kinds of "monsters" if handled correctly - i.e. if the connection being drawn isn't the blood-sucking predation, but the way a whole category of people is branded as monstrous and unnatural by wider society due to a fundamental part of who and what they are. Vampires not as predators, but as marginalized victims of predation. Of course, this allegory is worthless if the vampires aren't also actually queer, I definitely don't like the trend of metaphors and allegories for real-world oppression being used to avoid depicting the actual group being oppressed, but I don't think the entire premise of "using vampirism as a metaphor for queerness" is INHERENTLY bad - just bad in most existing executions of it.
i think its a thing with villians being portrayed as queer coded, you see this even with disney villians, and for many kids growing up that was the only representation they saw of queer characters, so they latched onto it and turned the insult around on them "why yes all gay people are infinitely powerful immortals, thank you for noticing"
I look forward to reading your novel you just pitched!
I look forward to reading your novel you just pitched!
I also like the concept of „being trapped in this lifestyle that causes sin, death and pain“. The same way oscar wilde used (implicit) homosexuality in the picture of dorian gray, i think living life as a vampire is a neat way to examine this self hatred, this irresistable desire you never asked for, the rejection and villification of the outside world, the inevitable loss of your loved ones (similar to aids) etc. It is of course an extremely negative and old fashioned metaphor but interesting nonetheless. Or maybe it‘s just that I have always found „the self as the enemy“ a very interesting concept.
"Trans masc goth vampire hunter"
*scoots chair closer*
Go on...
Isn't this just john constantine? :P
♪ Dreeeeaaam Daaaddy ♪
@@kjmeower close! He is more of a vampire than a hunter though ;D
Super interesting and refreshing analysis of vampires, rather than the stuff we've heard ad nauseam.
And then finished it off with teaser for KAIJUS yeeeessss
I know. I'm pumped for kaijus. Like, I love vampies and all that jazz, but there's something magical about a giant lizard curb-stomping Tokyo for the umpteenth time . . .
RIGHT?! I'M GOING BONKERS
Man I just finished Midnight Mass and now Curio’s Vampire video is out! I wanna hear their thoughts on the show especially since it makes clear analogies between The Bible and the vampire myth, it would’ve fit perfectly in this video! Great job as always 👏
@@harryo82 listing a couple themes found in a work isn't a spoiler...
Especially when the title of the work already implies said themes.
Same here! Not as strong as Hill House and Bly Manor, but I was very pleased with the storytelling of Midnight Mass.
@@sopranophantomista personally I think those kind of ghost stories allow for more interesting story-telling (hill house specifically had my favorite takes about the unlinearity of time) while vampire/monster stories tend to follow more “traditional” plot points and narrative structures, if it makes sense haha
This is, without a doubt, the best, most well edited, and most well-performed video you've ever made. This is amazing and I hope you're insanely proud of the work you've done. Also you look hot as HELL and the voice upgrade is going swimmingly, keep up the amazing work Sophie!
European (or at least Eastern European) vampires actually are deterred by rice and salt, because they're compelled to count things and with grains there are a lot of things to count.
As an unofficial vampire “expert” (I watched A LOT of Buffy and What We Do in the Shadows) I am very hyped for this video
......
*has read tons of old folklore, Anne Rice novels, Vampire the Masquerade, and countless myths with even a tangential connection to vampires*
... ahem...
@@Jane-oz7pp I have as well.
It's the basis for clan Tzimisce in Vampire the Masquerade
pretty much twinsies but i also got like two seasons of carmilla under my belt! good show would recommend, it's got my favorite nonbinary mad scientist s. lafontaine in it :-)
Re: Vampire invisibility. My father told me, in Peru it’s said that one of the ways you can recognize a vampire is their inability to whistle.
Guess I'm a vampire.
this video is great! I love the discussion of how we use other culture's "vampire" myths. I have one small correction--the Middle Ages were from about 500 CE - 1500 CE. I a lot of the evidence you brought up (all great sources, btw!) seems to be from the 16th-18th centuries, which is Early Modern (Renaissance) / Enlightenment / Modern period. I only point it out because a lot of messed up things / ideas from the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods get pushed back onto the Middle Ages (and they have enough of their own problems!). Love your channel, and thanks for the video!
"The Man From Earth" is one of my favorite movies of all time as well, and I'm so happy that it is getting love and recognition
"A nocturnal owl-winged woman who sucks the blood of-"
Apples? It's apples, isn't it? We all know everyone's mind went to her!
The owl lady?
Ah, the Sophies of the night. What music they make.
“different things are different”- quote of the year, put it on a plaque
26:03 the arg used to market the sequel to vampire the masquerade: bloodlines also revolved around a app that was used to find victims by masquerading (haha) as a dating app that used machine learning to pair soulmates
God, im so hyped 🥵🥵 whenever i see your new vid premiere i am like *say when. im ready. SAY WHEN*
this video made me say "FUCK YEAH" out loud several times, and the loudest when you started queueing in the topic of the next Monster Men video
thank you Sophie this freakin ruled and I'm about to send this to everyone I know
They did it again. Killin it Sophie!
"We Made Up A Guy To Get Mad At" could pretty much be the thesis statement for Monster Men.
A much more interesting analysis than "Vampires are about sex, that's why teenagers love them."
Yeah. That is certainly a part of certain depictions, but totally not all of them. I like the whole cultural aspect of them.
There’s a cool vampire book by some folklore professor who also did a book on faeries. I found it for some reason in the “witchcraft” of the BX (grew up on military bases). He mentions tons of vampire/vampire adjacent creatures like redcaps (technically fae) but they got their redcaps by dipping them in blood of the people they attack.
Curio keeps getting more and more based as time goes on! I love when people can accurately portray what the World of Darkness setting intended with capitalism and social issues, especially when they have consistently based content! I'm a little upset you didn't discuss the connection between werewolves as a defense against vampires, and how Adolf Hitler wanted his friends' children to call him "Uncle Wolf," and how this concept of werewolves not just fighting against unholy beings, but specifically vampires helped form Twilight. I still can't fault you for that, it's about *just* vampires after all, but being able to draw a parallel between the justification for bestial acts against those who "suck on the blood of children for eternal youth" to modern-day events would have just made this even better than just the best video I've ever seen in my life.
just finished Midnight Mass and even tho I liked it I kept thinking "could be hornier!". What a perfect companion piece to that show.
I also just finished it and really liked it! Personally I didn't mind the lack of horniness as I feel plenty of vampire media explores romantic love and sex and it's nice to have a vampire show which is more accessible to ace people, focussing instead on morality and religion.
you - "turn the horny drives to maximum"
helsmen- "buh-but sir, the horny levels are already beyond safe levels, it risks.. "
you -"Damn the risks! all power to horny drive! full speed ahead
@@bitnewt the lack of horniness is definitely fitting with the heavy Catholic theming as well.
Tis the season of spooky! Vampires are my shit, so glad you made this video! Im especially glad you mentioned Strahd. He's my favorite villain and vampire character overall, and a very good classical-like vampire. Great work!
In case anyone is wondering about the crucifix trick and how it works, it appears to be not only about the hunter being christian, but the vampire as well. In my personal favorite vampire fiction, the musical Dance of the Vampires, a christian woman tries to defend herself with a cross and it doesn't work, because the vampire is jewish. The trick does work however when Not-Van Helsing and Not-Jonathan Harker use it against Not-Dracula in the end.
Also, thank you SO MUCH for talking about the link between vampire legend and antisemitism
Speaking on decaying of saints, I think the term you’re referring to is “incorruptible”. It’s a silly word used by the church that is honestly contradictory looking to non-experts (heck I get confused and I was that weird Catholic who when I lived overseas as a kid we’d go on mini pilgrimages to churches with dead saints and I would stare at their displayed corpses or body parts and try to figure out if they were incorrupt or not. I was almost always wrong). Caitlyn Doughty has an older video on the subject.
So this alicin, it's like a two-part glue, or epoxy and when someone is crushing the cell walls, it releases the alicin. And that's what's really, really good for you in garlic. I believe.
RELEASE THE ALICIN!
Just watched The Man From Earth, like, three weeks back. Absolutely agree, it's brilliant.
What a nice coincidence. Also, those earrings are cute.
A friend asked me to watch this, 3 minutes in I texted them exclaiming thanks! Omg loving this. My new favorite channel. I must watch more🖤🖤
Rumor has it that David Vanian, lead singer of The Damned, may have been the Highgate Vampire. He liked to stroll around the cemetery at night in the 70s and dressed like a vampire
That hair sure had something supernatural keeping it in place
Great video, good overview of the subject. If anyone wants to watch more video essays about vampires I recommend Verilybitchie's series where she does a deep dive into vampires and bisexuality.
That introduction sequence... Chef's kiss.
Sophie, your voice is the cutest 😭 no one I’d rather listen to rant about vampire lore
One of element Vampire lore is how they can be repealed by faith. In particular one of my favourite reimaginings of the Vampire are the Hemoviors of Doctor Who The Curse of Fenric who are weak to not only religious faith but any kind of human faith. This leads to the great scene where a Soviet soldier wards them off by believing in communism real hard.
"I told you the bourgeoisie were sucking our blood, and I was right all along!"
55:22 Then you get that time in VtM when an ancient vampire woke up and ate all of Bangladesh before being nuked...
I think we lost the metaphor somewhere along the line.
Wow, Scardy Matt in a vampire video; this is a great bit of casting! This was a great video, and I'm looking forward to seeing you do the Kaiju that you do so well.
I've been obsessed with with the What We Do In The Shadows tv show recently so this video came right on time!
Awesome video ❤
Also when you pointed out the comparison between Jesus and Vampires I thought of midnight mass and vampires and angels
I transcribed a video about the orbital London loop that kept bringing in vampires and Bram Stoker's Dracula as a metaphor to describe it.
pakeha specifically means 'non Maori.' It was commonly used to refer to creatures that were 'other' or not quite human before contact with Europeans, similar to phrases like 'the other folk' in fairy folklore. These days its generally used to mean white New Zealander, I've never seen non kiwi white people referred to as pakeha but I assume its technically accurate.
I started watching Midnight Mass after seeing this and I think it's really doing a lot of the stuff that you mentioned in the video. I watched this, and now I get to apply it in my understanding of that show! Pretty cool! Not gonna say more since it's still new and I've not finished it but it seems good so far!
LOL. No, Sophie, that wasn't too direct. Your assessment of the British press is spot on.
YES! Excited for the kaiju vid!
You should do a whole episode on shapeshifters. Skin walkers and changlings scare the shit out of me, I grew up with stories of both. 🤣 I’d love to see a focus on each. ❤
Omg i love you for using a fritz leiber quote!!!! He is one of my all time favorites!!!! You have surely gained the blessings of the pulps! :)
The myth of Cain and Abel is really about the wonders of public transit. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
I've been playing the Castlevania advanced collection all day so this was good timing
"Being gay and being a cannibalistic killer is not the same thing,"
Hannibal; Is that a challenge
"In Interview with a Vampire, they represent WatchMojo"
I spat my drink Sophie, don't do this to me XD
I think the greatest work of Vampire media is What We do in the Shadows (both the movie and show).
Babe wake up, new Curio vid is dropping
nobody is gonna talk about the green goblin voice??????? ITS PERFECT
This was an amazing video and I am SO excited for Kaiju.
Please be nice to Mothra shes trying very hard
THE MAN FROM EARTH IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE AND NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS!!!!!!!
My favorite vampire adjacent creature is this one I once read about that was a beautiful woman by day, but at night, her head and entrails detached and would float around looking for victims to consume.
I can't remember what it's called or where it's from, though. I just remember reading about it in some coffee table history/myth book about vampires I got from the library once.
The Penanggolan! Originally from Philippine folklore!
@@EvilFi Thanks!
Curio can I just. Bask in the glory of your content for a year?
Just. Tell me. About everything. Pls.
I’m excited for the Kaiju episode!!!!!
I just had to say I am currently falling down the rabbit hole that is your channel. You're so well read and I adore your accent. PLEASE make more videos about games, those are fantastic. Your disco Elysium one had me rolling. 💞
This is dope af.
I'm so glad this series is still going, some of your best work.
I would argue there is one American vampire that could be deterred by salt
Count Von Count from Sesame street
He can’t chase you until he’s finished counting all the salt
Strahd, proof incel thanos could be a terrifying villain.
Also one small thing, Strahds cards aren't playing cards, they're for fortune telling.
Specifically used in the game the cards tell of how the heroes will kill him.
So I see it as a symbol of his confidence in his power and position as lord of his land, disregarding the threat of the heros who will strike hin down.
This video mentioning VTMB is exactly what I was hoping because I am midway through my 1st playthrough at the moment. There is something absolutely interesting about vampires within culture.
Late to the party, but it's the first time I've seen somebody mention The man from Earth in a video/essay and it caught me off guard because I love it and it does deserve more attention. Such a simple but deep lil movie
Only in the first seven minutes but wow my mythology loving brain is so happy. I have like, undead folklore stacked in my mind to hit videos with a "well actually..." or a "you forgot to mention..." but you just went ahead and listed a comprehensive introductory list to 'vampire' mythology in the first 7 minutes. Like, not a complete and utter encyclopedia but you just went ahead and straightforwardly said all the usual examples, this is so well written I'm having such a good time!!!!
Lady Dimistrescu has been mentioned this is now my second favourite youtube video (my most favourite being one of the 'making of' videos by animator Dead Sound, no one needs to know that but if you're like "what on earth is better than vampires?" it's the artistic and scientific journey of animating dinosaurs)
Ah! Mildred Slime Voice! This is now the best video!
One of my favorite recent vampires is Astarion in the Early Access game, Baldur's Gate 3. He's really chaotic evil, extermly charming High Elf vampire spawn (though he will behave if Tav says so). So far we don't know much of his previous life, except when he was turned by his master. Astarion was Magistare who got beaten by a group of Gurs, due to a ruling he had made. His Master, Cazador Szar, offered to save him, and Astarion became his obedient spawn. Astarion is temporary free, and he will do whatever is possible to keep that freedom. And he has had too rely on himself to survive.
"The
strong had two centuries to pluck me from torture, but no one came. No, it was the mind flares that rescued me. They gave me a gift, the strength to take my own freedom. "
Kaijuuuuuu ayeeeee sooo looking forward to it! I enjoyed this vid so much ✨✨
I’ve been on a vampire kick lately, could not be better timing!
Amazing video, as usual from the Curio Crew. Those 9 months in the making really paid off!
Sophia: *starts talking about Night Flyer*
Me: Aah, a person of culture, I see!
Only lovers left alive??? Best vampire film ever. How does love look like when you do live forever?
I know so many people who dislike the Coppola movie, but I love it.
My favorite vampire movie, though, is not a Dracula story. Only Lovers Left Alive is just such a languid outsider story.
The fact that this series hasn't gotten Curio 100k subs is criminal
Thanks, I agree
@@SophiefromMars I audibly screamed at my place of work when I saw you heart this. Thank you for making my day omg
I was already loving this, but then you brought up the Night Flyer.
The Lilith Vampire archetype is really interesting - there’s a character in one of the Icelandic sagas that fits it. In Eyrbyggja saga (written around the 13th cent, has a lot of spooky goings on with the undead) there’s a character called Thorgunna who dies and wants to buried in this specific church, when some farmers aren’t hospitable enough to her pall-bearers she appears and cooks them dinner to shame the farmers into offer proper hospitality, except she’s like naked and terrifying. Also possibly appears as a magical seal that can pop in and out of the ground bc she wanted her sheets burned but her friend gave them to his wife. Fun spooky times to be had in saga era Iceland!
that line for next episode was RAW AS HELL MY GIRL I LOVED IT IM GOBBLING IT UP
Another fun bit about Vampire the Requiem which is the follow up to Masquerade is that there's an in universe forgotten book of the Bible which talks about the Lancea et Sanctum. Catholic vampires basically which follow the teachings of the first christian vampire, that being the guy who stabbed Jesus with the spear on the cross, and apparently (in fiction) having lived a sort of moral inverse of Jesus' life (surrounding himself with sins and misery, being the dark shadow to Christianity after he turns into a vampire) It's a really fascinating read that is written pretty much exactly like a revised and edited copy of any other book of the bible, footnotes included
I could watch you talk about vampires and other monsters for hours. There's just so much lore to explore that's super fascinating.
I already watched the patreon rough cut, yet I am once again glued to my screen. How! Do! They! Do it!!
Don Brash said WHAT!? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be counting down the Top 10 Things Sophie Has Said About Aotearoa That Has Shocked Me, An Aotearoan.
This is one of my favorite videos you’ve done to date…and not just because you brought up Vampire the Masquerade and vtmb XP
Amazing video. I'm loving this monster series.
It really does say something that one of the reasons vampires are so appealing IS their wealth. A lot of people focus on the sexual aspect in Twilight and fanfiction derivatives, but there's also the wealth fantasy: in the derivatives, while Edward's counterpart is no longer a vampire, he is still obscenely rich, rich enough to casually spent money on the heroine. Even in non-vampire romances, money differentials is an aphrodisiac to many people raised in capitalist society.
The base appeal of the White Wolf mythos is vampire politics: it's not just roleplaying a monster, it's pretty much playing Monopoly meets Yakuza with a little Grand Theft Auto. Politics is tied into money in traditional culture, after all.
And yes, vampires are inherently tied in with sex and disease, but I feel that money is the most relevant connection. I remember a Cracked article from many years going vampire=the fears of the working class and zombie=fears of the upper class, and while that's extremely reductive, I couldn't help but feel that it's right.
I can't stand the Coppola Dracula, but hey you do you.