Dhampir

"Dhampire" redirects here. For the Vertigo graphic novel, see Dhampire: Stillborn.

A Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The term is sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses. Dhampirs are supposed to be adept at detecting and killing vampires.

In recent vampire fiction, Dhampir (or sometimes "dampeer" or dunpeal due to translation difficulties with the Japanese anime Vampire Hunter D and its sequel) refers to any hybrid of one human and one vampire parent; they are half-breeds, not vampires themselves.

Etymology

The word dhampir is believed to derive directly from Albanian: pij or pirё which means "to drink", and dhёmbё or dham which means "teeth", thus dhampir, "to drink with teeth".

Nomenclature

The word "dhampir" is associated with Balkan folklore, as described by T. P. Vukanović. In the rest of the region, terms such as Serbian vampirović, vampijerović, vampirić (thus, Bosnian lampijerović, etc.) literally meaning "vampire's son", are used. In other regions the child is named "Vampir" if a boy and "Vampiresa" if a girl, or "Dhampir" if a boy and "Dhampiresa" if a girl.^{[citation needed]} In Bulgarian folklore, numerous terms such as glog (lit. "hawthorn"), vampirdzhiya ("vampire" + nomen agentis suffix), vampirar ("vampire" + nomen agentis suffix), dzhadadzhiya and svetocher are used to refer to vampire children and descendants, as well as to other specialized vampire hunters.

Origin

In the Balkans it was believed that male vampires have a great desire for women, so a vampire will return to have intercourse with his wife or with a woman he was attracted to in life. Indeed, in one recorded case, a Serbian widow tried to blame her pregnancy on her late husband, who had supposedly become a vampire, and there were cases of Serbian men pretending to be vampires in order to reach the women they desired. In Bulgarian folklore, vampires were sometimes said to deflower virgins as well. The sexual activity of the vampire seems to be a peculiarity of South Slavic vampire belief as opposed to other Slavs, although a similar motif also occurs in Belarusian legends.

Features

Some traditions specify signs by which the children of a vampire can be recognized. Serbian legends state they have untamed dark or black hair and lack a shadow. In Bulgarian folklore, possible indications include being "very dirty," having a soft body, no nails and bones (the latter physical peculiarity is also ascribed to the vampire itself), and "a deep mark on the back, like a tail." In contrast, a pronounced nose was often a sign, as were larger than normal ears, teeth or eyes. According to J. Gordon Melton, from his book, The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead, in some areas, a true dhampir possessed a "slippery, jelly-like body and lived only a short life—a belief that vampires have no bones."

Dhampirs in fiction

Main article: List of fictional dhampirs

According to Richelle Mead's series The Vampire Academy, dhampirs were also made by Moroi men and dhampir women. They inherited the Moroi's strength and speed along with their improved senses. Dhampirs also inherited the ability to stay in the sun for longer from their human ancestors. Dhampirs either grow up in a blood whore town (a town where dhampir women give blood to Moroi men), or in an Academy. In these Academies', they learn how to defend Moroi and how to kill Strigoi. They get a promise mark once they graduate and then they get assigned to a Moroi. But there are also some Dhampirs who go hunt Strigoi on their own or who you can hire to protect you. These Dhampirs aren't assigned to a Moroi.

See also

• Vampire hunter
• List of fictional dhampirs
• List of fictional vampires
• List of vampires in folklore and mythology