The vampire lifestyle, also known as the vampire subculture or vampire community (sometimes spelled "vampyre"), is an

alternative lifestyle An alternative lifestyle or unconventional lifestyle is a lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle perceived to be outside the social norm, norm for a given culture. The term ''alternative lifestyle'' is often used pejoratively. Description of a related ...

and

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

inspired by the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

and popular culture surrounding

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

. Participants often identify with or as vampires, drawing inspiration from various media, including

gothic literature Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean m ...

, films, and

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...

. The subculture encompasses a range of practices, from incorporating vampire aesthetics into daily life to engaging in rituals involving blood consumption or energy work. The vampire subculture largely stemmed from the

goth subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. Post-punk artists who presaged the gothic rock genre and helped develo ...

, but also incorporates some elements of the

sadomasochism Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...

subculture. The

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

provides a prevalent forum of communication for the subculture, along with other media such as glossy magazines devoted to the topic. Participants within the subculture range from those who dress as vampires but understand themselves to be human, to those who assert a need to consume either blood or 'human energy'. Both types of vampires may assert that the consumption of blood or energy (sometimes referred to as auric or pranic energy) is necessary for spiritual or physical nourishment. Though the vampire subculture has considerable overlap with gothic subculture, the vampire community also has overlap with both therian and

otherkin Otherkin is a subculture of people who identify as partially or entirely nonhuman. Some otherkin believe their identity derives from non-physical spiritual phenomena, such as having a nonhuman soul or reincarnation. Some otherkin give non-spi ...

communities, and are considered by some to be a part of both, despite the difference in cultural and historical development.

Types of vampire lifestylers

There are several types of vampire lifestylers: * "": (sometimes referred to as hematophages) consume the blood of others * " Psychic vampires": claim to attain nourishment from the aura or pranic energy of others in order to balance a spiritual or psychological energy deficiency, such as a damaged aura or chakra * "Hybrids": both consume blood and assert that they consume psychic energy * "Blood donors": willingly allow other members of the subculture to drink their blood, and may or may not exhibit subservience toward those who do * " Blood fetishists": use blood as a stimulant or sexual fetish, sometimes drinking it during the course of

sadomasochistic Sadism () and masochism (), known collectively as sadomasochism ( ) or S&M, is the derivation of pleasure from acts of respectively inflicting or receiving pain or humiliation. The term is named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author known ...

sex * "Role-players" or "lifestylers": acknowledge that they are human beings roleplaying as vampires. Williams states that they may "dress up in vampire clothing, live a vampire lifestyle (e.g. sleep in coffins), and primarily participate in RPGs such as '' Vampire: The Masquerade''"

Explanations for blood-drinking

Renfield syndrome R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic Novel, Gothic Horror fiction, horror novel ''Dracula''.Sex researchers have also documented cases of people with sexual (

paraphilic A paraphilia is an experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, places, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals. It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a legally consenting human ...

) vampirism and

autovampirism Auto-vampirism is a form of vampirism that refers to drinking one's own blood, typically as a form of sexual gratification. As a mental disorder, this is also called as autohemophagia, which is derived from three Greek words: ''auto'', which mean ...

.Prins, H. (1985). Vampirism: A clinical condition. ''British Journal of Psychiatry, 146,'' 666–668.

Controversy

Christianity

Some self-proclaimed Christian

vampire slayer A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in folklore and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampir ...

s have arisen in response to the vampire subculture. Online, they swarm vampire websites with

hate mail Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwi ...

and participate in other similar activities.

Types of vampire lifestylers

Explanations for blood-drinking

Controversy

Christianity

References

Further reading