CHAPTER XII
FACT OR FICTION?
While some writers, belonging mainly to what is popularly known as the orthodox school of theology or professing a materialistic philosophy, have expressed an entire disbelief in the alleged phenomena, others, on the other hand, accepting generally the spiritistic or spiritualistic philosophy, have admitted the possibility of the phenomena, though not pledging their acceptance of all or any of the many stories told concerning the deeds, or rather the misdeeds, of the apparitions.
Dr Pierart, the well-known French _savant_, maintained that “the facts of vampirism are as well attested by inquiries made as are the facts of catalepsy,” and that “the facts of vampirism are as old as the world,” and pointed to the fact that Tertullian and St Augustine spoke of them.
Gabriele D’Annunzio was another firm believer in their existence. In his _Triumph of Death_, translated by Georgina Harding, we read: “What have they not done? Candia told of all the different means they had tried, all the exorcisms they had resorted to. The priest had come and, after covering the child’s head with the end of his stole, had repeated verses from the Gospel. The mother had hung up a wax cross, blessed on Ascension Day, over a door, and had sprinkled the hinges with holy water and repeated the Creed three times in a loud voice; she had tied up a handful of salt in a piece of linen and hung it round the neck of her dying child. The father had ‘done the seven nights’—that is, for seven nights he had waited in the dark behind a lighted lantern, attentive to the slightest sound, ready to catch and grapple with the vampire. A single prick with the pin sufficed to make her visible to the human eye. But the seven nights’ watch had been fruitless, for the child wasted away and grew more hopelessly feeble from hour to hour. At last, in despair, the father had consulted with a wizard, by whose advice he had called a dog and put the body behind the door. The vampire could not then enter the house till she counted every hair on its body.”
Calmet’s explanation of the spectres so much talked of in Hungary, Moravia, Poland, and elsewhere is that they are nothing but persons that are still alive in their graves, though without motion or respiration; and that the freshness and ruddy colour of their blood, the flexibility of their limbs, and their crying out when their hearts were run through with a stick, or their heads cut off, were demonstrative proofs of their being still alive. “But this,” he says, “does not affect the principal difficulty at which I stick, namely, how they come out of and go into their graves, without leaving any mark of the earth’s being removed; and how they appear to carry former clothes. If they are not really dead, why do they return to their graves again and not stay in the land of the living? Why do they suck the blood of their relations, and torment and pester persons that should naturally be true to them and never give them any offence? On the other hand, if it be nothing but a mere whim of the persons infested, whence comes it that these carcases are found in their graves uncorrupted, full of blood, with their limbs pliant and flexible, and their feet dirty, the next day after they have been patrolling about and frightening the neighbourhood, whilst nothing of this sort can be discovered in other carcases that were buried at the same time and in the same mound? Whence is it that they come no more after they are burned or impaled?”
Other writers have accepted the theory that the subjects are not really dead, but are only in a death-like condition. The Germans express this condition of apparent death and of the perfect preservation of the living body by the term _scheintod_, which is, perhaps, better than the English term “suspended animation.” Dr Herbert Mayo describes the special condition of vampires as a “death-trance”—a positive status, a period of repose, the duration of which is sometimes definite and predetermined, though unknown, and says that the patient sometimes awakes suddenly when the term of the death-trance has expired. During this trance-period the action of the heart, breathing, voluntary motion, as well as feeling and intelligence and the vegetable changes in the body, are said to be suspended. Two instances of the death-trance are quoted.
Cardinal Espinosa, prime minister under Philip the Second of Spain, died, as it was supposed, after a short illness. His rank entitled him to be embalmed. Accordingly, the body was opened for that purpose. The lungs and heart had just been brought into view, when the latter was seen to beat. The cardinal, awakening at the fatal moment, had still strength enough left to seize with his hand the knife of the anatomist.
On the 23rd of September 1763, the Abbé Prévost, the French novelist and compiler of travels, was seized with a fit in the forest of Chantilly. The body was found and conveyed to the residence of the nearest clergyman. It was supposed that death had taken place through apoplexy. But the local authorities, desiring to be satisfied of the fact, ordered the body to be examined. During the process the poor Abbé uttered a cry of agony. It was too late.
Among Theosophists and Continental spiritists a solution to the problem is found in their teaching concerning the astral body and the astral plane, as conveyed by Madame Blavatsky in _Isis Unveiled_.
It is held that so long as the astral form is not entirely separated from the body there is a liability that it may be forced by magnetic attraction to re-enter it. Sometimes it will be only half-way out when the corpse, which presents the appearance of death, is buried. In such cases the astral body voluntarily re-enters the mortal frame, and then one of two things happens—either the unhappy victim will writhe in the agonising torture of suffocation, or if he has been grossly material he becomes a vampire. It is held that this ethereal form can go wherever it pleases, and that it is possible for this astral body to feed on human victims and carry the sustenance to the corpus lying within the tomb by means of an invisible cord of connection, the nature of which is at present unknown; but psychical researchers—and these number many eminent scientists—have of late years devoted their efforts towards the elucidation of the phenomenon known as the projection of the double; and this, if scientifically and satisfactorily explained, will give the clue to many of the phenomena of vampirism.
This “double” may sometimes during life be projected unconsciously, and sometimes purposely, by means of hypnotism or provoked somnambulism. An example of the former appeared in the _Journal du Magnétisme_ for October 1909, and the translation of the account was published in the _Annals of Psychical Science_ for January-March 1910, and is here reproduced. The narrator is M. Antonio Salazar of Mexico.
“_A Romantic Case of Projection of the Double_
“In 1889 I lived at Juatlahuaca, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. For a long time I passionately loved the woman who afterwards became my wife.
“At the beginning of 1890, through one of those unfortunate disagreements which occasionally arise between parents and their children, those of my beloved one, wishing to put an end to our mutual love, separated us by taking her to the mountains; but this only increased our love, because of the difficulties and our desire to see each other.
“Several months passed after our separation, and though the distance between us was not great, we had to take into account the vigilance with which she was surrounded, and which was a greater obstacle than the difficulties of the road.
“One night, when I was feeling, as usual, very sad and gloomy, the thought came to me to say to my servant: ‘Jeanette, if any morning you come into my room and do not find me, do not look for me; take the keys and open the shop. If at midday I have not arrived, you can seek for me in the mountains.’
“‘Ah, sir,’ she replied, ‘I would never oppose myself to your commands, if what you tell me did not concern persons whom I love and respect, because you will never thereby accomplish your object.’
“I knew that she was right, and I thought that the best thing I could do was to go to sleep and try to calm my imagination. She also retired, much distressed, and imploring all the saints, to whom she prayed, to prevent any unfortunate incident which would threaten the lives of three persons—my _fiancée_, her father, and myself.
“The following day I awoke with the same project in my mind, but before carrying it out I wished to inform my _fiancée_ as to the day and hour at which I hoped to speak to her. She replied by showing me the rashness of my project, and offering to do all she could to overcome the obstacles which prevented her from returning to live in the town, which she hoped to do in a few days, and which came to pass as she had predicted. I reckoned, however, on my sagacity and youthful ardour to realise my project before my _fiancée_ was able to return.
“One day, when my mind was indulging itself in all kinds of fancies, I thought it would be quite easy to elude the vigilance of all those who were around my _fiancée_, and who were opposed to our meeting. When night came on I continued to think of my project, and I resolved to lie down and try to sleep.
“I passed a very disturbed night, waking frequently, and when the day began to break, the servant came to my room to bid me ‘good morning,’ and to ask for the keys of the shop.
“‘How have you passed the night, sir?’ she asked.
“‘Rather badly, Jeanette. I have dreamed continually, and it is impossible for me to give you an idea of all the dangers and precipices which I thought I overcame and crossed; it seems to me that I went over the mountain road which leads to the farm, but it was a very different road. I dreamed that our interview was prevented, I do not know how, and that I had a long walk home again. What can it all mean?’
“‘It is only the result of your wishes and preoccupation in regard to the young lady. She will soon return, and then these follies will disappear.’
“I very soon forgot all about what I have just described, and so did my servant, for neither of us attached any importance to a dream; but, after a short time, a messenger from the farm handed me a letter, in which my _fiancée_ reproached me for my violence, my bad conduct and disobedience in going there in defiance of the commands and wishes of her father.
“‘What? I? No. Never! Tell your mistress that, although I have thought of going to see her, I have never carried out my desires; if I have not done so, it has not been through lack of courage and will on my part, but only because of my desire to please her and not to oppose her wishes.’
“‘But we saw you.’
“‘Me?’
“‘Yes, sir—you.’
“‘You are telling an untruth. I have not been out. My servant can corroborate that; and, further, I have nothing to lose by telling the truth.’
“‘That may be as you please, but it is true that you spoke to me; you questioned me on the subject of Mademoiselle—desired me to tell her that you were there and wished to speak to her.’
“‘These are illusions on your part; you have been dreaming.’
“‘That is possible; but there were two, three, all the servants, who also saw you. You did not arrive until nearly midnight; you were dressed as you are now, and riding a white horse, which you fastened to the gnarled oak. We could all recognise you by the moonlight, and you were going towards the side door when I stopped you from entering.
“‘Hearing our voices, the dogs began to bark, which caused all the servants to get up. You were recognised by my master and the young lady, who fell on her knees before her father, beseeching him not to fire on you. Without showing any fear, you returned step by step to your horse and went down the mountain again. My master was much annoyed with you, called his confidential servant Marino, ordered him to follow you and not to be afraid, but to fire on you two or three times, as he would be responsible. Marino set out, and, although he walked quickly and tried all he could to catch you up, he could not do so. A curious phenomenon aroused his attention, which was that he always saw you going at the same pace, and he had not the courage to fire his rifle.
“‘You arrived at the entrance to the town about five o’clock in the morning; the moon was setting and the day commencing to break. Before you arrived at the first crossing of the streets you began to run, and turned quickly along the first street in the town; and though Marino ran after you, he lost sight of you at the next crossing.’
“My persecutor, frightened by what he had seen, returned immediately to the farm to inform his master of what had taken place, and which seemed very extraordinary and supernormal.
“For a long time this adventure, of which I was the unconscious hero, made a great stir in the town.”
Colonel de Rochas, a distinguished French savant, has made this question of the externalisation or projection of the double and of the motricity and sensibility of the subject his special and patient study, and has embodied the results of many of his experiments in separate works. Some have also been published in the pages of the _Annals of Psychical Science_, so that the reader who is particularly interested in the question will have no difficulty in finding material for further consideration and study.
The Société Magnétique de France has also conducted extensive experiments in this field of research, particulars of which are published from time to time in the _Journal du Magnétisme_. The following theoretical explanation given at the conclusion of the report of a series of these experiments is reprinted from the _Annals_ for July-September 1910:—
“We know that the phantom is the psychical body projected from the physical body. It is that which enjoys or suffers, thinks, wishes, judges, and perceives all sensations. It is constantly animated by extremely rapid vibratory movements which are certainly the same as when it is within the body. This principle being admitted, we understand that, when it animates the body, its vibratory movements are not projected outside, and that it exercises no appreciable action on other organisms in its neighbourhood. But when it is outside the body its movements are easily externalised. Then the phantom and another person, vibrating in unison, represent two stringed instruments which sound at the same time when one only is touched. If I can obtain this transmission at great distances, we can explain this strange and unexpected phenomenon by the theory of wireless telegraphy or telephony.”
The results of the many experiments conducted by and under the auspices of French scientists in particular tend to indicate that in the near future an explanation of the phenomena of vampirism will be forthcoming.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abercromby’s _Finns_.
Leo Allatius.
Barth’s _The Religions of India_.
Bartholin’s _de Causa contemptûs mortis_.
Beaumont’s _Treatise on Spirits_.
Blavatsky’s _Isis Unveiled_.
Calmet’s _Dissertation upon Apparitions_.
Calmet’s _The Phantom World_.
Hugh Clifford’s _In Court and Kampong_.
Codrington’s _Melanesians_.
Conway’s _Demonology and Folk-lore_.
William Crooke’s _Popular Religion and Folk-lore of Northern India_.
Gabriele D’Annunzio’s _The Triumph of Death_.
De Schartz, _Magia Postuma_.
C. M. Doughty’s _Arabia Deserta_.
Eaves’ _Modern Vampirism_.
_Encyclopædia Britannica._
Eyre’s _Discoveries in Central Australia_.
Farrer’s _Primitive Manners and Customs_.
Fornari’s _History of Sorcerers_.
Fortis’ _Travels into Dalmatia_.
Frazer’s _Golden Bough_.
Goethe’s _Bride of Corinth_.
Baring Gould’s _Book of Were Wolves_.
Grimm’s _Teutonic Mythology_.
J. J. Morgan de Groot’s _Religious System of China_.
Baron von Haxthausen’s _Transcaucasia_.
Hikayat Abdullah.
Reginald Hodder’s _The Vampire_.
_Jewish Encyclopædia._
Keightley’s _Fairy Mythology_.
T. S. Knowlson’s _Origin of Popular Superstitions_.
Leake’s _Travels in Northern Greece_.
Liddell’s _The Vampire Bride_.
Mackenzie and Irby’s _Travels in the Slavonic Provinces of Turkey in Europe_.
Mayo’s _On the Truths contained in Popular Superstitions_.
_Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_ (vol. ii.).
More’s _Antidote against Atheism_.
Nider’s _Formicarius_.
Laurence Oliphant’s _Scientific Religion_.
Pashley’s _Crete_ (vol. ii.).
Polidori’s _The Vampyre_.
Michael Psellus’ _Dialogus de Operationibus Dæmonum_.
Ralston’s _Russian Folk Tales_.
Ralston’s _Songs of the Russian People_.
Roussel’s _Transfusion of Human Blood_.
Rycaut’s _The Present State of the Greek and Armenian Churches_.
Rymer’s _Varney the Vampire_.
St Clair and Brophy’s _Bulgaria_.
Saxo Grammaticus’ _Danish History_.
Sayce’s _Ancient Empires of the East_.
Scoffern’s _Stray Leaves of Science and Folk-lore_.
Sir Walter Scott’s translation of _Eyrbyggia Saga_.
Siegbert’s _Chronicle_.
W. W. Skeat’s _Malay Magic_.
Skeat and Blagden’s _Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula_.
Southey’s _Thalaba the Destroyer_.
Bram Stoker’s _Dracula_.
R. Campbell Thompson’s _The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia_.
J. Pitton de Tournefort’s _A Voyage into the Levant_.
Tozer’s _Researches in the Highlands of Turkey_.
Trumbull’s _Blood Covenant_.
Turner’s _Nineteen Years in Polynesia_.
Tylor’s _Primitive Culture_.
Voltaire’s _Dictionnaire Philosophique_.
Horace Walpole’s _Reminiscences_.
Westermarck’s _Origin and Development of Moral Ideas_.
William of Newbury.
PERIODICAL LITERATURE
_All the Year Round_ (vol. xxv.).
_Annals of Psychical Science._
_Blackwood’s Magazine_ (vol. lxi.).
_Borderland._
_Chambers’s Journal_ (vol. lxxiii.).
_Colburn’s Magazine_ (vol. vii.).
_Contemporary Review_ (July 1885).
_Gentleman’s Magazine_ (July 1851).
_Household Words_ (vol. xi.).
_Journal du Magnétisme._
_Journal Indian Archipelago_ (vol. i.).
_Lippincott’s Magazine_ (vol. xlvii.).
_London Journal_ (March 1732).
_New Monthly Magazine_ (1st April 1819).
_Nineteenth Century_ (September 1885).
_Notes and Queries._
_Occult Review._
_Open Court_ (vol. vii.).
_Revue Spiritualiste_ (vol. iv.).
_St James’s Magazine_ (vol. x.).
_Wonderful Magazine_ (1764).
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