By Hesperus of the Dreaming © 2025
Questions and debates regarding the origins of vampirism sometimes arise within the Nightkind community. Familiarizing oneself with some commonly proposed explanations can help to deepen understanding and to build connections with diverse members of the community. While origin theories vary considerably, they do not necessarily discredit each other; rather, understanding each may offer a glimpse at a fuller picture of the ways in which vampires relate to the world.
Many vampires find new meaning in ancient beliefs, tapping into narratives that have been the focal point of millenia of religious devotion to better understand themselves today. In the sacred stories of ancient Greece, for example, the gods regularly consumed ambrosia and nectar to gain longevity and supernatural powers. Some find empowerment in the parallel between this divine consumption and vampiric hunger. Other origin stories, such as those naming the biblical Cain or Judas as the first vampires, establish vampires as a consequence of a supernatural error or human disobedience. This view may appeal to many whose Awakenings involve a rejection of repressive religious norms. Whether seeing something of oneself in the gods themselves or in those who defy them, reinterpreting Ancient stories is a common Nightkind practice.
One meaningful example of a religious story reexamined through a vampiric lens is that of the Grigori and the Nephilim. In the pre-christian text, the Book of Enoch, celestial beings called Grigori or Watchers were sent to watch over humanity. Over time, some of these Watchers divulged secret wisdom and even sired children, known as Nephilim, among the humans. The Nephilim went on to be incredibly powerful ‘giants’ among men. So powerful, in fact, that the biblical flood was motivated by the desire to destroy them and nothing short of global catastrophe would suffice. Some vampires see themselves in this story of beings with otherworldly knowledge and power, born into a hostile world.
Drawing on more contemporary ideas about how fundamental natures emerge, many in the community suspect genetics plays a role in vampirism. With so many traits discovered to correspond to the presence of specific genes, it is not unreasonable to suspect that some genetic indicator for vampirism may someday be found. Some with a materialist perspective may feel legitimized by a reliable genetic test for vampirism, but it is worth noting that such a physical confirmation would neither refute nor conflict with metaphysical explanations. Astral beings may choose to assume a particular life–genetics included–that aligns with their own purposes and preferences.
Personally, I find it useful to imagine that vampirism’s origins relate to our propensity for harmonic alignment and energy balancing. Vampires are natural energy workers, skilled at establishing links and flows. By regularly taking in energy from environments or donors, vampires prevent stagnation from disrupting energy flow. An environment burdened with stagnant energy may naturally attract astral beings with a hunger for and ability to consume that energy. Viewed as a natural process, vampirism may emerge in reaction to an environmental need, our nature serving a function vital to maintaining energetic balance. In this view, stagnation not only naturally attracts vampires, but summons us into existence by motivating our birth.
Scouring obscure corners of the astral realm for the magickal means to transmute alienation into self-worth is a widely shared experience among vampires and Nightkind generally. Some find power in ancient tales and archetypes, others in their rejection, and others still in the embrace or rebuke of contemporary paradigms of belief. Although differing ideas about our beginnings occasionally lead to animosity, the discovery of any life-giving root to our extended Family tree is cause for celebration. Seeds of truth hide in many far-flung fields but, given the chance, they all grow toward eternity.