Vampire Hunter's Guide - Coffins

Early mythological vampires did not always sleep in coffins. Up until the 19th century, only the very rich could afford coffins, and so much of the history of vampires did not include a 'secured' burial – indeed, it was the very precarious nature of medieval burial that fostered the fear that vampires could very easily rise from their final resting place in the earth.

Even up to the time of Dracula, fictional vampires did not always require coffins to slumber. All that was required was that the vampire rested in its native soil. When Dracula came to England, he brought crate upon crate of his native soil with him, and it was that soil in which he rested and regained his strength.

In more recent times, the best explanation for the commonality of the coffin to all vampire stories rests in the fact that vampires are dead; today, we bury our dead in coffins. The coffin also provides protection from sunlight (which is known in modern times to damage or kill the vampire). However, the coffin has provided a perfect target for the vampire hunter – a vitally important aspect of the modern vampire story.

Still, in these more secular times, the most modern of vampire writers are again challenging the myths of old. In Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles as well as other novels in this decade, vampires require nothing but protection from sunlight. Crypts, sealed rooms, and even the earth itself is sufficient for their needs.

Vampire, Gothic and related literature

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