Vampyre Culture

Vampyre culture is something which can be adequately described as a “subculture” of Human general culture. This is because while we are Vampyres, we are also still Human.

According to subcultureslist.com, “The vampire culture is an alternative lifestyle, based on the modern perception of vampires in popular fiction. The vampire subculture has stemmed largely from the goth subculture, but also incorporates some elements of the sadomasochism subculture.” Unfortunately, the site creates the impression that all Vampyres are affiliated with only one Group, “the Sanguinarium”, which is simply not true. This is simply endemic of most sites created by Shinai who are at least trying to understand and get to grips with the VC.

The contribution by Wikipedia is even less accurate and even somewhat insulting, as it boldly states: “Modern vampire subcultures

Vampire lifestyle is a term for a contemporary subculture of people, largely within the Goth subculture, who consume the blood of others as a pastime; drawing from the rich recent history of popular culture related to cult symbolism, horror films, the fiction of Anne Rice, and the styles of Victorian England.^[146] Active vampirism within the vampire subculture includes both blood-related vampirism, commonly referred to as sanguine vampirism, and psychic vampirism, or supposed feeding from pranic energy.^[147]“

On a different page, Wikipedia states: “The vampire lifestyle or vampire subculture is an alternative lifestyle, based on the modern perception of vampires in popular fiction. The vampire subculture has stemmed largely from the goth subculture,^[1] but also incorporates some elements of the sadomasochismsubculture. The Internet provides a prevalent forum for the subculture along with other media such as glossy magazines devoted to the topic.^[2]” – thus creating the impression that the Vampyre Community is no more than fictional vampire enthusiasts with a Gothic slant congregating to express or enjoy a lifestyle. This could not be further from the truth. At the core of our culture and our community, is the understanding that we ARE Vampyres, and that whatever lifestyle the individual chooses to live or embrace, that alone is our identity, regardless.

There are many traditions, paths and ideologies in our diverse culture. Some Groups follow a religious and even occult tradition, while others are secular or eclectic. Some again are rigid and structured, with clearly defined hierarchies, titles and rank systems – while others are informal and have no defined hierarchies at all.

These differences have resulted in the different terms and labels we find applied within the Community today. In some cases there are multiple terms to describe the same essential concept. In others, they describe a unique view of a particular item or feature of the Community.

In some cases you will encounter terminology introduced by role playing games such as Vampire: the Masquerade. In others, you may encounter facets of the culture which influenced those very games in an enticing circle in which life emulates art, and art emulates life. In some circles, use of these terms is frowned upon, but nevertheless, some very real Community groups use some of these terms and have done for years.

While in the modern world some feel it reduces the Community to the level of role players, others feel it enriches our culture, but in the end, it is really a matter of preference. All of these terms and their uses are part of our collective culture and of the same Community, and it is far wiser to try to understand the differences between them before criticizing or dismissing them.