Information Related to "Where Vampires & Werewolves Don't Exist"
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Throughout the human experience people and tribes have admired various animal abilities—strength, speed, stealth.
In the Bible God actually gave the tribe of Benjamin (one of the 12 tribes
of Israel) the symbol of the wolf. "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the
morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil" (Genesis 49:27).
Ancient Egyptian mythology included a god called Anubis who was depicted with the body of a man and the head of a jackal—a type of African coyote. Centuries later, the mythology of the Greeks listed Lycaon as a king who displeased their chief god Zeus and was changed into a wolf.
By the Middle Ages numerous regions of Europe held superstitions that some men or women could, through witchcraft, be changed or change at will into wolves with a perverse hunger for human flesh.
Blood-sucking vampire creatures also appeared in various pagan traditions that considered them to be witches. During the late Middle Ages in Serbia and other southern and eastern European areas, vampire superstitions grew stronger—always connected with the occult. Some thought vampires were ghosts, while others still considered them witches. Whatever.
The growth of the Wiccan or witchcraft movement has gained considerable momentum since the late 20th century. With that comes renewed interest in vampires and werewolves—especially among younger generations.
Where does that leave you? Have you wondered about such superstitions—especially with the popularity of vampire and witchcraft-based story lines in films and the Twilight novel series? Should people—young or old—mentally feed on such entertainments? What's the harm of playacting the role of a vampire in computer games or taking on a werewolf avatar?
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