0:00 Introduction
Welcome to Celebrate Poe - a examination of the life, works, and times of America’s Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe. This podcast also looks at some of the many influences ON Poe’s writing, as well as some of the countless writers who have been influenced BY Poe. This is episode Seventy One - Female Vampires Before Dracula.
And if you have any comments or questions please contact me at celebratepoe@gmail.com. - especially if you have any suggestions for areas that you would like to learn more about.
00:51 S/M aspects of previous story
But before we go any further, I want to say a little bit more about The Squaw - from Episode 66 - Instruments of Torture. The story - like many of Stoker’s works - while it takes place in Victorian times - has a definite sexual subtext. M. Grant Kellermeyer, in his The Classic Horror Blog, writes that the story has the thrill of masochism that gives the story a jolt of energy. In the dungeon museum that eventually serves as the story’s central location, the characters find many gruesome objects of torture and death that frighten the narrator’s wife but inspires Hutcheson, the macho American, with awe and admiration. Hutcheson even seems to get a charge out of being bound in the Iron Maiden. And he seems to get really turned on an by the prospect of going through the motions of being tortured and punished - very sick or very kinky - depending on your point of view.
02:00 Explanation of Stoker/vampire background
Now one of the writers who was highly influenced by Poe was Bram Stoker. Two previous episodes of this podcast have dealt with stores of suspense by Stoker - Episode 66 - The Giant Rats and Episode 70 - Instruments of Torture.
Originally, I wanted to jump right into an episode about Bram Stoker and vampires, and mentioned that in the previous episode. But then I realized that it would be a lot less confusing (and more logical) to take several episodes to look at just a few of the important vampire stories and legends BEFORE Stoker’s Dracula. Therefore this episode will look at some of the stories of the undead before they were called vampires. All of the undead or vampire characters in this episode happen to be women - or at least can shape shift into women. And while most of our ideas about vampires come from the Western World - especially Europe - all of these vampire/undead are from Asia or Africa. Then I would like to end the episode by talking about a completely unexpected situation that I encountered while interpreting a Shakespearen play last month - in episode 68 - an experience that I can laugh about now, but at the time was a situation that could have been an extremely embarrassing.
MUSICAL TRANSITION
03:33 Oldest known story of vampire
The oldest known story of a vampire-like character is that of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet - excuse my pronunciation. She was associated with both plague and healing. According to legend, the sun god, Ra, was angry at humankind for their disobedience and sent his daughter, Sekhmet to punish them. But after Sekhmet began slaughering people, and couldn't stop drinking their blood. Ra decided this couldn’t go on, and quelled her thirst by dyeing a bunch of beer red. Basically, she guzzled it all and slept for three days.
SNORE SOUND EFFECT
04:27 Lilith the feisty lady
The second vampire-like character in this episode is Lilith from over 4000-years ago. A part of Jewish folklore, in some stories, Lilith was Adam's wife before Eve. Now Lilith had had a really bad reputation in anci ent Babylonia. By the way, her name is from a Sumerian word for female demons or wind spirits, lilitu). According to scholar J. A. Scurlock from the Jewish Women's Archive, the Babylonians believed the lilitu "were hungry for victims who had once been human," and "slipped through windows into people’s houses looking for victims to take the place of husbands and wives." The image of Lilith as a deadly, hungry temptress has endured for centuries (Lilith was the First Vampire in True Blood, for example), and a subsection of self-identified feminists have embraced Lillith as the First Misunderstood Feisty Lady. There’s even a Jewish-American magazine dedicated to feminist issues called Lillith.
05:51 The blood sucker who could separate its body
Now this next undead creature might be classified as feminine - with qualifications. The creature is called a mananaggal, and is considered a terrifying life-draining creature. Based on a legend from the Phillippines - the manananggal, - and I had to look that one up to be able to pronounce it - manananggal - M A N A N A N A G G A L is really strange. Some natives believe this creature can shape shift into a woman and suck blood from the bellies of those who are pregnant, Also, like many vampires, the manananggal hates garlic.
One of the strangest characteristics of the manananggal - as if this creature is not strange enough - is its supposed ability to separate from its lower body. Her fangs and wings give her - or should I say ‘It” - the appearance of a vampire. In other words, the creature can server its upper torso and sprout huge bat-like wings. Not surprisingly, the creature is often associated with women because according to myth, the manananaggal has an elongated proboscis-like tongue to suck the hearts of fetuses, or the blood of a pregnant women who is sleeping. The creature is also capable of severing its upper torso and sprouting huge bat-like wings to fly into the night in search of women. For some reason, she is especially attracted to men who are left waiting by their brides at the altar. Fortunately, the creature is supposed to be vulnerable to sunlight.
07:50 Chinese story (“The Blood Sucking Corpse”)
And around 1740, a Chinese author by the name of Pu Songling wrote a book called Tales of Ghosts and Foxes. We know that the work was even older than that because Pu Songling died 25 years before the story was first published. That book contained the story “The Blood-Drinking Corpse” Songling does not use the word vampire, but creates a terrifying female creature who drinks blood. This story is about 5 or 6 minutes long, and I think the shortness of the story somehow even makes it scarier.
“Night was slowly falling in the narrow valley. On the winding path cut in the side of the hill about twenty mules were following each other, bending under their heavy load; the muleteers, being tired, did not cease to hurry forward their animals, abusing them with coarse voices. Comfortably seated on mules with large pack-saddles, three men were going along at the same pace as the caravan of which they were the masters. Their thick dresses, their fur boots, and their red woollen hoods protected them from the cold wind of the mountain. In the darkness, rendered thicker by a slight fog, the lights of a village were shining, and soon the mules, hurrying all together, jostling their loads, crowded before the only inn of the place.
The three travelers, happy to be able to rest, got down from their saddles when the innkeeper came out on the step of his door and excused himself, saying all his rooms were taken. “I have still, it is true, a large hall the other side of the street, but it is only a barn, badly shut. I will show it to you.” The merchants were disappointed, but it was too late to continue their way; they followed their landlord.
The hall that was shown to them was big enough and closed at the end by a curtain. Their luggage was brought; the bedclothes rolled on the pack-saddles were spread out, as usual, on planks and trestles.
The meal was served in the general sitting-room, in the midst of noise, laughing, and movement—smoking rice, vegetables preserved in vinegar, and lukewarm wine served in small cups.
Then everyone went to bed; the lights were put out and profound silence prevailed in the sleeping village. However, a sensation of cold and uneasiness soon awoke one of the three travelers named Wang Fou, Happiness-of-the-kings. He turned in his bed, but the snoring of his two companions annoyed him; he could not get to sleep. Again, seeing that his rest was finished, he got up, relit the lamp which was out, took a book from his baggage, and stretched himself out again. But if he could not sleep, it was just as impossible to read. In spite of himself, his eyes quitted the columns of letters laid out in lines and searched into the darkness that the feeble light did not contrive to break through.
A growing terror froze him. He would have liked to awaken him companions, but the fear of being made fun of prevented him.
By dint of looking, he at last saw a slight movement shake the big curtain which closed the room. There came from behind a crackling of wood being broken. Then a long, painful threatening silence began again.
The merchant felt his flesh thrill; he was filled with horror, in spite of his efforts to be reasonable. He had put aside his book, and, the coverlet drawn up to his nose, he fixed his enlarged eyes on the “shadowy corners at the end of the room.
The side of the curtain was lifted; a pale hand held the folds. The stuff, thus raised, permitted a being to pass, whose form, hardly distinct, seemed penetrated by the shadow.
Happiness-of-kings would have liked to scream; his contracted throat allowed no sound to escape. Motionless and speechless, he followed with his horrified look the slow movement of the apparition which approached.
He, little by little, recognized the silhouette of a female, seen by her short quilted dress and her long narrow jacket. Behind the body he perceived the curtain again moving. The spectre, in the meantime bending over the bed of one of the sleeping travelers, appeared to give him a long kiss.
Then it went towards the couch of the second merchant. Happiness-of-kings distinctly saw the pale figure, the eyes, from which a red flame was shining, and sharp teeth, half-exposed “ which opened and shut by turns on the throat of the sleeper. A start disturbed the body under the cover, then all stopped: the spectre then began drinking the sleeper’s blood..
Happiness-of-kings, seeing that his turn was coming, had just strength enough to pull the coverlet over his head. He heard grumblings; a freezing breath penetrated through the wadded material.
Terror gave the merchant full possession of his strength; with a convulsive movement he threw his coverlet on the apparition, jumped out of his bed, and, yelling like a wild beast, he ran as far as the door and flew away in the night.
Still running, he felt the freezing breath in his back, he heard the furious growlings of the spectre.
HOWL SOUND
The prolonged howling of the unhappy man filled the narrow street and awoke all the sleepers in their beds, but none of them moved; they hid themselves farther and farther under their coverlets. These inhuman cries meant nothing good for those who should have been bold enough to go outside.
The bewildered fugitive crossed the village, going faster and faster. The instinct of a hunted animal drove on the distracted merchant; he made a brisk turn to the right, then to the left, and threw himself behind the knotted trunk of a huge chestnut-tree.The freezing hand already touched his shoulder; he felt senseless.
In the morning, in broad daylight, two men who came to plough in this same field were surprised to percei ve against the tree a white form, and, on the ground, a man stretched out. This fact coming after the howling in the night appeared strange to them; they turned back and went to find the Chief of the Elders. When they returned, the greater part of the inhabitants of the village followed them.
The innkeeper recognized one of his guests in the man stretched on the ground, whom no care could revive.
The crowd approached and found that the form against the tree was the corpse of a young woman, her nails buried in the bark of the tree; from her mouth a stream of blood had flowed. Like all beings deprived of conscience and reason, she was hungry for blood.”
MUSICAL TRANSITION
16:06 Translation notes
On a lighter note -
In an earlier pod cast episode - specifically episode 68 - I talked about interpreting for the Deaf for the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company’s excellent production of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the last scene of the play the character of Theseus says “How shall we find the concord of this discord.” That is basically what has happened in the play itself - that there has been a resolution to the discord of the lovers in the initial scenes, which by the end has turned into concord or agreement.
So this could be translated “How learn agreement from argument.” Originally, I had also considered the shorter “how understand” - Remember this is American Sign Language - a completely different language from spoken English, and one of the underlying principles of ASL is to sign what is MEANT - not necessarily what you say. As you can imagine, this requires a great deal of research to try and figure out what Shakespeare MEANT.
I said in episode 68, that I was going to aim for “how learn agreement from argument” assuming I am not too tired after several hours of interpreting, but might end up signing “how understand.”
So we have the original - “How shall we find the concord of this discord.” - which is 9 spoken English words.
“How learn agreement from argument.” 5 signs in American Sign Language
and “How understand” - while looking at the cast members that you are referring to - 2 words in American Sign Language
During that episode, I mentioned that “How learn agreement from argument” would be a better translation. - that has the advantage of the signer signing learn - learn - a sign that can flow directly into agreement. Also the signs for agreement and argument both make use of the extended index finger - so you might say they have an internal rime.
So, in summary “how understand” would be shorter by a few seconds - and this was in a section of the play where the characters spoke at breakneck speed.
During episode 68, I said that I will let you know in a future podcast episode about what I actually end up doing - like it was an earthshaking decision.
Well, something happened that night that I could have never imagined.
Being hot all the time, about all I wear are t shirts and shorts - that night I thought I better go back into my closet - the kind of closet where my clothes are kept! - and get my interpreting outfit - black shirt and black pants - good stage colors and a contrasting background so that my hands are more visible.
19:20 Creeping pants
Well, I put on the pants and they seemed to fit fine - so I planned to wear them to interpret the play. Everything seemed to be fine, and at the appropriate time I stood to the side of the stage prepared to interpret. It turns out that someone wanted me to stand off the stage so the camera could zero in on me for the live streaming - I assume I was going to be in some kind of split screen, so I jumped off the stage, and with that movement I felt the pants start to come down. I had lost far more weight that I thought, and while I pulled the pants up, anytime I moved in the slightest, they started slowly sliding down. So I could really get into signing something, and invariably feet my black pants coming down. About the only thing I could do was briefly stop, and pull the pants up - but you can imagine how that really hampers any interpreting.
All I could think was Thank God I was wearing underwear! I would interpret, then feel my pants creeping down, and any ability to sign smoothly without having to stop was a thing of the past.
I know the audience really enjoyed the play - it was a very funny comedy, and brought constant roars of laughter - but I could not help but feel that everytime I stopped to reach down to pull up my creeping pants, the audience was laughing at me. And of course, there were lots of phones with cameras there, and I could just imagine my pants sliding all the way town, and a video of that being posted to youtube.
This lasted maybe 20 minutes - though it seemed like a lifetime - and I had no idea how I was going to make it through several hours of this. But I was saved by the bell, so to speak. Or more accurately, saved by the rain.
There was a flash downpour, and being outside, the play had to stop for about 20 minutes. I ran into a dressing room onstage, and begged some of the members of the wardrobe people explained my problems and asked them to use several safety pins to pin my pants to my shirt so the pins could not be easily seen. It may sound simple, but it worked.
I know the rain was a major hindrance for the cast and technical people with all the electrical equipment, but for me the rain - or any interruption where I could tactfully get off stage - was a blessing.
So when the rain stopped and the play resumed, I began signing again - and I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever signed better in my life. For example, there were several sections when the very funny rude mechanicals - or workers - spoke rather complex lines very fast - I kept right up with them, and my hands moved faster than I knew they were capable of - movements that were appropriate for the rapid fire speech on stage.
All this was going on, and I heard the line “How shall we find the concord of this discord.” Previously I had thought that I would probably end up signing “How understand” - not the better translation - so I would not get behind.
But I was able to sign “How learn agreement from argument.”
You know, when you are younger you are expected to do stupid things - that’s part of developing experience, but I thought that somehow when you get older, you learn from experience. But I have learned that you ALWAYS make stupid mistakes - it is just part of being human.
In conclusion,I felt like the formerly hindered swimmer who gets a burst of energy and swims better than he realized he or she is capable of. I like swimming analogies - but then swimming was what got the weight off in the first place.
Anyway . . .
23:42 Sources
Sources for this episode include Tales of Ghosts and Foxes by Pu Songling, The Classic Horror Blog by M. Grant Kellermeyer, The Squaw by Bram Stoker, The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, The Vampire Book by Sally Regan, and Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Why not visit my podcast web site at celebratepoe.buzzsprout.com - click on the episode you want to learn more about to see its show notes and a transcript.
24:27 Future episodes
This month I want to concentrate on vampires - in the future, this podcast will deal with the first lesbian vampire story, the individuals who are believed to be the inspiration for Dracula, and some of the print and film versions of Bram Stoker’s masterpiece.
Then Celebrate Poe will specifically cover Poe’s years as a child in England - especially his education . I am finding some exciting stuff regarding the information that he learned - especially in the form of classical rhetoric - to become one of America’s greatest writers.
25:02 Outro
Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.