Traditional Vampirism

[Campbell, Anne-TMC-Rcvg]

No: HPFGUIDX 88806

{Iris}
Gaki are spirits of those who were greedy in life, and are condemned to wander the earth filled with insatiable hunger. There are several  harmless types of gaki (tea gaki, for example), but you'd likely be thinking of blood, soul, or flesh gaki.

Blood gaki are more traditional vampires, killed by a stake through the heart. The flesh gaki rip flesh from their victims and eat it. Soul gaki are the scariest of the bunch. They can travel in the form of a black cloud or their previous victims, and basically envelop you and eat your soul.

None of them seem to have problems with light, IIRC...

{Iris}
I remember a Japanese tale about a creature with vampire powers. By day, it looked like a beautiful young woman. By night, the beautiful young woman turned into a cat and sucked the blood of her lover. 


{Now Anne}

Both accounts are correct, in so far as my study of the subject is concerned. The Gaki are vamps of an oriental nature...although I think the cat creature, although gifted with vamp powers, is actually considered Yoma (demon)--one of many variations of the evil spirits in Japan that exist to live off the unwary--it's also very close to the "Kitsune" legends--stories that originated in China and made their way to Japan about a 'fox spirit' who walked among mankind in the form of a stunningly beautiful woman--except, of course, for the fox tail that she had to hide beneath her robes. It was said she could bring great fortune on the man she fixated upon--but at a price. Not only was he subject to her whims, but she would feed on his soul over the years, eventually leaving nothing more than a spiritless husk. She would then move on to the next victim, leaving the old victim to loose his fortune, his health, and eventually his life.

One legend claims that such a creature had married one of the historically prominent rulers long ago, but I can't remember which Emperor the woman was linked with--and, sadly, I no longer have THAT book either...*growls*

Anyhow...there is no denying that many cultures have bloodthirsty, vampiric-type beings in them (South America is lousy with them...), but for the sake of the Snape argument, I don't include them. For one....the vampire cannon mentioned so far in the HP universe seems to draw from the Slavic/Dracula legends, and two, since Sev is most definitely a 'White Boy', it would sort of push the envelope of believability even for the HP universe (how did an Englishman end up being a Japanese vampire?!). Not to mention that Rowling, thus far, has stuck with almost wholly European legends to draw from, or from mythologies that at the very least are taught world wide (Norse, Celtic, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, some Indian, etc) in most schools. Japan, China, South America, Africa,  etc are usually glossed over (if mentioned at all) in the myth curriculum unless it's advanced studies in a University or collage...

Again, not to say she couldn't draw from such sources, but given her track record on it so far (and the fact that she hasn't for other mythic figures), I find it unlikely...at least not for a character who apparently has not set foot out of Hogwarts, more or less, for over 15 years (except to spy and, I'm sure, to make trips to Hogsmeade and the like for his own enjoyment and the like), and has, at least according to cannon thus far (Meaning there is no mention of Sev taking a trip anywhere at any time), never left the UK at all his entire life...

Good Old Moldy Voldy, however...has been just about everywhere in his search for immortality, or so it would seem....*winks*

Anne