Reasons why Draugr {Draug} aren’t as well-known as Vampires
Not to sound cliched but the answer lies in the question. Or rather a part of it does. But before I touch on that I’d just like to say that you should be specific with the usage of the term “vampire” there. What sort are we talking about here? The modern one? The medieval one? Or is it something else? I won’t go into a large lecture on the topic, since the more we broaden the definition the more of a mess this will become.
First off let’s look at the term vampire. In modern times it’s got a bit more canon thrown into the mix. Weakness to garlic, pale skin, sharp fangs, bright-to-sometimes-velvet-red lips and at times eyes, weakness to sunlight, shapeshifting, magic, beauty, romance, and the bat stuff {including a lot more} are basically more modern details that took hold in popular media. In a sense, the most common trait that we have is the thirst for blood. Which is why we normally use the term vampiric creatures to refer to bloodsuckers. Who are extremely common.
The Far East, Mesopotamia, Africa, Mesoamerica, Australia, India, and the Mediterranean, you name it. They at least have some form of bloodsuckers present within their folklore. A lot of them are quite so different that the only thing you can find in common between them is like I said the fact that they seek human blood. Be it to survive or just to act as monsters.
The point I’m trying to convey will be our first reason. Prevalence. The fear of having your blood sucked is quite a common one and it has been so for millennia. You might argue that with the presence of demons such as the Lamashtu in Mesopotamia, this type of creature is nearly as old as “proper” human civilizations {taken from Mesopotamia’s title of “Cradle of Human Civilization”}. Draugr aren’t as common. I’ll explain why in a while.
Reason number two would be looseness. Think about it. You may say that a vampire has certain traits but does it now? Every single pop culture media that addresses them gives a different take and adds something new. As I said, vampires are malleable. So long as they fit the basic framework of being a blood-sucker almost every single thing works. Draugr are not like that. Your question is a testimony to that. How so? You specifically mention Norse Mythology in regard to them, while keeping such a label away from vampires. Because the Draugr are bound to a specific culture. On the contrary, a vampire isn’t. As long as you broaden the definition you’ll find a parallel in nearly every culture.
It is this quality that helps separate the two. A Draugr can’t be molded perfectly into a story in the same way a vampire can. Also, to be honest I think that vampires are better for inducing fear than Draugrs. How so? Look at modern times and even older ones. The more development we humans underwent the more cities were formed. Post the industrial revolution there just weren’t any natural places or specific areas where a Draugr could appear. Meanwhile, vampires are harder to spot. They look just like us and can appear in cities in that guise.
“It is said that Grettir was out at night when he was traveling away and could not find a suitable place to stay. He then went to a farm in the woods at Oddi in Vatnsdal, where a farmer named Ásmundur lived. He was an old man and of great stature, a wise man who was highly respected and owned a lot of property. He lived near a large forest where there were no neighbors.
When Grettir arrived at the farm, he was welcomed because he was a great chieftain and everyone felt obliged to him. Grettir asked them how they would treat him if he had to leave at night and did not return home. They told him not to go out into the forest, because there were many unclean and dangerous men there, and it was a haunt for ghosts and hidden people.
A “draugr” is a dead man who is buried in the earth and then comes back to life. He is very strong and the enemy of all living men. He roams around and seeks food, and often goes out at night to kill people, but during the day he goes back to his mound. He is especially outlawed by the church and no one is allowed to take his body out of the mound. It is said that those who are taken by “draugr” become “draugr” themselves for seven days.”
Source: “Grettis Saga” or “Saga of Grettir the Strong”
The formation of a draugr is a bit more difficult than that of a vampire. Most draugr are people who either lived extremely violent and evil lives or those who were buried disrespectfully. Compare this to vampires. They can be anything. From a spirit, to an undead, and to a person who can cause others to become vampires. Now, why is this terrifying? Modern vampires are contagious. Draugr are not. The fear of becoming one of them just adds to the overall terror. Plus, remember the vampiric creatures I briefly mentioned. The Filipino Manaanangal is far more terrifying than a Draugr.
Then there’s pop culture. Vampires basically hit the big screen post the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which had the double effect of invoking one of the most fearsome kings around: Vlad the Impaler. The fact is that Stoker’s work was an instant hit. With the coming of cinema and whatnot, it gained an even greater boost. To become the most portrayed literary non-human character in media. As well as the most portrayed literary character in history. The Industrial Revolution also popularized gothic horror and vampires gained a boost from that. They’re basically staples of the most generic gothic literature.
And they complement the scenery too. An old rich count or a flamboyant and handsome young man tends to fit quite well in more medieval settings. Speaking of the handsome man, the consideration of vampires as sexual beings/entities helped bolstered the popularity a lot. It’s a trope nowadays. Let me make the point short hear. Draugr tend to be less appealing to the masses. And we have insufficient data on them. Poor conservation of the source material. Meanwhile, not only do we know everything about vampires, they can basically become what we want them to. Granted they fit the basic definition. Though deviations do exist.
Those are my two cents. What do you guys think? I hope you enjoyed it. Have a nice day!
